Vintage cold shoe: small raised screw

kingbuzzie · May 22, 2018

Having moved in the last few years from 80-1990s slrs to much older medium format (and 35mm) cameras... I'm a little perplexed on what the center raised screw is for on a cold shoe. I've actually never found the need to use a cold shoe until I bought a folder without a built in rangefinder. Will someone enlighten me?

AgX · May 22, 2018

A shoe is open at one end and closed at the other ...

With a shoe of a camera, at least some older models, this stop is achieved by a screw, blocking the flash or other accessory from sliding out of the other end of the shoe.

kingbuzzie · May 22, 2018

AgX said:
A shoe is open at one end and closed at the other ...

With a shoe of a camera, at least some older models, this stop is achieved by a screw, blocking the flash or other accessory from sliding out of the other end of the shoe.

Is the screw supposed to adjusted out so that the bracket wedges over it? Otherwise there is still the danger of sliding out the other side correct?

Rick A · May 22, 2018

The "cold shoe" you are referring to is actually called an accessory shoe. The "raised screw" isn't raised, it has an extended head to stop accessories from sliding completely through.

Dennis-B · May 22, 2018

kingbuzzie said:
Is the screw supposed to adjusted out so that the bracket wedges over it? Otherwise there is still the danger of sliding out the other side correct?

The stop screw only prevents the accessory from sliding off the shoe. It's not supposed to wedge the accessory into the shoe. Look at it this way, if you wedge the accessory in, you may damage everything by over-wedging. A lot of accessories use a locking screw to snug the accessory against the shoe.

John Koehrer · May 22, 2018

I read the description as the screw being in the center of the shoe. The other posts refer to the small screw at the front edge
that acts as the ((mentioned) stop.

AgX · May 23, 2018

I think a photo by the OP or a more precise description would be helpful. A raised screw in the true center makes no sense.

kingbuzzie · May 23, 2018

Thanks for the help. I thought that's what it would be for, but none of my cameras have ever made it into my hands with the screw high enough to stop anything... So I thought I would double check.

Sirius Glass · May 24, 2018

It keeps whatever [flash, rangefinder, light meter, view finder] is mounted on it from sliding forward and off the shoe.

AgX · May 25, 2018

kingbuzzie said:
Thanks for the help. I thought that's what it would be for, but none of my cameras have ever made it into my hands with the screw high enough to stop anything... So I thought I would double check.

All of my flashes, I can think of without checking, have the base of its foot flush with its lateral part, except for the central spring-loaded contact, when there is such contact. The same for accessories.
The distance of this base from the base of the shoe is controlled by the springs in the shoe, if there are such springs.

Vintage cold shoe: small raised screw

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