I'm interested to know ...do most people keep a cable release attached to each lens?

[newmoon2night]

i.e. you have four lenses, so you have four cable releases, and pack each lens away with the cable release attached?
I don't, but for speed it would certainly help on occasions, especially those sub zero mornings!
Just wondering if I've been missing a trick here.

[matthew blais]

I do..

[Walter Calahan]

No, there is a chance of damaging the cable release where it attaches to the shutter release.

Even with gloves on, I can screw and unscrew the cable releases I use. If it is very very cold, I'll wear glove liners inside my gloves so I can have more dexterity for attaching the cable. Then I return my hand back into my winter glove.

At least that's what I did when living in Montana 3 decades ago. Use to get pretty cold up there, but fortunately from time to time it'd warm up to above 0°F. HA!

Remember, your results may differ.

[Ole Tjugen]

I don't.

I have a short old lockable cable release attached to my 90mm f:8 Super Angulon, because it's in a 00 shutter without T-setting or preview lever.

The other nine or so cable releases are in various camera bags, jacket pockets and so on, so that there is always one around when I need one.

And BTW: I have more than "ten or so" lenses...

[Randy Redford]

I do. I find that it makes a huge difference in time of changing lenses.

[Kevin Crisp]

I did for many years. Then when the release snagged one last time and almost jerked the lens out of my hand as I was pulling it out of the bag I stopped doing it.

[Ed Richards]

I do, but I do not use really long ones. I also wrap them around the lens when I put it away to reduce snagging and the like. I keep several spares with my lenses, and buy cheap cable releases so I do not worry when I lose one. I have used locktight in the past to keep them on the lens.

[David A. Goldfarb]

No. I'd be concerned about the release getting snagged and damaging the cable-release socket. I do keep a Gepe cable release extension on a couple of lenses where the socket is hard to reach.

[Jim MacKenzie]

At least that's what I did when living in Montana 3 decades ago. Use to get pretty cold up there, but fortunately from time to time it'd warm up to above 0°F. HA!

Don't start this war. I live in Saskatchewan. I'll win. :)

It hadn't occurred to me to leave a cable release attached, but I'd be reluctant to do so because of possibly damaging the lens.

[BrianShaw]

Nope. But I do have one or more releases in each camera bag/box I have. The lens on recessed board, though, has a "permenantly installed" extender.

[Sheldon N]

I do. I wrap it around the rear barrel of each lens in a Gnass case. Fits perfectly and is a great time saver. No worries about snagging the release or damaging the shutter since they are safely packed in the Gnass case.

[john collins]

I keep one short cable release on each lens and carry them in a case with dividers. It works very well - been doing it for years.

[D. Bryant]

Yep!

[Gary Beasley]

I do. Having more than one cable release is a plus either way. If one breaks or falls off un-noticed and "evaporates" you always have another you can swipe from another lens.

[Texian]

I do on all but my 90mm Angulon, which stays mounted on the camera for storage. The cable release for the 90mm is kept in my bag. The other lenses are stored in photobackpacker cases with the release wrapped arround the rear cell as others have mentioned.
---Ed

[Eric James]

I keep one in each Gnass lens case and a spare one in the pack. I've never missed a shot because I was attaching a cable release as the light faded.

[David Karp]

I tried it for a while, but I stopped when I snagged a few cable releases on whatever as I was taking them out of the bag.

[Mark Sawyer]

I also did it for a while. After breaking the second one, I just started putting them on as needed. If a few seconds are that critical, I'm comfortable triggering the shutter release on an 8x10 by hand. The camera ensemble is massive enough that it doesn't vibrate easily, especially on a Ries tripod...

[Alan Davenport]

Just wondering if I've been missing a trick here.

Obviously, there is no consensus on this. My humble opinion (my wife says I don't have any of those) is that the 5 seconds saved by keeping a release on each lens, is rather insignificant in the slower workflow of LF cameras anyway. Besides, by using a single release, I save $20 for every lens I own...

[resummerfield]

No. Too much chance of damaging a lens.

[Jim Becia]

Just wondering if I've been missing a trick here.

Obviously, there is no consensus on this. My humble opinion (my wife says I don't have any of those) is that the 5 seconds saved by keeping a release on each lens, is rather insignificant in the slower workflow of LF cameras anyway. Besides, by using a single release, I save $20 for every lens I own...

Actually, I think that can make a big difference between gettting a shot off and not getting one off. I haven't timed myself, but I would hate to have to screw in a cable release quickly in a situation that necessitated it. I also keep a cable release attachded to every lens and wrapped around it during storage. I'm not sure how this can damage the lens.

I don't know if AA had releases attached or not, but I could see this scenario at Hernandez, NM - He's rushing to set up for that famous shot and relizes he needs to attach that release. Takes him 10 extra seconds and maybe there is no Moonrise Over Hernandez. I'm just speculating here, but as I recall, he never go a second shot off and I don't think that takes ten seconds. I guess what I'm saying, is that for my type of landscape shooting, attaching the cable release could mean the difference in getting or not getting the shot. Jim

[Kirk Gittings]

Yes always, a light weight very flexole one, except on Prontor shutters which require a very stiff cable release.

[Armin Seeholzer]

No I just have in every camera bag at least one!

Armin

[Eric Woodbury]

I do. It is quicker and it seems as though I'm always chasing light. And if I lose one, then I have plenty. I use the cheapest, shortest, cloth ones I can find so that they don't damage the place where it screws into the lens. I did have one mess up an unusual lens fitting one time, so I am careful. On the #3 shutters, sometimes I take them out because they come out of the lens radially.

[Merg Ross]

Yes, I do. Also a step-up ring on the lens for uniform filter size (72mm in my case) and threaded lens caps. I have yet to damage a lens from this practice. There are times when a quick setup is essential.

[roteague]

Yes. That way I don't have to go looking for one when I need it.

[Kirk Gittings]

Yes, I do. Also a step-up ring on the lens for uniform filter size (72mm in my case) and threaded lens caps. I have yet to damage a lens from this practice. There are times when a quick setup is essential.

Absolutely. Except I use those squeeze, clip on lens caps.

[Merg Ross]

Hi Kirk. Yes, the squeeze on caps would be even quicker and eliminate the chance of crossed threads. Good thought.

[Robert Skeoch]

I do.... but I only have three lenses.
-Rob

[Vaughn]

No, I just have a couple I keep in my gadget pocket of the pack. They are red ones -- less likely to leave them behind. I have four lenses I usally take with me...two of them are barrel lenses and don't use a cable release.

One of the nice things about using the barrel lenses is that while setting up I can think, " Good, I don't need to bother with a cable release." And of course, one of the bad things about barrel lenses is that they can't use cables releases. So it goes...

Vaughn

[John Bowen]

I keep one short cable release on each lens and carry them in a case with dividers. It works very well - been doing it for years.

Ditto

[Gordon Moat]

Never, but like others stated, mostly to avoid any damage to the release threads or lens. Obviously some have practiced this for a long time and never had any damage, though I prefer avoiding the risk entirely. If I have to do a fast shot, then the little tab on a Copal shutter is easy enough to use without shaking the camera.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography (http://www.gordonmoat.com)

[Ken Lee]

No, because I often use barrel lenses (or lenses whose shutters are now left open) and a Sinar shutter. (http://www.kenleegallery.com/html/tech/tech.html#Shutter) Only one cable release is required, and doesn't plug into the lens.

[Andrew_4548]

I haven't done up to now but the number of times I get the lens set up with the Lee filter holder & filters on the front and then realise I haven't attached the release and I haven't got the nimblest of fingers... :(

I wanted to get hold of some of the Kaiser 6" extension pieces that they use on their air releases to get the piston away from the lens but I'm not paying 30-odd gbp a pop to get one for each lens and not using most of it. Wonder if they'd do just the piece as a spares / replacement order? Unfortunately, I haven't found anyone else that makes the extender pieces yet. I'd leave that bit on and screw in my normal cable / bulb release.

[gregstidham]

In the past, I only used a couple lenses, but they each had their own cable release and step up rings for master filters.

Lately, however, I only use one 8" barrel lens, so I don't carry any cable releases or additional lenses. Quite liberating actually. I highly recommend it.

[Doug Dolde]

Yes

[Brian Ellis]

I've always kept a cable release on each of my lenses (the Nikon 12" fabric ones, short so they don't get tangled up in anything and well made so they last forever). I've done that for years and never damaged a lens, shutter, or cable release. I thought everyone did it that way. Obviously I was wrong. To each his own but especially with older lenses I find it kind of fiddly to get the cable release screwed in properly and LF takes enough time as it is without unnecessarily (IMHO) adding any more.

[Ron McElroy]

Like may others, I keep a cable release on each of my shuttered lenes. I also keep spares and an extra long one in the camera bag.

[Greg Miller]

Yes. It seems to me there is more chance damaging the threads by repeatedly screwing and unscrewing a cable release compared to just leaving the darn thing on the shutter. Especially if I am doing it in a hurry so I don't miss the yummy light.

[Ron Marshall]

I used to, but upgraded to a more expensive type, that is easier to mount, and too expensive to put one on each. So now I carry that and a back-up.

[Frank Petronio]

The ultimate best gadget I ever found was a large paddle lever that screwed into the socket yet was still relatively compact, so you could simply flick it with a fingertip to fire. It didn't isolate vibration the way a cable release might, but for short handheld exposures it was the bomb and it didn't seem to really impart any vibration anyway. I think it was made for Schneider in the press camera days although there were no markings.

Alas I have never seen another one and it was sold with the lens that it was fitted to. Dumb of me, it was a great design that maybe SK Grimes (or our friends in China) could have redone.

The idea of Loctiting a short Gepe extension cable into your shutter is probably the best way to preserve the threads and give yourself a nice clean thread that is much easier to mount a cable release into than the side of a shutter. Even for lenses on flat boards.

The Linhof quick release is nice too except I never liked dealing with the special tips they require. But Linhof cable releases are really really nice.

[Aender Brepsom]

I do as I find it saves me some fiddling each time I would want to take a shot. I have never had any case of damage neither on a cable release nor on a shutter with this habit.

[Joseph O'Neil]

A couple of months ago, when I only had one decent cable release, my answer is (was) no, i never left the cable release attached all the time. But a few weeks ago at a swap meet I purchased a number of good quality, used cable releases, and now I leave them attached all the time.

That's the real issue for me however, finding good cable releases to begin with.
joe

[Pete Roody]

The idea of Loctiting a short Gepe extension cable into your shutter is probably the best way to preserve the threads and give yourself a nice clean thread that is much easier to mount a cable release into than the side of a shutter. Even for lenses on flat boards.

Better than the Gepe extension cable is the Prontor L-Adapter. I use them on my wide angle lenses. They really help with recessed boards. They fire almost any shutter including prontors. They will not fire my Ilex 5 though. Lou at PhotoGizzmo.com bought out the old stock on these. I mention this because I know he has a good quantity in stock and I don't know where else you could get them. He also has nicer NOS Prontor shutter release cable that is very flexible and has a long through for $10. These fire the Ilex 5 and are flexible enough to keep mounted to your shutter without damaging the threads.

[KenM]

Yes.

[Arne Croell]

No. But I use the Linhof quick release system for my cable releases to speed things up. It takes about 1s to attach the release to the lens that way. The system can be a bit finicky when not taken care of and some people hate them, but I really like the system.

[Bernard Kaye]

Beware the metal sheathed cable release; it can scratch many things if it is not tied down or allowed to rub shutter, like small-MF cameras using the coiled metal neck "straps."
Bernie

[newmoon2night]

Thanks everyone ... that's a lot bigger response than I had anticipated! Plenty to think about, but I'll check on the various options, and get some decent releases. I've done that with a Lee filter holder also (forgotten to attach the cable release first)... whilst rushing against the imediately post dawn light changing.

[Turner Reich]

No, I don't use a corded lawnmower either, snag the cable once and you will wish you had taken the time to attach it after the lens has been secured.