Chris wrote as a reply to Rolland: ... > Silence. Yes, things like mirror movement, shutter movement, > and film advance all also contribute to the overall "noise" of > taking a picture. Reducing the total noise output -- which is > very desireable in many different applications -- can be achieved > buy reducing each of the contributors in turn. > > So, Nikon has been working on ALL those factors: we heard the > mirror box was redesigned in the F5 to reduce vibrations; we > see that there is some sort of "floating mechanism" in the F100 > to reduce (shutter?) noise; the pro cameras have an additional > film advance and rewind mode for more "silent" operation; and > now AF-S quiets the AF. All these things taken together make > a great improvement in the quietness of operation. ... The important thing about noise in terms of photography is the time the photographer has, before he's remarked by the "target". If I'm photographing a wild animal, with a AF-S lens I've a lot of time to focus (with MF too) without making some noise. Surely, I've only one try to get the picture (noise of mirror, film advance etc. will warn my "target"), but the danger to be remarked while focusing is reduced by AF-S, and that's what I'm looking for. Conradin
