Strap with hooks instead of rings

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dbarnes

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In my photo gear stash I recently ran across several camera straps circa 1980 that I'm hoping for help identifying. I have always thought of them as "Leica straps" but there is no brand name on them and my Google searches haven't turned up any clues.

This strap design doesn't use the usual split rings at the ends. Instead, each end has a pair of flat metal hooks open on opposite sides. Stacked together, the two hooks very securely engage the camera's strap lug. I've attached a drawing. Does anyone recognize this design? It's quite different from the Leitz strap end that uses an hourglass-shaped piece of wire.

The actual strap material is a very flexible black nylon in a nubby weave, 3/4" or 2 cm wide. There are rubber shoulder pads. All up, these straps were great with my heavy motorized Nikons in newspaper photography.

Thanks for any tips or info!
 

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That is a fairly normal mountaineering strap hook, from the early days of canvas-and-brass kits, and nowadays outdated. Haven't ever seen that principle on camera straps, though - these half-open eyes imply that the thing must me made from very hard (and abrasive) material in sizes matching a camera strap eye. Which would wear down the eye rather soon...
 
I bought, in Florence, in 1986, an M4-2 with 50mm Summicron both made in Canada, that had a brilliant strap of this type that I still use on my M2. It had metal hooks and a broad open nylon weave strap with a Leitz rubber grip pad. The narrow slot at the top of the hooks was the attachment point for the leather end of the strap that was perforated with a button hole, which, after threading the slot, passed over a collar stud like plastic button. The button was just at the height to be a smooth bumper for the camera body, although with the M2 it is slowly being scored by the knurling of the rewind knob. I always thought it was a Leitz original made for the M4-2. The camera hangs very nicely, and unlike the current M6 strap, it never threatens to slip from the shoulder. I will be very sorry to retire this strap.
 
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In reply:

Richard G: Thank you, your strap sounds just like mine. I'll see what I can dig up about the possible M4-2 connection. Your comment about the strap doing a good job of staying on your shoulder matches my experience. Does your strap pad actually have a Leitz (or Leica) logo? Mine do not. I have two straps that still have flexible rubber pads. The pads on the others have become hard and brittle.

Sevo: I only used these straps with late model Nikon F and F2 bodies, all of which had steel-lined strap lugs that didn't seem to wear at all. On the earlier Nikon bodies with unreinforced strap lugs, it's common to see major strap lug wear from plain old strap rings. I'm new to rangefinders and can't speak to how non-Nikon cameras wear in that regard.
 
A part number!

via http://leica-users.org/v24/msg09605.html

"LEICA Neck Strap --14226 Mint, in box. This is the good one
that won't scratch top plate. For M and R. This is NOT the
newer flimsy wire and plastic sleeve attachment type, but is
the superior type with two opposing stainless steel hooks."

I'm also seeing this strap called the "R strap" by Leica R users.
 
Well done dbarnes. That picture with the motor drive is exactly the strap I have. Alas the rubber of my shoulder pad also perished and I just do without now.
 
I have a similar strap on my Rollei twinlens. It may or may not have been intended for the Rollei. The hooks look too large to work on a Leica, though. I don't think they would fit in the strap lugs.
 
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