But the best and most ubiquitous material for camera straps is leather (unless you’re ethically opposed – which is a fair position). It’s natural, durable, stylish, and develops a beautiful patina with age; however, it is generally heavier and more expensive. Leather comes in a variety of types, the most commonly used being cowhide, pigskin, suede, calfskin and lambskin. Buffalo, horsehide, cowhide and pigskin are the toughest and most hard wearing but take some time to break in and soften. Suede, Calfskin, Goatskin and lambskin are beautifully soft and comfortable (these were the traditional material for the best gloves), but they are more expensive than ordinary leathers. Colour-transference can be a problem with the leather used on cheaper wrist straps, this is where the color used to dye the leather can stain clothes. Brian, the owner of Cordweaver, handmakes his classic “Cordy” camera wrist straps from genuine US manufactured Type III 550lb Paracord with seven internal strands rated to 249.4kg (550lb). Using a single length of Paracord, he creates a small eyelet at the beginning of the strap and then uses a cobra weave pattern to make each (approximately) 20 cm (8 inch) wristband. The remaining cord threads through the eyelet to form the wrist loop. Because of its high strength Paracord construction, the Cordy is extremely strong and safe to use for even the heaviest cameras. SHOP As creatives, we need to support other creatives and buy from small businesses, not giant multinationals. As this New York Times article details, doing so can have profound effects. The whole world is struggling against the negative economic impact of Covid-19, and if you are fortunate enough to have spare money to spend, I suggest that you spend your disposable income where it can do the most good. And that’s that. I admit, writing 5,000 words on camera wrist straps may be overkill, but if you’re in the market for a quality strap, I hope this article has helped.

The biggest problem with mounting a strap on the lug mounts is that the split rings are difficult to take off and aren’t easy to switch between cameras. That is why I prefer a tripod mounted strap, I can just take one strap in my bag and swap between cameras that I may be carrying in my bag as I use them, it takes literally three seconds to unscrew. I hadn’t seen this strap prior to my research but included it here because the design is very classy, and it is made of ultra-soft lambskin leather, which is one of the most beautiful leathers to wear against your skin. Lambskin is a very fine-grained leather with a smooth buttery texture, and has been used in high-end leather goods such as handbags made by French fashion houses like Hermes, Dior and Chanel. Viv Vante is the brainchild of Scott Morvay, a Leicaphile and photographer who saw a segment in the market for the very finest quality camera bags and straps. About the Bengal Unleashed strap he writes… “A lot of research and development went into the design. The Strap not only looks unique but can safely support the weight of the camera entirely. Our braid is also the most stylish on the market and it looks like a bracelet when wearing.” – SHOP Ever wished you had a strap that can hold two cameras? Here’s one I found. I know it looks like it is made of leather, but it isn’t. For the making process, you will need a camera strap carabiner, metal double cap rivet stud, D-rings, and a couple of other materials. Making this isn’t as hard as it looks. 17. DIY Custom Camera Strap Founded by Tracy Foster in 2010, ONA is a highly renowned company known to many for their classy, high end camera bags. All their products are manufactured by a family-owned factory in the Dominican Republic. The Kyoto camera wrist strap is handcrafted from full-grain premium leather left over from the material used to make ONA’s premium camera bags. Designed for the photographer who needs their camera at-hand without wanting a traditional strap, the Kyoto wrist strap is reinforced for strength and padded for comfort. Capable of supporting cameras up to six pounds and stress-tested to ten pounds. – SHOPDo you want to cover that huge Canon print on your camera strap? Here’s a tutorial that will show you how to neatly cover it up. You will need some fabric, scissors, a sewing machine, rubberband, and a couple of other tools for the making process. If you can sew a straight line, making this should be easy peasy. 7. DIY Scarf Camera Strap Strap Maintenance: Regardless of material (leather, nylon, silk) you should clean your strap occasionally with a damp cloth and natural soap to remove body oils which can damage straps. Leather is a natural product and does require nourishment. I would recommend a natural product to condition your strap, Neatsfoot or Mink oil are the best, and I use Saphir Renovateur from France. For a more detailed guide see Hawksmille’s strap cleaning guide.

I was in awe when I saw this snake knot paracord. Just by looking at it, you would think it would be pretty difficult to make. Well, it actually isn’t too difficult, once you get the hang of the first 3-4 knots, the rest should be a walk in the park for you. 13. How To Make A Camera Harness We tie the strands together at the middle point of the four strands. For this task I use a piece of thread and tie a reef knot. Now we continue by braiding the 4 stranded round braid on each side. We braid about 10 inches (25 cm) on each side.

Hybrid Paracord Neck & Shoulder Straps

Oberwerth is German bag and strap manufacturer whose ISAR wrist strap is handmade from velvety and especially soft Rhubarb Leather®. Rhubarb Leather® is environmentally friendly and sustainably-produced in Germany with tannins from rhubarb root and is particularly friendly to the skin by avoiding chemical tanning agents. The soft interior padding incorporated into the wrist strap ensures a balanced distribution of the weight of the camera, and outstanding comfort. The ISAR wrist strap is designed to carry a load of up to 25 kg (55 lbs), and thus is particularly suitable for heavy DSLR and medium format film cameras. – SHOP I found yet another camera strap worthy of being on my list of best DIY camera straps. This camera strap is the easiest to make, you’ll need a rope, needle, and thread. This camera strap is also ideal for people who are looking for a low-budget camera strap. 4. DIY Rope Camera Strap

There is a dizzying array of choices when it comes to wrist straps. Personally, I abhor the fact that we have become a throwaway society and the whole concept of designed obsolescence makes my blood boil. Far too often our purchasing decisions are based purely upon what product is the cheapest, rather than its quality, craftsmanship, history and provenance. The beautiful video above by Trillo & Sons in Fort Worth, Texas in the United States of America shows the craftmanship which goes into the products I’ve selected. key rings for attaching your strap to the camera. Naturally, other attachment options are available. Snap hooks, carabiners and many more. Then, using the longer two strands we start tying square knots (cobra knots) from the middle onto one side. Then, the other side is done exactly the same way. We keep lining up square knots until all strands on each side are of equal length. This produces about half a foot (15 cm) of square knots on each side of the middle point.

You can’t make a camera strap cover without a camera strap, here’s a universal strap that can be used for almost any camera, feel free to customize it to your taste. I doubt there’s ever been an article as exhaustively obsessed with talking about wrist straps as this one. Here we go.