Is it just me or do you find it somewhat ironic that we pursue lenses that have these super silent drives then attach them to a camera with a shutter activation that could wake the dead?

Don't get me wrong, I love my new D700, but I am taken aback by the loudness of the shutter release.

Its a lot quieter than my F3, but it is noisier than a P&S.

It's a lot quieter than my old N90s.

I guess it's about your perspective and what you've used before.

Dan L.
http://www.danlarussophotography.com/

Yeah, my D700 is louder than my D300 which, if I remember, was louder than my D200 and D70 were. I think. It's been a while.

The D700 sounds higher-pitched than the others, so I notice it more.

At one point I had a D3 and a D700. On my bodies, the D700 sounded quiet compared to the D3! And at 9 frames per second it sounded like anti-aircraft fire.And yes the D300 is quieter.

But I agree with the OP. With all this incredible technology, couldn't a quieter mirror/shutter be developed? Surely if we can figure Auto White Balance, ADR, and other marvels, this shouldn't be a huge challenge. But what do I know- I'm only an engineer.

Terry