Soft release buttons

[Maksarti]

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Am I only one who can't align that little guy? (:

On the picture here it looks aligned: New Leica accessories: soft release buttons and 32GB SD memory cardsNew Leica accessories: soft release buttons and 32GB SD memory cards | Leica News & Rumors

 

[CaptZoom]

The one in the official photo is most likely not screwed in properly, or in other words, it's probably loose and arranged just so for the official photo. I have a soft release (from a different company) and it does not line up properly either. It is possible you and I are doing something wrong but I think this is unlikely.

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[Jennifer]

My Leica 'anniversary' soft release button doesn't align either . Why, I ask, didn't they engineer the thread precisely as it renders the camera practically unusable on the grounds of aesthetics. ...... Very poor show, Leica.

[wda]

I thought soft-release buttons were made mainly to be lost.

[honcho]

Am I only one who can't align that little guy? (:

On the picture here it looks aligned.......

 

I find them useless, personally, no doubt others will differ. Put it in a drawer until the Leica 'W' is announced before you lose it.

[Maksarti]

I find them useless, personally, no doubt others will differ. Put it in a drawer until the Leica 'W' is announced before you lose it.

 

The funniest side it is not even W

[honcho]

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The funniest side it is not even W

 

Please don't try to tell me it's supposed to be an 'M'.

[250swb]

LOL, is this serious?

 

I know, it can't be serious, but if anybody were to read it and think it was serious here is the answer. The thread in the shutter release button is a coarse thread, the reason it is a coarse tapered thread is because things like cable releases, and yes soft releases, have to be screwed in and then removed again (at least in the case of the cable release). If it was a fine thread, one with the precision to potentially line up two components (still not an easy job given even small amounts of wear would alter the alignment) it would also have the potential to lock caused by the threads of often dissimilar metals galling. It is the same on all cameras, the coarse tapered thread is the only method of allowing a cable release to be fitted and avoid inadvertent over tightening.

 

So it would be pure luck, or not screwing it in all the way, for any logo to line up given the vital loose tolerance of the thread in the shutter button. And this is why soft releases get lost or cable releases fall out. For soft releases it hardly matters, they are a daft idea anyway, just a way to decorate the camera, but for cable releases I recommend buying a white, silver, or very brightly coloured version, it helps to find it again in the long grass.

 

Steve

[CaptZoom]

[mention=2746830]250swb[/mention], I do not disagree with your reasoning regarding the coarseness of the threads on shutter releases but I do disagree with:

...they [soft releases] are a daft idea anyway, just a way to decorate the camera....

 

I find the soft release quite useful. The added height to the camera and therefore additional distance/length available for my mutant sized fingers makes using the camera much more comfortable and more controllable. My decision for purchasing one was for enhanced utility. My choice of design was purely for aesthetic reasons. If the soft release didn't serve a useful purpose, I would've gotten rid of it, the aesthetic considerations were secondary.

Incidentally, I've not had a problem with the soft release getting loose, falling out or getting lost.

[CalArts 99]

fwiw, I've been using the plain ones from Tom Abrahamsson for as long as I can remember. And I think he was the first to make them (from milled alloy; he calls it "aerospace alloy.") They aren't about decoration at all (mine are just plain black), but for me they add an ergonomic feature that I personally really like with the film M cameras.

 

I always keep my index finger wrapped around the base of the soft release/shutter mechanism and advance the film with my thumb like normal. This gives me a feeling of "leverage" for my shutter release finger and thumb. The bend of the second-third joint of my index finger rests around the shutter release base (with the increased height from the soft release) which also allows me to easily turn the shutter speed dial with the end of the same index finger (I have the M6 classic and M4 which both have the small shutter speed dial.) And then when I want to release the shutter, I just kind of squeeze my index finger in a downward fashion. It makes things go pretty fast (almost like all one action...)

 

This works great for me and is just something I've become used to (and now dependent on ) I don't think that soft shutter releases really make releasing the shutter any smoother then without, but the way I use them it's now more of a habit as to how I release the shutter and turn the shutter speed dial, etc..

 

Mine have never fallen out (on both the M4 and M6); but Abrahamsson does say that the M240 and ME/M9 shutter buttons have a "shallow and finer thread" and so there will always be a gap (and the film M soft releases won't work on the digital M.) Personally I'm not sure I'd use one at all on a digital M since the ergonomics are a bit different without needing to cock the shutter, etc..

 

Here's a pic of the Abrahamsson release for the film M. And also a pic of the old Nikon AR-1 soft release. The film Nikons used to have a threaded collar around the shutter release which made things more secure (but you had to either buy a Nikon cable release or an adapter for conventional cable releases on the Nikon F models since the button had no threaded opening.)

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Edited July 30, 2014 by CalArts 99
added pics