where to find this shutter release button?

[Oren Grad]

I've seen lenses for Alpa 12 and Horseman SW cameras equipped with a little gadget that screws into the cable release socket on the Copal shutter to provide a convenient shutter release button for hand-held use. Here's an example:

www.alpa.ch/en/products/pictures/_l/ALPA_35XL-1.jpg

Does anybody know where I could find these? Neither Alpa nor Horseman catalogs it as a separately available item.

[David Kaplan]

Oren,

Try contacting Rich Pinto at Photo Village http://www.photovillage.com/, located in New York City, they represent ALPA and should be able to help. You could also contact ALPA directly, in my experience ALPA has always been very friendly and helpfull.

David Kaplan

[Oren Grad]

David - Thanks, I will contact Alpa if I can't find it elsewhere, but Alpa stuff is usually priced as though made from solid gold, so I thought I'd see whether I could find an alternative source.

[Roger Hein]

I've been looking for something like this for a while now - keep us posted if you find a reasonably priced alternative to the Alpa?

[Ted Harris]

Oren,

Also try Jeff at Badger. They are also Alpa dealers.

[Anthony J. Kohler]

Looks like it's similar to the old Soft Touch shutter release button. They're still available at most of the large camera dealers. It's just a large button that screws into the shutter button and gives a wide surface for the shutter finger. On a mechanical handheld camera, I wouldn't be without one.

Do a Google search on '"soft touch" shutter' and you'll find lots.

Tony

[Oren Grad]

Anthony - It's not just a soft-touch button - if you attached one of those to the cable release socket on a Copal shutter, which is fixed in place, the button would be fixed as well. The gadget I'm looking for has to include a spring mounting, to allow for an independent downstroke that will let it push the lever below the socket, which is what actually releases the shutter.

Cheers...

[george jiri loun]

Maybe I miss something but I don't see any practical difference between pushing a Copal lever manually and pushing this device manually... I have many handheld cameras that I use with lenses in Copal shutter and I release the shutter with the lever without any need for a special push button on it... I find it ergonomically much sounder to move the lever rather than to push the button. Well, personal tastes are varied.

[Anthony Windsor]

George makes a good point. Getting a good grip on the camera and tripping the small Copal lever with a very slight motion has to be steadier than wanging away on that Alpa gizmo. The push button is going to impart a downward rotation to the camera when pressed.

But I agree, it looks cool. Glad gold isn't my color. But if it were titanium...