I feel for those of you who run around with cameras without a threaded shutter release. Why? Because you will never experience the pleasure of depressing a shutter release topped with the Nikon AR-11 Soft Shutter Release. Come to think of it, you won’t get to enjoy the Nikon AR-3 Threaded Cable Release that I waxed poetically about last year, either. But, I digress…
The soft shutter release is supposed to reduce the amount of camera shake you, the photographer, impart to the camera when you release the shutter. Does it work? Opinions differ, and I have not seen scientific evidence to support the claim, but I prefer the feel of having a soft shutter release atop my Fujifilm and older Nikon film cameras. It certainly makes it easier for my finger to find the release and—bonus—I love the tactile feel of the AR-11’s smooth black convex top.
Not enamored with the chrome/black look of the Nikon AR-11? Does brand loyalty keep you from buying anything that has the word “Nikon” on it? Does your trigger finger prefer concave to convex? There are lots of brands, colors, construction materials, and different designs of soft shutter releases out there. Brass? Wood? Silver? Black? Red? Hard? Squishy? Lady bug? Check them out.
My teaching colleague and friend, Clint Saunders, checks the ego of college photo students by telling them, “Get over yourself. You push a button for a living.” For me, it is imperative that the all-important button feels good; and the AR-11 feels great. I just hope I am not upsetting the Fujifilm gods by putting a Nikon accessory on my X-series cameras!
The “Things We Love” series articles are written by B&H Photo Video Pro Audio staff to talk about products and items that we love. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the writers and do not represent product endorsements from B&H Photo Video Pro Audio.
