Do-it-yourself Wrist Strap for Your Coolpix

Leigh Whittemore said:

I don't know about you but I hate the neck strap concept that we get with
the Coolpix digicams.

Click to expand...

Leigh Whittemore said:

I don't know about you but I hate the neck strap concept that we get with
the Coolpix digicams.
There is something about the way that the camera hangs that reminds me of
a stereotypical
middle class American tourist at Disney World (shorts, black socks, boat
shoes, funny hat...)

What I really wanted was a good wrist strap to let me stop worrying about
dropping the camera
and concentrate instead on using it. You see them on many video cameras
but they are built into the
camera body. So, knowing that I'd never use the full neck strap, I
decided to make my wrist strap
from it. Here is what I did (I'm sure you have even better ideas).

Cut both ends of the strap, leaving about 1.5 inches of the nylon mesh
from the tapered leather
piece. Use a match to lightly melt the cut nylon ends so that they won't
fray. Overlap each nylon
piece and sew them together with black thread. I used a sewing machine
but hand-sewing is almost
as easy if you don't know how to use a machine. Make sure you sew along
all four edges of
overlapped 1.5 inch section. You don't want this piece to break. Next,
use a razor blade to cut the
thread that forms the skinny loop around the metal buckle. Slide this
skinny part of the strap through
the camera's strap slot, slide the plastic band onto it, thread it back
through the metal buckle, and
finally hand-sew the loop again. If you aren't comfortable making your
wrist strap a semi-permanent
part of your camera, you can figure out a different way to anchor the
loop. Finally, cut off all but
around 2 inches of the other skinny nylon strap, melt the nylon ends with
a match, and thread it
through the buckle and you are done.

The whole project took a half hour and doesn't detract at all from the
integrity of the camera. I'd be
interested in hearing how you make out with the project! Happing sewing!

Leigh

Click to expand...

Leigh Whittemore said:

I don't know about you but I hate the neck strap concept that we get with
the Coolpix digicams.
There is something about the way that the camera hangs that reminds me of
a stereotypical
middle class American tourist at Disney World (shorts, black socks, boat
shoes, funny hat...)

What I really wanted was a good wrist strap to let me stop worrying about
dropping the camera
and concentrate instead on using it. You see them on many video cameras
but they are built into the
camera body. So, knowing that I'd never use the full neck strap, I
decided to make my wrist strap
from it. Here is what I did (I'm sure you have even better ideas).

Cut both ends of the strap, leaving about 1.5 inches of the nylon mesh
from the tapered leather
piece. Use a match to lightly melt the cut nylon ends so that they won't
fray. Overlap each nylon
piece and sew them together with black thread. I used a sewing machine
but hand-sewing is almost
as easy if you don't know how to use a machine. Make sure you sew along
all four edges of
overlapped 1.5 inch section. You don't want this piece to break. Next,
use a razor blade to cut the
thread that forms the skinny loop around the metal buckle. Slide this
skinny part of the strap through
the camera's strap slot, slide the plastic band onto it, thread it back
through the metal buckle, and
finally hand-sew the loop again. If you aren't comfortable making your
wrist strap a semi-permanent
part of your camera, you can figure out a different way to anchor the
loop. Finally, cut off all but
around 2 inches of the other skinny nylon strap, melt the nylon ends with
a match, and thread it
through the buckle and you are done.

The whole project took a half hour and doesn't detract at all from the
integrity of the camera. I'd be
interested in hearing how you make out with the project! Happing sewing!

Leigh

Click to expand...

Corey P. said:

Good Idea. Would you be able to post a pic of your creation? Would the
modified strap tight enought to actually prevent the camera from falling
if you openend your hand, or would it just keep it from being knocked out
of your hand in some cases?

Corey P.

Click to expand...

Leigh Whittemore said:

I don't know about you but I hate the neck strap concept that we get with
the Coolpix digicams.
There is something about the way that the camera hangs that reminds me of
a stereotypical
middle class American tourist at Disney World (shorts, black socks, boat
shoes, funny hat...)

What I really wanted was a good wrist strap to let me stop worrying about
dropping the camera
and concentrate instead on using it. You see them on many video cameras
but they are built into the
camera body. So, knowing that I'd never use the full neck strap, I
decided to make my wrist strap
from it. Here is what I did (I'm sure you have even better ideas).

Cut both ends of the strap, leaving about 1.5 inches of the nylon mesh
from the tapered leather
piece. Use a match to lightly melt the cut nylon ends so that they won't
fray. Overlap each nylon
piece and sew them together with black thread. I used a sewing machine
but hand-sewing is almost
as easy if you don't know how to use a machine. Make sure you sew along
all four edges of
overlapped 1.5 inch section. You don't want this piece to break. Next,
use a razor blade to cut the
thread that forms the skinny loop around the metal buckle. Slide this
skinny part of the strap through
the camera's strap slot, slide the plastic band onto it, thread it back
through the metal buckle, and
finally hand-sew the loop again. If you aren't comfortable making your
wrist strap a semi-permanent
part of your camera, you can figure out a different way to anchor the
loop. Finally, cut off all but
around 2 inches of the other skinny nylon strap, melt the nylon ends with
a match, and thread it
through the buckle and you are done.

The whole project took a half hour and doesn't detract at all from the
integrity of the camera. I'd be
interested in hearing how you make out with the project! Happing sewing!

Leigh

Click to expand...

Frances said:

Leigh Whittemore said:

I don't know about you but I hate the neck strap concept that we get with
the Coolpix digicams.
There is something about the way that the camera hangs that reminds me of
a stereotypical
middle class American tourist at Disney World (shorts, black socks, boat
shoes, funny hat...)

What I really wanted was a good wrist strap to let me stop worrying about
dropping the camera
and concentrate instead on using it. You see them on many video cameras
but they are built into the
camera body. So, knowing that I'd never use the full neck strap, I
decided to make my wrist strap
from it. Here is what I did (I'm sure you have even better ideas).

Cut both ends of the strap, leaving about 1.5 inches of the nylon mesh
from the tapered leather
piece. Use a match to lightly melt the cut nylon ends so that they won't
fray. Overlap each nylon
piece and sew them together with black thread. I used a sewing machine
but hand-sewing is almost
as easy if you don't know how to use a machine. Make sure you sew along
all four edges of
overlapped 1.5 inch section. You don't want this piece to break. Next,
use a razor blade to cut the
thread that forms the skinny loop around the metal buckle. Slide this
skinny part of the strap through
the camera's strap slot, slide the plastic band onto it, thread it back
through the metal buckle, and
finally hand-sew the loop again. If you aren't comfortable making your
wrist strap a semi-permanent
part of your camera, you can figure out a different way to anchor the
loop. Finally, cut off all but
around 2 inches of the other skinny nylon strap, melt the nylon ends with
a match, and thread it
through the buckle and you are done.

The whole project took a half hour and doesn't detract at all from the
integrity of the camera. I'd be
interested in hearing how you make out with the project! Happing sewing!

Leigh

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Leigh Whittemore said:

Sorry about the line spacing. Word wrap on these postings doesn't
seem to work for me.

Click to expand...

Leigh Whittemore said:

I don't know about you but I hate the neck strap concept that we get with
the Coolpix digicams.
There is something about the way that the camera hangs that reminds me of
a stereotypical
middle class American tourist at Disney World (shorts, black socks, boat
shoes, funny hat...)

Click to expand...

Leigh Whittemore said:

I don't know about you but I hate the neck strap concept that we get with
the Coolpix digicams.
There is something about the way that the camera hangs that reminds me of
a stereotypical
middle class American tourist at Disney World (shorts, black socks, boat
shoes, funny hat...)

What I really wanted was a good wrist strap to let me stop worrying about
dropping the camera
and concentrate instead on using it. You see them on many video cameras
but they are built into the
camera body. So, knowing that I'd never use the full neck strap, I
decided to make my wrist strap
from it. Here is what I did (I'm sure you have even better ideas).

Cut both ends of the strap, leaving about 1.5 inches of the nylon mesh
from the tapered leather
piece. Use a match to lightly melt the cut nylon ends so that they won't
fray. Overlap each nylon
piece and sew them together with black thread. I used a sewing machine
but hand-sewing is almost
as easy if you don't know how to use a machine. Make sure you sew along
all four edges of
overlapped 1.5 inch section. You don't want this piece to break. Next,
use a razor blade to cut the
thread that forms the skinny loop around the metal buckle. Slide this
skinny part of the strap through
the camera's strap slot, slide the plastic band onto it, thread it back
through the metal buckle, and
finally hand-sew the loop again. If you aren't comfortable making your
wrist strap a semi-permanent
part of your camera, you can figure out a different way to anchor the
loop. Finally, cut off all but
around 2 inches of the other skinny nylon strap, melt the nylon ends with
a match, and thread it
through the buckle and you are done.

The whole project took a half hour and doesn't detract at all from the
integrity of the camera. I'd be
interested in hearing how you make out with the project! Happing sewing!

Leigh

Click to expand...

Paul Linder said:

Leigh,
I hate to cut up my neck strap in case it lowers my resale value at some
time
(it's a damn millenium model). So what about using some sort of a buckle to
pinch it off at about wrist strap length, leaving the rest intact and ready
to use around the neck if you get involved in a filter change etc?
Paul

Click to expand...

Peter iNova said:

Paul Linder said:

Leigh,
I hate to cut up my neck strap in case it lowers my resale value at some
time
(it's a damn millenium model). So what about using some sort of a buckle to
pinch it off at about wrist strap length, leaving the rest intact and ready
to use around the neck if you get involved in a filter change etc?
Paul

Click to expand...

Ayar! Cutting up the stuff from the box seems drastic. However,
there are these places that sell sports gear and they have strapping
for mountain climbers... The narrow stuff costs under 10 cents a foot...
It ties very well... Three feet does two cameras... Fifteen cents each....
Plus the cost of driving to the Sports Chalet (your center may vary)...

-iNova....

Click to expand...

Brent Boren said:

Interesting approach for a self-portrait! I was just thinking of taking
some shots of my camera with a similar method.

Brent

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