Things I miss No.2

The Cable Release.

Another "improvement" which has come along with our wonderful digital revolution is the lack of any way to attach a simple cable release. Simple it sure is. The manufacturer only has to drill a hole in the shutter release button, tap it with an internal thread and away you go. Here you can see the cable screwed neatly into the release.

It all seems to have been started by Canon with their EOS film cameras, which to the best of my knowledge have never had a threaded release. Certainly the original of the species, the EOS650 didn't have a thread. I know this because I have one of these cameras, still working in perfect order. As mechanical shutters gave way to the electronic devices, the manufacturers, ever quick to give us things we really don't need, stopped providing threaded shutter releases and instead brought out electronic versions. The problem of coures is that whereas you can buy a manual release for very little, an electronic one which will only work on your make of camera and no other, will probably knock you back the equivalent of 15 of the mechanical ones and of course if you had a mechanical one you could use it on any camera and even lend it to your mate who had forgotten to bring his to the club still life night.

Of course with digital cameras you can always trigger the shutter on the self timer for steadiness but don't expect to get shots of butterfiles and other insects with that method. They have a habit of flying away in mid count down.

Finally, although you can of course lock the shutter to stay open with the new devices just as with the old ones, guess what happens if the battery goes dead? Yes of course. Your shutter slams shut and your carefully computed long exposure comes to a premature end. Also if your camera battery fails your lovely modern electronic shutter will again shut down of course. Now you may argue that the electronic shutter is far more accurate than a manual one and that is patently true but of absolutely no comfort when the blooming thing can't be actuated. Mechanical might be less accurate but at least it's always there and available. Oh the joys of progress!