Fuzzrapid - a Blackrapid clone

The Blackrapid camera strap. Last year's hype. Probably still a hype. If you're serious about photography, you have read about it. Admittedly, it's the camera carrying option all the big guys forgot to invent, and Ron Henry, the inventor, struck gold. I think the sales pitch is a little annoying, but I hope he gets rich.

I'm picky when it comes to camera straps. I even invented my own fast strap detachment clips. But after getting a vertical grip, I stopped using straps completely, because all they ever do is get in the way. I hate dangling bits (no pun intended smiley). A normal neck strap is always dangling in front of the viewfinder when shooting vertically. I only use a regular neck strap when the vertical grip is not attached, so that's no a lot anymore. Carrying a camera strapless solves one problem, but poses two in return: you run the risk of dropping the camera, and you have only one hand available at any time. Changing a lens means putting down the camera somewhere.

I stumbled across the Blackrapid strap, and immediately noticed the attachment point they chose. Sure the camera is hanging upside down, but who ever said a strap has to make you look good? If there's one place to hang a camera from, it's the tripod mount. Even better, every camera worth owning has one. And if a camera has one, it's always the same thread size. Another big plus: the strap would not be hanging in front of the viewfinder in any shooting position. Looks like something I could try.

But you know me. I don't buy anything if I can build it myself. And thusly the Fuzzrapid camera carrying system came to life. First I needed to find a suitable tripod bolt. I don't have any machining skills, so I ordered a Gitzo D1372-43 ready-made lugged bolt. A little cheating is allowed in my book. Then again, I did modify it, because I didn't feel comfortable about the D-shaped lug's ends going into the bolt head for only about 1 mm or so. I unhooked the D-lug, drilled the holes about 3 mm deeper, refitted the D-lug, and compressed it into the holes while heating it red-hot so it stays put and doesn't spring back. Now it looks like a car can hang from it.

If you're a US citizen, you can also simply buy replacement tripod bolts from Blackrapid, or Luma Labs, without any strap. The Luma Labs one is especially nice. I might get one, eventually. Luma Labs also have a socalled "loop" system, but I don't like it, because of... there it is again: the dangling bit. Still no pun intended smiley

... to be continued ...



© Joris van den Heuvel, Fuzzcraft.com