Tip of the Day: DIY Bungee Camera Strap Mod

Note: CSUN squirrels, they are vicious natural born killers that roam around the campus and if you were their size, they would eat you faster than you could say, "nuts". The picture has nothing to do with the post.


Well, I got myself a new Canon 40D for Christmas. I initially bought a 5Dmk2 but returned it because the shutter release was jammed and the camera would try to focus by itself. So instead I decided to sell my Rebel, buy the 40D for 750$ and wait a few months for the 5Dmk2 to go down exactly 750$ and only then buy it killing three birds with one stone!

Anyway, turns out the 40D ( and 5Dmk2) is much heavier than the decidedly petite Rebel and its weight was very apparent during a hiking trip. Not since the Olympus E-3 have I carried such a heavy camera.

So the solution is: add shock cords to the strap. This concept is pretty common in high-end backpacks and climbing gears. Here's how it works, you basically add a bungee cord (the shock cord) in between your strap and the camera. Another piece of webbing is then attached to the strap and the camera to keep the cord from over-extending and breaking. The webbing attachment must be longer than the shock cord as to allow most of the weight to be absorbed by the latter creating a cushioning effect. Makes sense? here's the diagram..














I call the piece of webbing between the metal ring and the camera the "pre-strap". I really can't think of a better term. Camera straps with quick-release systems usually have them. For clarity, the diagram shows the bungee cord being longer than the pre-strap but you must in fact make it shorter or it won't work.

Materials:

- A camera strap with quick-release attachments (or the "pre-straps" as I call them), I use Domke Grippers
- 3/8" bungee cord (from camping/climbing department of your sporting goods store)















Step 1:















Attach the "pre-strap" to your camera. Attach the strap to the "pre-strap".

Step 2:















Loop a length of bungee cord through the eyelet

Step 3:















Run the other end of the bungee through the camera strap. Make a double loop. Make sure the final length of the cord is SHORTER than the length of the "pre-strap". It won't work if it's longer or equal in length! The specific length needed for a good "cushioning effect" depends on the elasticity of the particular bungee cord. I suggest you experiment.

Cut off the extra bits and quickly burn the nylon to keep it from fraying. Try not to burn the rubber elastics inside, they become gooey and don't harden back!

Voila!















This makes the camera much much easier to carry around for extended period of times. If you're too self-concious to walk around with something like that around your neck, you can get neoprene sleeves and wrap it around the cords.

Happy New Year Everyone!

- TN

Update: fellow blogger Matt Dewitt made some diffusion panels too and wrote a post about it. I think he explains it better than I do! He also made some modifications that I think are awesome. Check out his blog!

Update 2: the reason I bought the 40D and not the newer 50D is because I believe APS-C sized sensors have reached their sweet spot at 10-12 megapixels. From what I can see from the sample pictures on the internet, the 15mp 50D is only marginally (undetectable in prints) better resolution-wise yet doesn't perform as well as its older brother in low-light. In simple term, they are pretty much equal when it comes to image quality. Lastly, the 40D is about 400$ cheaper than the 50D.