is a 1Dx too loud to be a wedding camera?

Did a last minute favour for my partner who is an Officiant and did a 30 minute wedding shoot during a very small family wedding. There was an extended family member there that was a newspaper photographer with 25 years professional experience, which if I knew was going to be there, I wouldn't have gone - but we co-existed and the couple wanted it that way.

First of all, this guy was right up in their faces letting it rip - it was like an f'ing machine gun - I couldn't believe what was happening - I actually stood back to distance myself with what was going on. Second, the sound of that camera is just completely ridiculous in the mode he had it in at least.

So, here is the question - is a 1Dx an appropriate wedding camera or is it too loud? - or was it this guys style that just ruined it?

As an aside, the small location was completely backlit so I pulled out my Rogue Flashbender and bounced flashed to fill - ISO was 160-320 and pictures turned out well - couple really liked them. The fellow Pro gave me his camera at the end so he could jump in for a family shot - he was shooting at ISO 2000 - 3 full stops higher - basically blew out the background of every picture - found out he handed over 500 images for 30 minutes!

I almost switched to 1DXs over a year ago from my 5D3s because I wanted better high ISO.

Am I wrong? Thoughts?

It's my experience that when you stop and listen to a camera it makes a LOT more noise than people around you who are not listening to the camera hear. That is to say if you focus on the camera, just like any sound, it will sound louder - even more so if the sound is displeasing or unwanted.*

I would say that the camera got on your nerves which was easy because you're interested in photography and you notice it far more so. Then the burst mode got annoying - especially as you've already deemed it not-needed for such a situation. A few frames maybe, but not the repeat machine gun style.


Chances are the sound isn't much more than most other cameras - however each camera has its own sound and some can have a different pitched which can make them seem louder.


PS - sometimes people like to hear a camera click. They see the camera; they thus expect it to click to take the shot. Indeed might be if it were too quiet the bride/groom might say "well no wonder you only showed "x" number of shots, I hardly heard you take a shot all day!" Of course one has to balance that with those prime quiet moments where you DO need the shot and where its going to sound loud.


* its like listening to IS in a quiet room. In a quiet room IS sounds really loud - take it out and do some photography and chances are you will not notice it one bit and if it an active busy area no one else will either

That's a good answer - thank you.

I had my 5D3 in quiet mode trying to have a small footprint and maybe the 1Dx just sounded like a machine gun to me.

It isn't quiet that's for sure.

I was once asked by an author to take some pics of her when she was giving a lecture. I was using my 7D at the time. I know one guy in the audience got annoyed at the clacking. I wasn't shooting continuous either. I moved away from him, but kept shooting. Wifey was in the audience and said the clacking was very distracting. Now with the 6D and 5D MkIII having quiet mode, I don't think I would ever use a camera without it in a quiet setting. Even with quiet mode, I'm always looking around me to see if I'm getting on someone's nerves when I'm shooting.

Worse than the clacking is the stupid focus beeping. I have a friend who shoots his daughter's recitals with the focus beep enabled. It has to drive other people in the audience nuts, but he clams no one has ever said anything to him or cast an angry glance.

The OP pretty much summed up out newspaper photographers typically operate in the digital world.

Firstly, keep your finger down on the button and click away. Take 20-30 shots of the same moment and let the editor figure out which one he wants to use. Second, boost ISO because no flash would keep up, and the image quality doesn't need to be fantastic for small photos run off a high-speed press. Third, get as close as you can to edge out all the other photographers and bystanders.

Did he do the "blind over-the-crowd" shots too? I can't tell you how many hours I practiced that when I shot for a paper.

Every camera sounds weird / loud / annoying to me if it's not on silent mode at a wedding. I cringe everytime I hear that constant clicking. I use my silent mode on my camera as a selling point. I specifically make the couple think about the fact that cameras are loud and annoying, then if they don't book me I hope they are cringing too everytime they hear that CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK lol. Just kidding, kind of.

I personally think those who use 1Dx can produce the same images with 5dIII,but having a more expensive camera just makes them feel better. Sort of a placebo effect.

Save thing happened with 1dIV and 5dII, a bunch switched to 1dIV and then later regretted it.

The newspaper photog sounds like an assigned news paparazzi shooter to me. And some people with P-envy syndrome just loves to burst. You know... the types who drives a Corvette and burn rubber in a parking lot, just because.

Yes, in silent mode, 1DX is louder than 5d3. But when you burst, it just multiplies the noise for the duration.

I shoot with both bodies at weddings. Yes, you may get the same image but operationally, they're huge gap apart. For example, 1DX is the only camera body that you can use either AF modes (one-shot or Servo) without switching (by BBF). AI-servo tracking accuracy is also better than 5D3. Personally, I've found 1DX's flash TTL is more consistent. One more... although I don't use it much, but able to compensate auto ISO is huge when you're shooting run and gun at a wedding.

Really depends on which part of the wedding day you're using it. Ceremony is maybe the place where the shutter sound might be out of place (I shoot silent on the 5D3 for that part). Shooting silent mode then is just classier.

I really like the silent mode for newborn shoots, I assume a wedding ceremony would be the same. What's worse is the P&S cameras with the fake digital shutter sound that Uncle Bob uses.

I bet you it's quieter than that sony a7r.

I had a 1ds mark 3 and even in normal mode, it's not as loud. And the canon has quiet mode.

I think that depend on what is the acceptable threshold is. If you very want quieter then you can try one of the mirrorless that has no shutter/mirror sound simulated. Although sometime it's not possible to turn this off, some country actually required the sound to be audible or that country won't let you sell the camera. And I did mean more quiet, not silent. I don't think there is any dSLR or EVIL(Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens) camera that is truely silent. Even on Canon dSLR, some model has the top wheel that louder than other. And the lens motor could be loud. Most of the time the camera sound is not that bad for most shooting location as long as it's not in machine gun mode all the time. The exception is usually a religious place like church or temple. Normally the priest/monk are understandable if you are official photographer for the event and will relax the rule a bit. But it never hurt to ask first and if the space allow, sometime they will request you to shoot from farther away, in which case 70-200 f/2.8 w/ IS/OS/VR/VC is almost a must for all wedding photographer.

But I think what more important is how does it sound rather than how loud it sound on most of the newer camera that has the silent mode. I know that 1D3 is probably one of the first Canon dSLR to introduce a silent mode. While it's quieter, it gave a rather more unique distinguish sound instead. Compare to more recent camera like 5D3 which is not only even more quiet, but less distinguish as well. Human normally will just tune out background noise anyway. So maybe the sound will give people some notice at first, but it will be tuned out by the audience anyway. People will see that you are photographer and the sound will just be more natural and when people are focus on the main event or talking, all the background noise including shutter sound will not be noticeable. It's like when you are driving, and after a while you don't pay attention to the engine or A/C sound any more(unless you crank your A/C fan to the max).

I used to shoot weddings with my 1DMKII and that thing was LOUD, hahaha. I picked up a 5D to replace it on weddings. much better!

IMHO this is one of those features that is fairly new, and certainly made best with the latest 5D3, that no one had for decades, and suddenly all older cameras are broken by comparison.

ie: The 5D3 silent shutter mode is the best I have used, I love it,. but it does not stop me from using my other bodies which still work great.

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #17565328
IMHO this is one of those features that is fairly new, and certainly made best with the latest 5D3, that no one had for decades, and suddenly all older cameras are broken by comparison.

ie: The 5D3 silent shutter mode is the best I have used, I love it,. but it does not stop me from using my other bodies which still work great.

I think the 7D2 is even better - so much so I hope the use it in the upcoming 5DS - and 5D4