Do It Yourself Black Rapid type Strap

[revup67]

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)	Small | Large

[EchoLocation]

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]

looks like it works well... 

[neuroanatomist]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

I suggest do not do that with heavy setup

[crasher8]

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

Gravity meet DSLR.

[wockawocka]

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

[crasher8]

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

+1