Found mention of this nice-looking little tool that indeed looks like it could improve my handling of the Pen (and reduce the blur...) : match Technical Services - Thumbs Up EP-1 After contacting them, I got a reply that their accessory is indeed available, but would not work on the EP1... Any thoughts of the actual usefulness of this ? Of alternatives ? They also have a number of soft releases - again, looks like a great accessory, but nothing like that seems available for our beloved M43s...
This is what you need, and it works great: XASB1CONVEX - Others - Accessories (You can find it on eBay) Thumbs Up doesn't work on Pens. Alternatives are external grips that can be attached to the tripod hole, but only found in Japan.
The idea is that if you use an external grip and/or a soft shutter button, you get improved stability when shooting handheld (found the mention of Thumbs Up in the comments of The Online Photographer: An Essential Accessory?) The Gariz look really nice - they have a lot of very good-looking accessories, including that beautiful (but rather expensive) EP1 camera bag - the only thing that bothers me is the way they put their logo all over the place.
It makes the shutter button more "hair-trigger", more sensitive. This prevents flinching too as the shutter release is triggered before you know it. It can add at least 1/2 stop in stability, even 1. For a small investment. It's an old tool used by rangefinder users, although I had them on medium format cameras and SLRs too, like the Olympus OMs. In all cases, they were screwed into the shutter release, even in today's Leica M digital cameras. Nikon also made these buttons. Very useful when needed in challenging light. Since we can't screw anything into the shutter release of dslrs and m4/3 cameras, these Gariz soft buttons are just taped on to them. The link I provided was Olympus Singapore's online shop, they themselves recognize that it can be useful for many. Easy to DIY, you can try some tiny 3M bump-ons (or anything you can tape on the shutter release, like a small nut), and you'll know. See what height you want. The Gariz just looks more non-DIY, is fixed in height, but is just right IMHO.
That's it in a nutshell. Thank you Shinobi . All I would add is that with a raised button your finger has more angles to utilize in depressing the shutter button other than primarily vertical. This helps in reducing any tension in your hand becuase you don't have to move your finger so much, thus reducing the risk of shake/blur. With the GF1 and 20mm pancake I am reliant on technique over technology to get clean shots in low light (zero IS) and the soft button has really helped. Plus, they look cool
I just received the Gariz silver/gold soft buttons and installed one on my E-PL1. I wanted a little larger shutter release that was flat. I thought it would be too big for e-pl1 but it fit on top perfect. It is exactly same size as the bottom rim around the shutter release. To install it, I used a three-pronged yellow tweezer from computer toolkit. The same tweezer to pick up loose screws. The button has a small rim around it, and I think the softness comes from the 3M pad on bottom. I tried it out, and it does make for softer release. Now, I will say that in material cost, it is not worth no where near the price. But it's worth it in convenience, same as the Gariz leather case I bought for my E-PL1. Time will only tell how long the button stays attached. I bought buttons on ebay from this seller. He also has red/black color.
