Re: [Leica] Soft Release

[Bill Welch <welch@pressroom.com>]

Tom, congrats to you for making this effort. We all stand to benefit.  

A few observations from years of using soft releases on Leicas: I bought
several from Fred and like them as well as others I've used, and better
than some. Ultimately, however, Fred's suffer from the same problem of
others, from generics to Nikon and Hama brands. That is, they tend to
unscrew themselves and fall out and enter the zone of lost things. I've
already lost three of Fred's soft releases. How, some will ask? Well, when
you have three Leicas dangling from your neck and shoulders, or a Leica or
two and an SLR or two, it's hard to keep up with everything, and those
things work themselves out and are gone before you know it.

Some solve this problem by using a touch of the lightest grade Locktight to
hold them in. That works well. But, it means you can't use that camera with
a cable release.

This may not be doable, but my suggestion in exploring your design Tom
would be to see if there is some way - perhaps a longer screw section -
that would allow the release to stay on better. Then again, that may not be
possible or compatible with your need for a once-around on the lathe, or to
keep the price point down. 

I disagree with someone who suggested a $20 price would be acceptable. If
you've got four or five cameras, and have to live with losing the dang
things, $20 a pop starts to make it all hurt too much.

Anyhow, I'm glad you are trying. Keep us posted, and put me down for a few. 

Bill Welch


At 02:40 AM 3/29/98 EST, you wrote:
>Dennis, I am working on a soft release design and when I have some time to do
>some experimental machining and can figure out the die for the thread I will
>do a couple of prototypes. The problem is that the design has to be such that
>it can be turned in one pass on an automatic turning centre ( Computer
>Numerically Controlled lathe) in large quantities and quite fast too ( you
pay
>for these machines by the hour and some of the more sophisticated ones cost
>upwards of $ 700/hour to run.)
> The intial design is sketched out, diameter the same as the "cup"
surrounding
>the release button, slight dome shape and knurling around the rim and black
>anodized. The trick is more of a financial nature, if the price is to stay
>under $10 retail, the wholesale must be around $7 and then the manufacturing
>cost has to be less than $3 ( add on for anodizing, packaging etc you will
see
>there isn't much margin). If I start running these I will probably only
>wholesale them, with minimum orders of 10 or 50. The cost of packaging and
>shipping individual units would kill any profit otherwise.
> If any of you luggers have any idea on how to improve the design, please let
>me know. Remember, I am a photographer who got sidetracked into manufacturing
>and I have no formal training in machining, it is all trial and error and
>designs have to be simple to work well.
>Tom A
>