Does anyone actually use Leica's OEM strap? (M-series)

I used them on the M7s, and Zeiss Ikon i once had. And, then i started using them on just about everything else. Nikon F6, F100, F4, FE2, Canon 5D2, EOS3. With the Canons, i had to 'adapt' the ends. I like those straps. Not perfect, but really good.
 
Paulbe said:
Yes--I use mine, too.
You'll find that is it well designed for the Leica, in that the "hard plastic things" really keep the strap secure and away from the sides of the camera.
They work well even with a heavy lens attached. Looks like someone at Leica actually paid attention to the design!
Paul
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+1...using one with the R4 and switched it to the M3. VERY well designed, lasts forever and the safest strap by far. It would take several things happening at once to fail whereas straps on the little rings can come loose as the stud gets thinner over time and allows the ring to slip off just before the camera hits the ground/pavement/etc.

DAMHIK... it wasn't pretty. I no longer use the little rings on any of my cameras.
 
I have them, use them, and like them. The only ones I like better are the Upstraps, which use the same concept - gripper pad in the middle - and are a bit longer. The cloth straps are nice, but I grew tired of playing 'catch the camera' when it came off my shoulder.
 
I have M6 with its original strap and M3 with its eveready case but I dont use either of them, instead I ordered handmade real-leather straps for them. It's pretty cheap in where I'm living now, about $15/each. They are very comfortable and IMO look better than Leica's OEM strap.

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I have an old Strapateer from about 1967 that's my favorite strap, and then an easily adjustable leather Leica strap of similar vintage that are my favorites. Then recently I discovered that the narrowest Tamrac strap with the leather pad sewed in the middle makes a really nice sub for the Strapattter if you cut off the pad, leaving just a nylon strap. I can wrap it around my wrist easily, which is my preferred carry when I'm using the camera; it's easy to adjust; and I can take it off from under my coat. My Leica strap lives on the camera I never use, a Kiev.

I don't much care for modern leather straps, none of which are adjustable. The way I carry a camera, that's a serious deficit.
 
Used to, until the strap broke at the connecting hook and my m4 dropped to the pavement with a thud and put a nice dent in the bottom corner. Had to put the damn thing in a vice to straighten it out enough to fit film into it again. I subsequently sold it to the Leica dealer in Paris.
 
I love the attachments at the ends and take those off of the stock Leica straps and use them on Domke straps. I have even called Leica NJ to order a few sets.
 
These Leica straps are practical and durable, and I like the protective plastic caps. I use them and I've bought one for a used M. I also like the OEM leather straps for the Contax G1/G2 and SLRs, in that nice grey, or black, or maroon. Pretty classy! And both types protect the camera finish from the metal attachment hardware.
 
I've used them on my Leicas since they started using the current style back in (what?) the seventies. IMHO they are the best strap out there. Those "heavy" hard rubber locking style rings are very secure, don't mar the camera and, when I need to remove the strap, make it easy to attach and remove. Right now they are on a couple of Nikons, an M4, M2 , M7 and M8.

Maybe not the most"stylish" strap in town, but like the camera, the most functional.
 
Having shot Leica for 20 yrs now, I've owned lots and lots of original Leica straps. Most often I sold them along with the miscellaneous stuff I accumulated. In their stead, I used Tamarac straps mostly. Neoprene straps I did not like because they stretched too much.

For some reason I don't think about straps anymore and just use the original Leica straps. They don't take much room in my shoulder bag and I can wrap the strap around my hand without bulk.
 
If a camera comes with a strap, I generally use it. The exception would be my DSLRs - they're so bulky that Optech straps really make a difference.
 
Nice looking straps Trung

The second strap looks very comfortable and would be my choice if I needed to find another one. Don't really understand stitched straps...
 
I think the Leica 14 312 is one of the best-designed straps for lightweight cameras ever, by anyone. The metal fixings are sheer genius - unlike d-rings you can attach and remove them without effort or injury and the plastic do-dads protect the camera from scrapes. The rubber pad is soft and flexible with grippy nubs, and the whole thing folds/rolls up into very little space allowing it to be stuffed into a small bag in and around a camera with lens attached (unlike the Op/Tech webbing/neoprene straps I use for heavier stuff like the GW690III and D700). I actually bought one for my Nikon S3 but no-one has commented on it yet :)
 
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ssmc said:
I think the Leica 14 312 is one of the best-designed straps for lightweight cameras ever, by anyone. The metal fixings are sheer genius - unlike d-rings you can attach and remove them without effort or injury and the plastic do-dads protect the camera from scrapes. The rubber pad is soft and flexible with grippy nubs, and the whole thing folds/rolls up into very little space allowing it to be stuffed into a small bag in and around a camera with lens attached (unlike the Op/Tech webbing/neoprene straps I use for heavier stuff like the GW690III and D700). I actually bought one for my Nikon S3 but no-one has commented on it yet :)
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Couldn't agree more... its minimalist and it just works!
 
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