[Leica] Softie Lock

[V8PWR@aol.com]

Dans un courrier daté du 07/06/01 21:42:30 Paris, Madrid (heure d'été), 
cquinn@mail.sjcsf.edu a écrit :

> Victor:
>  
>  Victor wrote about taking pictures of the inside of his camera bag because
>  of Tom's Softie (the blessing & the curse).
>  
>  
>  I've got the softie on my M6TTL, and have found two solutions: one mine, 
one
>  Lutz Konermann's (of Sling, Slide & Shade fame). Lutz' is easier, mine will
>  prevent the softie from even turning on the meter. Lutz' first:
>  
>  Go buy an o-ring that's big enough to reach from the right split-ring
>  (connecting your strap to your strap-lug), and put it on the split-ring.
>  When not using the camera, stretch it around & under the Softie, and it 
will
>  keep it from taking pictures (Lutz, what's your link to this image?); the
>  o-ring I found will not prevent the meter from engaging, hence, my 
solution:
>  
>  Unfortunately, it involves a toilet-bowl washer, which will cause
>  heart-failure in certain LUGnuts. I use a new one, if that makes you feel
>  better. Buy some of those toilet bowl washers which are the black rubber
>  jobbies. They're a little over an inch in diameter with something like a
>  1/4" hole in the center. They're made of three layers of rubber separated 
by
>  two layers of reinforcing fabric mesh. By itself, it's too thick to fit
>  under the softie. If you cut it like a bagel (without the usual flesh 
wounds
>  suffered by bagel cutters) along one layer of the fabric so that it's now
>  2/3s the original thickness, it's thick enough to prevent photos, but too
>  thin to prevent the meter being activated (actually, you just have to get
>  the cut started. Once you can get a grip on the two layers, you can tear it
>  apart). So my final one is a compromise, in which I make two parallel cuts
>  through the first layer of rubber, one on either side of the center hole. I
>  then do two bagel cuts, to remove those two nearly-semi-circular pieces,
>  leaving two funny barrow-like mounds extending sideways from the center
>  hole. Is this making any sense? Great. You, and this is the final step in
>  the production, cut a little pie-slice out of the now-thinned portion of 
one
>  side of the ring, and slip it (the TBW with barrows, not the little slice)
>  under your softie. It's going to be a little tight, but it's tough enough 
to
>  keep the meter from activating.
>  
>  A great compromise here is to use that now useless o-ring to make a hanger
>  for the incomparable Toilet Bowl Washer TTL Battery Saver, so that when you
>  pull it off, it won't bounce off the walkway and disappear down into Paris.
>  (It will, in fact, slip quickly onto the X-sync cover on the back of the
>  camera, if you haven't lost that yet, but won't stay on for long. The other
>  best option is to pull it off and stick it in your pocket.)
>  
>  I sent one to Tom Abrahamsson, but he got in trouble with Canadian Customs
>  for importing an product which Canadians make better in Cananda. Must've
>  been a Midland Custom's officer. Did you ever get it back, Tom?
>  
>  
>  

Hello all . Inspired by Chris's design , I made my own .
It is true that the Softies are cool , but it's even cooler to control
unwanted picture waste and battery drain , and take profit of the 
Classic M6 , which doesn't need to be turned OFF to avoid it .

In  2mm thick rubber ( old air tube , piece of shoe sole , available new 
at the supermarket , or even in leather ) , cut a small rectangle ,
25mm x 10mm .
At one end of the rectangle , cut a slot , in the middle , about 4mm
wide and 10mm long . 
The width of the slot has to be just tight on the release button under 
your softie .
Practice two angle cuts at the end of the slot , to facilitate the 
positionning .

On the other end , drill a small neat hole with a punch .
Place the Softlock ( patented word now protected by Chris and my own secret 
services )
under the T.A.'s Softie , and attach a very small Ty-Rap to secure the 
SoftLock to 
the right strap . You're done .

Arm your camera , preset it as usualy for good street shooting , and when 
you're ready
to shoot , remove the Softie Lock in a snap .
Good pics

JO GOODTIMES -FRANCE/ AIRBORNE RADAR TECH / LIVE FREE OR DIE
will soon walk with mud covered combat boots...