Camera straps through the ages

[benjiboy]

Hi Peter , the "plastic hardware" is Duraflex which is a special heavy duty polymer made in the U.S.A that's fit for purpose and just about indestructible. I have a Domke F2 and a Domke F5X bags andI trust the hardware implicitly.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Leather straps that used to come with most cameras, even Zenits and point and shoots, have become bespoke items with prices to match.

Rats... I've got a Voigtländer Bessamatic, which has no body lugs but has a leather case and a leather strap which is fastened permanently to lugs on the case. The problem is the leather is thin, dried out, and cracking. The front flap has already broken off. That isn't a problem because the bottom half-case plus strap is usable. The problem is that I don't trust the strap to hold much longer and so I thought I'd just snip it off (it seems to be riveted on; it can't be unsnapped). I thought this would be a shame, ruining an original item. Unless I snip and replace it, I would have to hold onto the camera body at all times.

Surely it can't be worth much as it is?

 

[blockend]

Rats... I've got a Voigtländer Bessamatic, which has no body lugs but has a leather case and a leather strap which is fastened permanently to lugs on the case. The problem is the leather is thin, dried out, and cracking. The front flap has already broken off. That isn't a problem because the bottom half-case plus strap is usable. The problem is that I don't trust the strap to hold much longer and so I thought I'd just snip it off (it seems to be riveted on; it can't be unsnapped). I thought this would be a shame, ruining an original item. Unless I snip and replace it, I would have to hold onto the camera body at all times.

Surely it can't be worth much as it is?

I can't remember how many cases in that condition I've thrown away. The strap leather takes on a cardboard texture because it has been left in a dry place untreated and is an accident waiting to happen. Cameras of that era, especially German ones, tended to have the camera screwed into the case by the tripod bush and no lugs. If the case has solid fastenings you could attach a newer strap to it but they're often integral to the case, or the anchor points have degraded. Unless the camera is rare there's little point in hanging on to an unreliable case, it probably comprises 50% of the camera weight and slows down using it. Some people like half cases but I've never seen the point. You could always use a modern tripod bush mounted shoulder strap.

 

[CMoore]

I still use the hippie straps. I bought several of the "modern day" variants from Ebay for just a few bux for several of them. They are not quite up to par of the originals, but for the price, they are fantastic.
When walking. I like to wear the camera quite low, down near my waist, and on my side/hip.....so as I walk, the camera is kept secure to my body, under my elbow.
In high school (circa 1978) we use to make those "quick straps".
You could either connect the strap to itself, or just make a solid strap with no connections on it. Via a 1/4-20 Eye-Bolt, screwed into the tripod hole, you could just grab the camera, and quickly slide it up the strap to eye level.
I have not seen anybody use one of those for a long time. Guess I should make another.....just for old times sake.

 

[mike c]

Those hippy straps were a lot more comfortable than the neck cutting skinny leather strap that came with my 500CM .

 

[Sirius Glass]

I ordered wider straps for my Hasselblad 503 CX and 903 SWC. I also use wide straps for my 35mm cameras. Straps of any width do not work well for my 4"x5" cameras.

 

[Alan Gales]

Straps of any width do not work well for my 4"x5" cameras.

Really? I use one of those thin metal Guillotine straps with my 8x10.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Well, a nice wide strap for my 4x5 Speed Graphic would be welcome. Mine's got the original strap, which is about 50 years old.

 

[thuggins]

In years I have only come across one chain (neck) strap. And that was most likely not even a camera manufacturer item.

I believe I have one snake chain in my "misc straps" box, which is where the essentially useless accessories which came packed in with a camera went. These had a brief popularity in the late '50's to early '60's when the fad was for modern and space age stuff. Keep in mind that the leather straps of the time were extremely thin, maybe 1/4" to 3/8" wide. So if anything, the smooth rounded chain would have been an improvement over a thin leather strap.

 

[benjiboy]

I believe I have one snake chain in my "misc straps" box, which is where the essentially useless accessories which came packed in with a camera went. These had a brief popularity in the late '50's to early '60's when the fad was for modern and space age stuff. Keep in mind that the leather straps of the time were extremely thin, maybe 1/4" to 3/8" wide. So if anything, the smooth rounded chain would have been an improvement over a thin leather strap.

The metal straps were only an improvement if you enjoyed being garrotted.

 

[blockend]

There are hippy straps on two of my cameras, the modern Chinese variety which are softer and shorter than the 70s version. The old ones sometimes turn up attached to cameras I've bought, massive contraptions with giant spring clips and D-rings to hoist a car. They're usually on an AE-1 or ME! There's an optimal width for camera straps, too narrow and they dig in, too wide and they slip off. Fuji cameras come with nice straps, just wide enough, discrete graphics, softy leathery material and a rubberised backing.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I ordered wider straps for my Hasselblad 503 CX and 903 SWC. I also use wide straps for my 35mm cameras. Straps of any width do not work well for my 4"x5" cameras.

Really? I use one of those thin metal Guillotine straps with my 8x10.

Well, a nice wide strap for my 4x5 Speed Graphic would be welcome. Mine's got the original strap, which is about 50 years old.

I have a hand strap on the Speed Graphic but I only have a handle strap on the Graphic Model D which I do not use because it is the original strap. While it is obvious to the casual passerby on the street, some here cannot distinguish between a neck or shoulder strap and a hand strap.

 

[Sirius Glass]

The metal straps were only an improvement if you enjoyed being garrotted.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

My thought was to replace the Speed Graphic's hand strap with either a newer, better hand strap, or with a wide shoulder strap.

 

[choiliefan]

voigtlander snake chain straps

Voigtlander offered a snake chain strap for the Prominent and probably other models in the '50's. They are well made and heavily chromed to match the camera bodies. An interesting feature is a small rubber do-nut on each clasp to keep metal to metal contact at the lug from gouging the body. To my senses these straps are beautiful but the links painfully snag neck hairs so it's more show than go in the real world. Optech makes a very good strap.

 

[cuthbert]

I make my own now, unless I want an original one. Look for instructions for a paracord camera strap, there are a few around.

Looking at Pentax it seems to have gone leather (on Spotmatic and earlier) then webbing from the K series on (for some reason dipped in paint at first, then later models have plain nylon - painted straps seem to have been found on K series and the ME/MX but not later cameras). Straps began to widen around the late 1980s with the SFX, then went wider again with the Z and MZ series bodies (which included a couple of neat pockets for the viewfinder and hotshoe covers). Strangely they're now back to standard straps about the same width as those from the late '80s!

The 6x7 seems to have had a wide webbing strap with "Pentax" woven into it in red, these were presumably also sold separately as I've had two 35mm bodies equipped with them. One now holds my Super A with Motor Drive A and Digital Data M back, as that's a hefty outfit by the time you've added a decent lens.

There was also a "10 Million Sold" commemorative strap which came in a tin, I have a fairly decent example which I keep for anything which lacks a strap as it has simple click hooks rather than needing to thread webbing through loops.

My 1976 Honeywell SPF came with its original box, owner's manual, case and the original thin leather strap with rubber shoulder pad (also marked Honeywell) so I assume that was the standard for Spotmatics and K series BUT in the price list from October 1976 there also is a special wide "hippie" strap branded Honeywel...they still sell it on ebay, one of these days I'll buy it.

I also have the 10 milions sold strap and the "camera of the year 1983" that came with the first Super As.

I think "sponsor" strap came out in the early 80s, and their graphics reflected the adverts of the era, in my imagination Nikon was a black scrip on yellow field, Canon a white one on red field, Pentax usually red script on white and Praktica of course white on sky blue....Olympus I don't remember, all these straps were wider than the precedent ones because people found them more comfortable to use with heavy cameras like the the Nikon F2, Canon F1 etc...the so called hippie straps were the first wide ones and they are very comfy with these cameras...I like them

 

[GarageBoy]

My hatred for the hippie straps stem from the crap hardware- poorly folded sheetmetal that tangle and gouge the camera