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Softie - useful ? useless ?


vk2109

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Love it or hate it. I loved it until I started loosing them (there are threads on how not to...) But will order again from TA for my film Ms. A softie may make it easier to obtain (relatively) sharp pictures at slow, handheld shutter speeds. It definitely can help to trip the shutter with an unobtrusive gesture, e.g. with the camera at the hip. And that red softie on black chrome looked just right...

 

Cheers,

 

Alexander

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I think, softies are a genuine placebo.

 

I tried them a few times, even for longer, but always ended up hating them, as:

- they didn't improve upon low shutter speeds

- they misfired the camera a lot during handling, being in the bag, pulling/putting out of/into bag

 

I think, they are useless.

I do respect users, using them and being convinced of their advantages.

I do not use my index finger tip, to actuate the shutter release button, but roll my index finger/ middle finger or thumb over the shutter release, to have a very precise shutter release, preventing camera shake.

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+1.

 

I concede that we all have different hands, but the main thing for me is losing the feel.

 

I have an Abrahamsson Rapidgrip on my M7 with a Softie that I bought at the same time, "stored" in the hole on the top. It adds a fraction more height and I am used to it being there. Attached to the shutter release, however, I found that it stopped me from feeling the "bite point" and I have not used it in years. Tried it on other cameras too, but just not for me.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

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I've tried them on my M6 and M9 and not found any benefit.

 

On the M9, I found some real disadvantages, such as making the exposure lock harder to control. And generally I found it reduced the feeling of connectedness with the camera.

 

So for me, a waste of time, but others love them, so I suppose for the relatively tiny cost involved, there's only one way to find out...

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One opinion for the other side::rolleyes: I find that by using a large Tom Abrahamsson (convex) softie under the middle joint of my index finger and squeezing gently I can get an extra 1 to 2 stops in low light. YMMV.

 

Pete.

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