Closed shutter when camera is turned off

[pdk42]

So, the new S1ii models support a feature where the shutter is closed when you power off the camera - I guess to protect against dust.

But its use comes with this warning when you enable it:

The shutter may be damaged if pointed the camera towards strong light sources such as sunlight or if touched it while the camera is turned off.

Ignoring the bad English grammar (can't Panasonic get someone to check this stuff?), I'm a bit surprised by the first part of this warning. I'm assuming it means with a lens attached since in that case the sun might be focussed onto a spot on the shutter. The conclusion can only be that the shutter material can't withstand the temperature of a focussed sun onto it. It's also implying that the sensor does not have the same problem, which I'm sceptical about.

So I have two questions really:

- Is the shutter more likely to be damaged than the sensor if the sun gets focussed onto either of them?
- What are the risks in any case? Is it worse with a telephoto lens? How long would it take for damage to occur?

What's everyone else's thoughts on this?

 

[xaviergut]

I'm no expert, but I think the curtain that lowers on the Z8 and Z9 isn't the shutter. On other Nikon cameras (Z6, Z7, etc.), the "curtain" is the mechanical shutter, which doesn't exist on the 8 and 9.

I think the question is: is the sensor or the shutter more fragile, sensitive, or delicate? If the shutter is lowered when changing lenses, it can be touched and there's a risk of malfunctioning later.

I believe Canon has filed a patent for a shutter-like barrier mechanism:

https://www.dpreview.com/news/4480580879/canon-patent-application-shows-barrier-mechanism-for-protecting-mirrorless-image-sensors

 

[Travis Butler]

The main cases I’ve heard of were during the recent eclipses… but those were some doozies.

Rental Camera Gear Destroyed by the Solar Eclipse of 2017

We recently had quite a spectacle in the United States, with a Solar Eclipse reaching totality throughout a large portion of the United States. Being that this was the first solar eclipse passing through the Continental US since 1979, excitement ran wild on capturing this natural event using the...

www.lensrentals.com

 

[pdk42]

The main cases I’ve heard of were during the recent eclipses… but those were some doozies.

Rental Camera Gear Destroyed by the Solar Eclipse of 2017

We recently had quite a spectacle in the United States, with a Solar Eclipse reaching totality throughout a large portion of the United States. Being that this was the first solar eclipse passing through the Continental US since 1979, excitement ran wild on capturing this natural event using the...

www.lensrentals.com

That's a very interesting article. It confirms to me that both the shutter and sensor are susceptible to damage if you focus the sun on their surface. I've posted some examples below.






Bottom line for me is that you should avoid getting the sun to shine directly into your camera if it's motionless (e.g. on a tripod or resting on a flat surface); irrespective of whether you configure the camera to close the shutter or not at powerdown. Always put the lens cap on!

I think on this basis I'll configure the camera to close the shutter - it'll hopefully prevent some of the dust bunnies.

 

[Prosecutor]

BTW - they should add the option to automatically close the shutter on powering off even if electronic shutter is active.

 

[pdk42]

BTW - they should add the option to automatically close the shutter on powering off even if electronic shutter is active.

It does that already.

 

[Prosecutor]

You‘re absolutely right. I always used the silent mode to activate the electronic shutter. And in silent mode it doesnˋt close the shutter. I will change that immediately.