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soft shutter release for Leica M


MikeMyers

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12 minutes ago, MikeMyers said:

....how did you ever learn to do it the way you described?

I learned it somewhere sometime in my early M years (~ 2002±) - but I cannot remember exactly where. Photo.net; the LUG mail list; some misc. Leica book. Maybe even here, long ago.

Maybe even a personal encounter: perhaps with a Leica rep, or my one-time primary camera dealer, Werner Dreher. A German ex-pat who owned "Werner's Mile High Camera" back then.

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17 hours ago, farnz said:

I hear this now and then and all I can say is that it works for me

Maybe I can redeem myself.  They say "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery".  So, can you please tell me which brand release you use, and where I can buy one?  If I'm going to buy one anyway, I can copy you.  I assume it's the one in the photo you posted earlier.  Better yet if I can get it in black.

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I think I found the one you show, but in black, on the Leica Store, Miami, but it's discontinued.

Plan "B": someone mentioned Komaru    .......your thoughts on this one?  https://leicastoremiami.com/products/komaru-titanium-soft-release-matte-br?variant=1210356148

 

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Not saying this is true, just copying from the Leica Store:

"

Don’t forget that the aim of a soft release is to enhance precision and stability at release, sometimes gaining more than one aperture stop. Up until now, soft release buttons were either concave or convex, depending on the manufacturer. For the first time, Komaru is offering a dual contour button, convex on the outside and concave in the center. This more ergonomic solution is inspired by the keys on a flute, both domed and hollowed out to provide a better fit with the musician's fingertip. In this way Komaru instinctively and immediately centers the finger, and therefore the release pressure. Each Komaru is 15mm in diameter. 

Komaru offers better thread locking, due to the unique hardness of titanium TA6V. The thread cannot be misthreaded and can be screwed in tightly. This reduces the risk of unscrewing through vibration (leading to loss of the soft release). What's more, Komaru's short conical thread is compatible with all bodies, old or new, such as the latest Leica M models.

Titanium and the skin go together hand and hand. Hypoallergenic, it is used in medical applications but also jewelry for its sensual contact and because its surface, insensitive to perspiration, always remains flawless. 

KOMARU ('little circle' in Japanese) is a titanium soft release button with an innovative dual contour. Each Komaru is individually machined, partly by hand, in an aeronautical-grade engineering workshop in Toulouse (France). "

 

I also like the one in the photo up above, if it is available in black.  Still looking.....

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My Monochrom came with a Komaru Titanium from the previous owner.

Im not a fan of soft releases so I never used it. I just put in on the M10-P and the design makes a huge difference at 1/15 second and slower speeds.

So there's my less than 5 minute review.😀

I don't imagine I would use it on a daily basis. It makes the release button too tall for my liking, but I can see myself pulling it out for indoor portraiture and the sort.

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1 hour ago, MikeMyers said:

So, can you please tell me which brand release you use, and where I can buy one?

It's the Abrahamsson "Softie", which was designed by the legendary Tom Abrahamsson and I believe you can buy them at one of the outlets listed on this webpage.  (I bought mine from Peter Walnes in the UK but that's unlikely to be convenient to you.)

The Komaru looks interesting but the text you posted suggests it is intended to centre the photographer's finger tip on the soft release.  I use the middle section of my index finger so that the weight of my finger adds to the perpendicular force and allows me to use less force to fire the shutter than if I were pressing with a finger tip and is therefore smoother and less likely to cause a jerky action.

I am of course flattered to be imitated but you must do what works best for you; you have no need to be redeemed.

Pete.

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I found the Abrahamson "Softie" at many shops, including this one:  https://www.photovillage.com/product.php?productid=1113&js=y    They had a "review":

Sometimes the simplest of things makes a big difference. There have been many variations of the Softreleases made over the years, but they were either too tall or even worse had a concave surface. This “directed” the finger to the center of the Softrelease and, of course, pushed the camera downward. 

The Abrahamsson Softie has a convex surface that allows you to touch the release at the edge for fast shooting (no more hunting for the center) and more importantly – you can “hook” your finger over the convex surface and, as with target shooting, use the 2nd joint of the finger to control the pressure on the release. 

After some training you can gain as much as 1 stop in slow speed shooting and with some luck, up to 1.5 stops. It is possible to shoot at 1/8 sec with a 50mm lens and get sharp images. Wider lenses work even slower, down to ½ sec. 

The material used for the Abrahamsson Softie is aerospace alloy. This allows multiple colors to be produced. Can also be used for “coding” film. Tri X –green softie, Ektachrome – blue Softie, etc. 

The alloy also allows engraving. 

The Softie works basically with any camera with a standard cable release thread. The “Mini” version of it was a response to customers wanting to use the Softrelease on other brands of cameras as well as with the Leicas.

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I will most likely call this shop tomorrow morning.  Thank you!

Edited by MikeMyers
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I had a long discussion with Rosie at Photovillage.  They have the standard size button, and a "mini" (shown in the above image).  I ordered both of them.  

I suspect I need it more on my M8.2 than my M10.  I use the older body for infrared photography, and I need to keep the ISO down, and it's difficult to hold the camera perfectly steady.

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I've used soft releases, shooting with the finger across the release rather than with the fingertip, since my first M2:

Leica_w19mm by scott kirkpatrick, on Flickr

This served well for 30-40 years, but I lost it when the camera went in for a CLA about 10 years ago.  Since then, convex Abrahamson-style.

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 12/14/2020 at 4:13 PM, MikeMyers said:

I had a long discussion with Rosie at Photovillage.  They have the standard size button, and a "mini" (shown in the above image).  I ordered both of them.  

I suspect I need it more on my M8.2 than my M10.  I use the older body for infrared photography, and I need to keep the ISO down, and it's difficult to hold the camera perfectly steady.

My new Abrahamsson Classic Softrelease and my Abrahamsson Mini SoftRelease just arrived two days ago.  Everything I hoped for, and more! 

The look like they are part of the camera.

Ignore the dust - my room is full of dust.  :-(

 

 

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Edited by MikeMyers
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When I place my finger down flat on the top of the camera, and apply pressure (not with the fingertip), it takes more effort than I like.

I'll soon find out    if it works for me.  

I'm not so worried about bashing it - more so about losing it.  :-/  

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2c...I used to use soft shutter for my fujis but kept losing them so i didnt bother with my leica which i fear ill do the same again losing it or damaging the thread.

Like others here i tend to 'draw' the pad of the finger to depress the shutter than to use the fingertip; i feel it creates less movement.

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If i were looking for one the above would be the most unobtrusive.

 

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I prefer the soft release buttons made of brass by the Chinese maker JJC, available at ebay for approx. 6$. A small rubber O-ring, which supports the tension of the thread, secures the button against loss.

I like the "Red Dot", but to be honest, I am not sure whether such a release button really offers any improvement....

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14 hours ago, cboy said:

Like others here i tend to 'draw' the pad of the finger to depress the shutter than to use the fingertip.....

ouch!

In all my thinking about my M3, I've been thinking about TAKING a picture.  I just saw your photo, and I was wondering what the white "R" was for.  Then it hit me.  Gosh, I could have loaded the film (I think), shot my 24 photos, and then be stuck wondering why I couldn't rewind the film.  The last time I shot film in the M3 was over 60 years ago.  So many things I need to re-learn......along with how to use my Sekonic light meter.

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8 hours ago, AndreasG said:

I prefer the soft release buttons made of brass by the Chinese maker JJC, available at ebay for approx. 6$. A small rubber O-ring, which supports the tension of the thread, secures the button against loss.

I will search for a source for tiny o-rings the right size.  That is a superb idea!!

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On 1/10/2021 at 4:21 PM, AndreasG said:

I prefer the soft release buttons made of brass by the Chinese maker JJC, available at ebay for approx. 6$. A small rubber O-ring, which supports the tension of the thread, secures the button against loss.

I like the "Red Dot", but to be honest, I am not sure whether such a release button really offers any improvement....

I got one for 1.5USD (Chinese copy of a Chinese copy? 😆) which also came with a small rubber O-ring....it hasn't moved since I put it on my M10-P 10 months ago. Those O-rings really do work. 

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  • 2 months later...

I have used Tom A's mini soft release for years. As they say, I would not leave home without it. I have found that Popflash.com has the largest collection of Soft Release's of all types and brands. The folks there are straight up.

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