Reading mode: Light Dark

Z users do you use the mechanical or electronic front curtain shutter

Go to last post
T

tlittlefield

Forum Enthusiast
Messages
323
Reaction score
357
Location
Manchester NH
Of course the electronic one will cause less vibration but which one will produce the better results?

And PLEASE only responses from those who have actually used the system. No speculation from non-owners based upon what they think.
 
EFCS. It is quieter and reduces vibration. (I hardly ever might need the faster shutter speed available with the mechanical shutter.)
 
Mostly EFCS. I am not bothered by the "vibration", I think that's a non-issue, but I like the silence, as well as I want some shutter sound, so I don't like the fully electronic shutter.
 
tlittlefield said:
Of course the electronic one will cause less vibration but which one will produce the better results?

And PLEASE only responses from those who have actually used the system. No speculation from non-owners based upon what they think.
Click to expand...
I almost exclusively use EFCS. This is my default. Probably about 80-90% of my shooting.

I switch to mechanical shutter when I need faster shutter speeds.

I switch to full-electronic (silent) shutter when:
  • I want no audible noise, such as at events or candid shots of friends
  • I want no vibration whatsoever, such as interval timer shooting with a long lens on a tripod that's unsteady (relative to the focal length, obviously).
Example: I used silent shutter just yesterday. I took a bunch of images of the Orion nebula with a Z6 + FTZ + 200-500mm F/5.6 @ 500mm. But I was on unsteady ground--even stepping near the camera caused a massive vibration for a few seconds. So I switched to silent shutter and used the intervalometer to take a bunch of images.

So below, that's the Orion constellation on the left (you can see Betelgeuse at the very top, and the belt horizontally near the center of the frame. The image on the right is the area indicated in the red box.

Because I took a few shots with silent shutter, I was able to stack them and reduce the noise a bit despite the unsteady tripod situation with such a long focal length--even allowing me to capture clean images of a nebula with such a slow lens. :)

747f99077a4541e5a1d9bb496bdcace3.jpg.png
 
Last edited:
beatboxa said:
tlittlefield said:
Of course the electronic one will cause less vibration but which one will produce the better results?

And PLEASE only responses from those who have actually used the system. No speculation from non-owners based upon what they think.
Click to expand...
I almost exclusively use EFCS. This is my default. Probably about 80-90% of my shooting.
Click to expand...
Me, too. About 95% of mine with these cameras, although I use electronic shutter about 95% of the time with the GFX.
beatboxa said:
I switch to mechanical shutter when I need faster shutter speeds.
Click to expand...
Or I'm really worried about bokeh effects, which is hardly ever.
beatboxa said:
I switch to full-electronic (silent) shutter when:
  • I want no audible noise, such as at events or candid shots of friends
  • I want no vibration whatsoever, such as interval timer shooting with a long lens on a tripod that's unsteady (relative to the focal length, obviously).
Click to expand...
That's what I do, too, if the lighting and subject motion allows it.
Jim
 
JimKasson said:
beatboxa said:
tlittlefield said:
Of course the electronic one will cause less vibration but which one will produce the better results?

And PLEASE only responses from those who have actually used the system. No speculation from non-owners based upon what they think.
Click to expand...
I almost exclusively use EFCS. This is my default. Probably about 80-90% of my shooting.
Click to expand...
Me, too. About 95% of mine with these cameras, although I use electronic shutter about 95% of the time with the GFX.
Click to expand...
I use the electronic shutter about 95% of the time on the Olympus EM-1.II
JimKasson said:
JimKasson said:
I switch to mechanical shutter when I need faster shutter speeds.
Click to expand...
Or I'm really worried about bokeh effects, which is hardly ever.
JimKasson said:
I switch to full-electronic (silent) shutter when:
  • I want no audible noise, such as at events or candid shots of friends
  • I want no vibration whatsoever, such as interval timer shooting with a long lens on a tripod that's unsteady (relative to the focal length, obviously).
Click to expand...
That's what I do, too, if the lighting and subject motion allows it.

Jim
Click to expand...
+1
 
EFCS.

I wish Nikon would allow an automatic switch to mechanical when the shutter speed exceeds 1/2000s.
 
FKS said:
EFCS.

I wish Nikon would allow an automatic switch to mechanical when the shutter speed exceeds 1/2000s.
Click to expand...
So do I, since that's what I do. Default to EFCS, switch to mechanical when I need the faster shutter.
 
Agreed! I was thinking the exact same thing yesterday.

As most above have said, I’m in EFCS 95% of the time. As an aside, I kind of love the sound of the shutter... it’s got a nice character... miles better than my old D750 and relatively quiet.
 
Only electronic , less vibrations
 
I have EFCS on as default since rarely shooting shutter speeds above 2000. The camera is so my quieter than my other cameras. Also like using silent mode.
 
EFCS always. Full mechanical has shutter shock. All electronic has distortion with moving subjects.
 
So far exclusively EFCS. I also prefer the sound of the shutter this way, a short satisfying 'click' :)
 
Last edited:
Mirrorless cameras using EFCS will halve the number of shutter movements necessary for each exposure. This is because they must reopen the 1st mechanical shutter in between exposures to expose the sensor to feed Live View on the EVF/LCD.

Here are the shutter movements for both the fully-mechanical and EFCS shutters:

Shutter movements for fully-mechanical shutter on a mirrorless camera
  1. Close 2nd physical shutter, to exit Live View and block light to allow sensor to be reset
  2. Open 1st physical shutter to start the exposure
  3. Close 2nd physical shutter to end the exposure
  4. Open 1st physical shutter to resume Live View
Shutter movements for an EFCS shutter on a mirrorless camera
  1. Close 2nd physical shutter, to end exposure - 1st shutter was performed electronically
  2. Open 1st physical shutter to resume Live View
Note the dobule shutter movements for non-EFCS isn't true for DSLRs (in viewfinder mode) because the camera doesn't need to reopen the first mechanical shutter in between exposures.
 
Last edited:
tlittlefield said:
Of course the electronic one will cause less vibration but which one will produce the better results?

And PLEASE only responses from those who have actually used the system. No speculation from non-owners based upon what they think.
Click to expand...
I use electronic for indoor and mechanical for outdoor shooting wide open. I mainly shoot using my prime lens in wide so electonic 2000th limit is a no go out doors during the day.
 
Using ECFS.

does it count towards shutter actuations?

also have been using Silent Photography in the Time Lapse movie option, which I think uses the electronic shutter?
 
Last edited:
Also rapidly horizontally moving objects would be a case for mechanical, but this is rare for me.

For still scenes under incandescent or sunlight, there should be zero difference in image quality.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top