R6: electronic 1. Curtain pros and cons?

I noticed that my new R6 had electronic 1. Curtain enabled per default.

Why not mechanical? What are the ups and downs? When would you use one over the other? I know shutter noise is less and camera shake is less so downsides?

I know about rolling shutter issues but this shouldn't happen with el. 1. curtain.

Any issues with flash, syncspeed, max shutterspeed?

--
best regards
Michael
Some of my pics:
http://michaelbennati.format.com

I'm still not certain the change in bokeh at fast shutter speeds with EFCS is a thing, or that I fully understand it, but read for yourself to form your own opinion.

Klaus dk said:

I'm still not certain the change in bokeh at fast shutter speeds with EFCS is a thing, or that I fully understand it, but read for yourself to form your own opinion.

Click to expand...

Thanks! Good to know!

The main reason for using EFCS (Electronic First Curtain Shutter) is to avoid shutter shock.

Shutter shock is sort of the mirrorless equivalent of mirror slap in a DSLR and is caused by the need to both close and then open the shutter before taking a shot. This double close/open can cause vibrations and have visible effects on the image. It most commonly occurs at shutter speeds in the 1/60-1/160 range and was a significant problem in the early days of mirrorless bodies. EFCS eliminates it which is probably why it is the default on the R6.

michaelbs said:

I noticed that my new R6 had electronic 1. Curtain enabled per default.

Click to expand...

Canon ships all R5 and R6 cameras in EFCS (Electronic First Curtain Shutter) mode by default. This is to prevent Shutter Shock from occurring, which is more of an issue with the R5 than with the R6. Thought you won't see many complaints about the R6 in this regard (other than Gordon's observation during testing).

michaelbs said:

Why not mechanical? What are the ups and downs? When would you use one over the other? I know shutter noise is less and camera shake is less so downsides?

Click to expand...

This subject has been covered in numerous threads before if you look for them... but they can be hard to find. Most people ask exactly the same question. Mechanical Shutter can produce "Shutter Shock" in in some instances with cameras that have IBIS... (with under 1/160 sec on the R6 and under 1/250 sec on the R5). Even Sony's new cameras with IBIS suffer from this issue. It does not appear to affect prior canon models without IBIS since the sensors on those other models are not prone to vibration. For action photography or photography where the best possible bokeh is desirable, Mechanical Shutter is the preferred mode for the best results. I have used the EOS R6 in Mechanical Shutter mode for images as slow as 1/40 handheld and even slower on a tripod, but I have only seen one, single image out of tens of thousands that might have (possibly) been attributed to shutter shock.... and that image was taken at 1/160 sec. It's possible that the camera was moving slightly when I took that image although it's just as likely to have been Shutter Shock.
.


EOS R6 - Taken handheld in Mechanical Shutter - to improve and maximize Bokeh.


EOS R6 - Taken with Electronic Shutter - so as not to disturb the artist.


EOS R6 - Taken with Mechanical Shutter at 1/40 sec handheld - without any problems... though I believe the first shot wasn't quite as sharp - which is typical with Shutter Shock (first of a series of shots is slightly affected when this occurs).

michaelbs said:

I know about rolling shutter issues but this shouldn't happen with el. 1. curtain.

Click to expand...

EFCS is essentially a blend of both Mechanical and Electronic, resulting in just one vibration from the shutter mechanism as it closes instead of two. Rolling Shutter effects and distortions should only be a problem with Electronic Shutter Mode.... and only when panning or when photographing or filming fast moving subjects.

michaelbs said:

Any issues with flash, syncspeed, max shutterspeed?

Click to expand...

Not that I've noticed. Higher shutter speeds (eg 1/1250 sec and higher) are not suitable for Electronic Shutter mode but are ideal with Mechanical Shutter Mode.
.
* Bokeh is best with Mechanical Shutter Mode with wide aperture lenses.
* Bokeh is slightly reduced with EFCS Mode.
* Mechanical Shutter Mode also eliminates Rolling Shutter distortion effects with fast moving subjects.
* Electronic Shutter may produce odd bokeh under some instances and it will definitely have issues with 'flicker' (horizontal banding) when shooting under many types of artificial lighting (indoor lighting).
.
Mechanical Shutter is best for:
* Maximum Bokeh
* Sporting
* Action (airshows, golf, performances etc)
* Portraits where Bokeh is important.
* High Shutter Speeds.
* Better than EFCS and Electronic if Neon Light is in frame (including signage).
* Shooting in artificial light which might cause banding/flicker.
.
EFCS (Electronic First Curtain Shutter) is best for:
* Everyday photography.
* Eliminating Shutter Shock potential.
* Shooting in artificial light which might cause banding/flicker.
* Better than Electronic if pulsating Neon lighting is in frame.
* Landscape Photography.
* Portrait Photography.
* Photography where bokeh is not absolutely critical.
* Slower Shutter Speeds.
.
Electronic Shutter is best for:
* Silent Shutter (it's absolutely silent).
* Slower Shutter Speeds (there's no shutter vibration).
* Eliminating Shutter Shock completely.
* Rapid 20 fps continuous shooting.
* When maximums frame-rates are essential to capture a moment.
.
I leave my EOS R6 camera in 'Mechanical Shutter' Mode all of the time and simply keep the shutter speeds above 1/160 sec - which is easy with the R6. I've certainly forgotten to maintain this threshold on numerous occasions without any problems. I have sometimes used the Electronic Shutter when in silent locations (art galleries or when photographing people or animals that might otherwise be distracted). EFCS will usually have a very minor, yet noticeable, impact on Bokeh by turning an f/1.2 aperture into something closer to f/1.4 (when compared closely afterwards with shots taken with Mechanical Shutter). It's late and I'm watching a movie so I might have missed something - but these are the main points.
.


A strongly cropped region from a photograph taken with the Canon EOS R6 that I THINK was released by Canon... but quickly drew attention - using Electronic Shutter. Note the strong distortion of the ball and golf club whilst the leg and shoe behind the ball are unaffected.

--
Regards,
Marco Nero.

Below is a link to a good article with pictures showing the pros and cons of Mechanical (both), EFCS, and Electronic with examples in several situations. The example is for Nikon DSLR, but I think the physics are the same.


Many (maybe most as it is the default) find Electronic First Curtain is the best compromise for most situations. It removes "shutter shock" caused by the full mechanical shutter. The downside is somewhat worse, bokeh, as the light bends around the single shutter (but you really have to be interested in bokeh with a shot that will show it off - see article).

On the current Canon R-series cameras, with the fully electronic shutter, in addition to what is talked about in the article, you also lose flash (I accidentally left my R5 in electronic and found this out), lose some bit-depth, in addition to getting rolling shutter with fast movement, and ripple/strobing caused by electronic light sources. The electronic shutter gain the fastest shutter speed and no shutter noise.

Eventually, as camera makers improve the sensors to a "global shutter" (to eliminate the rolling shutter and strobe effects), mechanical shutters may go away. The EFCS is a current compromise.

Are there real physical curtains?

Mechanical shutters use two curtains, for opening and closing. Pixels are read after the sensor has been shielded from light.

Electronic shutters has no moving curtains. The first curtain clears the pixels row by row and the second curtain reads the pixels before they are exposed to more lights. It is also completely silent.

EFCS also clears the pixels row by row, but its second curtain covers & stops the exposure before reading the pixels.

Moving curtains may shake the IBIS sensor. Electronics shutter has no moving parts and no shutter shock. EFCS is almost as good in shutter shock and half the noise of mechanical.

How fast do the curtains travel?

Judging from the X-sync speed, which is the fastest speed that the shutter can be completely open before the second curtain closes, mechanical curtains travel from bottom to top in 1/250 sec. Any higher speed, the opening is only a narrow slit that travels up, not completely open.

The second "curtain" of electronic shutter is actually the readout speed of the sensor. It is improving, but is still very slow. Flash is disabled, because the shutter slit is not fully open during useful shooting speeds. Camera makers don't tell you how fast theirs move. It makes weird effects on fast moving subjects such as rotating fans.

Even with no moving subjects, flicking artificial lights may produce bandings with electronic shutter. The slow moving slit will catch the flicking thru multiple on-off-on cycles. Mechanical and EFCS can avoid flicking by timing the shutter opening to the maximum brightness of the cycle for consistent exposure and color.

One way to make the readout speed faster is to collect less bits. Raw file info is reduced from 14 to 12 bits. You have less dynamic range.

Do the curtains travel on the same plane?

With row by row readout, electronic shutter curtains can be thought of as directly on the sensor. Mechanical curtains are in front of the anti-alias filter plus some clearance. Light may bend around it, especially from large aperture lens. When trying for best bokeh with f1.2L lens, the shutter speed may be very fast, leaving a very narrow slit. EFCS, with different opening and closing curtains, may not give smooth bokeh.

As for me, I use EFCS 100% of the time, because

• No shutter shock. I handhold routinely at 1/8 sec indoor.
• Full dynamic range, no compromise for electronic shutter.
• Anti-flickering option
• Still quiet enough for church services
• Higher X-sync speed of 1/250 sec, instead of 1/200 sec for mechanical. Great for day time fill light.
• I don't own any f1.2 lens ;-)

Karl_Guttag said:

Below is a link to a good article with pictures showing the pros and cons of Mechanical (both), EFCS, and Electronic with examples in several situations. The example is for Nikon DSLR, but I think the physics are the same.

https://photographylife.com/mechanical-electronic-shutter-efcs

Many (maybe most as it is the default) find Electronic First Curtain is the best compromise for most situations. It removes "shutter shock" caused by the full mechanical shutter. The downside is somewhat worse, bokeh, as the light bends around the single shutter (but you really have to be interested in bokeh with a shot that will show it off - see article).

On the current Canon R-series cameras, with the fully electronic shutter, in addition to what is talked about in the article, you also lose flash (I accidentally left my R5 in electronic and found this out), lose some bit-depth, in addition to getting rolling shutter with fast movement, and ripple/strobing caused by electronic light sources. The electronic shutter gain the fastest shutter speed and no shutter noise.

Eventually, as camera makers improve the sensors to a "global shutter" (to eliminate the rolling shutter and strobe effects), mechanical shutters may go away. The EFCS is a current compromise.

Click to expand...

We would assume that is the case. But, I think there is still a necessity to discharge the sensor in total darkness before the exposure occurs if they want to maximize performance. So mechanical shutter of some sort may always be present in the high end cameras.

achill3s said:

achill3s said:

Eventually, as camera makers improve the sensors to a "global shutter" (to eliminate the rolling shutter and strobe effects), mechanical shutters may go away. The EFCS is a current compromise.

Click to expand...

We would assume that is the case. But, I think there is still a necessity to discharge the sensor in total darkness before the exposure occurs if they want to maximize performance. So mechanical shutter of some sort may always be present in the high end cameras.

Click to expand...

Electronic or EFCS shutters discharge the sensor by dumping charges of the pixels row by row to start a new exposure immediately. The simplest way to implement a global shutter is to have a switch between the photo-diode and the storage capacity on every pixel. This switch is the "shutter". Opening this switch puts the pixel in "total darkness". Discharging before exposure and readout afterward happen with this switch open.

More complex global shutter involve separate capacitors for light sensing and storage, probably on stacked chips. It can support high frame rate and video by exposing one frame while converting the previous frame simultaneously.

Peter Kwok said:

Are there real physical curtains?

Mechanical shutters use two curtains, for opening and closing. Pixels are read after the sensor has been shielded from light.

Electronic shutters has no moving curtains. The first curtain clears the pixels row by row and the second curtain reads the pixels before they are exposed to more lights. It is also completely silent.

EFCS also clears the pixels row by row, but its second curtain covers & stops the exposure before reading the pixels.

Moving curtains may shake the IBIS sensor. Electronics shutter has no moving parts and no shutter shock. EFCS is almost as good in shutter shock and half the noise of mechanical.

How fast do the curtains travel?

Judging from the X-sync speed, which is the fastest speed that the shutter can be completely open before the second curtain closes, mechanical curtains travel from bottom to top in 1/250 sec. Any higher speed, the opening is only a narrow slit that travels up, not completely open.

The second "curtain" of electronic shutter is actually the readout speed of the sensor. It is improving, but is still very slow. Flash is disabled, because the shutter slit is not fully open during useful shooting speeds. Camera makers don't tell you how fast theirs move. It makes weird effects on fast moving subjects such as rotating fans.

Even with no moving subjects, flicking artificial lights may produce bandings with electronic shutter. The slow moving slit will catch the flicking thru multiple on-off-on cycles. Mechanical and EFCS can avoid flicking by timing the shutter opening to the maximum brightness of the cycle for consistent exposure and color.

One way to make the readout speed faster is to collect less bits. Raw file info is reduced from 14 to 12 bits. You have less dynamic range.

Do the curtains travel on the same plane?

With row by row readout, electronic shutter curtains can be thought of as directly on the sensor. Mechanical curtains are in front of the anti-alias filter plus some clearance. Light may bend around it, especially from large aperture lens. When trying for best bokeh with f1.2L lens, the shutter speed may be very fast, leaving a very narrow slit. EFCS, with different opening and closing curtains, may not give smooth bokeh.

As for me, I use EFCS 100% of the time, because

• No shutter shock. I handhold routinely at 1/8 sec indoor.
• Full dynamic range, no compromise for electronic shutter.
• Anti-flickering option
• Still quiet enough for church services
• Higher X-sync speed of 1/250 sec, instead of 1/200 sec for mechanical. Great for day time fill light.
• I don't own any f1.2 lens ;-)

Click to expand...

I also use Electronic first curtain shutter for everything, for the same reasons and also to keep things as simple as possible and consistent betwen the various modes.

I do use a shutter speed of 1/4000sec routinely for sport/action/ birds in flight but then I am using the RF 100-500mm usually at f5.6-7.1. I have run tests and cannot see any difference between Mechanical Shutter and EFCS with respect to the out of focus rendition on the R5.

Andrew

With full mechanical shutter there should also be more delay and more mechanical wear because it has to close the shutter, open it again to begin exposure then close it again to read out the image and then open it again to get back into live view...

For electronic first curtain shutter it only needs to close and open the shutter at the end of exposure.