Thread: The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Experience

E-M5 + Leica DG 25mm f1.4 Summilux

Probably a minor thing for many, but I am loving the shutter sound and lack of vibration through the body! It isn't too much louder than my GXR's leaf shutter... maybe about the same as the Pentax K-01, but with a deeper sound. Very pleasant.

There has been conversation on this in the past, most theories seemed to indicate this was dampening due to the weather proofing, but I hope they can carry this "feature" over to the new PEN line.

I like the shutter sound as well. It's the first camera after my E-1 where I *like* the shutter sound. In other cameras I don't mind the sound, but here I actually like it.

Thanks for bringing that up Kyle. I find shutter sound is more important to me than a lot of other selling points. A website with sample shutter sounds would be cool.

I agree, the shutter sound and dampened feel during shutter release are a major plus with this camera!

Its kind of funny about the shutter sound. I'd read about how quiet it was compared to the other m43 cams, Olympus in particular. But I got my expectations up too much because, once I actually heard it I was a bit disappointed. It is a bit more muffled than the EPL3 and other Pens and Pany's I've owned - not as loud a 'thunk', but its fundamentally a somewhat muffled or damped version of the same sound and clearly audible in any sort of quiet environment. I was thinking it would be a bit closer to maybe the GXR (either the 28 or 50mm lens unit) which is nearly silent but does have an audible little snick that you almost have to listen for to hear. I wasn't expected dead silence like the X100 or any of the leaf shutter compacts (GRD3, LX5, X10, etc), but was expecting quieter than it is. And as long as I can clearly hear it, I really prefer the shutter sound of the X-Pro 1, which is probably a similar volume (maybe even slightly louder), but a very pleasant (to my ears) "click" or "snick" sound as opposed to the fairly quiet thud of the OMD.

This is a non-issue to me, BTW and I don't intend it as a criticism of the camera. Its more an observation about expectations. Like if several people and reviews tell me a movie is really good, it better be REALLY good or I'm likely to be disappointed by it. OTOH, a movie I stumble onto with no idea or expectations about it can be a pleasant surprise even if its only sort of good. I guess I had higher expectations for the OMD and lower expectations for the X-Pro 1 shutter sounds, and my reactions to both were colored by those expectations...

I wonder how much time, if any, the engineers spend trying to "tune" the shutter sound, assuming there is one and its not just a simulated shutter sound (which all of the silent shutter cameras I'm aware of have programmed in as an option). I remember reading about how the Mazda Miata engineers spent an inordinate amount of time and resources tuning the exhaust note of the early iterations of the Miata to create a signature sound, very similar to the old MG or Spitfires from British Leyland. Do camera makers put any thought into this stuff or does it just come out the way the mechanicals dictate???

-Ray

I remember when you were asking whether the GXR shutter was really silent. It was certainly quiet to me, but I didn't understand what you meant by silent until I shot a X100 afterwards. Awesome! But yeah, the GXR was effectively silent for me, in almost every environment.

I do still think the E-M5 is going to be much more quiet in the field than previous PENs. I remember when I first got the E-P3, we were on a small ferry on a weekend getaway with some friends, and I decided to do a bracketed shot (for some unknown reason). I wasn't really close to anyone and there was a decent amount of ambient noise, but still, when I hit the shutter, they all turned around to look at me and asked what I was doing. I have to think the E-M5 would have gone unnoticed in that same scenario (which will most likely never happen again ).

Also, again with handheld brackets, I always felt like I was strafing a bit with the E-P3, somehow caused by shutter vibration through the body. Maybe due to the increased speed, or increased weight, I don't feel the same way with the E-M5.

I don't have the camera, but I wonder if it's different sounding depending on the lens. That is, maybe the weather proof lens muffles it more than a 14-42 kit? Just a thought...

Here's a video of the shutter sound from Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PElMZQGigkw

Originally Posted by marlof

I like the shutter sound as well. It's the first camera after my E-1 where I *like* the shutter sound. In other cameras I don't mind the sound, but here I actually like it.

Now I want to hear it!

Originally Posted by wt21

I don't have the camera, but I wonder if it's different sounding depending on the lens. That is, maybe the weather proof lens muffles it more than a 14-42 kit? Just a thought...

Here's a video of the shutter sound from Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PElMZQGigkw

Good point, it makes sense that with a weather-sealed lens, it could be dampened even more.

Even with my non-sealed primes, though, the E-M5 is still noticeably more quiet than the E-P3 or E-PL3 (not that they are crazy bad).