Soft shutter release buttons are undeniably attractive and I have a few of these multi-coloured baubles sitting on the shelf, looking exceedingly pretty but sadly rather unloved. Trouble is, whenever I fix one to the camera I always get fed up with it in short order. The main problem is that forgetful individuals such as I have a habit of returning the camera to the Billingham without switching off. This carelessness doesn’t sit well with shutter-button protrusions.
I know, I know I should check I’ve switched off the camera. But merde happens. In such an eventuality, the prominent little button keeps hitting the internal padding of the case resulting in a long succession of black frames as well as constantly waking the camera. Too much of this and the battery is flat in a trice. While such problems can happen even without a soft-release button fitted, if the interior of the bag presses the standard shutter button, it is far less likely.
Unpredictable
The major stumbling block, however, is the unpredictability of these things. They keep unscrewing and falling off, as I found to my cost. On one memorable occasion I lost a particularly attractive red bug. It was firmly attached when I left home, but had disappeared an hour or so later when I came to take the first shot. A few choice expletives passed my lips because I had bought this particular creation at the Washington DC Leica Store and I had developed a certain affinity with it.
Over two weeks later I was walking down the road near home and, amazingly, there was my soft release button wedged between two paving stones, about 100 yards from my front door. It was still glittering and it is a mystery why it hadn’t caught some magpie’s eye in a whole fortnight. I retrieved it gratefully, put it back in its little plastic display box and returned it to the accessories shelf, safe from harm’s way.
Punishment
I took this as a warning from some higher being: Polish your vanity with a shining soft release button and you will undoubtedly be punished. Even humdrum, common-or-garden soft release buttons can be pricey, so going for sterling silver and hand crafting is a risk too far for me.
If you wish to ignore my warning and insist on one of these silver buttons for your new M10, here’s the Bashert Jewelry site where you can get a discount of $50. So the silver button of your dreams will cost a mere $199 each. But just remember to hang on to it like grim death. Oh, and remember to check your camera has a release cable thread in the middle of the shutter button.
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