# Anybody else using primarily electronic shutter on the R5?



## Kit Lens Jockey (Sep 28, 2020)

Once I realized how incredibly much better the electronic shutter on the R5 is compared to the R, I decided to primarily use the fully electronic shutter, because why add the wear on the shutter in most conditions?

So far I'm pretty happy. In a lot of situations, at least anything not involving fast motion or questionable artificial lighting, I don't think there's an appreciable difference between the two.

There was a Tony and Chelsea video stating that using the electronic shutter increases noise, but is that a real concern? Why would the electronic shutter add noise? Different processing technique for the data coming from the sensor?


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## mjkenyon (Sep 28, 2020)

Hi KLJ - can you explain (to someone considering buying an R) how the electronic shutter is deficient, especially compared to the R5. 

I intend to do a lot of astro work with the R, so quiet shooting is a key feature, and one that's led me to rule out the RP, which seems to only have silent-shutter in certain scene modes (not manual).

Cheers.


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## Kit Lens Jockey (Sep 28, 2020)

mjkenyon said:


> Hi KLJ - can you explain (to someone considering buying an R) how the electronic shutter is deficient, especially compared to the R5.
> 
> I intend to do a lot of astro work with the R, so quiet shooting is a key feature, and one that's led me to rule out the RP, which seems to only have silent-shutter in certain scene modes (not manual).
> 
> Cheers.


I don't know myself, that's why I asked. However, I think you are out of luck for using the electronic shutter for astro work. I think the longest shutter speed you can use with the electronic shutter is a second or two. I also don't think it works in bulb mode.

Why do you need quiet shooting for astrophotography work?


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## mjkenyon (Sep 28, 2020)

Thanks for the info. 

The astro shots will be taken in a range of locations, including campsites, so I want to avoid creating a noise nuisance for anyone trying to sleep in a nearby tent etc.


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## SteveC (Sep 28, 2020)

mjkenyon said:


> Thanks for the info.
> 
> The astro shots will be taken in a range of locations, including campsites, so I want to avoid creating a noise nuisance for anyone trying to sleep in a nearby tent etc.



The shutter is so quiet I can't see that being a problem--less so than the sounds of you bumbling around in the dark.


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## Viggo (Sep 28, 2020)

Electronic is only 12 bit though.


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## privatebydesign (Sep 28, 2020)

Viggo said:


> Electronic is only 12 bit though.


The vast majority of scenes are under 12 stops anyway so it becomes moot.


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## Joules (Sep 28, 2020)

Viggo said:


> Electronic is only 12 bit though.


Good point. To put it into terms more people may be familiar with: Using electronic shutter sacrifices up to 1.4 stops of DR when you are shooting below ISO 800.

See: https://www.photonstophotos.net/Charts/PDR.htm#Canon EOS R5,Canon EOS R5(ES)


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## Joules (Sep 28, 2020)

privatebydesign said:


> The vast majority of scenes are under 12 stops anyway so it becomes moot.


The R5 also has an incredible shutter rating of 500.000 actuations (still blows my mind), so the wear and tear argument is somewhat mood as well. It is a compromise and it is worth keeping in mind what you are gaining and losing with each mode to make the optimal choice in each shooting scenario.


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## Viggo (Sep 28, 2020)

privatebydesign said:


> The vast majority of scenes are under 12 stops anyway so it becomes moot.


I respectfully disagree, any shot with a sky in it and some shadow, this will matter with nearly 1,5 stops. I hardly ever shoot anything with a sky in the picture where the highlights are not clipped anywhere. I would wish for much more DR, but I certainly won’t be sacrificing 1,5 stops unless it’s worse for the shot not to.


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## privatebydesign (Sep 28, 2020)

Viggo said:


> I respectfully disagree, any shot with a sky in it and some shadow, this will matter with nearly 1,5 stops. I hardly ever shoot anything with a sky in the picture where the highlights are not clipped anywhere. I would wish for much more DR, but I certainly won’t be sacrificing 1,5 stops unless it’s worse for the shot not to.


There will always be outliers and people who's favorite shooting situations differ from the majority. But I print a decent amount for other photographers and rarely run into DR limitations in their files even with older cameras. Just looking at most histograms from most people is enough to prove the point, although I do grant you that a disproportionate percentage here might well not be in that group!

But Joules' reply really is on point. Know and understand the compromises inherent in any feature and you are best positioned to get the optimal result from the gear you are holding.


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## AlanF (Sep 28, 2020)

I can handle the 20 fps of the electronic shutter only in rare circumstances.


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## SteveC (Sep 28, 2020)

This last weekend, I did something a bit odd. I wanted to take a lot of rapid fire pictures of something to try to catch an intermittent action (a boiling/spitting mud pool at Yellowstone) and I simply hit the shutter as fast as I could with my finger, rather than try to remember which button I assigned the shutter mode to (duh, the aperture preview button). It did what I wanted, but honestly none of them came out with an obvious splash in them. I'm better off showing people the video I took where the motion will make it stand out.

Let's face it, that was a stupid thing to do; I should have just gone into one of the burst modes. I'll say though that in spite of the fact that I was almost certainly jerking the camera working the shutter like that the pictures came out sharp, at least when displayed on a monitor. (Pixel peeping would reveal who knows what.)


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Sep 28, 2020)

I'm still waiting on my R5 but I don't use the electronic shutter on my R, I doubt if my R5 will change that. I see it as being for conditions where the shutter sound would be a problem, that is not the case for most of my photos..


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## Viggo (Sep 28, 2020)

privatebydesign said:


> There will always be outliers and people who's favorite shooting situations differ from the majority. But I print a decent amount for other photographers and rarely run into DR limitations in their files even with older cameras. Just looking at most histograms from most people is enough to prove the point, although I do grant you that a disproportionate percentage here might well not be in that group!
> 
> But Joules' reply really is on point. Know and understand the compromises inherent in any feature and you are best positioned to get the optimal result from the gear you are holding.


I personally don’t have an issue with not being able to get the most out of my gear, I just don’t know why one would exclude an advantage and not use it to make a difference, isn’t that what upgrading a camera is all about?


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## AlanF (Sep 28, 2020)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> I'm still waiting on my R5 but I don't use the electronic shutter on my R, I doubt if my R5 will change that. I see it as being for conditions where the shutter sound would be a problem, that is not the case for most of my photos..


The electronic first curtain shutter on the R5 is remarkably quiet.


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## privatebydesign (Sep 28, 2020)

Viggo said:


> I personally don’t have an issue with not being able to get the most out of my gear, I just don’t know why one would exclude an advantage and not use it to make a difference, isn’t that what upgrading a camera is all about?


I don't understand how that comment relates to mine.


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## Viggo (Sep 28, 2020)

privatebydesign said:


> I don't understand how that comment relates to mine.


That’s okay


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## Kit Lens Jockey (Sep 28, 2020)

Oh, I did not know about the low ISO reduction in dynamic range. Well, I guess I'll be changing to electronic first curtain shutter then. And yeah I agree that the 500k shutter rating is good, I just figured it would be even better not to have to worry about wearing out the shutter at all.

(Regardless of whether or not most shots do contain more than 12 stops of DR, in my mind, it's a case of why not get the best performance out of the camera that it can offer?)


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## YuengLinger (Sep 29, 2020)

Joules said:


> Good point. To put it into terms more people may be familiar with: Using electronic shutter sacrifices up to 1.4 stops of DR when you are shooting below ISO 800.
> 
> See: https://www.photonstophotos.net/Charts/PDR.htm#Canon EOS R5,Canon EOS R5(ES)


Excellent link! Thank you.


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## [email protected] (Oct 15, 2020)

Here is an extreme example of the rolling shutter effect photo taken of Hummingbird there wings flap at 50 times per second. shutter speed 4000 sec.


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