topic Re: EOS 90D Silent mode settings in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

EOS 90D Silent mode settings

Ramsden — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 12:39:44 GMT

Hi folks

Another odd question from across the pond with my EOS90D.L

I'm currently on holiday and different settings with lots of trams and cafes, which is when I tend to slip into 'street photography'.

My camera is normally set to the mechanical shutter sound, which is too loud. But when I switched to One Shot S and electronic curtain, i still get a noise.

Then I eventually figured out the Electronic mode which is a much better, but takes more time to set up, and then it disengages after the shots.

So my question is based on how to set silent Electronic shutter so that it stays set, till I want to change it?

Or what am I doing wrong with One Shot S?

Thanks as ever.

Ramsden

Re: Silent mode settings

Waddizzle — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 09:42:32 GMT

Because a DSLR has a mirror, it cannot be operated in total silence 100% of the time. At some point the mirror must be raised and then lowered. Your 90D is significantly quieter than previous models.

Re: Silent mode settings

Ramsden — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 12:38:35 GMT

Thanks - that makes sense. I'm still nervous doing street photography so will tread carefully!

Re: EOS 90D Silent mode settings

ebiggs1 — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 14:10:08 GMT

It's never going to be silent so I would just continue to use it normally. I went through the whole 'silent mode' a long while back when confronted with persnickety priests, there's more than you might think, in some wedding settings.

Of course I have no idea of the laws in other countries but in the US nobody in a public place has an expectation of privacy so they are fair game to photograph. I would and I do refrain from taking pictures of minors though.

You can freely shoot photos of people, police officers, and buildings from public property without consent. However, some common sense must be used for instance public restrooms or dressings rooms at retail stores, etc. There you do have an expectation of privacy so you can not shoot there freely. IMHO, to me there is really no need for a totally silent mode.

Re: EOS 90D Silent mode settings

Ramsden — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 16:15:02 GMT

Thanks EB. Common sense approach applied. Its still fun though, and I really enjoy the process.

Re: EOS 90D Silent mode settings

Waddizzle — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 16:46:36 GMT

It will always make sounds when you use the viewfinder. The mirror must move.

However, you can raise the mirror and keep it there in Live View mode for complete silence. Bring extra batteries.

Re: EOS 90D Silent mode settings

Ramsden — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:11:05 GMT

So is that the electronic setting - and why does it use more juice. Just curious.

Re: EOS 90D Silent mode settings

Waddizzle — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 18:38:23 GMT

“ So is that the electronic setting - and why does it use more juice. Just curious. “

I really don’t know. I haven’t used a 90D. I would have to read the manual.

Re: EOS 90D Silent mode settings

ebiggs1 — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 17:15:09 GMT

"... why does it use more juice."

The mirror's normal resting place is down. When you press the shutter button you activate an electromagnet that flips the mirror open. Springs shut it down again. It takes battery power to do this but most exposures are quick so little battery power is consumed. However when you use LV the electromagnet has to keep the mirror open for longer so lots of battery power is needed as long as the mirror is in the up position.

The action of a DSLR mirror is pretty violent if you just think about it. You are moving a stationary mass form zero to open back to zero in fractions of a second. Sometimes just 1000th's of a second it is quite amazing that it can even be done and last for hundreds of thousands of acutations.

Re: EOS 90D Silent mode settings

Waddizzle — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 17:55:28 GMT

As I recall, the 90D had a feature that allowed it to behave like a mirrorless camera. It must have had a mechanism that could lock the mirror in a raised position without drawing power from the battery. The autofocus features described in the following screenshots of the 90D User Guide are showing menus that are similar to those in the R Series camera menu system.

Re: EOS 90D Silent mode settings

Waddizzle — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 20:31:33 GMT

I think I found the setting in the 90D User Guide that had in mind. Shorter mode.

Use the Electronic Shutter in Live View mode. The camera should behave like a mirrorless camera and be perfectly silent. Bring extra batteries. The mirror in this model seems to have a mirror lockup mechanism. If not, the image sensor and display screen are the real battery hogs.

Re: EOS 90D Silent mode settings

ebiggs1 — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 13:56:43 GMT

The battery has to fight against the spring to keep the mirror open. It requires significantly more battery power to hold the mirror up. Not to mention also having to keep the LCD screen live in LV mode. Plus all the electronics that are processing whatever is coming across the sensor. Battery life will be significantly less. Not even to mention heat build up in a 90D.

Re: EOS 90D Silent mode settings

Waddizzle — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 16:44:04 GMT

“ The battery has to fight against the spring to keep the mirror open. It requires significantly more battery power to hold the mirror up. Not to mention also having to keep the LCD screen live in LV mode. Plus all the electronics that are processing whatever is coming across the sensor. Battery life will be significantly less. Not even to mention heat build up in a 90D. “

If that were true, then how is it possible for astrophotographers to capture very long exposures for hours at a time?

Using the electronic shutter mode in Live View is a popular method of using the 90D. It’s reportedly dead silent. Users capturing wildlife like it.

Re: EOS 90D Silent mode settings

Stephen — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 17:09:16 GMT

The biggest battery drain is live view and having to use the CMOS sensor for the entirety of the AF functions, instead of using a hybrid approach of using the phase-difference detection system with AF-dedicated sensor, so it won't be as accurate or as quick to focus, and it uses more power because it's using more processing power.

Re: EOS 90D Silent mode settings

Stephen — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 17:10:38 GMT

Hey there! Great question. The short answer is yes, the 90D can be 100% silent, but there’s a little trick to it because of how DSLRs are built.

Usually, when you take a photo, you’re hearing two things: the big "clack" of the mirror flipping up and the smaller "shi-shick" of the physical shutter curtains opening and closing. To get total silence, we have to bypass both!

Here’s how you do it:

1. Use the Screen (Live View)

The mirror has to stay "up" for the camera to be silent, so you'll need to shoot using the back LCD screen rather than the viewfinder. Flip that switch on the back to the camera icon and hit Start/Stop. That gets rid of the big mirror "clack."

2. Turn on the Electronic Shutter

Even in Live View, the camera usually still uses those physical shutter curtains (that shi-shick sound). To go stealth mode, you have to tell the camera to use the sensor only:

Go into your Red Shooting Menu (Tab 6).
Look for Shutter Mode.
Change it from "Mechanical" to "Electronic."
Bonus tip: Don't forget to disable the "Beep" in the yellow setup menu so it doesn't chirp when it finds focus!

3. The "One-Click" Shortcut

You can't make the camera permanently silent (because the viewfinder will always need those mechanical parts), but you can save these settings to your C1 or C2 dial positions. That way, when you need to be a "ninja," you just turn the dial to C1 and you're ready to go!

A few "just so you know" items:

Because the camera is doing everything digitally in this mode, there are a couple of trade-offs to keep in mind:

No Flash: The flash won't fire while in pure electronic mode.
Moving Subjects: If you’re shooting something moving really fast (like a golf swing), it might look a little "tilted" or distorted.
One shot at a time: You won't be able to do those super-fast 10fps bursts in this specific silent mode.

Still want to use the viewfinder? If you prefer the viewfinder, look for the "S" (Silent) icon in your Drive Mode settings. It’s not 100% silent, but it muffles the mechanical parts for a much softer, more discreet click!

Hope that helps you capture those quiet moments! If you run into any snags with the menus, just give us a shout. 📸✨

Re: EOS 90D Silent mode settings

Ramsden — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 06:33:26 GMT

Thanks Guys

Great responses, and I've learnt loads. I like the idea of using C1 or 2 and I'm working on that for today's adventure. Any cures to stop embarrassing my son as I aimlessly point my camera around cafes and trams?

Thanks again

Ramsden

Re: EOS 90D Silent mode settings

Ramsden — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 07:04:05 GMT

I should add that, for me, this camera continues to give. I just love taking it 'for a walk'. And like last night walking back along the river side to our hotel, I just turned on the green A and shot to my hearts content with great results.

All the best

Ramsden

Re: EOS 90D Silent mode settings

ebiggs1 — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 14:32:41 GMT

"Any cures to stop embarrassing my son as I aimlessly point my camera ..."

Absolutely, get him his own 90D. Case closed.

Re: EOS 90D Silent mode settings

Stephen — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 14:35:10 GMT

If he's younger, he might want something newer so he can make tiktoks with it ☺️

Re: EOS 90D Silent mode settings

ebiggs1 — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 14:40:06 GMT