The realist discovery of a lifetime!! Bolex cable releases have a straight thread that perfectly fits a realist!!!

This is actually MAJOR folks. Anyone who shoots a stereo realist camera should read this post.

The cable release hole on a realist is machined for a STRAIGHT THREADED CABLE RELEASE HEAD. The majority of cable releases that you will find, are TAPERED. Here is a macro shot of a standard tapered cable release next to a straight threaded cable release to illustrate..

The cable release hole in a realist is located right above the shutter button at the top of the camera

The realist indeed, has a bulb mode, located on the shutter speed dial around the composing finder on the front of the camera, marked with a “B”

It’s right there, all the way at the bottom of the dial, second to last marking.

If anyone has ever tried using a standard tapered release and failed, it is because the taper makes the cable stop short of the intended shutter release hit target inside the camera and never engages the mechanism. If you HAVE had success, then you’re lucky, but mind you, you are STRIPPING THE THREAD HOLE AND IT ESSENTIALLY JUST SCREWS UP THE THREADING. If you ever take the cable out and insert another one at a later time your screw hole might very well be stripped.

Happened upon a Bolex branded cable release box at the camera show over the weekend discovered to my amazement, a straight threaded cable release staring up at me from the box. I immediately grabbed the first decent feeling realist on a nearby table, drove it in PERFECTLY, cocked the shutter and engaged the shutter release… In the 20+ years I’ve been shooting realists, no one has EVER imparted this information to me and I’m just THRILLED to share this discovery with everyone into stereo photography. Take a look at this macro video of a standard Bolex cable perfectly fitting into the realists cable release hole.

It’s a match made in heaven right??? :)))) right!

Here are some quicks snaps of my box and of the cable, it does NOT look like the illustration is n the box but my bf told me it might be an end tip cover.. but a quick glance at all the Bolex cables on eBay prove to have the same design. Please email whatever seller is selling the one you are interested in to confirm the straight threaded top, but it seems this design was proprietary to BOTH REALIST AND BOLEX.

I hope this discovery can find its way to every realist shooter still practicing 🙂 and happy stereo-shooting to you all!

XO XO ❤️💙❤️💙❤️💙, Mad Shifty AKA ilicia :)))))