Mobile01 posted that video recording the shutter noise of the A7-A7r. If you want to takes photos without being noticed…well that’s going to be almost impossible.
The video below is the hands-on from Gordon Laing (CameraLabs):
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Specs and Preorders in US and Canada (Click on store name to see direct preorder page / some links via Dealsrunner):
Dedicated Sony announcement page at Amazon US (Click here).
Sony A7r body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A7 body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony RX10 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 24-70mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 35mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 55mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
70-200mm A-mount at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A-Mount to E-Mount Lens Adapter at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony A to E adapter with mirror at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
A7/A7r leather case at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
A7/A7r vertical grip at Amazon, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony W Series Battery Charger at Amazon, BHphoto.
Sony FA-CS1M Off-Camera Shoe at BHphoto.
Semi-Hard LCD Screen Protector for A7-A7r at Amazon, BHphoto.
Specs and Preorders in Europe:
Sony A7r body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, WexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, FR, WexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, FR, WexUK, WexDE.
Sony RX10 at Sony DE, WexUK, WexDE.
Zeiss 35mm at Sony DE.
Zeiss 55mm at Sony DE.
152 Responses
That shutter soundslike its being shot at 20th of a second..
Doesnt sound reasurring at all!!!
S shutter sound is crucial in knowing ONE GOT THE SHOT..
could sony have made it less noisy?
Sounds like the alpha A900 ,, clunk clunk clunk…so unnatractive
It’s a mirrorless camera. That means the shutter is normally open – because you are using the imaging sensor to compose, focus, etc. When you press the shutter button, the shutter closes, then the sensor stops real-time readout and start accumulating charge, the shutter opens and closes for the specified duration (shutter speed). Then the image is read out and THEN the shutter opens again. All mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras do this. It is more noticeable on the A7/A7R because the shutter is twice as big as APS cameras.
Takatakatakata!
I don’t have a $7000 red dot that gets me noticed. So I’m gonna make as much noise as possible.
I already ordered my semiautomatic weapon (A7R that is).
Gordon knows his sh!t. I could listen to him for a long time.
A7R=AR7 Hahahaha
Or AK47 🙂
Shutter sound = vibrations …Oh shit! Where is the IBIS??? (hahahaha!!!!!)
Too loud for weddings, that is for sure!
Lol, oh please. Hardly too loud for a wedding. My D800 is much louder than that.
How you detected, how loud it actually is? There is no reference! Just reduce volume if its to loud…
@ LEdgars: Thank you for an intelligent reflection. There is so much nonsense among Sony owner’s that it is embarrassing.
Shutter sound = vibrations …Oh shit! Where is the IBIS??? (hahahaha!!!!!)
That’s where Electronic Front Curtain Shutter kicks in 🙂 To eliminate vibrations from shutter. Sony used that for ages in A77 / A99 and other recent SLTs.
Sounds like type writer.
I was just goning to write the same.
It’s not as bad as I imagined…But I fail to understand why Sony couldn’t have gone with electronic front and rear curtains. That would make a totally silent camera and significantly increase its appeal to anyone who shoot reportage.
Sony will always hold back something obvious for the next version…
Excluding this feature is utterly ridiculous, and FYI they’ve already left out the feature on many generations of NEXs, don’t know when they’d come to their senses.
The GXR with this function goes up to 1/8000, I believe with both shutters electronic there is no physical limit on how fast the shutter can be. If I had 1/32,000 I could underexpose wide open in any kind of light…
Does that pose any kind of problem? Unless you mean that with both curtains electronic, the shutter would go out of control on how long it is open?
I still think there is a limit, or smartphones camera modules would never overexpose, but the fact is they overexpose easily.
Fully electronic shutter is very complicated thing to do with CMOS sensors. And it’s even more complicated to achieve consistent exposures (because – yes, you can make simple fully electronic shutter, but it won’t be reliable enough for everyday photography). It seems like so far only Panasonic got camera with fully electronic CMOS shutter – GM1.
Are you saying smartphones actually use mechanical shutters?
This doesn’t explain why they removed the electronic front curtain on a7r either, it’s making an already much more expensive model, already without OSPDAF, less appealing.
It’s easier to do consistent electronic shutter with small sensors than it is with large. Actually: When you have smartphone-sized sensor: It’s very easy to make fully electronic shutter. Issue with them is mostly in consistency on a large (sensor) area.
But yea – I have no slightest idea why they missed electronic first curtain from 7r.
Nikon 1’s have full electronic shutter too (the just have a 1″ sensor).
It’s dolby stereo maaannn… Sounds like a typewriter… I like it 😀
You’re the man now, dawg!
Tell me… Is that how the sun shade looks like on the 35 mm?
It is, I was also surprised at first and thought it was some sort of mask for prototypes to hide the labels on the lens.
Couldn’t a special sheath attenuate the sound a little?
Doesn’t the A99 have a relatively loud shutter compared to other current Sony cams?
Someone needs to tell Gordon his crop MP numbers are not correct.
Another reason why it can’t be the Leica killer.
+1
This, ” i don’t have the $7000″ pious arguments in favor of a $2400 shot gun shutter, hmm…
The fact is that even if I am willing to pay $10,000, I can not buy a Sony cam with a quiet shutter.
They do not have the expertise. They simply do not know how to make one for interchangeable lens cameras.
Lol is leica M shutter silent?
+1 Steve Huff wrote that the shutter sound is not so different than that of Leica M. I haven’t shot the last M, I might be wrong, but I recall you can take the picture, hold pressed the shutter button, walk away, and release it. If it would be possible to do it also with the Sony, many “street” shooters would be happy.
Still the problem remains, to those who work in theaters and thought of it as a good camera for their job.
You are wrong on two counts.
First, you have no clue how the double shutter without the electronic first shutter FEELS like, let alone sounds like.
Second, the Leica M shutter is silent compared to a NEX-7 (with the electronic first curtain enabled). Leica film cameras have this fame (for real) of being silent. Try to hear it on the M7, for example. Or even an old used Minolta CLE for that matter.
This A7r is not a Minolta CL, for sure. 😉
Hendrick, I’m basing my thoughts on what I heard from the videos, A7 being a little more silent, but I’m more interested in the A7r.
I’m sure Steve Huff was talking about the last M model, and I have never used it.
Again, if the sound is a lot louder than that of my E-m5 I have to carefully think about the purchase: I can’t justify it for my work in theaters.. What should I say to my girlfriend? 😉
Marco, Steve Huff is wrong in claiming the M is ~1/4 silent compared to the A7r. It will be proven beyond a doubt when actual sounds will be put on youtube when the A7r becomes available. Stay tuned.
As for your personal predicament, I would say use your charm. 🙂
…actually they do know how to make an interchangeable lens camera with an absolutely quiet shutter, albeit in their traditional field of expertise which is video. Their Cine Alta PMW 4K camcorder does use a global electronic shutter on an 8.9 MP CMOS sensor, a technology which at the moment they seem to be the only one to offer. Unfortunately $10,000 won’t get you there as the camcorder sells (body only) for about $29,000. That said Sony is obviously building products like the current A7 with the experiences that they draw from all the fields that they are invested in, so it is just a matter of time before this technology will come to a full frame body near you.
If you can’t wait the Leica is the camera for you. For everybody else this seems like a really good tool to take pictures and the occasional video at a price point that is surprisingly competitive, so yes I am buying it.
I don’t mind the shutter noise and I know for fact that the supposed vibration of it is not going to be an issue.
-1
The lack of an electronic first curtain shutter on the a7R may be a dealbreaker for me. In astrophotography, the electronic first curtain reduces a lot of camera shake. I may have to cancel my pre-order and go for the a7. I’m testing out the difference on my NEX-6 right now.
Well, good news is, for long exposures (30 sec), the shutter shake doesn’t seem to show up at all on my NEX-6! But the electronic first curtain would have made it about half as noisy, for those who worry about the shutter sound. According to Sony’s website, the a7 can turn that on. Should make it a little quieter.
Could you let me know what your results are? I’m wondering the exact same thing. I’m mainly going with A7r due to better build quality. However, this could change things…
electronic first curtain shutter is there, at least the A7 with firmware 0.9 I can guarantee it. but why should they leave it out in any other versions?!?
it’s the last curtain, thats making the noise, so less vibration problems anyway…
A7 has it, A7r doesn’t
http://www.sony.net/Products/di/en-us/products/uxc2/index.html
http://www.sony.net/Products/di/en-us/products/o4j5/index.html
Because the 36Mp sensor has different charging characteristics. The electronic shutter is quick enough to support liveview but a mechanical shutter is required for faster exposures.
Same here for macro, high magnification macro needs EFSC. Until now Canon EOS 5D mkII and mkIII was the only FF option but now we have the A7 with superior DR for sure
NEX-5n and NEX-7 beats any Canon APS-C, only con no tethering
…I can’t say how much of an issue the lack of an electronic first shutter is for astrophotography, but given the focal lengths involved I can imagine it might be. For everything else however I am confident that this is not of any concern even to the most discerning of photographers (and you kind of have to be if you are about to invest into a 36MP camera with no low pass filter).
When I got the Nex-7 I did some extensive testing regarding the electronic first shutter, since at the time the feature was new to me and I wanted to know how much of a difference it actually made. In my tests I used a 135mm Tele Elmar mounted on the Nex-7 with a novoflex adapter. All shots were taken on a Carbon fiber tripod with an Arca Swiss type ball head. The connection between the Nex-7 and the ball head was done with a custom build quick release plate (a must for the Nex-7 since the base of the camera is so small that any ordinary quick release plate would provide a less than perfect connection. All pictures were taken with an infrared remote release.
from 1/250th of a second down to about 1/15th of a second there were absolutely no discernible differences whatsoever. from 1/15th to about 1 second there were moments were the electronic first shutter seemed to have some advantages. I say “seemed” since in none of the images taken without the electronic first shutter there was anything that could be really considered blurry. The differences were about what you can see when comparing the RX-1 to the RX-1r, roughly the equivalent of a low pass filter.
From 1sec on those differences were gone again.
That said I do recommend getting a decent tripod, tripod head and a quick release plate custom build to the camera, since those are the elements that will either absorb the vibrations of the shutter or amplify it and the differences between a good camera support and a bad one are quite staggering, in any case far more staggering than the lack of an electronic first shutter.
…maybe there is even some method to the madness:
The differences between the RX-1 and the RX-1R are indeed quite similar to those between a Nex-7 with electronic shutter activated and one without. And looking at the description of the new Pentax K-3 with it’s low pass filter simulation through vibration, it seems that the A7R with its shutter is going to do something quite similar. Whether or not that is intentional is hard to say even though it appears quite unlikely that it was intentional, but who knows. In the meantime it might just reduce moiré, which in my book isn’t a bad thing.
I don’t understand what’s the big deal, not like I’m a spy or anything. Who cares how it sounds like.
“They” want a $10,000 Leica from Sony but not willing to pay even $2,000!!!
And COMPLAINS!!
I’m shelling out $3000 body only no questions asked if a9’s got IBIS and electronic shutter. I once thought of it as a useful auxilary feature, but seeing that a7’s shutter noise is worse than average, it’s gonna have to be a must.
+1
You most certainly woud when you can see a 20X. Magnification being pin sharp with the live view but fuzzy in the image you captured because of the shutter startling you while making the shot. Brace yourself!
Could this be part of the problem of those blurry shots displayed yesterday of the flowers etc?!?
I’d put it down to poor hand held technique, but that could explain it…
Sony could release sony brand lens that have smaller aperture and cheaper, as well as Zeiss brand that are faster and more expensive. Then maybe everyone who complains about E lenses would be happy…
I am an A mount user and will not be converted to E mount in the near future so it’s not like I really care about all the E mount issues and concerns… I am really just throwing random thoughts there 😛
I’m sorry for asking such a dumb question, but….
If I used an A mount lens on this camera, will I be able to use steady shot? Or is that completely not the camera body?
That feature is in body so no, but whatever lens you use on a A-mount body will be stabilized.
There are several stabilized third-party lenses, but I can’t find information about stabilization working with an adapter.
That is awful. Sounds like a clackety sewing machine. If you want to hear a sweet shutter, check out the E-M5.
Or the Panasonic G7 with no sound! 🙂
That shutter is covering sensor 4 times smaller than one in A7 and A7R, no wonder is quieter.
The a900 doesn’t sound that bad. I actually like the sound over my A77 electronic buzz. This thing is loud though- whatever. This is in relation to Gordon Lang- the guys awesome. He seems so,knowledgable and I get some much out of his reviews. Dude, your awesome.
At least the shutter sound is more realistic than the RX1 fake shutter sound.
It’s has a leaf shutter and is meant to make zero noise. Shutter noise is annoying, fake shutter noise is gross, just turn it off.
I think I am going to freeze myself until December 1. I don’t think I can stand the wait.
I don’t see how the statement that NEX will be discontinued as a brand fits with the fact that this is an announcement for SONY NEX A7 and A7R cameras. Go check it out on their website. They say that these are NEX cameras.
They also list the a3000 as a DSLR with the a77/99/etc. Regardless of how things are displayed on their site, Sony says they’re getting rid of the NEX name. I’m pretty sure they’re going through a transitioning phase, so keeping their website in line with future plans probably isn’t their priority.
In my understanding, A7 does have the electronic front curtains, but A7R does not ?
So I don’t understand why the A7 still have that noisy shutter sound… the sounds make me feel the shutter lag time would be worse!
Could be they didn’t turn it on? Maybe it’s not present on the pre-production units everyone has? The Sony website does indicate the a7R does not have it, but the a7 does. It makes a big difference in noise on my NEX-6.
Likewise on the a77
Huh, for my photographie – street and travel, this is unfortunately a big no go. The A7 is so small – but toooo loud.
I’m curious about the camera on the right. Prototype?
http://timg.eprice.com.tw/tw/dc/img/2013-10/16/4853064/oscar210_3_Sony-_060aa1d027cd431c05b8b2f37d12a54c.jpg
that is rx10
So long as the shutter doesn’t spray oil and fling debris like Nikon’s D600.
And, whenever it comes, the Hasselblad version will at least sound like a Hasselblad.
It will sound expensive?
The camera seems good with more features, small and competitively priced.
It seems it has a very good momentum from serious photographers…including CANIKON owners. So Sigma, Samyang, Tamaron…needs to come aboard and save the Lens lineup.
Sony too needs to brings its own brand of cheaper lens..to get the market. I expect in another 4 years..it will reach the level of Nex lenses(even more time) as it is niche market. Still I doubt they will bring Telezoom lenses for this kind of camera. Guess. this camera is a best fit for Portrait and Landscape usage and will beat the competition
with portable size and cheaper entry price.
For sports, wildlife, nature photographer..you still need to rely on CANIKON and Sony A mount as their body is more suited for big telezoom lenses.
A7 is my target but I don’t need to buy it now. Maybe wait for a while until Sony has the same comparable lens lineup as Nikon and Canon have in their F and EF mount.
I think if you are waiting on that you will have a long long wait, better put the kettle on 🙂
Quite positive hope…Wait at least for 7 years to reach there…by that time technology would have changed….and nobody will be using these fat E mount lenses or any Optical lenses of this type.
Well, that certainly does sound like a camera.
Luckily, my usual human subjects aren’t likely to be frightened off by it. If I need quiet, I’ll use the GR.
Sony need to reduce the shutter noise .
That is not only loud, but also clacky. Then again, I shoot with an R3MOT. 🙂 I wonder if the vibration shows in images.
Well, no matter, the a7R is #2 on Amazon overall ranking. It’s not listed under compact or under DSLR.
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Electronics-Digital-Cameras/zgbs/electronics/281052
Yay!
Hi JShin! 🙂 you changed image, Apostate! (I’m quite worried about this shutter, I wasn’t expecting an x100s silent sound, but this..)
Heh, yes… It happened during the commenting outage, because I thought maybe there was a problem with my account, so I tried signing on with both my emails. I was thinking about doing it anyway, so here it is.
The a7 does sound more like an SLR; even if the video exaggerates the volume level, it might be noticeable in the quiet spaces you were hoping to use it in. I guess there is nothing like hands-on to be sure. I’ll probably try it next time I’m in a big city.
I am a bit confused about this end of nex name thing. So what will they call a updated nex-6 7 or 5 and what will it look like if it is not a nex??
I think they’re just rebranding the cameras differently. The NEX form factor will remain but it won’t be called a NEX. I think the cameras will have ILC or A3000 names instead.
I was ready to get an a7 but then it was released without IBIS which made me think twice. (I think Sony and Olympus have a deal for Sony not to release any Sony cameras with 5 axis IBIS until next year. Oly needs their EM1 release to go well). And now the a7 and a7r have such a loud shutter I can’t buy them. I do a lot of concert, theater, and choir shooting. When I was shooting with the A700 and a850 I had to wait until the music was loud enough to take a shot. The Nex 6 is too loud too. The a77 and a99 has been quiet enough and I can shoot them when I want during a concert. So I with stay with them. Perhaps the a mount releases next year with me interesting. It never ends with Sony camera features. I like 90% of the features but there is always something disappointing. But overall I love EVF, IBIS in a mount cameras, focus peaking, in camera HDR, Sony’s color from RAW, and panorama so with Sony I stay. Oh well I was looking forward to going with a small FF. I know the GX7 can shoot silent. How is the shutter sound in the EM1?
+ same situation here. In jazz concerts I need not to disturb the artists nor the public, so for the moment I’m waiting to hear with my ears what’s the sound of this shutter.
If Em-1 has the same shutter sound as E-m5, then there’s no problem: it’s not silent as a x100s though!
The E-M1 was measured by a French magazine. It’s as quiet as the X-pro 1 / E-M5. But I believe the “character” of the noise is sightly different. The X-pro 1 and E-M5’s shutter produce a (rather sexy IMHO) low pitched thud. I believe the E-M1 is slightly higher in pitch.
Andrea, do you have info on the eletronic first curtain shutter on the 7 and 7 r? Please
My main worry is not limited to shutter noise but to shutter shake. When I first got my Leica M8 it had the original noisy shutter that Leica later upgraded with the M8.2 (and so did I). The later model can be hand heald at a much much slower shutter speed due to less shake. This could be even more true given the lighter weight of the 7r and the higher resolution.
Shutter noise is really bad news …. FOR A STALKER
the shutter sounds is same as usual DSLR …so its clear what is their target segment
Tomas, this camera is certainly not aimed at those who work in theaters. Perhaps you find it strange, but believe me it happened that a photog was told to stop working during a jazz concert. I saw it many times. Until now I relied upom my E-m5, and it seems I’ll have to try it in person before buying it.
Yes, most people go to a theater to watch the play. And yes, a photographer making noise is the same as someone using the phone etc. In the classical concerts I visit, it is prohibited to make photos at all. So yes, this Sony won’t be for you. But I guess there are other cameras on the market that do already suit you.
Full-frame? I guess not.
If light is enough, I use a Nikon 1V1, with its electronic shutter, completely silent (its mecanical shutter is also very silent, btw).
If light is not enough, then I use the NEX6, which is good, but makes more noise.
I was expecting A7 to be more or less as loud as NEX6, but not that loud. It seems Canon 6D being the right choice, given its silent mode.
Theater / concert photography is very tricky, you need good lenses, big sensors and silent shutters 🙂
Well, maybe the GM1 is the camera for you… with its more-electronic shutter? I haven’t read the reviews, yet, so I don’t know if it is all-electronic as rumored. How do you feel about the lack of EVF?
It sounds impossibly noisy, noisier than my old NEX 3
Question: He says the 24MP crops down to 16mp with APS-C lenses. Is that right? I thought it was more like 11MP.
At about 7:27 into the video.
Correct. People who is saying he really knows his stuff, well he does. His m43 stuff that is. HE always had a unfounded reservation towards Sony mirrorless cameras.
He mentions slow lenses for compactness and somehow puts a negative spin on it while comparing to big bulky DSLR’s. For God sakes, the 35mm f/2.8 is as compact as the Oly 17mm and still has more flexible DOF and can get a shallower DOF. On newer generation FF digital it is almost a waste to go lower than f/2 due to the transmission reduction going further down.
Last sentence just made it clear that you have no idea what you’re talking about.
Getting touching eh, when I pointed out your unfounded blabber in here when it comes to mirrorless cameras?
If you had a clue about the mirrorless Sony line you would have mentioned that along with the A77 the NEX 5n and 7 were the first cameras to get the FCS.
If my last sentence don’t make sense to you then google the issue, there is a Dxomark article on this subject too, and people testing this phenomenon over at dpreview forums. I am not talking about lens transmission, but sensors’ ability to capture light in conjuction with larger aperture lenses, if you have problems understanding things that are not spelled out to you.
Uh? What are you referring to? The only post you made in a replay to my was long after I posted this one here and was easily busted. So please, give up this ad personum argumentation, cause this makes you only look like scared child.
I haven’t mentioned NEX because why would I? Am I creating a list of all mirrorless cameras with FCS? lol Equally well I could mention that Canon got FCS long before Sony did. Yes, that’s important and relevant information, but… I don’t care, so I didn’t write about it.
Your last sentence doesn’t make sense, because this phenomena isn’t strong enough to negate advantages of additional light getting into the sensor, like you suggest.
You are right it’s roughly mp / 2.25. In the video he is just doing mp / 1.5.
Thanks. I thought I had done my math wrong and started getting really excited (like finding money in a jacket pocket). But, I’m still happy with 11ish MP for Crop. I’m just not happy with the 43 days I need to wait for this thing to ship. 🙂
The shutter noise is a deal breaker for me. What a silly remark about it being bad for stalkers.
When I take photos at events sometime someone is speaking or there is a concert going on in the background. If I start clicking away with all the shutter noise it is going to be very annoying for people who are trying to enjoy the event.
Something to really look forward to with digital cameras is the silent shutters and it’s too bad Sony screwed up the opportunity to offer one.
It sounds a LOT better than my A850!!
Come on Admin, hos can you tell from a video how loud it is?? (this is troll and band wagon joiners bait)
Remember the A7 has first curtain shutter and therefore less loud than the A7R. In this video the shutter sounds very similar to the NEX-7 which is NOT loud at all for a focal plane shutter of a big sensor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aZ3NylTwuM&feature=player_embedded
I’d love to see a video where the a7 and NEX7 are actually being recorded side-by-side.
I think the complaint is not just the volume level, but the fact that it sounds like the mirror-slap of a DSLR, and does not sound very dampened, i.e., the sound is high-pitched. A “flack”, instead of a “chope” of a typical mirrorless. In fact, in sounds more like a DSLR without the lens mounted; most DLSRs these days sound like “glup”. I guess only a hands-on will tell us for sure whether we like it.
I don’t understand what everyone’s problem is. The shutter sound you hear from video depends on where the mic is. It’s probably louder on video than it sounds in real life. For those saying they can’t do street photography with this – please note that the actual sound level is about the same as the Leica M.
+1. It’s pretty difficult to judge this without hearing it in person.
“the actual sound level is about the same as the Leica M.” – Source? And what do you mean by “about” – is it one of these “A900 makes ABOUT as much noise as 5D mkIII” ?
It doesn’t affect me as I always take photos in noisy environment.
if i have canon fd 50/1.4 with adapter will that work in FF-mode on a7?
Works beautifully with Metabones smart adapter – all electronic information available, even IS. But of course the AF is another story – it works but can be painfully slow as the USM tries to go back and forth. Maybe with the new A7s the PDAF will be much faster.
ok, but I only have this cheap adapter, no metabone smart adapter. will I still get ff-coverage with such an adapter?
yes. the metabones is for EF anyway
is it true this camera only has a 60,000 shutter life. FML
on (european?) sony stores you can add 1 year warranty for 0.01euro more. so it means that the camera has 3 year warranty.
so I dont care, and neither should europeans
So for pros (if main cam) a replacement shutter could be needed every 1-2 years?!? hummmm. I thought it might be rated up to 150k
Do you have any source for that claim , I have never heard of any camera with such a low shutter life so I would be disinclined to believe these cameras have
really funny that everybody says something about the Sound… No one of you know how loud it is… you cannot compare it.
i switched off my pc Speakers – the a7 has a silent mode!!!
No.. watch the camera store review. This thing is LOUD.
And it would have been hella cool if they could have brought out an amount adapter that doesnt use the crappy mirror and have 15 af points clustered in the center of the frame.
That said. I already tolerate sony’s abysmal flash system because their system is still my favourite. And this is a cool cam. It is just typical of them to overlook something subtle like. how obtrusive. Size = unobtrusive, noise = MASSIVE obtrusiveness. Ah well. Ill survive
Does this thing have a hemi?
Most of the noise from my A77 comes from the aperture-system in camera/lens.
When i shoot full open, sound is almost just “electronic”, but when i stop down noise really sets in.
Wonder where the sound comes from in this A7 example….
A large shutter mechanism being very close to the bayonet. Perhaps it even touches the bayonet itself propagating sound even more (remember that it’s quite small body for it’s sensor size, so everything is very clumped inside).
well its its not image sensor noise, its shutter noise, I wonder if the strap is too noisy too?
Seriously, if you are in a place where a shutter noise like that offends people, you are a pretty select customer, 99.9% of the rest of the market doesn’t have an issue with the majority of the cameras on the market right now being as loud, or louder.
It soundy way too loud. Why?
see my response just above.
You sure do put out a lot of unfounded claims in your mission “save the DSLR/SLTs” mission. Sorry.
Sure the A99 may prove to have a more dampened shutter sound, but to come with a unbalanced claim without ever holding the camera is premature. The NEX-5n,r,t/6/7 with the same reg. distance as the A7/A7R all have first curtain shutters and sound pretty descent, even with it turned off. From one of the videos the A7 shutter sounds like the my NEX-7. Let us see when we actually try the cameras ourselves how it sounds and feels.
NEXes got APS-C sensor. That’s a huge difference. And yes – sound reminds you NEX7 or most of the other Sony’s mirrorless because… well: It’s only the shutter making noise – contrary to DSLRs which also got mirror creating additional sound “effect”. So with the same manufacturer and roughly the same design principle it’s quite natural that both will sound similarly. Still though bigger shutter makes more noise. Simple.
I am a spy. I need noiseless camera.
Noise = No buy
Dear Andrea, If the Sony a7 isn’t the NEX-7 succesor then what have you heard for believing such? Facts are the NEX system is no longer and the Alpha 7 is using the same batteries and shows all signs of exactly what NEX-7 users would need as technical upgrades. Plus it’s obviously located in NEX camera section within Sony directly. So I just wonder what your reasoning is, and don’t say size because it is the smallest full frame ever.
Sony was quoted as saying when asked: Why is this not an NEX camera? Most people were expecting another NEX camera. “Starting from now we are going to rebrand everything Alpha. We’re consolidating the brands so no longer will you see the word NEX.” Which in a round-about-way means this IS the NEX-7 successor. Otherwise what else would it be.
well, that’s not really what he said, is it. All he said is they’re not going to brand anything with the “NEX” name.
With this clearly not being a NEX, we can’t really consider it a NEX-7 replacement, can we?
Dropping the “NEX” name makes sense, it has become synonymous with a specific design. Adopting the “Alpha” name is bound to confuse people. “Epsilon” would have been a good way of indicating the mount used.
Keep Dreaming! Maybe Tomorrow! For God’s sake, it’s the smallest full frame camera ever! If it has an APS-C sensor, then it’s already worse than this camera and if they could make the a7 smaller then they would have. Really, nothing is good enough for the people that come to this site. What am I missing? What SHOULD the NEX-7 successor have and do and smell like?
Gordon is good reviewer.
omg, I did it, A7R and 55/1.8 it is for me, shipping Nov 19th or 20th, seems to ship earlier than in the US here in Ger
I don’t mind the shutter sound (only the focussing beep is annoying, but can usually be switched off) and even the poor images available so far seem to be a major ISO improvement for me (with my A77 already problematic at Iso400).
I had concerns because the 55/1.8 looks big compared to the body (and I want small and compact, that is the whole point of the mirrorless, formerly known as NEX camera (MFKAN), isn’t it?). But looking at the real dimensions (6.5 cm diameter, 7 cm long, filter diam. 49mm) – it really isn’t big at all! Nothing compared to the Zeiss 24-70/2.8 (A-mount) and even the Kit lens 16-50/2.8 is bigger. 280 g is a lightweight even 😉
Best site for specs btw:
55/1.8: http://www.sony.net/Products/di/en-us/products/lenses/lineup/detail/sel55f18z.html
A7R: http://www.sony.net/Products/di/en-us/products/o4j5/index.html#specifications
There should be a vote here:
a) I am a great stalker, or theater photographer, or I make photos when other people do some sane things like listen to a speech. No buy. What a shame. Sony really knows how to disappoint (me/the world).
b) I want a real camera – for men. When it clicks, it clicks. Sounds like real metal moving, not this plastic whip whip. I am a professionel. In my studio, the models and everybody else can hear it when I do my work.
c) Huh?!
I am “Huh” but then I am mostly into landscape and the trees and rocks never minded the noise from my Pentax 67 so this will be fine. Joking aside obviously there are plenty of situations where noise will be an issue, it all depends on what you like to shoot
If you miss the noise of mirror slap, this camera will more than make up for it. Makes the camera sound cheap, IMO.
The story I heard was that at the beginning of the project to design the A7, the Chairman of Sony, told the project manager that he wanted the most ‘deft’ engineers working on the development of the camera. The project manager misunderstood him, and thought that the chairman had said ‘deaf’. So, the engineers working on the camera couldn’t hear how much noise the shutter was making.
This is a true story, I wouldn’t make this kind of stuff up. 😉
I heard he slammed his old 9000 on the table and said “my camera is dead! make me a new digital one just like it!”. hence the design and loud shutter. 😉
If you follow this site you can see the signs show that the next cameras are APS-C, A-mount and maybe a much more expensive Sony a9. Sony had some trickery in the world by saying ILCE & FF & this and that are coming, but since the dust has settled in hind-site this is clearly the NEX-7 successor. Or maybe if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck it could be a Pelican.
LOL! Sad.
Next time, they should try blind..
Sounds like the sound levels have been inflated so we can hear the shutter firing. That’s the point of this video right?
Just listen to the background noise and hum.
That quiter then my nex 7. Its on a mic that pointed right at it and you guys think thats loud? HUH?
Since it’s a mirrorless camera, why can’t it be quiet like the R1?
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My A7 came today.
The shutter sound is not at all loud as far as I’m concerned (coming from an A55)
I’ve not tried it with EFC off though.