Sony a9 II Firmware Update Adds Option to Close Shutter When the Camera is Off

Published: April 10, 2020

Sony a9 II shutter closed when camera is turned off

Sony a9 II firmware update 2.00 adds a menu setting many of you have requested which allows you to select the option to close the shutter when you turn off the camera to prevent dust or debris from adhering to the image sensor when you change lenses.

Sony users who follow my posts have told me that they’d like this update added for other Sony cameras.

But first a bit of background…

This feature request is something that I’ve mentioned in my feedback to Sony over the years. Until now Sony product managers have been hesitant to implement this feature because doing so leaves you shutter in a very vulnerable position. While it may be a pain to clean your sensor, it’s very easy to do yourself. Even paying someone else to clean your sensor doesn’t cost much.

Replacing a damaged shutter on the other hand is NOT cheap. So consider this WARNING if you do chose to enable this function, please be extremely careful not to touch the shutter with anything – not your fingers, not a cleaning swab, not a brush – NOTHING! And don’t even think about using canned air on your shutter or you could be in store for a very expensive repair.

Let me know in the comments if you’d like to see this function added to other Sony cameras.

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8 thoughts on “Sony a9 II Firmware Update Adds Option to Close Shutter When the Camera is Off”

  1. Would be nice to have on all a7 series possible. I have the a7rll, sensor swabs are expensive.

  2. Anything that would help keep sensor dust off is welcome.

    However, colored focus points would be nice…that grey sq is almost useless.

  3. While replacing the shutter is not cheap, I’m pretty sure it is a lot cheaper than replacing the sensor.

    1. Many people assume their imaging sensor is exposed when the lens is removed.

      It is not.

      There is a thin sensor glass covering the actual imaging sensor. In cameras under 30mp this glass generally includes an anti-aliasing low-pass filter. Higher resolution cameras including all a7 camera models do not have an anti-aliasing filter – but they still have a layer of sensor glass protecting the sensor.

      About the only way to damage this sensor glass is improper cleaning which is why Brillo pads are NEVER recommended 😉

      Even if you were to damage the sensor glass – it is MUCH CHEAPER to replace than the shutter.

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