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O ring disconnects from strap lug


jrovner

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I replaced the original strap with one from Angelo Pelle (it came with the half case). The rings that came with it seem extreme robust, meaning hard as hell to get on the lugs. I feel pretty confident that it will be extremely difficult for them to work themselves loose.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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The heat-shrink sleeve seems the best answer to me. I have a large box of assorted sizes, which I have used for race/rally car building over the years but they are freely available from eBay. I will advise after I have experimented, which is the best size.

 

Wilson

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Just wanted to add a little info to this thread. However, I have only about 34 years of Photojournalism experience, so take anything I say with a grain of salt :)

 

For most of my early years I shot Nikon for work, mostly with motor drives that added to the weight, using those triangular rings that came with their nylon straps. Several times over those years I had the sharp end of the ring somehow pierce the nylon web and work itself around to the point where the strap would actually come off the ring. I would not have thought such a thing could happen, but it happened more than once.

 

I found that I HAD to use the plastic triangular "guards" that Nikon supplied with those straps, and further, I had to replace those plastic pieces whenever they became worn or distorted. Whenever those plastic pieces became worn, they would work their way off the ring and just hang there. The plastic pieces prevented rotation of the triangular rings, reduced wear on the camera lugs, and prevented the sharp end of the split ring from entering the web of the strap.

 

Of course if one used a leather strap that might have prevented this from happening in the first place, but as a lowly paid newspaper photog who worked his gear hard, I used the narrower nylon straps which Nikon sold in all the camera stores then. I also didn't have to worry about the rain in which I also had to work from ruining a leather strap.

 

Now on my Leicas, I have found nothing that works as well as the strap (with the unusual designed ring and keeper) that Leica supplies with their M's. I do wish that Leica put a steel insert into those soft lugs however.

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The Leica strap is fine, it's the connector that I have a problem with. For one I find the thick plastic keeper (the one that snaps over the ring) annoying as I grip the camera. For another it doesn't pinch the strap tight enough to prevent the webbing from slipping through, or loose enough so gravity pulls it back to the bottom of the loop. So it's always coming up short on one side or the other, and not hanging correctly, and I keep having to pull it down. A stitch or a dab of fabric glue would solve the problem but then I'd still have that clunky plastic keeper to contend with. I have cut them off and used plain split-rings, which makes the OEM strap a lot more user friendly for me, but then also there are still those pad nubs that chafe my neck. Stripping off the pad then leaves me with a too-thin nylon web that digs into my neck. I really don't see why anyone thinks it's a good strap, but I suppose the big "Leica" on the pad mitigates ;)

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I am not questioning the issue raised of an O ring getting undone. It is just strange to me. I have been using O rings probably for 40 years on all my cameras. I think the ones I use are stainless. They are so hard to pry open to get them on that I have a hard time imagining a ring ever opening up and working its way to the point of disengaging. It has never happened to me, regardless of the strap used.

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I'd heard this could happen, and it finally happened to me. While I was carrying my Leica M, one of the O rings on my Luigi strap somehow disconnected from the camera lug, causing the M to fall to the ground. The O ring and lug look fine, so the camera must have somehow worked its way out of the ring. Luckily I was standing on grass, and the camera seems fine, but I'm eager to avoid a repeat of this incident. Has anyone figured out a good solution? I assume the original Leica strap would be more secure, but I prefer a longer strap. Thanks!

I have had one of these on my M240 for three months now and I highly recommend this strap: BlackRapid 63" Cross-Shot Sling Camera Strap RS16SC1O-BL It attaches to the tripod socket on the bottom of the camera and is about as secure a connection as you can get. There is a rubber gasket that compresses as you screw the base mount in. This keeps the mount from loosening and letting your camera slam down on the ground or sidewalk.

 

This little device BlackRapid Lockstar Carabiner Protector (Set of 2) RAG3C-1AO B&H keeps the mini carabiner that connects the strap to the baseplate lug on your camera from coming open.

 

I was skeptical of these straps in the beginning, but after using one for a while, I would not return to a traditional camera strap. There are also several different styles,to choose from: BlackRapid RS-7 Curve Camera Strap (Cobalt) RS7SC1O-1CO/GR B&H

 

(no, I am not a sales rep for BlackRapid, just a satisfied customer :D )

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There are split rings and there are split rings. Just to show how obssessive one can be, I looked at some that I have and the "coming undone problem may be due to weak rings. Some are thicker and stiffer than others, as you can see from the photos attached. In the center is what I would call a "normal" ring; on the left is a ring that is significantly heavier and thicker in gauge. The ones I use are on the left. They are a royal PITA to get open enough to get on a lug or strap but there is no way that kind of ring could work its way off. The Leica strap ring is on the right as reference. You will see that this one is bent a bit, and no longer usable. The harder/thicker gauge metal on the left makes all the difference,

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  • 2 months later...
The heat-shrink sleeve seems the best answer to me. I have a large box of assorted sizes, which I have used for race/rally car building over the years but they are freely available from eBay. I will advise after I have experimented, which is the best size.

 

Wilson

 

Did not see which size is the best for our needs.

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Did not see which size is the best for our needs.

 

Lou,

 

I have not got round to it yet due to an eyesight problem, which had left me with blurred vision. I have now had both eyes operated on, which was 100% successful and when they settle down in a couple of weeks, I will return to this.

 

Wilson

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Guest gretel
It's unique for the Leica M240, the left strap holder (seen from the backside of the camera). I had it happen 3 or 4 times and met others who had tried it as well.

 

It never happened on any other M cameras, and I have the same round rings on quite a few M cameras.

 

As it is often the case, Leica never replied to any questions about this. They did however change the lug strap holder on my M240.

 

The thickness of the ring may or may not solve it. One of the rings that worked it's way out was the quite sturdy ring from the Leica M Monochrom black leather strap.

 

The design of the M9/MM and the M240 strap lug rings look the same, but the M240 is a redesign from top to bottom.

 

Houdini is a good expression. That is the feeling you have when it happens.

 

Maybe on the left side one should use a ring wound up the other way around?

Similar to the threads on bicycle pedals?

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