Soft Release Turning Camera

[pechelman]

On a recent trip I noticed my camera being in the on position when I know I set it off before putting it in the bag. The proof of this was about ~50-200 black images written to the SD card and a couple of nearly dead batteries. Obviously, the soft release is getting bumped\twisted inside the bag when I was carrying it so as to also turn the camera on.

This was on an M240, but I'm certain it would happen on any other M240 based camera. For what it's worth, I'm using the Match Technical BOOP (large concave). Once i figured out it was the soft release, I removed it and never had this trouble again on the rest of the trip.

The points of this thread;

1. To let people know this can happen if the camera fits snugly inside the bag

2. To ask if anyone else has had this issue and perhaps found a different soft release that mitigates this.

 

[Ronald M]

Turn the camera off and not wake it up with shutter. At least you put the camera into a bag when not actually using it. I see no point in allowing it to flop around on a strap.

Soft release acts like a lever to put pressure on the shutter and damage is risked.

A soft release is not what the name implies. You are supposed to use the soft pad on your right index finger. The Leica digitals need to be pushed against your head to stop vibration of shutter. Digis worse than film ones. Soft releases accomplish nothing IMHO.

 

[pechelman]

Turn the camera off and not wake it up with shutter. At least you put the camera into a bag when not actually using it. I see no point in allowing it to flop around on a strap.

Soft release acts like a lever to put pressure on the shutter and damage is risked.

A soft release is not what the name implies. You are supposed to use the soft pad on your right index finger. The Leica digitals need to be pushed against your head to stop vibration of shutter. Digis worse than film ones. Soft releases accomplish nothing IMHO.

Thanks?

I wasnt really interested for individual opinions on the efficacy of soft releases. While they may not seem to accomplish anything for you, Ronald, they do for me. Anyone with a background in shooting \ marksmanship knows that good ergonomics in relationship to the angles the index finger makes are key to a clean break of the trigger, or in this case, key to a clean release of the shutter.

 

[presspass]

I have had issues with soft releases but not the one you describe. I have had the release pushed sideways hard enough to damage the shutter release. There seem to be more problems with electronic Leicas - the digital and the M7 film camera - than the older film Ms. The smaller rapidwinder releases are supposed to be less of a problem than larger ones, but I haven't tried this solution. Sorry, that's the best I can do.

 

[BLKRCAT]

You should just reorient the camera in your bag. Seems like the cheapest and most sensible solution. I usually roll up microfibre cloths to prop up the camera so it sits where I want within my bags.

RE: soft releases. I use my soft release by hooking my finger and depressing the shutter with the middle of my finger. Resting the tip of my finger on the shutter speed dial. This squeezing motion rather than a downward pushing motion is what gives me the advantage with a soft release.

Ronald, if you are using the tip of your finger you won't see any real benefits to no soft release by using a conventional grip.

 

[pechelman]

thanks to you both.

Generally speaking, this isnt an issue for me at home since I just carry 1 camera around my neck when walking around. This was the first time I've done any serious travel with the 240 and 246. I want to say it was only an issue when I removed my camera bag insert and carried it in a different bag, but not sure on that. Reorienting the cameras might have been possible, and likely would have fixed the problem, but I figured it was just easier to remove the soft release on the camera I stored in the leftmost compartment than to start fooling with a few velcro dividers.

I know some people prefer the hook method, but from my shooting background, I have much better results using the pad of my index finger, just like proper trigger technique, especially since I prefer the concave releases.

to me it sounds like this is just a known issue and something that i can fix for my next trip by more carefully orienting my cameras in the bag. I was planning to do that anyway, but thanks for confirming.

 

[rfaspen]

I'm glad to hear about BLKRCAT's method with towels. I do exactly the same thing. I use washcloth-sized [microfiber?] towels quite a bit in my bags for various tasks. Where do you get yours BLKRCAT?

I've had softies help me make blank images many times in the bag (both film and digital), but never turn the camera on. I'll have to check and see if that's possible with the M9.

I use the softie just like BLKRCAT. I squeeze the convex softie in the same way and its really helped with sharpness in the 1/30 to 1/100 range. Below 1/30, I might as well be in a magnitude 8 earthquake. I've never tried using a concave softie. Wonder how that would feel?

I'm glad to have the softie on all my M's. I'm glad Phil still uses them too, despite the minor glitch.

 

[BLKRCAT]

Just picked up a bundle of 20 for $10 at Canadian Tire. Nothing fancy. I'm sure you could find similar at any hardware store.

I always use large convex abrahamsson softies. Gets me 1/15th confidently but does take practice.

Here's what I'm carrying today. M5 in my "main" compartment, M4 with no lens on reserve (reserve camera never cocked). Space on the side could carry another body, or in this case a Zeiss 35. Underneath compartments (not pictured) hold film, handheld meter, Nokton 1.1, and pen. Front compartments hold caps, micro screwdriver, lens microfibre, brush. Bag is a Domke F5XC

Height of the dividers is that the soft release clears any accidental pushes, and microfibre in the far left divider can cover anything that may mar whatever is in the center compartment.

 

[rfaspen]

That's helpful to see. Very similar to my strategy too.

Also nice to hear what the Domke can hold. I'm struggling with my current no-name bag and started looking for something that will carry what I want, the way I want.

Must be quite a bit of room in underneath compartment (holds a CV 50/1.1? That's a good-sized lens)

 

[BLKRCAT]

Yeah it just fits in there. Actually I had the biogon and the 1.1 switched for the longest time but I use the 35 much more often than the 50.

Id recommend the domke. Its thin and unobtrusive. Doesnt make for a very good bag for anything other than cameras. No room for drinks or luxuries. Perhaps some snack bars if you had less stuff. But I love mine. Its quite weathered and its more of a light brown than a black on the outside.

Another flaw I find is the velcro. It wears out and needs replacement on the flappy portion.

 

[Godfrey]

Thanks?

I wasnt really interested for individual opinions on the efficacy of soft releases. While they may not seem to accomplish anything for you, Ronald, they do for me. Anyone with a background in shooting \ marksmanship knows that good ergonomics in relationship to the angles the index finger makes are key to a clean break of the trigger, or in this case, key to a clean release of the shutter.

Personally, I have not found any advantage to using soft release buttons, even though I've tried them for various periods of time with various cameras.

My shutter release technique for decades has been to exhale and relax while rolling my finger from the surrounding release guard onto the shutter release. This has always produced the least amount of motion blur for me. All of the soft release buttons cause me to put my finger into an awkward position above the shutter release with no support to make releasing the shutter smooth.

G

 

[agoglanian]

I had the same issue (hundreds of black frames and dead batteries) with my 240 when using a soft release. Ever since I removed it I never had a problem.

 

[Huss]

I had the same issue (hundreds of black frames and dead batteries) with my 240 when using a soft release. Ever since I removed it I never had a problem.

Have you had any dead battery issues with your M-A?

😉