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I have included file sizes in the image links. Please take a moment to check these sizes before you begin downloading images for viewing. Several of the JPS files are very large and will be painful to download over a modem link. The images are presented in cross-eye
and anaglyph format. If you prefer a different format or size, please give
the Stereoscope applet a try. |
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Locking the Shutter
I think the feature I miss most on the TL120 is a shutter locking mechanism. The shutter is cocked only during the first stroke of the film advance lever which leaves you two options:
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I prefer option 2 but was too frequently tripping the shutter by accident. For $11, I cured the problem without having to open the camera.
Rev 1.0
Parts
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AssemblyRemove the plastic bit from the AR-9 and grind or file the chrome off the top surface. Use a dremel tool to grind a small relief in the back of the 50¢ piece Solder the AR-9 into the recess in the 50¢ piece |
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UseScrew your new shutter lock into the cable-release socket of your TL120. If you ground a deep enough recess in the back of the 50¢ piece, the rim of the coin will strike the rim of the shutter button before the shutter can fire. I didn't get mine exactly right so had to shim the bottom with a ring of black flocking paper.
I can free the shutter and return the camera to its original condition by unscrewing the shutter lock and putting it in my pocket. The irregular edge on the 50¢ piece means it is also easy to back the lock out one turn with my finger tip. This creates sufficient button travel to fire the shutter and its equally easy to spin the lock back into place. |
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Rev 2.0
Of course, three months after creating my 50¢
shutter lock, I took it off the camera and didn't put it my
pocket. I think I set it upside-down on a black table top and forgot
to pick it up again. I wanted to build a  replacement
but B&H was out of stock on the AR-9 so I went looking for an
alternative. What I found was a shutter release button called a Softie.
They are made in Vancouver, B.C. and are 15mm in diameter.
When my Softie arrived and I got it installed on my camera, I knew I wanted to use it not only as a shutter lock but as a shutter release button. So I reached again for my sheet of Foamie and scissors to see if I could make the Softie fill a dual purpose. One little bit of foam is all it takes to turn the Softie into a
shutter lock. It is utterly dead-simple. When I want the
shutter locked, I slip the neoprene "washer" under the
Softie. When I want to shoot, I pull it off the camera with my
fingers or teeth and use that great feeling button to trip the
shutter. With the cost of a Foamie sheet at $1.10, I can make these
all day and in any shape I like. I can even afford to stick a dozen
in my pack in case I drop one or leave it on a table. Next |
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