How do you prefer your M6 trigger, long or short push?

Although far from mastering the camera I'm starting to get used to the M6 I bought last year. There is one thing that bothers me, I tend to shake the camera when I push the trigger. The "push" is rather long, meaning that the trigger is not released until I have pushed fairly deep. I have read that this can be adjusted to once preference. So, what's your preference, a shallow or a deep press before the shutter is released? Will a too short play make the meter difficult to use? What would be the smoothest?

ever tried a softrelease by abrahamsson?

Correction: "...I tend to shake the camera when I push the trigger"

should be " I tend to jerk the camera when I push the trigger".

Stefan, I didn't notice how fast you answered!

 

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Yes, I have the soft release, but it's still a pretty long push.

I think it can be adjusted by a specialist. People with deeper

technical Leica knowledge (like John Collier) should be able to give

you a definite answer.

I don't think adjusting the travel is going to help you--it sounds

like your own technique is faulty. You should be able to manage

holding the camera steady regardless of the travel.

 

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I rest the my finger on the collar around the release, and gently

rock the tip into the release to fire the camera. If you hold your

finger upright over the release and punch down you have no control

over your movement, and the camera's going to shake regardless of the

travel.

Or, place your thumb under the bottom plate, index finger on the

shutter, and squeeze the camera between these fingers with equal

pressure top and bottom. That way, the camera can't move.

I tend to "cover" the shutter release button and collar with the

middle of the first joint of my index finger (imagine a line through

the base of the nail in line with the centre of the button) and then

gently tension and squeeze the finger to fire the shutter. This way

I have the shutter pressed just to before the point of release and

the final tiny movement at the "decisive moment" causes no vibration.

I like to push halfway to get a meter reading, or if meter is preset,

I still push halfway and ignore the light(s). Then, ram it deep.

The M6 and the M6TTL have one disappointing inconsistency, or

at least only one that I will admit to, release travel. Unlike older M

cameras, it seems to vary from camera to camera. I do find that

the Tom's soft release does solve the problem for me but I can

see how it would annoy others. Here is a posting from the

Leica-Users on how to adjust it:

 

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<a

href="http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/v20/msg03323.htm

l">

http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/v20/msg03323.html</a>

The Leica M6 and M6 TTL have a longer travel than older Leica Ms

because of the light meter. We have a Leica MDa downstairs in our

tissue culture lab (an old relic sitting on an inverted scope) with a

distinctly shorter travel shutter release than either the Leica M6 or

M6 TTL. The MDa was an M3 without the rangefinder mechanism for all

those concerned. I spoke once to a Leica Microsystems rep about this

and all he had to say was "Learn to live with it sonny!"

 

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Get an Abrahamsson Softie... it helps alot.

I've been using my 2 M6's for 11 and 6 years respectively, I never

noticed any problem releasing the shutter. I also use my M4 from

time to time and can't say I feel any significant difference.

Compared to the R bodies the M's are hairtriggers.

One of my M-6's indeed "facilitated" camera-shake due to a

too-long shutter release throw. As I studied this camera, I

realized that the release was occurring just as the rim of the

shutter button began to disappear beneath the level of the

bottom of the "finger-pad." This meant that I needed to apply

extra pressure, as my fingertip had to distort a bit to squeeze

through the bottom of the pad to keep the shutter button moving

downwards. This extra pressure contributed to camera-shake,

and made the release somewhat unpredictable. I like a release

at about 1mm above the finger-pad's bottom rim, so the release

itself occurs just as my finger is coming into full contact with the

pad, which contributes to both predictability and stability. At any

rate, Leica repair fixed this under passport warranty.

I find the M6 releases beautifully. Can handhold up to 1/15 sec

with good results.

 

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Perhaps its just technique.

Take a deep breath, calm down, relax and breathe out when you

trigger. Plant camera against face for more support , parts of

hands also against face. Squeeze gently not jab at it.

To me, it's a bit like creep in a the trigger of a gun, which might

provide a little margin of safety but does nothing to help accuracy.

So, I would prefer a shorter push - just a bit shorter, not a "hair

trigger". You have to guard against slight accidental pressure on the

shutter firing a shot. It would be interesting to learn how well a

shortened shutter release travel would work with the M6 motor.

It works fine. I adjusted my M6 about a year ago as per the previous

instructions. The motor still causes a slight bobbing up and down of

the shutter release, but it's certainly not objectionable. Top it off

with a T.A. soft release and it's not bad!

Actually I never felt any differnces between the M-6 and older M's.

But I do recommend the Abrahamsoon Softie whole-heartedly. It is only

10 bucks and what it does for you is amazing. How could I have lived

without one for so long?

 

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A warning though. The Sofie turns your Leica's shutter release button

into a hair-trigger, like James Bond's Beretta. Be sure to turn off

your meter when storing. Sometimes the Softie will depress your

button every so slightly and you go battery drain. (B on M-6

classics; "Off" or B on the TTL.) My Bessa T doesn't turn off and so

I must be careful with the Sofies I custom fitted on it.

Well this is a pretty big issue for me. I find that very few of the

many cameras I have owned have the shutter button in the right place

for me. Never mind the issue of the distance pressed to release the

shutter.

 

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Sadly, the very best shutter release I ever used was on an old mint

condition Contax IIIA Color Dial. It was simply perfect, at least for

me. I could shoot very low shutter speeds just because of this

ergonomic difference. Leicas shutter release just doesn't compare (I

have or have had the M6, M4-2, M6TTL), but the shutter and VF problems

of the Contax are simply unnacceptable.

 

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I live with the oh-too-low shutter release of the Leica M's because

the rest of the camera is so d***ed good. The modern lenses are just

as good as the late 1950's Zeiss lenses I was accustomed to. Well,

mostly.

 

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Kevin