Cable release

[arigram]

Argh! I had my damned cable release give up on me last night! Thankfully I only lost one frame out of 12 of 120 roll, but still, it was quite a frame! I bought a cheap one from the local photo store (didn't have anything better) because I am in need one quickly, but I would like to get something good.
You LFers must know. Can you help me?

 

[Timothy]

B&H is a good source.

 

[arigram]

Apart from having to find a store closer to me, do people know if I should pay 50 or 60 bucks for a cable release? I see those fat, fabric covered ones at those prices and wonder if they worth their money. I payed about 20 for mine from Calumet and it was the one that broke. I also see all those LF companies branding their own. Any particular to suggest?

 

[Peter Schrager]

Arigram-buy the shortest and cheapest cloth covered ones that you can find. Those fancy jobs are just a waste of time. Go to the local store in Athens and look at the cheapie cables-they should cost about $5 each.
Peter Schrager

 

[arigram]

Well, I bought a 6 euro plastic covered a-simple-and-short-as-it-gets one but I wouldn't like it to break in the middle of a shot like the other one which was a lot better looking.

 

[clogz]

Just buy a spare 6 Euro cable release as a backup. Or two!
Hans

 

[Max]

Does anyone know what brand/model cable release doesn't need threads to screw in?

I have an old commercial ektar in a #4 Acme shutter with stripped threads. Is there something that can slide on and stick with friction?

 

[titrisol]

Buy one or two of those
I used to buy the ones covered in plastic/cloth and after several failure I bought one HAMA brand covered in metal (like conduit) and that on is 8 years old and counting

 

[rbarker]

Does anyone know what brand/model cable release doesn't need threads to screw in?

I have an old commercial ektar in a #4 Acme shutter with stripped threads. Is there something that can slide on and stick with friction?

While there are a couple of proprietary designs for connecting threads, I've never seen anything that doesn't screw in one way or another, Max. You might contact SK Grimes (www.skgrimes.com) to see if they might be able to repair the shutter.

 

[Mongo]

I bought a steel-mesh covered one (not sure how else to describe it) about 20 years ago and it's still going strong. But I always carry a backup; it's about 5 bucks worth of insurance that I wouldn't do without. (The backup release is cloth covered, for no other reason than it was cheap and I only expect to have to use it for a short period of time, if ever.)

As to the question of attaching a cable release to a shutter with stripped threads: I'd personally dedicate a cable release to a shutter like this with some form of tape. 1/2" bellows tape would probably work fine (and would be what I'd use simply because it's what I always carry in my pack).