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swmcl
1-Oct-2010, 19:51
Hi all,

Just a query as to the ability to use the external shutter lever in taking photos on the older shutters.

Should one use a cable under all circumstances? Is the use of the lever only to be used in emergencies?

How much shake is actually introduced and can it be minimised somehow - like maybe reinforcing the front standard in some tricky way ...

I'd like to hear of peoples actual experiences and techniques.

Cheers,

Steve

Steve M Hostetter
1-Oct-2010, 20:25
Hi Steve,,

I know many photographers that never use the cable release and don't have a problem with camera shake..
I have on occasion ( when I forget my cable release ) used the shutter lever and never experianced camera shake..
I use the lens cap on many a lens up to 915mm as a shutter with caution and never had a problem..

swmcl
2-Oct-2010, 04:10
Thanks Steve.

I guess also that when the shutter speeds start to get long a relatively short tap on a shutter wont make any difference.

I'm still thinking of a speed in the range of 1/15 or 1/20 even so.

Rgds,

eddie
2-Oct-2010, 04:30
"tripping without a cable" brought something else to mind....

i hardly ever use a cable release....i seem to forget it ....always. no noticeable problems on my negs.....well, i sometimes get my finger in the image....doh!

i do not do this with the self cocking shutters.

Nathan Potter
2-Oct-2010, 08:31
A cable release is all about reducing risk of image vibration as part of the whole LF system. If you use top quality lenses and other equipment you presumably are after high quality, sharp images. That's one of the main reasons for going into LF. So given the innumerable variables that affect image sharpness it's just prudent to use a cable release unless you are sure, by testing, that your whole system is stabile enough to withstand hand on lens tripping. I have found that great images present themselves rarely, so when I stumble across them I don't take any chances with gear - time permitting. Just my take on the issue.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

Peter Gomena
2-Oct-2010, 11:56
I have an old camera with a non-functioning cable or air release and a release lever. A photographer friend suggested using a simple loop of string or thread attached to the release lever (which conveniently has a hole in it for just such application) so that it can be gently pulled rather than pushed with a thumb or finger. Sounds reasonable to me, and I'm going to try it next time I use that camera.

Peter Gomena

Darin Boville
2-Oct-2010, 13:13
Thanks Steve.

I guess also that when the shutter speeds start to get long a relatively short tap on a shutter wont make any difference.

I'm still thinking of a speed in the range of 1/15 or 1/20 even so.

Rgds,

Or relatively long, of course. However, in the 1/20th range would seem to me to be in the neither here nor there range. A little vibration will probably matter a lot in that range. That said, I've gone cable-less many times. If your release lever is sensitive enough and you are careful you'll be fine.

I generally use cable releases when I can. (Cheap ones, off ebay)

--Darin

Heroique
2-Oct-2010, 14:14
In the forested mountains where I like to roam, natural obstructions will often “get between” my LF camera and me – tree branches, rocks, shafts of sunlight – yes, they get over the camera, right under it, to the left, to the right, you name it. More than once, every spot near the tripod put my unwanted shadow into the composition. Another time, there was only one place where my body could help block the sun from my lens...

Often, my cable release puts me in the “best spot” to click the shutter.

;)