Why No Bulb or Cable Release Socket?

Why do most digital cameras have no Bulb ability? Why no provision
for using a cable release?

I have a DSLR-like digital camera (Panasonic FZ50). It has a focusing
ring and a zoom ring on the lens. In essentially all ways except the
pentaprism it has the functions of a DSLR, but it's absent these
useful features. I've owned 5 digital cameras, none had these
features.

Simple film cameras had them. Why do most digital cameras not have
them?

jim evans wrote:
Why do most digital cameras have no Bulb ability? Why no provision
for using a cable release?

I have a DSLR-like digital camera (Panasonic FZ50). It has a focusing
ring and a zoom ring on the lens. In essentially all ways except the
pentaprism it has the functions of a DSLR, but it's absent these
useful features. I've owned 5 digital cameras, none had these
features.

Simple film cameras had them. Why do most digital cameras not have
them?

Five point-and-shoots, right? Because every DSLR I've had provides bulb
ability.

On Sat, 17 Jan 2009 19:23:47 -0600, jim evans
wrote:

Why do most digital cameras have no Bulb ability? Why no provision
for using a cable release?

I have a DSLR-like digital camera (Panasonic FZ50). It has a focusing
ring and a zoom ring on the lens. In essentially all ways except the
pentaprism it has the functions of a DSLR, but it's absent these
useful features. I've owned 5 digital cameras, none had these
features.

Simple film cameras had them. Why do most digital cameras not have
them?


It may. It's called a remote

There is a picture at
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2007_..._fz50_pg2.html

I don't have the user guide, so I can't be sure of all the functions.

Your Panasonic Lumix FZ50 has a cable release socket, it's called remote
release

Bruce

Look at Page 122 of your manual.

Bruce
"jim evans" wrote in message
...
Why do most digital cameras have no Bulb ability? Why no provision
for using a cable release?

I have a DSLR-like digital camera (Panasonic FZ50). It has a focusing
ring and a zoom ring on the lens. In essentially all ways except the
pentaprism it has the functions of a DSLR, but it's absent these
useful features. I've owned 5 digital cameras, none had these
features.

Simple film cameras had them. Why do most digital cameras not have
them?

jim evans wrote:
Why do most digital cameras have no Bulb ability? Why no provision
for using a cable release?

I have a DSLR-like digital camera (Panasonic FZ50). It has a focusing
ring and a zoom ring on the lens. In essentially all ways except the
pentaprism it has the functions of a DSLR, but it's absent these
useful features. I've owned 5 digital cameras, none had these
features.

Simple film cameras had them. Why do most digital cameras not have
them?

1. Cable or Bulb release has nothing to do with dslr. The term bulb is
because that's what they once were, you squeezed the bulb, compressed
the air inside and that opened the shutter on your nicely finished plate
camera.
2. Virtually all the film cameras I can remember had cable release
functionality.
3. As to why this is absent on today's cameras, I've no idea.
Dave Cohen

"jim evans" wrote in message
...
Why do most digital cameras have no Bulb ability? Why no provision
for using a cable release?

I have a DSLR-like digital camera (Panasonic FZ50). It has a focusing
ring and a zoom ring on the lens. In essentially all ways except the
pentaprism it has the functions of a DSLR, but it's absent these
useful features. I've owned 5 digital cameras, none had these
features.

Simple film cameras had them. Why do most digital cameras not have
them?

This question caused me to check all of the cameras that I now own...

Nikon S2 (1955) - bulb and time - mechanical cable
Nikon F2 (1974) - bulb and time - mechanical cable
Nikon F3 (1988) - bulb and time - mechanical cable
Nikon MD4 (motor drive for F3) - electrical cable
Nikon N90S (1996) - bulb - electrical cable
Nikon Coopix 800 - neither bulb nor time
Nikon D70 (2004) - bulb - remote control
Nikon D90 (2009) - bulb - electrical cable or remote control

And some that I no longer own:

Practika FX (1953) - bulb and time - mechanical cable
Canon FT-QL (1968) - bulb and time - mechanical cable

The dates are the year that I bought the camera.

So, mechanical cables left the scened somtime before 1996 which was way
before digital cameras were affordable (unless you call a modified F3 or F-1
with 1 MP and cost $20000 or more affordable).

By the way, the fine manual for the D90 says that you can leave the camera
at bulb for up to 35 minutes.

Jim

On Sun, 18 Jan 2009 02:26:25 -0000, "Bruce"
wrote:

Look at Page 122 of your manual.

Yes, I understood you could buy a special accessory. Cable releases
are universal. I own 3 of different lengths and they worked on all my
film cameras.

However, I don't think even this camera-unique accessory will let you
do a bulb or time exposure.

On Sat, 17 Jan 2009 21:04:33 -0500, Cynicor
wrote:

jim evans wrote:
Why do most digital cameras have no Bulb ability? Why no provision
for using a cable release?

I have a DSLR-like digital camera (Panasonic FZ50). It has a focusing
ring and a zoom ring on the lens. In essentially all ways except the
pentaprism it has the functions of a DSLR, but it's absent these
useful features. I've owned 5 digital cameras, none had these
features.

Simple film cameras had them. Why do most digital cameras not have
them?

Five point-and-shoots, right? Because every DSLR I've had provides bulb
ability.

So you figure camera manufacturers leave these features off in order
to cater to elitist snobbery?

jim evans wrote:
Why do most digital cameras have no Bulb ability? Why no provision
for using a cable release?

I have a DSLR-like digital camera (Panasonic FZ50). It has a focusing
ring and a zoom ring on the lens. In essentially all ways except the
pentaprism it has the functions of a DSLR, but it's absent these
useful features. I've owned 5 digital cameras, none had these
features.

Simple film cameras had them. Why do most digital cameras not have
them?
As for the cable release, if the camera is relatively small and fully
electronic, it makes little sense to have what is a significantly sized
mechanism just to satisfy a fairly rare need. Most 'decent' cameras
have a 2 or ten second time delay that can be used, many have wireless
remotes, some even have wired remotes. Just for the record, the Fuji
S9XXX series had a real cable release socket (I know, I have one), but I
think they are pretty unique in that regard.

Regarding Bulb, many/most(?) sensors overheat and/or suffer from noise
problems with extremely long exposures, so if they do offer 'bulb' it is
often limited. The last couple of bridge cameras I had were limited to
8 and 15 minutes iirc.

While it made sense and was relatively easy to implement on film
cameras, digitals are a little trickier. But there is always image
stacking..