I leave it on the lenses. It seems to last only a couple of years before it needs replacement, but that's better than missing a shot trying to screw one in freezing temperatures.
I leave it on the lenses. It seems to last only a couple of years before it needs replacement, but that's better than missing a shot trying to screw one in freezing temperatures.
The joint between the shutter and cable is a weak one and the plunger is apt to do damage if it gets to swinging around.
How much work is there in just taking it off and being safe?
I carry a back up cable in case I loose one which is the biggest drawback I see to handling the cable so much. Cheap cables increase the possibility of cross-threading but that tapered fitting has a great feel and I have never had difficulty with high quality equipment.
I also leave all my shutter cables attached, and use the "Blue Locktite" to secure them. I worry about cross threading if taking it on and off, or not securely having it on and then falling off in a timed exposure. I use the cheap Gepe releases, but have picked up a few nice used ones as well. It is the time to attach the cable when the light is changing, the wear and tear on the cable, and not having to fumble in the cold or in low light. I have never had one break in 6 years, and I have 8 lenses. I even leave one attached to my 135 mm folded up into my Linhof!
Mike
$40 for a cable release? That must be a Sinar, Hasselblad or Linhof pure gold cable release, you can get perfectly adequate cable releases for far less than that. I think I paid about $8 for each of mine. Some I bought at a local camera store, others were bought from Adorama. Since cable releases tend to break or get lost I buy the cheapest ones I can and keep a supply on hand. It's not like they have to do a whole lot. This is the first time I've read that leaving them on the shutter is bad for the shutter. I thought everyone left them on all the time, that's what I've been doing for years without any apparent damage.
Brian Ellis
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you do criticize them you'll be
a mile away and you'll have their shoes.
Just an observation here - I find it interesting that so many people find it ridiculous to spend more than $10 on a cable release. I mean, nothing wrong with that, really - it's just a matter of whatever works for you. I bought one of those expensive Horseman cable releases about three and a half years ago and I don't think I'll ever buy another cheap one (except as backup) again. The build quality and reliability of this thing just blows cheap ones out of the water. And the funny thing is, while this cable release is as smooth and strong as the day I got it, I've gone through six or seven other cable releases on other cameras, as backups, etc. Meaning I've spent more on backup and second releases than on the nice one originally. Even the nicer Kaiser ones have self-destructed on me multple times. I have yet to lose a release, too (though I've found several), so I guess that isn't really a worry for me.
I have been shooting large format for a long time. I own 11 LF lenses. I shoot well over 200 days a year. I buy the cheap cloth covered releases. I leave them on the lenses all the time. I go through maybe one cable release a year and have never had to replace any shutter release except on an old Caltar years ago. Leave your releases on, as someone said in a previous post, you will be glad you did when the shooting gets fast.
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