p.1 #1 · Auto shutter on a1 always uses mechanical, even when electronic should be preferred
I generally have shot electronic shutter on my a1…like 99.9% of the time. Sort of for grins, I set the shutter to auto, after the last firmware update. It has never opted for the electronic shutter, regardless of conditions, and I have never been in conditions in which the mechanical should have been the clear preference.
Maybe I shouldn’t care, because the electronic shutter has so many advantages, but I sort of assumed that a camera with such ridiculously good AI focusing would be able to handle the rather simple logic tree for shutter type and make that foolproof.
Anyone else have similar results, or have you just been shooting electronic shutter?
p.1 #5 · Auto shutter on a1 always uses mechanical, even when electronic should be preferred
EB-1 wrote:
What does it do when you set 20 FPS? That should force ES mode.
EBH
No idea. This is my least common use case and the one for which I would have hardwired in electronic shutter. This should already be the default, well before invoking 20fps.
In the end, I can just do what I have been. I just thought auto would have some logic baked in.
Jun 23, 2025 at 03:05 AM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #6 · Auto shutter on a1 always uses mechanical, even when electronic should be preferred
Grenache wrote:
No idea. This is my least common use case and the one for which I would have hardwired in electronic shutter. This should already be the default, well before invoking 20fps.
In the end, I can just do what I have been. I just thought auto would have some logic baked in.
As I see it, if you want faster fps than the shutter allows, then of course the electronic shutter should be selected. If you want to use flash then of course the mechanical shutter with its faster flash sync speed should be selected. Outside those obvious cases, it isn't clear to me that one shutter mode is clearly better than the other. Sure the electronic shutter is better when I want to shoot silently, but how is the camera going to know that. Sure, I would want either EFCS or electronic shutter if the camera is on a tripod, but again how is the camera going to know that.
There is probably a very very small possible advantage of the mechanical shutter at reducing blur with really fast moving targets. That tiny and highly unlikely to matter advantage wouldn't be worth wearing out the mechanical shutter to me, but I can see why the camera might be automated to use the mechanical shutter for that mostly theoretical and very tiny advantage. The camera can't know how fast the as yet unacquired target is going to move.
What we have here, IMO, is a basic rule. Automatic modes on cameras typically suck. The P mode almost always picks an aperture and shutter speed I wouldn't pick as well. Using automatic shutter makes about as much sense as using P mode. Not surprisingly the camera isn't very good at making good decisions in either of these automatic modes.
Personally, I rarely use even auto ISO, and I even prefer to manual focus much of the time rather than use auto focus. Those modes can be useful, but P mode and it appears this auto shutter mode are pretty close to worthless. I personally find many of the "features," on modern cameras to be pretty worthless.
p.1 #7 · Auto shutter on a1 always uses mechanical, even when electronic should be preferred
mogul wrote:
Are you going by shutter sound or exif?
Grenache wrote:
EXIF but a worthy question. Sound is similar either way.
?? What am i missing?
Electronic shutter is silent and mechanical shutter makes a little sound.
Jun 23, 2025 at 06:50 AM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #8 · Auto shutter on a1 always uses mechanical, even when electronic should be preferred
Jonas B wrote:
?? What am i missing?
Electronic shutter is silent and mechanical shutter makes a little sound.
Many people have the camera make a sound when using the electronic shutter. It helps one know how many shots were made. You can shoot silently with the electronic shutter, but you don't have to.
p.1 #9 · Auto shutter on a1 always uses mechanical, even when electronic should be preferred
Steve Spencer wrote:
Many people have the camera make a sound when using the electronic shutter. It helps one know how many shots were made. You can shoot silently with the electronic shutter, but you don't have to.
Ah... thank you. I always have mine set to silent and actually forgot you can add a sound. I have however added a short black-out, or blink, in the viewfinder. I like to have a confirmation the image is taken or the series of images are rollin.
Lol, to silent, too much of blackout free.
p.1 #10 · Auto shutter on a1 always uses mechanical, even when electronic should be preferred
Jonas B wrote:
?? What am i missing?
Electronic shutter is silent and mechanical shutter makes a little sound.
Electronic shutter has the option to be silent but the default is the camera makes a click sound. That sound differs from the sound that the mechanical shutter makes.
p.1 #11 · Auto shutter on a1 always uses mechanical, even when electronic should be preferred
Grenache wrote:
Electronic shutter has the option to be silent but the default is the camera makes a click sound. That sound differs from the sound that the mechanical shutter makes.
Yes, Steve reminded me about that. There are some default values I change from start and then i sometimes forget about those options.
Here at my place silent shooting is silent.
p.1 #12 · Auto shutter on a1 always uses mechanical, even when electronic should be preferred
Steve Spencer wrote:
[...]
What we have here, IMO, is a basic rule. Automatic modes on cameras typically suck. The P mode almost always picks an aperture and shutter speed I wouldn't pick as well. Using automatic shutter makes about as much sense as using P mode. Not surprisingly the camera isn't very good at making good decisions in either of these automatic modes.
Personally, I rarely use even auto ISO, and I even prefer to manual focus much of the time rather than use auto focus. Those modes can be useful, but P mode and it appears this auto shutter mode are pretty close to worthless. I personally find many of the "features," on modern cameras to be pretty worthless....Show more →
I make good use of the Auto ISO function. Whenever it's dark (and I have to use ISO values above 500 anyway) I seldom find the ISO more important than shutter speed and aperture. But, yes, I do think about the ISO actively and actually have the camera's front wheel set to ISO.
Autofocus of course, in most situations but not always. Aperture never automatic. P mode not ever tried and I agree about seeing many of all the automatic functions as unnecessary.
