What is the difference between mechanical and electronic shutter?
A mechanical shutter uses physical curtains that travel across the sensor to control exposure. An electronic shutter uses no moving parts — the sensor itself turns pixels on and off electronically. Each has advantages: mechanical avoids rolling shutter but creates noise and vibration; electronic is silent but can distort fast motion.
How each shutter works
Mechanical shutter: Two physical curtains travel across the sensor. The first curtain opens to start exposure, the second closes to end it. The gap between them determines shutter speed. You hear a satisfying click.
Electronic shutter: No moving parts. The sensor resets and reads each row of pixels electronically. Completely silent. Enables extremely fast shutter speeds (1/16000s or faster).
Electronic first curtain shutter (EFCS): A hybrid that uses electronic start and mechanical end. Reduces vibration while avoiding some electronic shutter artifacts.
When to use each
Use mechanical: When shooting under flickering artificial lights (fluorescent, LED), when photographing fast-moving subjects at moderate shutter speeds, and when flash sync is needed.
Use electronic: When you need silence (weddings, theater, wildlife), when you need ultra-fast shutter speeds (1/8000s+), and when you want zero vibration for tripod sharpness.
Use EFCS: As a good default that gives you the best of both in most situations.
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Electronic shutter limitations
Rolling shutter: Fast-moving subjects can appear distorted because the sensor reads line by line. Stacked sensors minimize this dramatically.
Banding under artificial lights: Some LED and fluorescent lights flicker at frequencies that cause visible bands across the image with electronic shutter.
Flash compatibility: Many cameras have limited or no flash sync with electronic shutter — though this is improving with newer stacked sensors and global shutter cameras.
For most everyday shooting, electronic first curtain shutter (EFCS) is the best default. Switch to full mechanical for flash work and flickering lights. Switch to full electronic when you need absolute silence.