# Do It Yourself Black Rapid type Strap



## revup67 (Nov 17, 2012)

You will need:

1)Camera Bag Strap preferably with metal clips or sturdy clips with adjusters of course
2)Key Chain Ring or some type of ring that has a locking mechanism
3)threaded screw that fits into the base of your camera that has a loop on one end such as the type you find on the base of a tripod mount. I took the screw out of Flash Bracket

All photos attached. This is very comfortable and secure.

Got the idea from this video DIY: DSLR Shoulder strap w/ quick release and tripod support (read description)


----------



## EchoLocation (Nov 17, 2012)

i don't trust those screws in the tripod mount to hold my camera. a few twists and turns and your camera could easily fall to the ground. I would be constantly nervous my camera was coming unscrewed and about to crash.
I did a lot of research on these, and finally ended up buying the bos strap. It is a very similar design, except that it simply mounts to one of the neck strap lugs.
I've used it for a few months so far and it is very comfortable and sturdy.
I really wanted to buy a BR, but ultimately, it just didn't seem like the safest way to carry my camera.


----------



## bycostello (Nov 17, 2012)

looks like it works well...


----------



## neuroanatomist (Nov 18, 2012)

EchoLocation said:


> i don't trust those screws in the tripod mount to hold my camera. a few twists and turns and your camera could easily fall to the ground. I would be constantly nervous my camera was coming unscrewed and about to crash.
> I did a lot of research on these, and finally ended up buying the bos strap. It is a very similar design, except that it simply mounts to one of the neck strap lugs.
> I've used it for a few months so far and it is very comfortable and sturdy.
> I really wanted to buy a BR, but ultimately, it just didn't seem like the safest way to carry my camera.



For me, the big downside to a strap attached to the neck strap lug is the same downside as the neck strap - not a good way to carry a camera with a heavy lens, such as a big white zoom (100-400, 70-200/2.8, 28-300 - and I've got all three!). Being able to easily shift the strap attachment point from the body to the tripod foot is convenient and a lot more comfortable. No worries about the lug turning loose - it's attached to a Kirk 1" clamp (Arca-Swiss type) with LocTite Blue, and the clamp provides a secure, quick-release connection to L-bracket or lens plate.


----------



## TexPhoto (Nov 18, 2012)

Great ingenuity, and it looks like a good strap. I think I might spring for a real Black Rapid tripod mount thingy, or similar as they pivot and will not unscrew, but for do it yourself, that is really nice.

All my cameras/lenses with tripod rings have Arca Swiss plates, so I made my self a strap with an arca Swiss clamp at the end. Well, I started with a cheap eBay version of the black Rapid, so I didn't really make it, but it works for me.


----------



## neuroanatomist (Nov 18, 2012)

revup67 said:


> 3)threaded screw that fits into the base of your camera that has a loop on one end such as the type you find on the base of a tripod mount. I took the screw out of Flash Bracket



I'd be careful with this one. Make sure whatever lug you use is designed to support a load - many things that look like they might be, aren't. Good example is the screw and D-ring on the bottom of a Manfrotto RC-2 plate. A little force applied at the right angle (I used the BlackRapid carabiner for this), and the D-ring opens. You can see the shallowness of the hole drilled in the side of the lug, and the relatively small overlap of the inserted ends of the D-ring that is all that's keeping your suspended gear from crashing to the ground.


----------



## blood_donor (Nov 18, 2012)

I went thru the same process of making my own strap. In the end I bought the Black Rapid screw for the Manfrotto quick release because it is a very critical failure point and hard to make with the tools I have.

Don


----------



## EchoLocation (Nov 19, 2012)

blood_donor said:


> I went thru the same process of making my own strap. In the end I bought the Black Rapid screw for the Manfrotto quick release because it is a very critical failure point and hard to make with the tools I have.
> 
> Don


I like this double connection point strategy. 
are those BR lugs really locking? There seems to be a few bad reviews on all the sites talking about cameras crashing to the ground that scared me. I usually walk around for hours at a time with a 24-70, so it's often quite heavy. 
Neuro, have you checked out the BosStrap? What do you mean when you say "neck strap - not a good way to carry a camera with a heavy lens, such as a big white zoom"
Would you rather have the camera upside down, for easier transition from hanging to shooting? or are you just saying the neck straps are a potential point of failure? 
I really like how the BosStrap uses only one side of the neck strap attachment points, and when it hangs it is really comfortable with an easy transition to shooting.
I'd be interested to learn more about BR straps, but at the moment. However, I really like the choice I made, it's a lot cheaper, and ultimately, I think the neck strap connection point is safer than the tripod mount.


----------



## neuroanatomist (Nov 19, 2012)

The BR lugs don't 'lock' but there's a rubber compression washer that produces reverse tension to prevent unscrewing. Irrelevant in my case, with Loctite into the 1" QR clamp. 

I meant that a heavy lens is a lot of weight on your neck, better to put it on your shoulder, ergonomically. Not worried about either attachment point, both are plenty strong. Also, I'd rather have the camera hanging by the hip, not in front of my chest. 

The BosStrap looks nice, but how would I attach it to a lens foot? Regardless of strength, with a lens heavy enough that Canon provides a tripod collar, I'd rather suspend the combo by that collar, at the center of mass, vs. by the camera. 

As for concerns over security, I hang ~12 lbs of gear, costing ~$20K, from a BR strap (1D X + 600/4L IS II). I trust it.


----------



## pwp (Nov 19, 2012)

EchoLocation said:


> i don't trust those screws in the tripod mount to hold my camera. a few twists and turns and your camera could easily fall to the ground. I would be constantly nervous my camera was coming unscrewed and about to crash.
> I did a lot of research on these, and finally ended up buying the bos strap. It is a very similar design, except that it simply mounts to one of the neck strap lugs.
> I've used it for a few months so far and it is very comfortable and sturdy.
> I really wanted to buy a BR, but ultimately, it just didn't seem like the safest way to carry my camera.



There's not just the unscrewing potential...I had the thread in the grip of a 5DC pop loose and then out altogether after firm tightening. In hindsight that was clearly over-tightening, but worth considering. The thread in a lens collar would be a safer bet.

-PW


----------



## AdamJ (Nov 19, 2012)

If a homemade strap fails, you have no comeback. If a Black Rapid strap fails, you can make a product liability claim for your damaged gear against Black Rapid. Where this type of product is concerned, my view is that transferring the risk of product failure to a commercial manufacturer justifies the purchase price.


----------



## lucuias (Nov 19, 2012)

I suggest do not do that with heavy setup


----------



## crasher8 (Nov 19, 2012)

This definitely falls into the "You spend $XXXXX on a camera and lens yet cheap out on __________"

Gravity meet DSLR.


----------



## wockawocka (Nov 19, 2012)

It's not like the R7's are expensive?


----------



## crasher8 (Nov 19, 2012)

wockawocka said:


> It's not like the R7's are expensive?



+1


----------



## DigitalDivide (Nov 19, 2012)

I'm not worried about the BR lugs unscrewing on my setup. If you moisten the rubber washer a bit before screwing it into the tripod mount, you can get it pretty tight with your fingers and it has no tendency to back out. I check mine often as I'm still a bit paranoid about have that much valuable equipment dangling upside-down, but I have never once found it to have loosened. There really is not reason for it to do so as there shouldn't be any rotational force from the swivel bracket.

What does concern me is the possibility of the swivel separating. I looked at a lot of user reviews before buying the BR, and I found a couple of references to the mushroom-shaped part that stops the swivel pulling out of the bracket deforming until it could or did pop through. As I recall the negative comments largely referring to older versions of the BR hardware, so maybe they have improved the design. Regardless, I do inspect it regularly for any evidence of this happening (did I mention I'm paranoid? )

I hadn't really thought about the possibility of the tripod mount pulling out of the camera body (great, another thing I can be paranoid about...). This definitely seems like a good reason to use the lens tripod collar as the mounting point whenever you have a heavy lens attached, as well as to reduce stress on the body's lens mount. I'm hoping that the tripod mount is firmly attached to the metal body of my 5DII. Not sure I would trust it so readily on a plastic Rebel series camera.

Would BR really pay out if their swivel bracket failed? A lot of warrenties limit the liability to replacement of the purchased product, with consequential damages being specifically excluded. I certainly wouldn't rely on them to cough up without going to court. Better to have separate insurance for your gear.


----------



## AdamJ (Nov 20, 2012)

DigitalDivide said:


> Would BR really pay out if their swivel bracket failed? A lot of warrenties limit the liability to replacement of the purchased product, with consequential damages being specifically excluded. I certainly wouldn't rely on them to cough up without going to court. Better to have separate insurance for your gear.



Damage to property (or personal injury) caused by a defective product would be a product liability claim in tort, not a warranty claim - the warranty would only apply to replacement of the defective product itself. Where the evidence of a defective product is obvious, most claims are dealt with by the manufacturer's product liability insurers without going to court.

Disclaimer: always seek professional advice, which mine isn't unless you pay me.


----------



## squidgyg (Nov 20, 2012)

This is actually how I carried my camera on my recent world trip (About 12 cities in Europe and Asia)
I bought a rip-off Black Rapid Screw from ebay, and had that in my tripod mount. Then I had a twisty Caribeena/Harness thingy like the one used on the black rapid straps, attached to a heavy duty caribeena that I'd duct-taped together on the strap of my messenger bag. It was fantastic.
For the first couple of countries, I would tend to have my hand on the camera at all times, scared that it would detatch itself and fall onto the floor, etc. But after I got used to it, I trusted it so much, and it was brilliant.
Easy enough to take off of my bag too if I needed to. Was definitely better than carrying BOTH a black rapid and a bag, felt more comfortable and stuff, and I could carry my other lenses (and everything else you pick up whilst travelling lol) in my bag too.

TOTAL COST (Already owned the bag): $25 AU

In these pictures you can kind of see how I did it. (The last picture, my camera was not attached but you can see the caribeena. Plus im next to a TARDIS, so whatever haha)


EDIT:
just realized im wearing the same top in every photo. How awkward.


----------

