7.26 e-Front Curtain Shut.

Menu Position MENU --> 5 --> e-Front Curtain Shutter

 

What it Does Obviates the need for the shutter to close first before initiating the exposure

Recommended Setting ON unless you’re experiencing overexposures with older A-mount lenses

Constraints Not available when Silent Shooting is On.

 

So let’s talk about what happens each time you take a picture with this camera normally:

1. The shutter stays open to allow live view to occur.
2. The shutter release button is pressed.
3. The shutter closes (& the sensor is reset).
4. The shutter opens (starting the exposure)
5. The shutter closes (terminating the exposure)
6. The shutter opens again (allowing Live View to occur once again).

That’s a lot of shuttering! You can actually hear what all this sounds like by setting this e-Front Curtain Shutter variable to “Off” and taking a single picture. Yup! It sounds like two consecutive shots are being taken. This results in extra wear and tear on the shutter too.

While there are still some technical hurdles to tackle before we can get to the day when the shutter is eliminated altogether, Sony has made some progress toward that goal by borrowing a technique pioneered by Canon in the previous decade: by eliminating the need to block out all light to the sensor at the beginning of the exposure (to “reset” the sensor). This technique is called “e-Front Curtain Shutter”.

So with this new feature enabled (which is the factory default), the shutter sequence gets shortened to this:

1. The shutter stays open to allow live view to occur.
2. The shutter release button is pressed.
3. The sensor is reset electronically. The exposure begins immediately.
4. The shutter closes (terminating the exposure).
5. The shutter opens again (allowing Live View to occur once again).

That’s right – ONE cycle of shutter-close-then-open. Much more efficient. I keep this on all the time.

So why would you ever want this feature to be off? When using some older A-mount lenses (and some modern 3^rd party lenses), especially if they have large maximum apertures (where the f/stop blades have a further distance to travel), the lens might not be able to close their f/stop blades quickly enough to coincide with the beginning of the exposure. (In the old days the mirror had to flip up and the shutter open and the f/stop blades had more time to close all the way). If this happens to you you’ll see occasional overexposed images, especially at fast shutter speeds and on bright days. Turning this feature off is the sure cure.

 

TIP: The previous section talked about a feature which obviated the need for BOTH the first and 2^nd shutters; and while it works very well there are some restrictions. See "Silent Shooting" function, Section 7.25.