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Olympus E-M5 shutter sound
- Thread starter dandoro
- Start date
The E-M5 (original model) does not have an electronic shutter. It has an electronically-timed mechanical focal plane shutter (as do most mirrorless interchangeable cameras except for certain of the Nikon 1 cameras, which ONLY have an electronic shutter - the S, J and AW models - though theirs does not seem to suffer the limitations of most others, or at least not to the extent of most others). The E-M5's mechanical shutter is a bit quieter than some focal plane shutters of its type - but on the whole, these shutters' sound comes as a nasty, loud surprise to people used to using compact digicams, which tend to have very quiet, interlens leaf shutters.
The E-M5 Mark II however, does offer the alternative of an electronic shutter as well as the mechanical focal plane shutter - and actually on this camera the mechanical shutter is unusually quiet and subdued for the type, the quietest I've ever heard aside from the one used in Panasonic's GM1, GM5 and GF7, which is an unusual, more limited design (the E-M5 II's is a fully-functional, high-spec, high-speed one). But the fully electronic shutter (the alternative you can use) is totally silent - you only hear the aperture in the lens operating, nothing from the camera itself. As I understand it, the Pen F has exactly the same shutter setup, and will sound similar. The E-M10 II also offers the silent electronic shutter, but its mechanical shutter is a louder model.
Downsides of electronic shutter mode are:
You may get 5 horizontal, shadowy bands on shots taken in several types of modern electric lighting, if the shutter speed is above 1/60 (in the US) or 1/50 (in other regions like the UK), or, if slower, it's not in sync with the electric frequency (i.e. in the US 1/30 is likely to be fine but 1/45 might still get banding).
You cannot typically use it with flash (though the E-M5 II will let you use flash in manual flash power mode [not the normal TTL] with High Resolution and Focus Bracket modes, both of which use the electronic shutter). It will only allow you to use 1/20 sec or slower though, with flash.
If your subject, or your camera, moves rapidly, particularly across the frame, you might get tilted verticals or curved rotating objects (like aircraft propellors, helicopter rotors), even at fast shutter speeds.
These limitations are caused by the fact that despite being capable of high shutter speeds (up to 1/16000 in the E-M5 II's case, versus 1/8000 for the mechanical shutter), the time the whole exposure takes from start to finish is much longer - about 1/20, versus 1/320 or thereabouts for the mechanical shutter (fast speeds in both cases are achieved by exposing the sensor in a vertically-travelling strip, which moves at that slower rate with the electronic shutter).
The E-M1 (another with a fast, but this time loudish) mechanical shutter also has had the electronic (silent) shutter added in a firmware upgrade, but due to its different sensor design, the electronic shutter runs slower (around 1/12 sec I think) and has a couple of extra limitations - a top ISO setting of 3200 (unlimited on the other models) and a slowest shutter speed of 1/8 sec (the others can go much slower). It too will allow manual flash with focus bracketing (and I think also focus stacking, which is unique to the E-M1 since its upgrade).
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The first cameras to have the electronic shutter facility (in the Olympus mirrorless range) were introduced with it already in place - the E-M5 Mark II and the E-M10 Mark II. Then the facility (with limitations) was added to the E-M1, and the just-introduced Pen F has the full version like the Mark II models.
The original E-M5 was introduced before the E-M1; it uses a different sensor and a different image processor generation too - the sensor is an important part of whether a camera can offer an electronic shutter, and the image processor may also be relevant. In fact, the E-M5 did not receive a firmware update at the same time as the E-M1, conferring any similar features (the Mark II did - it gave the addition of focus bracketing, which had been introduced with the later E-M10 Mark II, and the update gave the E-M1 additionally a lot of features that the E-M5 Mark II already had). Actually, the E-M5 doesn't even have EFCS (electronic first curtain, effectively) shutter mode (0 sec Anti-Shock in Olympus parlance), which all later OM-D models either came with from the outset or had conferred via a firmware update. Whether the original E-M5 has never received these features is due to hardware limitations/incompatibilities is uncertain, but I would think it is quite likely, though marketing could also have an effect, I suppose. We can only guess.
The E-M1 actually has a different sensor itself to the other cameras with electronic shutter, and that is most likely the reason for the extra limitations its electronic shutter mode has, compared with the other models.
The recent firmware update that the original E-M5 DID receive, along with most of the other older but recent models, was to confer compatibility with the dual IS system of the new 300mm f4 lens.
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Paul De Bra
Forum Pro
In an earlier thread there seemed to be a credible statement that only the E-M5 mark II and now the Pen F have EFC, not the E-M10 mark II. So now I'm confused. Does the E-M10 mark II have a real EFC or not? Is there any credible source for whether it does or does not?
The E-M10 Mark II has the options of 0-second Anti-Shock (EFCS) and silent (electronic) shutter as well as conventional shutter, as do the E-M5 II, Pen F, and the E-M1 after the firmware 4 update (the E-P5, E-M10 and E-PL7 have EFCS of the type that cannot be used in continuous drive mode - see below - and no silent/electronic shutter facility). However, watching the EFCS in operation on the E-M10 II, it does still run the first curtain at the start of the exposure, like those earlier models with the feature (and unlike the E-M5 Mark II, which doesn't - so far, the E-M5 II is alone in that, though I suspect the Pen F will be the same, as descriptions of its shutter sound make me think it uses the same unit as the E-M5 II). So in a way, the models with 0-sec Anti-Shock achieve a kind of virtual EFCS, though like the E-M10 II, the E-M1 after the big firmware update has gained the ability to use it in continuous mode too. It's confusing - Olympus seem to refer to the ability to use 0-sec Anti-Shock in continuous drive as "enhanced Anti Shock" but they apply the term to models which achieve that enhancement in slightly different ways.
However, the E-M10 Mark II does have the enhanced functionality of EFCS that allows it to be used in continuous mode at certain rates.
Hopefully I'm a credible witness, as I've watched the shutters of the post-update E-M1, the E-M5 II and E-M10 II with my very own eyeballs. :-D
Summary:
Silent, electronic shutter option: E-M5 II, E-M10 II, Pen F, E-M1* (*post firmware 4 only, and with some limitations)
True EFCS without first curtain travel, compatible with continuous drive at certain drive rates: E-M5 II, Pen F
"Virtual" EFCS with first curtain travel, compatible with continuous drive at certain drive rates: E-M10 II
"Virtual" EFCS with first curtain travel, not usable in continuous drive: E-P5, E-M10, E-PL7.
All earlier models, up to the E-M5 and E-PL6, have no form of EFCS or silent shutter.
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The E-P5 isn't totally silent, ever, as it doesn't have electronic shutter. It does have electronic first curtain shutter, but of the type that still runs the first curtain physically before the exposure, so you get the sound of that too - it just doesn't use it for starting the exposure - that is done electronically in that mode. It is also has the type of EFCS that cannot be used in continuous drive mode.
I admit this is all a bit confusing. The basic thing is that there are broadly three different sorts of shutter operation out there:
1. Normal. All mechanically-run, the first shutter curtain starts the exposure, the second one finishes it. Can be used for all continuous drive speeds, is fully audible, works with flash. All of the Olympus mirrorless cameras since forever offer this one as an option. Denoted by drive mode icon (rectangle or rectangles in continuous)
2. EFCS - known by Olympus as 0-second Anti Shock. Sounds about the same as 1, but the exposure is started electronically and ended mechanically. According to the model of camera, the first mechanical shutter curtain may still run, even though it doesn't start the exposure. Also according to the model of camera, it may or may not work in continuous drive mode (even if it does, it won't function at the highest drive rate). Also works with flash. The rectangular drive mode icons are prefaced by a diamond.
3. All electronic shutter - known by Olympus as Silent shutter, and it is indeed silent. Can work in continuous drive, but has limitations with flash as discussed, and potential issues with artificial light at certain shutter speeds. Drive mode icons are prefaced by a heart.
See my earlier post for which cameras have which modes available.
Paul De Bra
Forum Pro
Your explanation is consistent with I thought before. For true elimination of shutter shock it means that you need the E-M5 mark II or the Pen F.
I'd be interested in the E-M5 mark II if it became a lot cheaper. It takes a good bargain to make me upgrade from my E-M5 (mark I).
I'd be interested in the E-M5 mark II if it became a lot cheaper. It takes a good bargain to make me upgrade from my E-M5 (mark I).
Guy Parsons
Forum Pro
Helen (as usual) has it well covered.
For elimination of shutter shock all that is really needed is the 0 second anti-shock ability, which starts at the E-P5 (with the firmware update) and is in all following bodies. My timeline may help sort that out http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~parsog/olyepl1/80-Oly-timeline.html
No matter which way it is done the exposure does not start until either the crash of the first curtain settles (the oft quoted 1/40 second delay) or in some later bodies, the first curtain does not run at all, so totally avoids first curtain crash. Second curtain crash does not matter as of course by then the exposure is finished.
So, no shutter shock with E-P5, E-M1, E-M10, E-PL7, E-M5 Mk2, E-M10 Mk2, Pen-F (as long as the firmware is up to date in some cases).
The E-M5 Mk2 is really a very different camera to the E-M5, a long way apart in development, so it should be the E-M6 if things were to be named properly.
Regards...... Guy
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