Shutter release button modification

[AlexKV]

Hello everyone, i'm new to this forum. To introduce myself, I'm Alexander from Serbia, and I'm involved in photography for about 4 years, and now going to photography colege.

Getting to the point... Don't know how much of you have been using Nikon F601, but for me, it has a perfect shutter button feel that i'm trying to make on my digital Nikon D5000. My F601 doesn't have those clicks when you press it halfway or fully. It just flows down, and at some point, it starts focusing, which is not very important, but it also doesn't have a "click" for releasing a shutter, which helps me very much when photographing at slow shutter speeds.
Have someone tried to take apart the shutter button on new digital Nikons like D5000? Is it hard to open it, and how complicated it is inside? I don't have money for repairing it if something gets damaged, but i would risk a little.. Thank you in advance!

 

[Overread]

Opening up your DSLR will void your warranty (and they will be able to tell that its been opened) and the chance for making a mistake is very high, especially if you've no experience of working with complex electronic machines. Further its not without risk, any DSLR that has a popup flash will have a high capacity capacitor inside, get one touch on that and you'll get a big shock from any stored discharge.

The flowing button is something I've found tends to be on higher end camera bodies; I think lower level DSLRs the designers pitch them to those moving up from point and shoots, and as a result they tend to have the firmer "click" to the shutter button as opposed to a more flowing and smoother button.

Honestly I don't think you can easily mod the camera without problems - you can use an offcamera release cable which will have a smoother button; and if you wanted you could probably attach one to your DSLR whilst shooting (just a few elastic bands/sticky tape to do that).

 

[unpopular]

I highly doubt the button would fit, and it is likely that the button's feel may be a result of the mechanical action of the switch. I am fairly sure that this switch will be surface mounted. If you don't know what this means, you'll never ever get it soldered in place.

 

[AlexKV]

@ Overread
I know about the warranty thing, but the warranty has expired for my camera, and i live in a country where you have to argue with the services to get something repaired for free even if it's under warranty.
- I actually have experience with complex electronics and mechanics, but still, I'm a human being which can always make mistakes. Capacitor inside the popup flash isn't the big thing because I suffered shocks from it but also from much larger capacitors from external flashes.
- You're right about the flowing button, it mostly is installed on higher-end cameras, and changing the whole button maybe won't work as it may not fit.
-

and if you wanted you could probably attach one to your DSLR whilst shooting (just a few elastic bands/sticky tape to do that).

Great idea! But having a flowing shutter release button would be much better.

@ unpopular
F601's button probably wouldn't fit, and as you say, the button's feel may be the result of the mechanical action of the switches inside, but maybe it's made just like those simple game controllers which have a rubber inside that pushes the button back after you release it, and that could make those clicks.
- I know what is surface mounting and I'm also pretty sure that the switch inside is surface mounted, and it can be soldered in place if you work hard enough.



Thank you very much for your answers on this thread!

 

[bratkinson]

Would buying a suitable external shutter release button and plugging it into the designated socket be a solution? One flash bracket I bought had an option for an external shutter release button (corded) and it worked quite well. But, it, too, had the 'no feel' (smooth) action. So it took some getting used to. Perhaps you could alter an external release button and somehow mount it about where your pinky would be and go from there? That way, if something gets broken, it's a cheap button device rather than an expensive camera.