Looking forward to TDP review of 6D!

[M_Six]

In the review Bryan talks about the Silent Mode and alludes (several times) to the likelihood that camera noise at events can be distracting. During our UK trip last fall I was taking pics of an author's talk (with her permission) and noticed at least one attendee was distracted by the camera noise, so I moved as far away from him as possible. I didn't notice anyone else looking back at me, but later my wife told me the noise was distracting and she saw others who were clearly annoyed. Nothing mortifies me more than knowing I've intruded into someone's "space" like that. I was so caught up in the photography that I failed to notice I was creating a distraction. The knowledge that I was left me depressed for days.

Has anyone else experienced this as either the photographer or as an audience member? I have a friend who shoots all of his daughter's recitals (violinist) and I often wonder if he's driving people around him nuts with the camera noise. He claims no one seems to mind, but I wonder. I'm now extremely hesitant to shoot events where the camera can be heard clacking away.

[Dr Croubie]

Has anyone else experienced this as either the photographer or as an audience member?

That happened to me last night, at a pub I regularly go to see gigs (mostly friends). Last time I was there, it was for my gf's band playing, I got some great shots from the back. I had my 7D, a 180/2.8 Sonnar on a tripod at the back, 100/2 and 35/1.4 Samyang, I convinced a friend to come so i could borrow his 5D2 and 50/1.2L. All fast primes, all shooting from the back, all available-light (not much sometimes). Tried to get around the backs of people between songs (they have rotating vocalists so there's always space between songs). I didn't feel too much in the way. There was even a guy from the Aus ABC with a professional broadcast camera filming (not for broadcast, he just 'borrowed' it from work for the night).
There's also another guy who regularly comes, with some kind of Sony and a Zeiss ZA 135/1.8, he is also fairly discrete in his photo taking.

So last night I was there again with my gf, we were watching a different friend of ours playing. There was also another lady there I've never seen before. She had a nikon something, and I presume a 70-300 (I don't recognise nikon lenses, it was fairly big and hefty but had an extending barrel so i'm presuming not a 70-200 or their equiv). She was standing up the back, right next to us, about 10m from the stage, zooming and shooting, zooming and shooting. With onboard flash. There is no way that flash would have reached, especially not with (what I assume) was an f/4-5.6 lens. But she kept clicking away, flash after flash, with AF-confirmation-beep too. I am so glad I didn't have any of my gear with me, that 1.5kg Zeiss Sonnar I had the previous gig could land me in jail if i'd used it properly.

Unfortunately, no amount of Silent Shutter can do away with these people. If they don't even know how (or if they do, have the manners) to turn off the AF-beep and the onboard flash, Silent Shutter is just another feature that they won't use when they're stuck on the green-square-mode.

[M_Six]

First thing I do with a new camera is turn off all beeps. My camera is as quiet as I can get it. And I don't use a flash as a rule. Still, the mirror and shutter clacking is annoying enough if the venue is otherwise quiet. I don't envy wedding photographers, though (for many reasons). They must constantly be torn between getting that perfect shot and being a perfect pest.

The 6D silent mode sounds considerably quieter than my 7D, but it's still not silent by any means. Maybe this is where a good mirrorless rig would come in handy.

[dsiegel5151]

First thing I do with a new camera is turn off all beeps. My camera is as quiet as I can get it. And I don't use a flash as a rule. Still, the mirror and shutter clacking is annoying enough if the venue is otherwise quiet. I don't envy wedding photographers, though (for many reasons). They must constantly be torn between getting that perfect shot and being a perfect pest.

The 6D silent mode sounds considerably quieter than my 7D, but it's still not silent by any means. Maybe this is where a good mirrorless rig would come in handy.

I was at a wedding last summer where the bride hired an acquaintance (amateur) to shoot the wedding at a very discounted cost. I won't get into how disappointed the bride was in the photos at the end, and how she wished she forked over some more money to get a pro. What got me was the fact that the photographer didn't even know that you could turn the beep off on the auto-focus confirmation (or chose not to for some odd reason). Every second of the ceremony..beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep...Super distracting. And with every beep, came the firing of the pop-up flash. I don't necessarily believe in marriage, but I leaned over to my long-time girlfriend during the ceremony and whispered, "if we ever decide to get married, we are definitely hiring a photographer who knows what they are doing."

[M_Six]

I shot pics at the wedding of my wife's cousin (with their permission). They had a pro team taking pics and video, so I stayed well out of their way. I was using my Panasonic Lumix FZ18, so I had it in silent mode (which on the Panny really is silent). I was mostly disappointed with my pics, so I never sent the pics to the couple and they never asked about them (thankfully). I did get a few keepers, but for the most part I learned that you don't just decide to be a wedding photographer without the practice and skills (and equipment) to back it up.

Now whenever I see someone taking pics at an event, I wonder how much noise they're making. Especially if it's something like a dance recital or play.

[Busted Knuckles]

First thing I do with a new camera is turn off all beeps. My camera is as quiet as I can get it. And I don't use a flash as a rule. Still, the mirror and shutter clacking is annoying enough if the venue is otherwise quiet. I don't envy wedding photographers, though (for many reasons). They must constantly be torn between getting that perfect shot and being a perfect pest.

The 6D silent mode sounds considerably quieter than my 7D, but it's still not silent by any means. Maybe this is where a good mirrorless rig would come in handy.

I have to admit, I don't know why there can't be an electronic 1st & 2nd curtain in live view. I am sure there is a reason, but that would be the really quite way to go, the 5dIII is pretty quite - not silent but quite.