Electronic shutter: advantages and disadvantages

Henry Richardson wrote:

I got an E-M10II a couple of days ago and have been checking it out. Today I tried out the new electronic shutter. My E-M10 and E-M5 don't have it so it was my first time to use one. I know that the E-M5II has it and some Panasonic bodies also have it though. From what I recall reading in the last few months here are the advantages and disadvantages. If you have a correction or you have something to add then please do so.

Advantages:

• totally silent
• no shutter shock (Olympus has anti-shock 0 for mechanical shutters also)
• no mechanical wear and tear
• higher shutter speeds possible

Disadvantages:

• can cause banding when there is fluorescent lighting
• can cause rolling shutter problem for rapidly moving subjects
• GH4 and some other Panasonic bodies switch to 10-bits with electronic shutter, but 12-bits for mechanical shutter -- GX7 uses 12-bits for both

Does the E-M10II use 12-bits for both the electronic shutter and the mechanical shutter?

Actually, I am sort of neutral on the totally silent advantage. For my shooting, the OM-D mechanical shutters seem quiet enough. I see that people who shoot theater and similar things would really welcome totally silent operation though. So much easier and cheaper than using one of those camera blimps. For street photography I have never seen where total silence was important. I have done a lot of it over the years using DSLRs that were much noisier than my E-M10 and E-M5 and had absolutely no problems. Also, on the street there is usually enough ambient noise that almost no one hears a shutter, especially the quiet one in the E-M5. I suppose upskirt photographers though highly value a totally silent shutter, but is m4/3 really the best choice for that type of photography anyway?

This seems like a good summary. And, you're right about some mechanical shutters being quiet enough for most circumstances. I'll just note where silent shutter has been helpful for me.

• In churches. Traveling in Europe I photographed the interiors of several churches where you could hear a pin drop.
• In corporate meetings. As a pro event shooter, I've sometimes found myself in crowded conference rooms where a dozen or two folks were discussing important business matters. Typical format with a big table or doughnut in the middle of just-big-enough room, and everyone no more than 5' from a wall, which means I was never more than 3' from somebody. The clackety-clack of even a quiet shutter would have drawn attention and probably made someone uncomfortable.