Soundproofing

My D3 sounds like a rifle going off,trying to photograph foxes at the moment and they don't like it!!!!
Has anyone made anything that reduces the shutter/mirror slap, materials/design etc???

Thanks


Craig

www.craigchurchill.co.uk

When working with barn owls from a hide at close quarters I found that wrapping a large scarf around the camera was enough to muffle the sound. This was using a tripod and a wired release cable, probably trickier if you're hand-holding.
There is a plastic armour you can get for some cameras which might muffle the sound. Never tried one. WEX do them, I think.

Simon

I ve done as Simon has above in the pooll hide but it doesn't seem to have helped a lot. I am close too - about 6 foot. I once tried making a case out of expanded foam, but it was difficult to operate the camera. One thing I wouldn't do is make a wooden shelf in a permanent hide to mount the camera on. - It amplifies the sound !
Sorry can't help. Will be interested to see any ideas. Noise has certainly lost me a load of shots.
JohnR

I made a 'blimp' some years ago for a Nikon F4 from neoprene offcuts got free from a wetsuit maker. Easily welded with the rubber cement, and you can cut out bits for your finger for shutter release, frame counter etc and it'll be easier to do with digital and big cards than with 35mm film as designing to allow quick access to the spooling system was a pain.

Thanks all,thanks John.

I've managed to find a zing pro slr cover which I can adapt,made of fairly thick neoprene it should do the job!!


Craig
www.craigchurchill.co.uk

A material called Revertex is what I started off using .The rabbits had never got used to the sound of my D3 shutter and at 4 to 5 metres the blast in machine gun mode..... well you know. I have used a piece of revertex or acoustic foam with a hole in the middle which the lens pokes out of .The deadening of the sound directly at the camera body is neigh on impossible as it covers all your controls up . I found it best to try and deflect the sound from travelling directly forward and use this foam to absorb the forward sound waves . A bit Heath Robinson ( sorry John if he's relative of yours .) but it does work . I used the camo netting drapped over the foam and then over my head when I lie down.The foam shows a 3 dB drop in peak sound at 2 metres on my trusty sound meter .( thats half as loud in non engineers speak.) .You can get it from a place called wilmslow audio or acousticguard http://www.acoustiguard.com/absorberbarriercomposites/convof.htm
The latest piece of 'kit' I have been using is a combination of one of the kids horse riding back protectors and a camo balaclava.Now bare with me here . It does fit around the camera and lens really well and allows access to all the controls easily and readily.This works just as well and is stiff enough to give a bit of support to the camo netting ( plus i can now have a fag underneath the contraption without setting the camo netting on fire.!).An elastic band round the lens hood holds the balaclava at the neck end with the face end covering the camera body. http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/shop/army-surplus-uk/army-hats-headgear/warm-fleece-head-honcho-or-snood-354167.html
Below is the mock up .
I have got used to doing short bursts with the camera now.LOL I know Andy its hard to believe.
Ive tried the D300 in a Gimp outfit but the rubber wasn't to my liking. LOL

There are a couple of items available commercially . One called the camera muzzle and the other a camera blimp.or sound blimp
http://www.adorama.com/CZM.html or http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-3408-3436
http://www.soundblimp.com/nikon.htm

Hope this helps

mark

Hi Craig, drop Dave Courtenay a line.

Steve

The problem is with the modern camera systems which are too noisy in operation compared to the likes of the Canon EOS 5 film camera which was as silent as a ghost compared to the current generation of CaNikon pro DSLR bodies. You will never really eradicate the noise of a modern pro DSLR to the extent that sensitive wildlife are tolerent of them, the bodies are built for sport shooting where noise is irrelevent, and not wildlife shooting

I've yet to find anything as quiet as the old EOS 5, but the Oly E system (and the original E-1 in particular) comes closest due to the tiny main mirror system, the small mirror size = low weight, less mass to move about and dampen = reduced mirror slap & noise (but small sensor =increased image noise, so no free lunch.....)and less vibration or mirror slap induced shakes.

This doesn't really help with your current problem, but it sets the method to solve it - ie don't try and muffle what you have got, its not practical, but consider swapping the body for a lower spec one built with budget/plastic parts which is quieter in operation