Strap eyelet failure

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paultreacy

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I've had my X100 for 2 years now and have been working it very hard with daily use. Now it's very tired. It was sent back for VF shutter failure which Fuji fixed extremely quickly and now the strap eyelets have worn through. I have my camera suspended upside down now using the tripod socket to secure a strap and I don't like it at all.

Fuji have said I will need to send it in to determine whether or not they'll fix it at their cost which I think they should as I gather it's a known issue.

In any case, I'm now going to pull away from the X series cameras and consider a pre-owned Leica M8 or 8.2 system if I can find one when I can get the dosh together.

It has been a great ride with the X100 as it produces sumptuous files and I've always found it very responsive indeed and I've had fun using its video facility even in a professional capacity. Unfortunately, the Fujis are just not durable enough for me. I need seriously robust cameras.

In the mean time I'll return to my pro Nikon system of D200s and my diminutive Olympus for video at 720p. The sweet thing about the D200 is the sensor. It renders skin beautifully and is film like in nature. That's what I like most about ccd. The Nikon is tough as nails and very, very fast. Unfortunately, it's also HUGE.

Have any among you experienced strap eyelet failure on your X100 cameras and if so, did Fuji repair it and charge?

- Paul.

http://paultreacy.com
http://twitter.com/photohumourist
 
what is the alternative to this triangular strap ring that is currently easy to find? I remember there were both the triangular and the round ones back in the late 60s to early 80s.. Right now I cannot remember any failures being reported by their use, but again we didn't have the Internet to spread info around so fast back then...

Gary
 
I bought some round rings in a local shoe repair shop of all places. They also cut keys, so they have them in stock for use as key rings. They cost me penny's and do not appear to be causing any wear to the lugs.

I was seeing some wear starting on both my X100 and X Pro with the triangular version. Really annoying, it shouldn't happen.
 
The eyelets of the fuji are made out of soft metal, which wear out before the triangle or round rings do.
There are few easy and very cheap solutions.

One is to just make a ring out of fishing line. To add strength you can double it or just use kevlar. You will have to apply several kg of force to break it, so it is as safe as the triangle rings.


Another solution is to use the OP-TECH eylets. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004N623WK/ref=pe_175190_21431760_3p_M3T1_ST1_dp_1
 
Although I don't have a Fuji, I have experienced eyelet wear on a couple of cameras - the usual culprits are the split rings or triangles.

I have made my own from a couple of jumbo paperclips. These are made of 2.5mm wire and measure over 7cms in length. The looped parts - the bits that if use for this - are 12mm for the smaller loop and 15mm for the larger, which ever suits your requirements. Cut the looped part off to give a 'U' shaped piece about 15-18mm. Then bend each end of the U towards each other, so they sit one behind another, to form a D shaped ring. Do this in a vice with a pair of snipe-nosed pliers. File the cut ends to make sure that there are no sharp edges to scratch the camera. I sewed the nylon webbed part of the strap tightly around the flat side of the D ring to ensure that no edges came into contact with the camera.

Although the metal has plenty of strength for this, the rings can be tempered by heating over a cooker flame.

No more wear to the eyelets!

Ray
 
Any camera can develop eyelet wear over the years. Some manufacturers actually put stainless steel inserts in their eyelets to prevent or slow down wear.
 
Good discussion. Thanks for info.

Here's what I did.

8737198973_3d5fa8fc83_z.jpg


Sourced from hard ware shop around the corner for about 3 quid.

I'm getting used to it. It's handy to unclip the camera and carry around when on the streets and then clip it back on when getting coffee, etc. I'm getting used to it.
 
This method I've illustrated above is really pissing me off now. I HATE it. I wonder if there's anyway I can attach new eyelets? Fuji would be furious if I tampered with the sides of the camera but I have to do something.

If I send it in, they'll likely charge me and I'd be without my camera which would be torturous.

- Paul.
 
I've worn clear through (soft brass) lugs on Nikon Fs. As I recall, my repairer took (steel) replacements from Zeniths; but it's a long time ago, so I may be mis-remembering. It does seem very, very odd that Fuji would be outclassed by Zenith. The only conclusion I can come to is that Fuji never really thought that their cameras would get much use, i.e. that they'd be bought by amateurs who took them out on sunny Sundays.
 
Roger Hicks said:
I've worn clear through (soft brass) lugs on Nikon Fs.
Click to expand...
As Fred said, Nikon solved this problem by introducing steel inserts in the strap eyelets onwards from the 1970 Nikon Fs and then on all their further cameras.

So any owner of a post 1970 Nikon having this strap eyelets type will never experience strap eyelets wearout or failure.

Not too sure about the Nikon rangefinder reissues though, IIRC my S3 2000 strap eyelets didn't have the steel inserts.

On the Leica M4-2, M4-P and M6, Leica used some soft metal eyelets which were even just riveted to the camera body outer casting and not deeply screwed in any longer, so you had twice as much chances to go through a strap eyelet failure on those cameras (either with wear of the lug, or with a sudden rivet breakdown... ).

The Nikon strap eyelets with steel inserts are easily available as OEM spares, and can be installed on any Nikon made before 1970, they even fit the Nikon rangefinders. Very cleverly, Nikon just put some steel inserts in the lugs without changing their design at all.

So, one can always benefit from any top cover removing operation on a Nikon RF body to install those undestructible strap lugs.
 
paultreacy said:
This method I've illustrated above is really pissing me off now. I HATE it. I wonder if there's anyway I can attach new eyelets? Fuji would be furious if I tampered with the sides of the camera but I have to do something.

If I send it in, they'll likely charge me and I'd be without my camera which would be torturous.

- Paul.
Click to expand...

It might be possible to rig a strap to a metal grip like the real right stuff one.

Here is a pointer to it.. The one on the picture comes in three section, the bottom plate, sie plate and the grip. The are plate is the main section, the other two pieces can be ordered separately, but they are intended to be used w/ the base plate.

http://reallyrightstuff.com/Product...desc=BX100-Set:-Includes-Base-+-LPlate-+-Grip

There are other cheaper grip solutions that are just as good.. But in general, something like this could easily be fixed up w/ a wrist strap at least.

Otherwise, it really needs to e properly repaired as others have said.

Gary
 
paultreacy said:
This method I've illustrated above is really pissing me off now. I HATE it. I wonder if there's anyway I can attach new eyelets? Fuji would be furious if I tampered with the sides of the camera but I have to do something.

If I send it in, they'll likely charge me and I'd be without my camera which would be torturous.

- Paul.
Click to expand...

If you haven't already considered one, perhaps consider a sling strap system. I'm not sure if this is what your present solution entails, but if not, it might be worth looking into.

Re: cameras with soft eyelets, the best strap I have found to use, has been the good old Leica M strap. Other loop system straps are not for me, as they almost always involve plastic connectors on the strap itself, and they are not for me.
 
Haven't seen any wear on mine after a year, but the paint around it is eroding from pivoting.
Why is it that high-end cameras don't use the strap slots lower end models have? My M5 has them (three even!) and it seems like a better solution.
 
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