An electrically controlled camera shutter in which a shutter blade is swingable between shutter-closing and shutter-opening positions and is fixed with a shutter lever which is swingable with the shutter blade. An electromagnet includes an armature, and a swingable armature lever carries the armature and has a catch portion which coacts with a springy portion of the shutter lever to hold the shutter blade in its open position when the electromagnet is energized. When the electromagnet becomes unenergized it releases the armature lever so that the catch portion thereof releases the shutter lever enabling the shutter blade to return to its shutter-closing position.