Charlene Winfred Reviews Her M1a Mirrorless Camera Strap

Charlene Winfred's Fuji X-Pro2 with a Desert Tan Simplr M1a

Charlene Winfred is a nomad photographer, videographer, writer, Fujifilm X-series ambassador and half the production team of Roaming Frame.

Charlene’s approach to equipment epitomizes what we’re about here at Simplr: No muss. No fuss. Things should just work, work well, and keep working … without too much thought.

She even came up with a couple of new ideas for her M1a Mirrorless Camera Strap — including lashing extra weight to a tripod (and one more that we hope she’ll never need to make use of).

“The Simplr promise is, well, simple. Their straps are strong, functional, and aesthetically understated. All the qualities I like in equipment, in general.

Things I really like about my strap:

  1. It’s long. I can wear my camera slung across my body, which is SUPER. Never had a strap I could do this with.
  2. It weighs nothing. This is always a boon.
  3. Because it’s made of nylon, it’s also extremely supple and very comfortable to use.
  4. It’s super convenient for video because the main strap snaps off, and the connectors are so light, they make no difference hanging there on the little X-E3, whether it’s on a gimbal or tripod.
  5. The main strap, when disconnected, is useful as a general tie down.

As advertised, this thing just works with no fuss. Like the camera, it doesn’t get in the way, and you don’t have to fiddle with it. Attach it, forget about it and go shoot. If you need a tourniquet, it’s there for you.”

Read the full review at CharleneWinfred.com

Kevin Mullins’ Fujifilm X-E3 Review (plus a few words about his M1a)

M1a Mirrorless Camera Strap on Kevin Mullins' X-E3

Kevin Mullins is a highly regarded UK wedding photographer.

In addition to his impressive professional wedding portfolio, he also runs the popular f16.click site, dedicated to his personal work and all things Fuji.

Kevin recently posted his thoughts on the Fujifilm X-E3 … and we’re happy to report that it pairs nicely with the Simplr M1a he’s got attached to it.

“By the way, the strap you see in these images is a Simplr Camera Strap which I picked up whilst in New York. It’s a really comfortable, non-slip and visually attractive strap.”

He’s an official Fujifilm X-photographer, and member of The KAGE Collective — an international group of visual story tellers.

Read Kevin’s full X-E3 review at f16.click

 

Strap Lug Inserts: What are they and why should I care?

Fujifilm strap lug insert

What They Are

Strap lug inserts are hardened metal “sleeves” located inside strap lugs. They’re meant to reduce metal-on-metal wear caused when hard steel split rings rub against softer metal lugs. Some cameras have strap lug inserts and some don’t.

Fujifilm cameras are notorious for having potentially jagged strap lug inserts, and all modern Fuji cameras including later production X-Pro1 and X-E1 have them.

This is what they look like, inside the strap lugs:

This is what a Fujifilm strap lug insert looks like in the lug.

Why You Should Care

If your camera has strap lug inserts (like the ones shown above), and your camera strap connects via cord loops (Peak Design, OpTech), attaching them straight to the camera (without split rings) could be a very bad idea. Jagged strap lug inserts will often “chew” right through the cords.

Installation Options for Cameras with Strap Lug Inserts

  1. Use split-rings (we make good ones). Attach the cord loops to the split-rings like so: How to Attach Mini QD Loops to Cameras with Split Rings
  2. Try to carefully remove the inserts as discussed here: Removing Strap Lug Inserts from Some Fujifilm Cameras.
  3. Purchase extra Mini QD Loops, and check them for wear often.

Removing Strap Lug Inserts from Fujifilm Cameras (Optional)

What you'll need to remove the strap lug inserts from your Fuji camera.

If you’ve got a Fujifilm camera, and you’d like to attach your Mini QD Loops directly to your camera, you might* be able to remove your strap lug inserts to reveal a smoother point of attachment. Please note that if you scratch a strap lug during this procedure, you could very easily make them sharper than the strap lug inserts you just removed!

*Date of manufacture, environmental and other factors all play a part. Cameras that are exposed to the elements are particularly susceptible to galvanic corrosion which can “glue” metal parts together. Use your best judgement, and know that we’re not responsible if you damage anything.

Although we use Optech USA Mini QD Loops, this procedure is applicable to other cord loop connectors, like Peak Design.

What You’ll Need

  • your camera
  • camera body cap
  • bath towel
  • 2.5mm hex key
  • thread

How to Do It

1. Remove the lens from your camera.

2. Put on the body cap.

Install the Fujifilm body cap.

3. Lay the camera face down on the bath towel.

Getting ready to remove the strap lug inserts from your Fuji camera.

4. Use the 2.5mm hex key to push the strap lug inserts out, from back to font. This might take a medium amount of force, but shouldn’t require the use of any additional tools.

Pushing out the Fuji strap lug inserts to install string disconnect like Optech or Peak Design

5. Repeat on the opposite lug. Keep them in a safe place, so you can re-insert them if need be.

Strap lug inserts popped out of Fuji lug

6. Examine the strap lugs to make sure you haven’t left any scratches. Run a piece of thread through the hole, pull it tightly and drag it around the lug repeatedly to check for burrs. If you can saw through the thread, it will eventually saw through the cord loops!

Next…

If everything checks out nice and smooth, you can install your connector loops straight to your camera as shown here: How to Attach Mini QD Loops to Cameras without Split Rings