Just wondered when a CR would be useful if you have a ST on your M3/M2 or M4. I suppose it might be useful on 'B' setting...on another note, you cant take pictures of yourself with the M6's as they dont have ST's,...unless you get a really, really long CR, or stand really close to the lens, *chuckle*

-- sparkie (sparkie@mailcity.com), April 08, 2002

Answers

Another use (which I haven't done with the Leica but have done with medium format) is to trip the shutter of a tripod-mounted camera without having keeping a grip on the camera. It can be useful for portraits where you've already framed the shot and want to interact with the subject(s) without the camera being in the way; then you fire the shutter when you get the expression you want.

-- Mike Dixon (mike@mikedixonphotography.com), April 08, 2002.

Another point-of-view is that CRs are also used when the camera is on tripod & the photog is doing everything possible to minimize vibrations. To use a CR to take self-portraits requires a long CR (I've used one up to 12 feet before). But it's key purpose is to eliminate shake, particularly in extremely low light conditions...

-- Patrick (pg@patrickgarner.com), April 08, 2002.

It is easy to put yourself in the picture without a cable release or self timer. Use a normal or wide angle lens with a minimum focus of 0.7 meter, set the lens to closest focus with a f/5.6 or smaller aperture, hold the camera at arm's length and fire away. Heck I even use off camera flash with this method but you will need a fellow subject to hold the flash.

-- John Collier (jbcollier@shaw.ca), April 08, 2002.

Two common reasons to use a cable release instead of self timer is when taking portraits so the victim doesn't see exactly when you're pushing the button, and freezes up, and when doing any kind of action containing work where you want to minimize vibration but can't predict that the "decisive moment" will happen exactly 9.8 seconds in the future.

-- Michael Darnton (mdarnton@hotmail.com), April 08, 2002.

Hi sparkie ,nice to see you around.Regards Allen

-- Allen Herbert (allen1@btinternet.com), April 08, 2002.

If car doors can be unlocked by means of a hand held remote, why couldn't a camera shutter be triggered the same way? No self-timer would then be needed.

-- Frank Horn (owlhoot45@hotmail.com), April 08, 2002.

I got one of these for my M6TTL and it works great. Just adjust so the plunger trips the shutter at the shortest possible length. It is a bit hard to cock on the camera, so I cock it before screwing into the shutter release. It is all metal and mechanical, and the "red dot" looks like it was made for Leica. A nifty gadget, IMHO.

-- Ken Geter (kgeter@yahoo.com), April 08, 2002.

I have the selftimer that Ken mentions. Well it works, but it is not what I call a nice selftimer. Unbelievably stiff (almost bends the release if you set it when screwed in) and it makes enough noise to wake the dead, and the plunger is always going out of adjustment. Frustrating I call it. As someone who loves the selftimer for quick easy vibration-free shooting, when you can't be bothered to use a cable release, I think it a real shame that M's have dropped them.

-- Robin Smith (smith_robin@hotmail.com), April 09, 2002.

"Frustrating" ain't the word for it! If I used the right word, Tony would boot me off the forum! And only $39.95-- such a deal! The Hama could be modified so that it clipped onto the film advance lever and the plunger pushed down on the shutter release button, rather than the pin that gets out of adjustment and might easily bend. Don't they make a cable release that accepts this device on the back end?

-- Frank Horn (owlhoot45@hotmail.com), April 09, 2002.

thanks for the responses guys, food for thought.

hi allen, thanks for the nice gesture.

best,

-- sparkie (sparkie@mailcity.com), April 11, 2002.

I got that Hama thing too and compared it with similar brands which all look the same as that "one of these" mentioned up there by Ken. I had -- and still have -- the same feeling as Robin, because for me, the whole thing is a real bummer. I have always been worried about the inconsistent protrusion or sticking-it-out-phenomenon and then trying to saw the thing off here and again just in order to protect my TTL. Even for that money, I'm afraid it's not worth it. Get a second body (e.g. M3 or 4) if even for this one single virtue.

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), April 11, 2002.