Explained: What is a Camera Soft Release and Why You Need It?

What Is a Camera Soft Release?

The button you press to take a photo is called the shutter button. It’s a small part of your camera, but also one of the few places where you can easily change both the look and feel of how your camera operates.

A camera soft release is a screw-in button accessory that attaches to the shutter release. Its purpose is to allow a gentler, more controlled press, reducing vibration and camera shake at the moment of exposure.

It doesn’t change how your camera works, but it changes how you interact with it.

Think of it as giving your camera a sibling: a small companion that stays with you through the entire shooting journey, quietly making the experience better along the way.

What Does a Soft Release Do on a Camera?

The purpose of a soft release is to increase the surface area of the shutter button, which can help in reducing camera shake and increasing the comfort and precision when taking a photograph. This can be particularly useful for photographers who engage in long shooting sessions or who use slow shutter speeds, where minimizing movement is crucial.

A soft release:

• Reduces camera shake when pressing the shutter
  
• Improves stability at slower shutter speeds
  
• Adds tactile feedback and comfort

This is why photographers often say soft releases don’t make cameras sharper — they make photographers steadier. Over time, that steadiness becomes habit.

Soft releases often come in various shapes, sizes, and materials, including metal and wood, and can add a personalized touch to a camera's appearance. 

What Is an Air Clicker & Design Philosophy?

Air Clicker is Tahusa’s take on a good camera soft release, designed to solve the small but persistent problems we kept running into with existing options.

Most soft releases fall into one of two camps:

• Too low, barely changing the shutter feel
• Too tall, sitting awkwardly and catching on fingers or straps
  

Air Clicker was designed to sit just right.

Instead of forcing one height to work for every camera, Air Clicker uses two screw thread lengths for the two categories*:

• Short thread for digital cameras
  
• Long thread for film cameras
  

This allows the button to sit flush and stable, regardless of shutter depth — a detail that’s often overlooked, but immediately noticeable in use.

Air clickers come in 4 different colours:

• Titanium
• Titanium black matte
• Brass
• Brass black paint

*Before purchasing, please review the compatibility list below or in the product description to ensure the correct screw fit for your camera.

Can My Camera Use Air Clicker?

Air Clicker only fits camera that has a threaded shutter button, like below list. There are more compatible camera models not listed here. If you have any questions about fit, feel free to send us an email.

Compatible Camera Systems

Leica

• Long screw: Leica MD, M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, MP, M7, M8, M8.2, M9, M-E M9-P, M10-P Safari, Q3, D-Lux 8
• Short screw: Leica M240, M240-P, M246, M10, M10-D, M10-P, M10M, M11, M11M, M11-P

Fujifilm

• Long screw: X series (including X100 family)

Other Cameras

• Short screw: Nikon F3
• Long screw: Nikon ZF

Explore how a soft release button might change the way you shoot? Find your favourite colour at our shop!