Soft release buttons - what do you think?

[Godfrey]

I mostly stick to the basic stuff: Screen protectors, spare batteries, Arca QR plates, remote shutter releases.

I've never scratched a screen on any device that had one, so I have never seen the point of a screen protector for me ... 🙂

G

 

[KodakRetina]

Every Olympus repair technician. Especially John Hermanson.

Soft release damage

Ahhh, thank you. This is same logic as when car mechanics recommend only the ignition key used in an automobile ignition and not a whole keychain full of keys, etc. Many get away with ignoring this advice but when it breaks, it's broken.

 

[rulnacco]

Soft release buttons are great--in the right use cases. I always carry a soft release, a full size Abrahamsson soft release, in my two Leica bags. I don't use them very often: if you keep them on the camera, yes you will get lots of accidental exposures and increase the risk they'll snag on something. I only bring them out when I need to shoot at really slow shutter speeds, say 1/15 second or slower. In that instance, and using proper technique (hooking the first joint of your index finger over the top of the release and squeezing slowly, not jabbing down with your fingertip) there is a discernible difference in the number of shots I can get without camera shake.

I don't normally use them on SLRs, because I'd think that mirror slap would negate any advantage gained by a soft release at slow shutter speeds--although there are some cameras that at least feel like they may benefit from a soft release, I haven't got any empirical data on that to judge one way or another.

The other place where soft releases are great--in this instance, Abrahamsson mini softs--is on medium format cameras. My Hasselblad 500CM, my Rolleiflex 2.8F, and my Mamiya RZ67 all have soft releases that live on those cameras. Medium format cameras--particularly those I mentioned--often have long, narrow-diameter shutter buttons. Putting a mini soft on (on many cameras, a full-size soft release hits some part of the body before triggering the shutter) makes me feel more confident, even at higher shutter speeds like 1/60 or 1/125, that I am not going to introduce some camera movement when firing it. I haven't tested this scientifically, but from experience I do believe they provide a benefit.

 

[Godfrey]

This is why my keychain has always had a clip that allows me to separate the ignition key quickly and easily.

G

 

[p.giannakis]

Ahhh, thank you. This is same logic as when car mechanics recommend only the ignition key used in an automobile ignition and not a whole keychain full of keys, etc. Many get away with ignoring this advice but when it breaks, it's broken.

The shutter button on the om travels only a short distance with the finger. The soft release pushes the inner rod further down than the finger would.

Just to clarify, using a soft release with an om will not necessarily damage it - the problem is if something accidentally hits the soft release.

 

[JeffS7444]

I've never scratched a screen on any device that had one

But I have.

 

[santino]

Ahhh, thank you. This is same logic as when car mechanics recommend only the ignition key used in an automobile ignition and not a whole keychain full of keys, etc. Many get away with ignoring this advice but when it breaks, it's broken.

Same is true for cars with manual transimission: don‘t rest your hand on the gear selector, just „touch“ it in order to shift gears.

 

[Timmyjoe]

I use them; for me they serve the advertised purpose: allowing for a softer release.

I prefer convex ones and my favourite is the Tom A mini-softie (I think that was the name). The only concave one I use is the AR-1 on the Nikon F2, which serves its purpose equally; I just find convex ones to be more effective (using the distal phalanx).

Wow, my take exactly. I love the Tom A mini-softies and have them on all my cameras that they fit. And for my Nikon S2, the AR-1.

Best way I can describe it is they let me "squeeze off" shots instead of "stabbing the shutter button".

Best,
-Tim

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I never disassembled digital M.
I have no idea how deep and open it is.
So, I have softie to terminate it at very beginning.

 

[Tim Murphy]

I bought a three pack of small convex soft releases from Amazon several years ago for about $6 and have been using them on some of my 35mm SLRs ever since. I think they feel a little nicer than just the bare shutter button, but I certainly don't think they have any meaningful effect on what shutter speeds I can hand hold. Maybe it would be different if I was shooting a rangefinder.

Dear Disappointed_Horse,

Like you I bought several from Amazon for a few bucks. I only every used them on my Fujiflim X-10 and X-20. I just thought the red button looked cool on an all-black camera. 😉

I also have a Nikon version to fit my Grandfather's Nikon F. It was his soft shutter release, but I rarely use it.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg PA 🙂

 

[telenous]

I used one on my MP some time ago. Eventually the shutter release would not get triggered easily and, in the end, not at all. The camera was repaired locally and, if memory serves, some part of the internal release mechanism got bent out of shape by the soft release shaft that goes into the shutter release rod. Truth be told, at the time I was also using sometimes a cable release, so I can't be sure which one of the two was the main culprit. I haven't used either since.

 

[Out to Lunch]

I prefer the small concave ones. They do have a tendency to disappear which is why I buy them in bulk
on amazon.