BerndReini Posted May 25, 2007 Share #1 Posted May 25, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Does anyone else dislike the M8 three stage shutter? The first stage is very loose, whereas the second one, at least on my M8, is really tight. This leads to blurry exposures when I'm not careful. I also find it extremely difficult with my M8 to press the shutter to the exposure lock point without taking a picture. I certainly cannot do this with the soft release attached, so I took it off my M8. I know, we have been complaining about the M8 shutter compared to the MP shutter since the beginning of the M8, and it will never be that way. However, I would much prefer a two stage shutter with a softer pressure point and a menu item to turn exposure lock on and off. Does anybody else feel this way, or do I need to get my shutter release adjusted? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted May 25, 2007 Posted May 25, 2007 Hi BerndReini, Take a look here Three stage shutter is a drag!. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Philinflash Posted May 25, 2007 Share #2 Posted May 25, 2007 Does anybody else feel this way, or do I need to get my shutter release adjusted? No, yes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesphoto99 Posted May 25, 2007 Share #3 Posted May 25, 2007 Get it adjusted. My first M8 was terrible - I couldn't hold exposure at all. My replacment (for other reasons) the hold was about the same ease of use as my M7. Yet another QC issue with this camera. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted May 25, 2007 Share #4 Posted May 25, 2007 It is really tough to get used to , now i don't come from the film M's but do come from electronic releases the last several years and frankly there great on the Canon and DMR also. Why leica chose this path not sure except for film users comfort i would imagine. Which is fine and overall i do like that old feel from the old days before the electronic shutter but i agree the three stages does bother me , one becuase i feel it and two becuase it is clunky. For slow shutter stuff you really have to watch yourself becuase it can be difficult to hand hold at the slower sppeeds . i get to the lat point than squeeze but first i hold for a second as i explained in another thread but this takes some real practice to get to like a 1/8 of a second and slower. Hell even the DMR i could get really low with it. Now maybe i should get some kind of adjustment on both of mine and actually i will be in NY for 4 days shooting and may just drive over to NJ after the shoot and drop them off and get them tweaked a little. But it is tough sometimes Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psquared Posted May 25, 2007 Share #5 Posted May 25, 2007 I actually have found that a "pushing" action of the index finger keeps the camera steadier than a "pulling" action. That is, instead of bending the index finger to release the shutter, you actually straighten it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodda Posted May 25, 2007 Share #6 Posted May 25, 2007 I agree. I put the soft part of the fingure well onto the button (no end of finder as with Nikon). Half release for exposure lock and then squeeze to take the picture. This helps avoid shake and judder Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerndReini Posted May 26, 2007 Author Share #7 Posted May 26, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Btw. I just tried my friends M8, and the shutter release feels just as stiff as on mine. Guy's tip really helps though, as long as you can carefully find the point right before the pressure triggers the shutter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom0511 Posted May 26, 2007 Share #8 Posted May 26, 2007 I also dont understand why it is 3 steps. The first holding point would make sense to keep the exposure (but this happens when you get to the 2nd point) Overall I dont see any sense in the way it is. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_tribble Posted May 26, 2007 Share #9 Posted May 26, 2007 Having got used to the M7, I don't find this all that different. Have two bodies, can't tell them apart, no problems. Hope you can get it sorted to suit you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootist Posted May 26, 2007 Share #10 Posted May 26, 2007 I also dont understand why it is 3 steps. The first holding point would make sense to keep the exposure (but this happens when you get to the 2nd point) Overall I dont see any sense in the way it is. I think it is right the way it is. First press is to turn the meter on, and or the whole camera if it is asleep. Second stop is to lock the exposure, which I use all the time. Then final press/stop takes the shot. I can't see it any other way. I didn't have a hard time getting use to it and all other cameras I have used had only 2 positions, one to turn on the meter and the second to take the shot, or 1 position, take the shot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
moikle Posted May 26, 2007 Share #11 Posted May 26, 2007 I agree with Chris Tribble as I cannot discern any great difference between my latest version M8 and my M7. Sound like a trip back to Leica is required. Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbaron Posted May 27, 2007 Share #12 Posted May 27, 2007 Is there any reason not to use a Tom Abrahamsson 'softie' with the M8? RapidWinder.com Home This might help..... --Bob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted May 27, 2007 Share #13 Posted May 27, 2007 Didn't realise it was a three step shutter. Bob, I've used a softie from day 1 of getting the M8. I'd used one on all my other Ms (and Rs), so it seemed a natural thing to do. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerndReini Posted May 27, 2007 Author Share #14 Posted May 27, 2007 I used a softie on my M8 for the first five months and I finally took it off because I found it even more difficult with the softie to locate and hold the position right before the shutter releases and the picture is taken. As a result of that, in my own testing, I realized that I can handhold the M8 staedier at lower shutter speeds without the softie than with. Guy Mancuso gave me some great advice in this regard: He says, he presses the shutter all the way to this point before the picture is taken, holds it there (in the exposure lock stage) for a quick moment, and then presses that final bit to take the picture. I've tried this, and it gives me the most steady results so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted May 27, 2007 Share #15 Posted May 27, 2007 Good news Brend that is working for you. I took the softie off as well, it was harder to find that final point before release. I think it is all about feel and for some the softie works. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Olof Posted May 27, 2007 Share #16 Posted May 27, 2007 Is there any reason not to use a Tom Abrahamsson 'softie' with the M8? RapidWinder.com Home This might help..... --Bob Yes they are ugly Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted May 28, 2007 Share #17 Posted May 28, 2007 I also dont understand why it is 3 steps. The first holding point would make sense to keep the exposure (but this happens when you get to the 2nd point) Overall I dont see any sense in the way it is. The first pressure point is for switching the metering on, when it has been 'auto-offed'. Without that feature, you would have been obliged to actuate the mode/off lever instead, hoping that the thing would not shut off again while you are working. Of course we could have had a meter that was on all the time while the camera main switch was on, but that would have drained the battery pretty fast. One problem with the proposed all-electronic shutter release is that the medium pressure to lock the exposure would have been extremely difficult to engineer, and probably not very reliable too. A separate AE-Lock lever would have been necessary. One trick that gives good control of the release pressure, but one that many people are unaware off, is to use the collar around the release to stabilise your fingertip. That is, you touch both the collar and the release button while increasing the pressure on the button. This is what the collar is for. And that is why large soft releases are a mistake. They give you less control, not more. The old man from the Age of the M3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gravastar Posted May 28, 2007 Share #18 Posted May 28, 2007 ...........................One trick that gives good control of the release pressure, but one that many people are unaware off, is to use the collar around the release to stabilise your fingertip. That is, you touch both the collar and the release button while increasing the pressure on the button. This is what the collar is for. And that is why large soft releases are a mistake. They give you less control, not more. The old man from the Age of the M3 Here's me thinking that's the way everyone does it . I've always done it that way. That's why I found using a soft release, just as you apply the final pressure to be jerky on the M8. The advantage a soft release does give is it's very easy to identify the meter on, exposure hold and release positions. An additional tip about using the collar is by adjusting the angle at the end of your finger you can regulate the amount of pressure needed for release by changing how much your finger overlaps the collar . Bob. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbaron Posted May 28, 2007 Share #19 Posted May 28, 2007 I use a mini-softie, not the large size, and find it works pretty well for me. Does using the auto-off add much to the time required to 'wake' the camera for a shot? Is there a consensus on which time setting to use? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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