Rolleiflex Strap Design — Can We Trust It?

[stephen_mcateer]

The design of the strap connectors on my Rolleiflex 3.5F seems to me to be over-engineered.

I'm not sure I trust them.

Does anyone know of an alternative method of attaching a strap to these cameras, or am I worrying too much?

Thanks.

Edited October 23, 2023 by stephen_mcateer

[John Seaman]

I've got a 3.5F with a third party "Scissors" strap. I tend to support the camera with my hand in use, as the design does seem a little unusual. However it has never actually lent me down. I'd be surprised if F&H would risk an unproven design.

It's hard to otherwise fit a strap due to the strap lugs being blocked by the part which engages with the scissors.

[AJG]

I use Tamrac straps with quick release attachments for all of my cameras, including 2 Rollei TLRs.  The fabric from these will go through the Rollei connector hardware on the camera bodies and they have held up well for 20+ years. Unfortunately, I don't think that Tamrac makes these any more. I would trust Rollei's straps to work as long as the leather of the strap itself was in good condition.  Too many vintage cameras have hit the floor because of dried out ancient leather straps.

[Niels - NHSN]

The scissor-connector is a very clever design. The leather is more likely the potential culprit, especially if it is the original 40-60 years old strap. A saddler should be able to replace the leather if you have concerns.

On the other hand, any strap that you can fit through the space of the "scissors lug" will be perfectly fine. I used a simple Nikon nylon strap on my 3.5T during the first couple of years.

I do love the ease of removal the scissors allows and I have not had reason to doubt their durability.

[stephen_mcateer]

2 hours ago, John Seaman said:

I tend to support the camera with my hand in use

@John Seaman Yes — I found myself doing that too. I just never feel 100% sure that I've engaged the scissor locks correctly. (There's also the fact that the strap / locks are probably 50+ years old.)

[stephen_mcateer]

2 hours ago, AJG said:

I use Tamrac straps with quick release attachments for all of my cameras, including 2 Rollei TLRs.  The fabric from these will go through the Rollei connector hardware on the camera bodies and they have held up well for 20+ years. Unfortunately, I don't think that Tamrac makes these any more. I would trust Rollei's straps to work as long as the leather of the strap itself was in good condition.  Too many vintage cameras have hit the floor because of dried out ancient leather straps.

Thanks for that. I'll look for Tamrac straps and see what I can find. (I use UpStrap straps on my other cameras and they're great.) The leather on my original Rollei strap looks okay but I'm not completely sure about trusting a camera worth this much to it.

Edited October 23, 2023 by stephen_mcateer

[stephen_mcateer]

42 minutes ago, Niels - NHSN said:

The scissor-connector is a very clever design. The leather is more likely the potential culprit, especially if it is the original 40-60 years old strap. A saddler should be able to replace the leather if you have concerns.

On the other hand, any strap that you can fit through the space of the "scissors lug" will be perfectly fine. I used a simple Nikon nylon strap on my 3.5T during the first couple of years.

I do love the ease of removal the scissors allows and I have not had reason to doubt their durability.

@Niels - NHSN Thanks Niels. Yes it is a clever design. The leather on my strap is reasonable but not great. As I said above, I'm not completely comfortable with trusting a camera that's worth this much to it. I think I might remove an UpStrap from one of my other film cameras and see if it'll fit through the gap in the lugs. (I'm thinking the main reason for removing the strap frequently would be to put the ever-ready case on the camera — maybe I can just live without the case…)

[robert_bowring]

Do not trust any OLD leather strap. They can and will break at any time. There are a lot of good new straps available. I think the alligator type clips are fine and you can get new straps with them. 

[stephen_mcateer]

17 minutes ago, robert_bowring said:

Do not trust any OLD leather strap. They can and will break at any time. There are a lot of good new straps available. I think the alligator type clips are fine and you can get new straps with them. 

@robert_bowring Noted thanks Robert. I'm going to see if an UpStrap will fit. Cheers.

[stephen_mcateer]

On 10/23/2023 at 4:01 PM, robert_bowring said:

Do not trust any OLD leather strap. They can and will break at any time. There are a lot of good new straps available. I think the alligator type clips are fine and you can get new straps with them. 

Update: The UpStrap wuoldn't fit so I put the original leather Rollei one back on. It looks to be in reasonable condition. I'll just be careful with it I suppose. [Not sure I would entirely trust a Chinese one, mainly because the scissors clips are an unknown quantity.]

[Niels - NHSN]

I usually give an old leather strap (with potential) a thorough leather oil treatment to make sure the the fibers are flexible and don’t crack when bent.

As I said earlier, a saddler will be able to replace the leather so you can continue using the original clips.

[stephen_mcateer]

10 hours ago, Niels - NHSN said:

a saddler will be able to replace the leather so you can continue using the original clips.

I will go now and look into that thanks Niels.

[stephen_mcateer]

@Niels - NHSN Just FYI Niels, here is a picture of the refurbished strap. Price was so reasonable I can hardly believe it. And the workmanship is excellent. 

[Niels - NHSN]

Nice!!