Does a soft release button make any difference?

[Eddie Vaughan]

I see soft release buttons regularly advertised for Rolleiflex TLRs on eBay, usually very cheaply. Are there any members who use one on a Rolleiflex? If so, then I would be grateful for their opinion on whether a soft release button actually makes a difference to the sharpness of photographs or to the ease of picture taking. I suppose I could pay a few dollars and find out for myself, but conservative impulse persuades me instead to ask others who have done so. Was it a worthwhile purchase?

Eddie Vaughan

[JanBoettcher]

The 2,8GX came with a soft release. The first time you are going to use a cable release is the time to make an imptortant decision: Store it in a safe place (and keep it there until you sell the camera) or lose it. My soft release button is *somewhere* in a safe place, but I never considered putting it back on camera. With older Rolleiflexes with even softer shutter releases I doubt it can do any good.

[DPurdy]

I also took off the soft touch that comes with the FX. Mine is in a safe place too though I have no interest in it. I did buy one of the soft touches you see on ebay from Asia. I tried it for awhile and didn't like it and put it on my Rollei 35S instead. I like it there.
Dennis

[Eddie Vaughan]

Thanks for your replies, and for saving me about ten dollars. I shall put it towards a Rolleiflex 2.8F white-face, or maybe a roll of film.

Eddie Vaughan

[Digbyhp]

I know this is an old thread, but some info/personal experience that may be useful to someone.

I recently bought an FX, and very soon lost the soft release that came with it. An attractive little doodad, but had such a shallow thread that it came off very easily with normal use. It was annoying to lose it so quickly, but it provided the impetus to find a better replacement. I found it in Tom Abrahamsson's MiniSoftRelease - a beautifully machined little piece of high-quality aluminium that fits the thread and complements (and compliments) the beauty of the FX. Highly recommended for those after a soft release.

[rolleiclubleader]

Years ago owned a set of Leicas for daily work. Thought: " Lets get a soft release , that will improve my images .... " well OK it was a woozy soft cuddly feeling on my release finger. No more blisters and that sort of injuries
But I really could not see any difference in my artistic or technical quality with or without , one day I lost that artful crafted out of aircraft aluminium thingho. Lost about $20 at that time ( mid 1990's ) and left it with that. I'm sure a similar story can be told by many Rollei owners.
Soft release : it's for ... softies only