Silent Shutters ?

[brianrybolt]

I’m looking for a high quality compact camera such as the new NEX-5n, NEX-7, Nikon V1, Panasonic GX1 that has a very quite (similar to Pentax K5) or silent shutter plus low image noise characteristics.  Don’t want much!  I understand the new Fuji’s X10 shutter is silent but I need interchangeable lenses.  Any suggestions?
PS.  I was blown away by the low noise of the GX1 samples I saw (3200, 6400).

Thanks for your input.
Brian

[BernardLanguillier]

The nikon J1 is totally silent since it has no mechanical shutter.

Cheers,
Bernard

[torger]

The lens changing aperture for taking the picture can produce some noise too. On compacts that's does not produce much sound since the aperture mechanics is so small, but on a full-frame DSLR lens it is indeed rather audible. I don't know about the Nikon J1/V1 lenses though.

[AFairley]

The lens changing aperture for taking the picture can produce some noise too. On compacts that's does not produce much sound since the aperture mechanics is so small, but on a full-frame DSLR lens it is indeed rather audible. I don't know about the Nikon J1/V1 lenses though.

Kirk Tuck has said that the Nikon in electronic shutter mode is totally silent:  "By the end of a nine hour shooting day I'd logged about 1300 images on the little Nikon.  Here's what I found out:  You can use the electronic shutter on this camera and it is SILENT.  Not just quiet.  Absolutely silent.  Needle drop silent.  Makes an old Leica rangefinder sound like a hammer on corrugated iron by comparison."  http://visualsciencelab.blogspot.com/2011/11/what-fascinating-three-days-high-level.html

[kers]

Ok but the J1 -V1 is not very good above 800 asa...  and there is no lens with a wide aperture ( until the nikkor lens adapter arrives)

[BernardLanguillier]

Ok but the Ji1 -V1 is not very good above 800 asa...  and there is no lens with a wide aperture ( until the nikkor lens adapter arrives)

It is not great, but also not much worse than the 4/3 cameras (probably excluding the new Panasonic). I doubt difference would show up in print.

cheers,
Bernard

[iau]

Ok but the Ji1 -V1 is not very good above 800 asa...  and there is no lens with a wide aperture ( until the nikkor lens adapter arrives)

I've also been looking for a silent shutter camera. Have the X100 which is quite silent, but the J1 is dead silent. And you have to put your ear to it to hear it focus (only have the 10mm). Even my P&S makes some sort of click when I take a picture. I don't know of an other interchangeable system that is that silent. I have had GF1 and GF3, and their shutters are very loud. So is the Oly M43 I have tried. I was also chekcing out the NEX cameras, but found them to be about the same as the others. Not sure how they compare to the K-5, but I have the D7000 and in quiet mode it is not much louder than the K-5. Maybe the NEX's sound isn't that bad after all?