Silent shooting: what is it, and what can it do for you?

When Canon introduced the groundbreaking full frame mirrorless EOS R, photographers loved its silent shooting feature. Candid wedding photo specialist Markus Morawetz, for example, said: "I don't want to distract anyone, so try to be as stealthy as a ninja. The absolutely silent shooting on my Canon EOS R helps me to stay unnoticed." Photojournalist Tasneem Alsultan found silent shooting indispensable when photographing the private lives of women in Saudi Arabia. And family photographer Helen Bartlett says the EOS R's silent shutter has transformed her work with babies and children. Now, with the announcement of the exciting Canon EOS R5, more photographers will be eager to discover all that the Canon EOS R System has to offer.

But other Canon EOS cameras before the EOS R also offered a 'silent' shooting mode, including professional models from the EOS 5D Mark II (released 2008) to the EOS-1D X Mark II (2016) and enthusiast cameras such as the EOS 70D (2013) and the mirrorless EOS M50 (early 2018). Do all these silent shooting modes work in the same way? Do they all have the same benefits and shortcomings, if any? When would it be helpful to enable these modes, and are there any restrictions to shooting with them?

We put six frequently asked questions about silent shooting to John Maurice, European Product Marketing Manager at Canon Europe, and asked some professional photographers about using silent shooting in their work.

1. A number of Canon EOS cameras have a 'silent' shooting option. Do they all work in the same way?

John Maurice explains: "'Silent' mode was introduced many years ago, before the development of electronic shutters – it softened the noise of a DSLR but did not eliminate all sound. With a DSLR, you have to physically move the mirror out of the way before you can expose the sensor to light, and then you have to return the mirror to its normal position when the exposure ends. In order to reduce the noise created by this mechanism, we looked at ways of slowing it down and damping vibrations. This resulted in the S or 'Silent' single and continuous shooting drive modes in advanced and professional Canon EOS DSLRs. However, I would describe it as more of a softer sound than complete silence. As true silent shooting is now possible, Canon is renaming the 'silent' shooting mode based on the traditional DSLR technology as 'soft' shooting.

2. How quiet is the camera when using the silent shutter?

"Even using an electronic shutter, there is still some audible noise because the lens has to perform its function. There's an aperture mechanism, and there's some focusing noise and perhaps an Image Stabilizer to start and stop. But even inside the lens we have produced technologies that make those elements quieter. So if you look at our STM lenses, which use stepper motor focusing technology, or the Nano USM lenses, which use what is probably the most advanced focusing technology we have right now, those are much smoother and quieter in operation. They have been designed primarily with shooting video in mind, because you don't want the noise of the focus motor being recorded, especially when you're using the internal microphone on the camera. So any focusing sounds on those lenses are almost unnoticeable in most ambient conditions."

3. Which Canon EOS cameras have a silent shutter function?

"The EOS R, EOS RP and EOS-1D X Mark III all have the electronic/silent shutter option. You can also use the EOS-1D X Mark III as a conventional DSLR as it has a mechanical shutter and both single and continuous 'soft shooting' drive modes for reduced noise when used this way.

"The EOS-1D X Mark III has very fine control over mirror bounce, and it's been reduced dramatically in order to stabilise AF and cut vibrations. As you can imagine, shooting at 16 frames per second requires very precise mirror control, as you need to stop the mirror and put it back into its position as quickly as possible. This allows the AF sensor to take an accurate reading before the next frame is taken.

"Switch to Live View shooting via the rear screen and you can use the electronic shutter to shoot silently, plus you still get continuous autofocus and the ability to track subjects thanks to the CMOS Dual Pixel AF system. All at 20 frames per second."

4. When is a silent shutter going to be useful?

"Users have said to us that there are situations where they want the camera to be less intrusive, or they want to remain unnoticed and not disrupt the event that's going on – at a wedding, for instance, where you're allowed to take pictures but it's desirable not to make a noise during the ceremony.

"Press conferences and interviews are also good examples of situations where it's advantageous to shoot as quietly as possible. There are particular organisations that will want to preserve the sound quality of their press conferences and not have any distractions, especially when there are video crews there as well who are recording audio too."

Documentary photographer Brent Stirton notes that the silent shutter feature has been invaluable to him on assignments. "A lot of the time when people talk to you about 'silent shutter' it's actually a whisper shutter, but the Canon EOS R is completely silent," says Brent, who has shot in hazardous places around the world. "When you're in places where you'd rather be drawing as little attention to yourself as possible, it's really nice to have that. You're not threatening or intimidating in any way."

Closer to home, family photographer Helen Bartlett says the EOS R's silent shutter has made a huge difference in her work. "There's always that moment when you're trying to capture a newborn asleep and you get this really loud 'ker-clunk'. The baby's eyes shoot open, and then you have to try to get them back to sleep. Then there's another 'ker-clunk', so the whole thing can get really drawn out," she recounts. "Having that silent shutter is incredible, not just for newborns, but also if a kid is really tired and you're trying to give them space. It means you can still engage with them, without the camera putting them off."

5. So why shouldn't I shoot with the silent shutter all the time?

"Well, there are some side effects to using an electronic shutter," John continues. "The speed at which data is read out from the sensor is not as fast as it is when you take a picture using a mechanical shutter, and this can give you a 'rolling shutter' effect.

6. Why is the EOS RP's silent shutter option only available as a Special Scene Mode, rather than a menu option you can use in any of the Creative Zone modes?

"The EOS RP is a more entry-level full frame mirrorless camera than the EOS R. The design and ergonomics are different – it's simpler to use and the lightest full frame camera we've ever made. We anticipate that many users of this camera will be enthusiasts using full-frame for the first time and on a more casual basis, so they may not necessarily be aware of some of the unwanted side effects of using an electronic shutter.

"So, what we wanted to do with the EOS RP was remove the silent shutter option from the drive menu so that it couldn't be set by accident, and put it into a Special Scene Mode that has to be specifically selected, with guidance in the menu to assist the user."