Why Even Have A Shutter Mechanism Anyway?

[Sony Guy]

Something I never have understood is quite how digital cameras can record video without a shutter opening & closing repeatedly, and, if that is possible (which it obviously is), then why can't the camera just "activate" its sensor for a minute segment of time, (such as 1/60, 1/125, 1/250 etc.) and totally do away with the heavy, complex, vibration-creating shutter mechanism entirely?

[Jan Anne]

Because Sony still uses a rolling shutter, they're working on a global shutter though.

 

An interesting video which should explain shutters:

https://youtu.be/CmjeCchGRQo

[Max the Dog]

Why not just dispense with the lenses while were at it ? 

 

 

 

Something I never have understood is quite how digital cameras can record video without a shutter opening & closing repeatedly, and, if that is possible (which it obviously is), then why can't the camera just "activate" its sensor for a minute segment of time, (such as 1/60, 1/125, 1/250 etc.) and totally do away with the heavy, complex, vibration-creating shutter mechanism entirely?

[Vivek]

Why not just dispense with the lenses while were at it ? 

Oh, no! Where would you put a lenscap then?

[Guest PenGun]

 Well I had no shutter for this shot. Just a Schneider Symmar S 240 lens with no shutter at all.

 

 

[Sony Guy]

 

 Well I had no shutter for this shot. Just a Schneider Symmar S 240 lens with no shutter at all.

 

 

 

So... How did you regulate the exposure then?

[Vivek]

I think he used his hat.

[Guest PenGun]

So... How did you regulate the exposure then?

LOL. It's a trick you do with 2 dark slides. I was aiming for 1/8 sec. I came pretty close.

[Max the Dog]

The shutter part is easy.  Teaching a cat to jump a motorbike over 12 flaming school buses is the hard part. 

 

 

LOL. It's a trick you do with 2 dark slides. I was aiming for 1/8 sec. I came pretty close.

[Guest PenGun]

The shutter part is easy.  Teaching a cat to jump a motorbike over 12 flaming school buses is the hard part. 

 Nah, be too hard to print. That one comes up all sumtuous on my Eppy 3800. There is something about, way too many pixels, for B&W prints.

[Lefty]

PenGun, I've got a cat like that, he wants the keys to the truck and the dog to work the pedals while he steers.

 

"then why can't the camera just "activate" its sensor for a minute segment of time, (such as 1/60, 1/125, 1/250 etc.) and totally do away with the heavy, complex, vibration-creating shutter mechanism entirely?"

 

The problem is in the "etc". Video frame rate is slow, so you've got time to process. When exposure gets short, 1/1000 for example, you don't have much time to poll the sensor. It's a straightforward question of how quick you can read and move data. If sensors quit getting denser and we get more processing bandwidth we'll be able to ditch that mechanical shutter. Until then, the electronic first curtain that gets us half way there by turning the sensor on is as good as it gets.

[Guest PenGun]

PenGun, I've got a cat like that, he wants the keys to the truck and the dog to work the pedals while he steers.

 

 I was very lucky. I was fooling with the camera and this 240mm barrel lens I had acquired in some deal. In LF you make a lot of deals it seems, well I did. Anyway she jumps up on the bike and gives me the 'why are you not paying attention to me' look and the rest was pure serendipity.

[Lefty]

Got the impression that as far as she was concerned the bike was really just a cat stand. C'mon Daddy, quit fooling with that camera, take me for a ride.

[Golem]

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@SonyGuy,

  

If you wanna buy a Shutterless Sony, and you have a bit over

$2K mad money, get you an A7S. Spoiler alert: It DOES have

a shutter ... but you don't hafta use it. It can operate in a true

silent mode, which involves electronic 1st curtain ... AND 2nd

curtain ... such that the mechanical shutter is not involved at

all. Acoarst this returns us to a version of your original posting:

"Why would an A7S user engage the mechanical shutter ?".

   

Technically, there are reasons, but they're not very compelling

for most users. If I had one I doubt I'd ever engage the shutter.

   

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