Which shutter type is right for YOU? Electronic vs Mechanical Shutter Comparison

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

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[@RogerZoul]

On the R5, I use the electronic shutter the most, but if I see any kind of recognizable structure in the backgrounds, I go back to mechanical. On the R7, I use electronic 1st curtain the most, but switch to electronic for stationary subjects and focus stacking. I try to avoid full mechanical on that camera because of shutter slap. I recently borrowed the R3 from Canon and only used the electronic shutter and it was so nice to not have to think about these issues. As have said this before, but I will say it again: I will not buy another camera from Canon that has rolling shutter. So they better bring the tech to the R5M2 (my preferred next body) and/or the R1 (this would be overkill be me, and it is too expensive for who I am - not a pro, so don't have pro needs, but I like good images above all else). Thanks for the video.

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Thanks for your comment! Yes, I have the same thoughts about my next camera. A R5 II that has a stacked sensor like the Z8 would be my dream.

[@jremi]

Wow! What a great video! I was looking for this type of information. Most videos I've seen explain how to change these settings, but not the advantages and disadvantages of each. This is extremely useful and will allow me to make an informed decision on which shutter mode to choose in the future. For example, I knew about the rolling shutter problem, but I was not aware of the loss of dynamic range with electronic shutter modes. Thanks a lot!

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Thanks, happy to hear that

[@Georgie_B_]

Personally I would defo recommend electronic shutter for low-light portrait photography with Sony Alpha series if you don’t have a flash - the camera will already be struggling to get enough light, so you want to minimize shutter shock to at least get maximum sharpness in those challenging conditions. I do prefer mechanical in general and in daylight and feel it does give a certain depth and naturalness to images, but electronic shutter gets me such good sharpness, it’s usually my default. Also make sure to double-tap and zoom in on your LCD screen every once in a while to check focus is tight. I’m sure opinions wildly differ on this, but I think shutter type is defo worthy of consideration and reconsideration to get the best shots we can. Such a great video, thanks for sharing!

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Thanks!

[@zieadmadkour1841]

you seem like a good guy. great video. keep up the good work!

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Thanks 😊

[@danw.7483]

Thanks for this great explanation.....extremely helpful!

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Happy to hear

[@DavidBennettplus]

Thank you for the clear explanation and for the link to the read-out speed comparison chart. Excellent.

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Thanks!

[@ChadHensiak]

Very informative Fabian. Thank you for posting this video. It answered many questions I had while shooting with my R6 and R5 cameras.

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Happy to hear that

[@Unpreeeedictable]

I’m a bit late with my comment but this is an excellent explanation. I’ve just purchased an R7 to replace an ancient 7d Mark I for bird photography and the learning curve is fairly steep. Definitely going to give electronic first curtain a try. Thanks!

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Happy to hear

[@AliA-we2uu]

Thank you so much Fabian for the helpful and informative video! God bless and good luck! ❤🙏

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Thank you

[@do-not-reply461]

I'm shooting on the R7 and have mostly relied on electronic and mechanical. After watching your video, I will experiment more with electronic first curtain.

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Yes, I would give it a try!

[@mmmtap]

Exelent information! Many Thanks

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Thanks

[@wellingtoncrescent2480]

Thanks for a nice review. On my R7, the shutter shock with mechanical shutter can be quite dramatic, with noticeable image softening. I therefore rely on either electronic first curtain or electronic shutter. The ES is used to avoid noise or take advantage of the faster frame rates (30 fps) and shutter speeds (1/16000s). Canon has recently acknowledged issues with focus acquisition on the R7 at faster frame rates, due to its slower read out speed. Since I am generally happy with 7-15 fps, I don't feel limited with the EFCS, though I still prefer the quieter sound of the ES. And for birds, I do like the "pre-capture" feature that uses the ES.

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Thanks for the comment! I think so many weaknesses of the R7 would have been solved with a faster sensor

[@wellingtoncrescent2480]

​@@FabianFoppNaturephotography That's absolutely true, but it's still an amazing camera, especially for the price. And coupled with the RF100-500, it's a superb birding option. To be honest, I think Canon would have done better had they been more honest about its limitations, rather than building inflated expectations around "30 fps with the electronic shutter" (ES), which leaves users feeling frustrated with the AF issues when the sensor can't keep up. Ditto the rolling shutter with the slow read out in ES mode. They should simply have recommended use of the electronic first curtain (EFCS) or mechanical (MS) shutters to avoid these issues, which may in fact be the reason why Sony is promoting the A6700 with a more realistic 11 fps in both ES and MS modes. Since I've always been perfectly happy with 7-15 fps (to minimize sorting in post), I avoided the frustration, but I understand why others might feel otherwise. Though it may be unrealistic to expect the AF and rolling shutter to be similar to that found in pricier models. You may have seen Phil Thach's comparison earlier this week, demonstrating "sharp focus" in 50/54 shots at the slower frame rates, which is nothing be scoffed at :). Again, thanks for addressing this important issue. And thanks for sharing your lovely images.

[@ApothecaryDan]

Thank you for clarifying this for me. I recently switched to the Canon R6 mII from 5d mIV and wasn't sure what to shoot in. I initially left it mechanical, because it was what I was comfortable with. I will play around and figure out what works best for me and when.

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Happy to hear that the video was helpful 😊

[@georgevarghese8134]

Wonderfully explained. Thank you so much

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Thanks

[@KoenKooi]

I’m using ES for almost everything, and EFCS when using a flash. I have no lenses that fit on RF faster than f/1.8, so I don’t care about the bokeh clipping issue EFCS could be causing. You can check the PDR charts at photonstophotos to see the ISO vs DR relation. On the R5 the DR converges for all modes at ISO800, on the R6II/R8 around ISO3600. That means I rarely have bit-depth FOMO when using the R5 😊

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Thanks for your comment

[@zakaria_98]

thank you for the information it's helpful 🤝👍

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Happy to hear that 😃

[@roca285]

I’m learning a lot, thanks!

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Thanks a lot!

[@MusaonYT]

For the R5, the bit depth is decreased to 13-bit when you’re shooting in H+ mode for both mechanical and efcs.

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Ah, maybe I remembered it the wrong way. I couldn’t find the info in the manual anymore, do you know where Canon provides these details?

[@dmitry.sh.8946]

12-bit, Moreover, this is only for Canon, Nikon and Sony do not have this, there are 14 with any shutter.

[@spinnetti]

Seems like a parallel read of the sensor versus a serial read would get rid of the rolling shutter and wonder what the technical difficulty would be with that?

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

I‘m not an engineer, but I guess there is some reason that that’s not done already

[@ronjenkins4257]

In buying used cameras we have often looked at shutter actuations as a measure of camera use. Obviously the amount of wear and tear that occurs in the various types of shutters you are describing can be quite different. Is there any way to distinguish between the number of images shot and output shutter actuations in mechanical, first curtain electronic, and fully electronic mides? Two cameras reporting the same image count could have vastly different amounts of shutter wear and tear. Imagine if car odometers showed miles travelled whether the car was driving on the road or being transported by ship or train.

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

To my knowledge the electronic shutter actuations are NOT counted in these app, at least for Canon (which makes totally sense)

[@FoxyFQ300]

I had no idea using EFC shutter reduces the bit depth on the R5! Is this definitely the case? Thanks for the info!

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Maybe double check the info. To my knowledge , this was only the case with the highest frame rate

[@mrrca]

great job explaining

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Thanks

[@fy7589]

The sharpness and the detail I get from the electronic shutter on my R7 is unmatched by any other camera at this price range and even if you extend your budget above and beyond as far as I know. The pixel per inch ratio of it is 2.6 times higher than the R5 the 45 megapixel monster and it's equivalent to like 86 megapixels if R5 had the same pixel density in it's sensor. Of course there are high iso noise issues because of the crop factor and rolling shutter distortion way more so than in the R5 however with good lighting and not so fast moving subjects. I find the electronic shutter on the R7 the sharpest shutter in every Canon R camera due to the incredible pixel density of that sensor. I never kinda use the mechanical shutter because of the low frame rate and almost extreme shutter shock you get. I don't know why but it's so much worse than the DSLR's despite them having a moving mirror. It's just not a good mechanical shutter. It's almost as if it doesn't even exist. And the electronic first curtain shutter, I use it sometimes but again the slight shutter shock will ruin most of the photos in the 15 or 8 fps modes even if the shutter curtain closes after the image is taken, still the next image will feel the shock and reduce my keeper rate. I find the best compromise with the R7 for wildlife is to use the electronic shutter mostly at 30 fps and delete the distorted images. With the electronic shutter, even after removing all the distorted images, I end up with more usable images and all of them are slightly sharper than the sharpest I can get with the Electronic first curtain. Therefore I only use the Electronic first curtain for like panning a big object like a car or a plane so I don't get the rolling shutter and because of the subjects aren't animals, they don't make unpredictable movements therefore it's not too hard to get sharp images on moving cars if you're panning with it.

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I also had the impression that the shutter shock on the r7 is worse than the r5. Unfortunately, this is also true for rolling shutter

[@19ab59]

Hi Fabian, I would like to use the electronic shutter on my R6 but I miss the shutter sound that I've taken the photo. How do you experience that? Greetz Ab

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

I actually like the completely silent shooting (but it needs a bit getting used to)

[@boulx]

I only use mechanical on R5... Any experience for sports and electronical ahutter? I mostely shoot dirtbike racing.i could use more fps

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

I‘m not really shooting sports. I tried once or twice with Tennis, there you definitely get some rolling shutter in the electronic shutter mode. But maybe just give it a try 😊

[@anthonyhershko]

Should I use an electric 20 or electric curtain for aviation photography? Canon R5 with Sigma 60-600mm. Recently, after Canon released new firmware 2.0, all of the pictures came blurry.

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

With some propellers you could get tolling shutter, I would try that out. Maybe check your settings, I have no problem with firmware 2.0

[@anthonyhershko]

@FabianFoppNaturephotography So what of shutter do you recommend me to use electric 20 is OK?

[@The_WarL0rd_Way]

I shoot mainly basketball and I use 1st currten all the time. I have no problems with rolling sutter on the R6 Mark ii

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

With electronic first curtain you will never have rolling shutter issues. It’s only with electronic shutter

[@The_WarL0rd_Way]

@FabianFoppNaturephotography Awesome, it looks like I picked the right setting then! Lol

[@royaltykidstv]

Would you recommend first curtain for portrait photography and dancing?

[@craigcarlson4022]

RogerZoul and Fabian, thanks for your advice. I recently upgraded to the R7 for birds. From my limited experience so far, it seems i am getting some shutter shock softening of images when i use the electronic first curtain. Is that possible? I find the shutter shock with the mechanical shutter significant enough that i hesitate to ever use it. Do you have a sense of practically, just how much dynamic range we are giving up if/when we use first curtain and electronic shutter modes?…Enough to see when editing (pulling shadows up and highlights down)? I too have been really put off of considering future Canons due to my experience with the R7.

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

I think you will only see the difference if you shoot at really low ISO. At least with the R5, there is basically now difference anymore from ISO 800 on

[@craigcarlson4022]

@@FabianFoppNaturephotography Thanks Fabian

[@nordic5490]

Bokeh clipping ? This is new to me. In the last few months, I have been shooting sports and action a lot using my R5 + RF 85mm F1.2 @ F1.2, in sunshine, at 8000th, iso 50 to 200. Looks beautiful, super creamy oof bokeh, whilst being tack sharp on the eye. Can some one give me more information on this phenomenon?

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

I think I‘ve encountered it once with my Sigma 150/2.8. I just remembered that there was something weird with the flares in the background and I switched to mechanical mode. Canon mentions that this *might* be an issue

[@brianludwig180]

Great review thank you

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Thanks

[@vudo2555]

If anyone can comment on this question it would be appreciated - I was watching a Content Creator who was doing a review on the Canon R7. They made a statement that they have clearly found there was a slight increase in sharpness quality when running in Electronic Shutter vs. Electronic 1st Curtain on shots where NO rolling shutter was present. Has anyone else found this to actually be true?

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

I had this impression, at least when working with a bit of “longer“ shutter speeds. But I never made a side by side comparison

[@3Kiwiana]

Awesome video bro I really learned something from that, I have a R6mii I’m a bit of a newbie think I’ll use electronic shutter as I don’t do a lot of fast stuff mainly real estate stuff, equestrian and video of my bands usually in quite low light, will electronic shutter be good for all that.?

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

If you don’t need a fast frame rate, then there is not really an advantage of using the electronic shutter over EFCS (except that it’s silent)

[@3Kiwiana]

@@FabianFoppNaturephotography thanks for that, you mentioned there are less moving parts and less wear and tear, using electronic shutter, that’s probably reason enough for me. Obviously in video mode it doesn’t matter what shutter option is turned on ?.

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

Exactly, in video mode it doesn’t matter

[@nicce]

More like portraits and stills, r6mkii - mechanical shutter

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

👍🏻

[@dodatkidominecrafta4762]

sir did you try a9iii?

[@FabianFoppNaturephotography]

No