I'LL BE DAMMED IF I'M GOING TO PAY THAT FOR A FANCY CAMERA STRAP, I KNOW I'LL MAKE ONE 

The braided camera strap that I made for my Fujifilm X100

This really is a case of style and individuality on the cheap, right up my street then, and I thought I’d share it with you. How to make a fancy braided camera strap for your Fujifilm X100, or any camera for under a fiver.

It all started when I bought the camera really (Fuji X100), I knew I wanted to use a simple filter to protect the lens, meaning I’d need an adapter, and an ever ready case to protect the camera, but there was no way I was going to pay £69 for each off Fujifilm. And so with a little digging I acquired both, well cheap copies, off eBay for under £20 each; the only problem was that whilst the case worked fine the camera strap that came with it was crap, I know what you’re saying, what did I expect for the money? Then I spotted Steve Huff using a braided leather camera strap on his Leica, fell in love and began to look for something similar. Well after trying god knows how many camera shops I’d all but given up, all they had were tacky Neoprene straps covered in equally tacky writing, there was even one horrid thing in some sort of ‘woodland camouflage’. Next stop eBay, no amount of searching turned up any in the UK, but there were a few from overseas sellers, only the cheapest was still more than $150, made by ‘ARTISAN & ARTIST’ . OK now I know what I’m looking for, a further hunt and I finally find them being sold in the UK, from Leica dealers, right then that means they’re going to be expensive aren’t they, too right, the cheapest was £85.

And so I decided to give up, that is until I was being dragged through H&M by the wife and I happened to spot a rather nice braided leather belt, a quick dangle from the neck to check out the length, a quick look at the price, £3.99, and I’d bought it.
“I don’t like it”, states the wife
“It’s not for you, it’s for my camera” replies I
I’m not sure which was sadder, the odd look the cashier was giving me, or the fact that the wife knew better than to pursue the subject. At home I simply cut off the buckle and added the metal ‘O’ rings from the cheap strap using the same fabric loops, also cut from the old strap, sewed on to the braided leather. A dig around in the wardrobe unearthed a lonely single leather glove, from which I cut two fingers to use to finish off and strengthen the joins, and hey presto I now have a cracking new braded camera strap.

All in all I’m sure you’ll agree is a perfect way to maintain style for under a fiver, just a shame the wife finally found the other glove the other day, bugger…  

Posted by Brent Meheux - 19/02/12 - Tags - Braided camera strap, Fujifilm X100 camera strap

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