Accessorizing the m4/3 – 2017 Update

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Temporary break from the series of GX85 posts and to write about something still related to photography – accessories!

I’ve done a couple of posts on accessories for the m4/3 cameras, with the last one more than a year ago. So, it’s time for an early 2017 edition again, and concentrating on wrist straps this time.

Wrist Straps

Cameras are fragile things, and if you’re using an interchangeable lens camera, they are also not exactly always light either. Sling straps are great when you’re shooting on the move but I tend not to keep them on the camera when I’m taking pictures of our kids at home. That’s where wrist straps become real important, and all the cameras I own routinely will have one permanently attached to the camera lug:

Not the new GX85 (extreme left) though, since I was waiting for a new strap to arrive. My four m4/3 cameras (excepting the E-PL2 which is still sitting in the dry cabinet) like ducks in a row: the GX85, E-PL6, E-M1 and E-M5.

I’ve tried several brands of wrist straps now, including the:

Herringbone Leather Handgrip – which is great for heavy DSLRs but too large for smaller m4/3 cameras;

Gordy Camera Straps – which are fine but I have one which is tripod-mount: bad idea as it causes all sorts of balance challenges with my cameras;

Andy Camera Straps – similar to Gordy’s but at a lower price point, and I bought several of the lug-mounted ones over the years. While their web site is still live, I’m not sure if he’s still in business. An email request to custom-make a new strap some months ago went unanswered.

Leather straps are comfortable to use, and there’s little chance of them breaking. In fact, I reckon the metal split ring is likely to give way first in a stress test! Years of use have also made the leather straps supple and soft, but the edges have also started fraying a little. And the straps have a tendency to curl up and get in front of the lens if you don’t have them already coiled around your wrist when fishing the camera out for a quick picture. I’ve missed a couple of potentially great shots with the kids as I had to shoo the strap out of the frame!

So, after some scouting around, I found a UK-based maker of camera straps that uses weaved Parachute Cord. They’re priced lower than Andy/Gordy camera leather straps, and at SGD18 to SGD20 each including postage to Singapore. The web site offers some customization too; different braid colors and wristband size. I ordered one Classic Duo type strap, liked it, and ordered two more. Pictures:

Three Camera Duo straps. Woodland Camo/Burgundy attached to the E-M1, Black/Marine Blue, and Red/Olive at the bottom of the picture. The latter two just arrived too.
Wrist loop at the woven eyelet for the Woodland Camo/Burgundy.
Intricately woven Black/Marine Blue. Makes for fun pictures using my macro lens too!
Each strap comes with a rubber bumper and a metal split ring that you connect to the camera lug. The bumper protects the split ring from damaging the camera side. It seems a pretty standard inclusion for straps that connect to camera lugs.
The Woodland Camo/Burgundy with 20cm wristband. It’s just slightly large for my wrist, so persons with smaller hands might want to opt for the 18cm wristband. Unlike leather straps, paracord straps are also easier to secure around your wrist. In the former case, you’d need to adjust the strap’s rubber O-ring – which you can only do with a spare hand. For Cordweaver straps, all you need to do is to pull your wrist away from the camera body for the strap to loop tightly around your wrist.

Like the Jorby sling strap, these wrist straps can also loop around a long lens barrel for easy storage and packing into a camera bag. So – quite happy with these purchases. Hopefully these straps are washable too.:)