Banding issues - silent shutter - R6: I'm shooting an indoor event Sunday and it would be great if I were able to use the electronic shutter to avoid shutter noise. I think the lights...

stane

I'm shooting an indoor event Sunday and it would be great if I were able to use the electronic shutter to avoid shutter noise. I think the lights are incandescent rather than LED or fluorescent, but I'm not positive. I'm looking for clarification of when I'm likely to run into a banding issue. Does keeping the shutter at a lower speed obviate the problem? Any suggestions or guidance would be appreciated. Thanks.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

stane wrote:

I'm shooting an indoor event Sunday and it would be great if I were able to use the electronic shutter to avoid shutter noise. I think the lights are incandescent rather than LED or fluorescent, but I'm not positive. I'm looking for clarification of when I'm likely to run into a banding issue. Does keeping the shutter at a lower speed obviate the problem? Any suggestions or guidance would be appreciated. Thanks.

Check to see if your R6 has something like a "Flicker Reduction" option. Not sure what Canon calls it. It's a function that synchronized your shutter opening with any flicker in the lights and will help avoid the banding problem and exposure errors at all shutter speeds.

stane

Thanks a lot for your quick reply. The R6 does have anti-flicker, but I think that with the Canon R series cameras, you cannot use it with the electronic shutter, so that's part of the dilemma.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

stane wrote:

Thanks a lot for your quick reply. The R6 does have anti-flicker, but I think that with the Canon R series cameras, you cannot use it with the electronic shutter, so that's part of the dilemma.

If the lighting is not incandescent, you might try shooting at 1/60 or 1/120 (or 1/125) or some other multiple of 60 and try to compose such that moving objects are not moving across the frame. With incandescent, it shouldn’t be an issue. I believe the R3 allows anti flicker with electronic shutter, but not the R6. Anyone else have ideas?

kenArchi Loc: Seal Beach, CA

Turn down the shutter volumn?
I do that on LX3 Panasonic.

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

stane wrote:

Thanks a lot for your quick reply. The R6 does have anti-flicker, but I think that with the Canon R series cameras, you cannot use it with the electronic shutter, so that's part of the dilemma.

I can on my R3.

MJPerini

Since flicker usually occurs at 60Hz ,a SLOWER shutter speed of 1/30 or less usually fixes flicker, but creates other potential problems with movement. Experiment before the event with flicker reduction

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

MJPerini wrote:

Since flicker usually occurs at 60Hz ,a SLOWER shutter speed of 1/30 or less usually fixes flicker, but creates other potential problems with movement. Experiment before the event with flicker reduction

Per Canon:(https://www.canon-europe.com/pro/infobank/electronic-vs-mechanical-shutter/)

“The banding that may be seen in images captured in flickering light is a result of the light brightness varying over the time that the sensor is scanned. Most artificial light sources, particularly fluorescent lights and LEDs, flicker in phase with the AC electricity supply, so adjusting the shutter speed to 1/50 sec (1/60 sec in the USA) or 1/100 sec (1/125 sec in the USA) can resolve the problem, but if not, experiment with other shutter speeds to find one that matches the flicker cycle of the light source.”

Tomfl101 Loc: Mount Airy, MD

I have the R5 and it has the same issue under certain lights. Slow shutter speeds are not and option at a sporting event so you may be out of luck using electronic. The only advantage with electronic is the ability to take 20fps bursts. Your mechanical shutter will give you 6-8 fps and with anti-flicker enabled you should be fine. Do a few tests when you get there. Sometimes the flicker is minimal and can be corrected in post.