Scott Stoness
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 p.1 #7 · R5 mechanical shutter vs. electronic shutter | |
The R5 has 16.3ms read speed (1/60s) . The R5 drops from 14bit to 12 bit when in electronic mode. The fps of R5 is 20fps in electronic (at fastest) and 12fps (at fastest) in EFCS. Mechanical shutter is also 12fps.
The R5 has maximum dynamic range with efcs and mechanical. It does that because it avoids moving to 12bit which reduces dynamic range.
Mechanical introduces more vibration than EFCS because it has a heavy shutter at the beginning that causes vibration that can spill into noise at certain exposures. eg 1/20 to 1/200 per second. [Normally outside of landscape in early and late light]. Thus if you shooting with a desire for best bokeh (portraits) you are likely to be best with mechanical mode because you can control the shutter speed (with lighting), you have the maximum dynamic range, and you will have best bokeh.
Aside from well lit portraiture. You are likely to be better served by efcs to avoid mechanical vibration of the shutter. You will get the best dynamic range, and up to 12 fps. There is still vibration dampening (noise) in subsequent pictures from the previous picture, but not from the opening shutter. EFCS is always better than mechanical for shutter noise, but as you rise up to the maximum 12fps you introduce some noise (albeit without the opening shutter and much lower) you have noise from the previous shot (in the 1/50 to 1/250 range).
Moving to electronic removes any shutter vibration and achieves 20fps but at the cost of rolling shutter and lower dynamic range.However, the advantages of higher dynamic range are overwhelmed by higher noise, such that at iso 800 (very small) and 1600 (unmeasurable) so that mechanical and efcs dynamic range advantage don't matter. Thus for most wildlife/action (low light, high shutter speed necessitate higher than iso 800), the electronic shutter has no dynamic range downgrade.
Then you get into extremes. Electronic has read speed of 16.3ms or 1/60s. At very high magnification (eg long lens) magnifies the effect of rolling shutter. A rule of thumb is that if you shooting a very fast object (birds, sports) [and are bothered by rolling shutter] with more than 100mm lens, use efcs, to avoid rolling shutter. This changes to 400mm as the threshold with slow moving objects (eg bears). However IS causes even more blur (is wobble combined with slow read) with electronic/slow read speed reducing the mm to about 200mm, before you switch to efcs, for managing slow read speed for electronic. Ultimately if you shooting over long distances you have to choose rolling shutter distortion [electronic 20fps] vs missing the action (efcs lower fps and higher dynamic range >iso800).
So in summary,
- if you can manage complexity, use mechanical outside of 1/160-1/250s, for portraiture. Use efcs for landscape, and every day slow shots where you fps are low. Use efcs where rolling shutter is not significant - slow subjects. And use electronic for fps if you can stomach the rolling shutter and noise from shutter, and are not shooting really long mm.
- Your head will spin making all these choices to perfection. My strategy is - use EFCS for landscape and general shooting - higher dynamic range without shutter vibration blur. Use electronic for wildlife for fps. If high mm lens, I switch to EFCS, if I have time.
- I have programed c1 to be EFCS (and AEB, 2s delay, ...) for landscape ont tripod, c2 to be electronic for travel/general, and c3 to be electronic (and fast fps, servo, centre ...) for wildlife/action on both my R5 and R5ii. My default is to use my r5ii for wildlife with electronic because it has much higher read speed (okay up to 800mm), and remain in electronic 30fps. I use my r5 for landscape (more dynamic range) and general use (cost less if I drop it or its stolen).
Edited on Dec 17, 2025 at 09:28 AM · View previous versions
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