Get Time Exposures at B Setting

[Spavinaw]

Maybe everybody in the world knows this but me. However, just in case this little trick slipped by one of you, I'm going to post it anyway. If you have an older SLR like the Canon F-1, Canon FTbn, Pentax LX, Pentax MX, or similar that has a lock ring around the shutter release button, here's the deal. Point the camera at something really dim. No, not your stupid neighbor--I mean something dimly lit. Set the shutter speed dial to B. Depress the shutter release button and turn the locking ring to the lock position. Wander off, have a cup of coffee, read a book, change the baby, or whatever and when you think it is time to end the exposure, come back and unlock the shutter button thereby ending the exposure! Neat.
P.S. I also got this to work with a Yashica Mat-124 G.

 

[pvdhaar]

Some cameras that don't have a locking ring still have a similar provision. For example, I had a Zenit-E that supported T mode by pressing and turning the shutter button itself when the speed was set to B. That way it would stay pressed. Turning the shutter button back would release it again.

Signs that a camera may supports this: indentations in the top of the shutter button..

 

[Sid836]

I don't dare doing this at home, because my dog seems obsessed with my camera's tripod (nope, it is not what you think 🙂 ). If I leave my camera on its tripod unattended, I will find it in a while on the floor with my silly Jonesy playing around with it. 🙂

 

[rbsinto]

Maybe everybody in the world knows this but me. However, just in case this little trick slipped by one of you, I'm going to post it anyway. If you have an older SLR like the Canon F-1, Canon FTbn, Pentax LX, Pentax MX, or similar that has a lock ring around the shutter release button, here's the deal. Point the camera at something really dim. No, not your stupid neighbor--I mean something dimly lit. Set the shutter speed dial to B. Depress the shutter release button and turn the locking ring to the lock position. Wander off, have a cup of coffee, read a book, change the baby, or whatever and when you think it is time to end the exposure, come back and unlock the shutter button thereby ending the exposure! Neat.
P.S. I also got this to work with a Yashica Mat-124 G.

Seems to me, that that is what the T function was on the F and F2 Nikons (and I assume, any number of other film cameras from that time).
Set the shutter speed dial to T, focus and press the shutter. It stays open until you press the shutter button a second time to close it.

 

[Greyscale]

If your shutter button doesn't have a lock, use a cable release, as it usually will have one.

 

[Terry Christian]

Right, rbsinto.

B (bulb) lets the shutter open as long as you depress the shutter release.
T (time) opens the shutter with one press and closes it with another.

 

[rbsinto]

Yup.
Got the T setting on my F, F2, S3 and SP bodies. I've never used it because I've never needed to make exposures long enough to need to.

 

[oftheherd]

If your shutter button doesn't have a lock, use a cable release, as it usually will have one.

Yep, that's what I have always done. I didn't know/remember some shutters could be locked open another way.