DIY Hip Holster - my alternative to a strap

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Archive 2009 · DIY Hip Holster - my alternative to a strap

Sam Bennett
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p.1 #1 · DIY Hip Holster - my alternative to a strap

Here's some photos of my Hip Holster which I've "perfected" lately. Perfect solution for the GF1 since I can carry the camera around even while holding my 6 month old son around with me. Grab the camera, shoot, put it back. The bungie stop gives a satisfying "click", so there's no doubt when it's seated.

This consists of a tool holder call the Big Lugg 2 that I got from Home Depot (Husky brand). You can also find it at Amazon. It comes with the holder and 3 bungie-ball cords to attach to a drill, hammer, whatever. Instead of using the bungie for the camera (to minimize bounce and to actually fit through the strap mount) I popped the cap off the ball, took a shoe string and ran it through the mount, putting a tube of shrink-tubing around it, run it through the ball, then tie a couple knots in the end and put the cap back on (so the ball stays at the end).

The "perfection" with this version is the addition of the bungie "stop" on the holder itself. This is the tricky bit, it took me a few tries to get it right. The trick is to use a round file to cut a notch into the holder so that the bungie provides just enough resistance so that the ball doesn't pop out when you run around or sit down, but not so much that you can't pop it into place. The plastic sleev at the bottom is included with the supplied bungies - so you just use the bungie you removed, make a loop, tie a knot in the end and slip the sleeve on and work it into the notches, with the knot at the bottom - this prevents the bungie from receding, which keeps it tight. Makes it a little awkward when putting it on, but works great after that.

Great inexpensive DIY project. I love this system. Yes, the camera bounces around a bit and its easy to bang it up against things - but with the 20mm on there, this is exactly what I need. The camera stays out of the way when I don't need it but it is immediately accessible. Since this is a Live View only camera, it's much more convenient over a strap since I found the strap typically just ends up getting in the way.

Edited on Nov 14, 2009 at 06:04 PM · View previous versions

Nov 14, 2009 at 05:46 PM

Lotusm50
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p.1 #2 · DIY Hip Holster - my alternative to a strap

Sam Bennett wrote:
Here's some photos of my Hip Holster which I've "perfected" lately. Perfect solution for the GF1 since I can carry the camera around even while holding my 6 month old son around with me. Grab the camera, shoot, put it back. The bungie stop gives a satisfying "click", so there's no doubt when it's seated.

This consists of a tool holder that I got from Lowes (Husky brand)...

Neat idea. I wonder if it might swing around too much.

By the way, sorry to point out this detail but "Husky" is a Home Depot brand, and is not found at Lowes...

Nov 14, 2009 at 05:53 PM

Sam Bennett
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p.1 #3 · DIY Hip Holster - my alternative to a strap

Ah, you may be right. I go to both, prefer Lowes generally but it's been a while.

The camera does swing a bit, but it's not bothersome to me. I certainly wouldn't want to run around with it, but for walking around its fine.

FWIW, I used to use a similar setup with my second D700:

Nov 14, 2009 at 05:56 PM

Sam Bennett
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p.1 #4 · DIY Hip Holster - my alternative to a strap

Here's the system, called the "Bigg Lugg 2" at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Bigg-Lugg-BL2-3BM-Holding-Bungee-Balls/dp/B0002IGHKW

Nov 14, 2009 at 06:01 PM

brainiac
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p.1 #5 · DIY Hip Holster - my alternative to a strap

Hmmm. Were you inspired by spider or was it a coincidence?

Nov 14, 2009 at 06:05 PM

Sam Bennett
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p.1 #6 · DIY Hip Holster - my alternative to a strap

Spider came after, actually. I've been playing with this idea for over a year. This is just my latest version of it, with the addition of the "stop".

Nov 14, 2009 at 06:06 PM

brainiac
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p.1 #7 · DIY Hip Holster - my alternative to a strap

Sam Bennett wrote:
Spider came after, actually. I've been playing with this idea for over a year. This is just my latest version of it, with the addition of the "stop".

It's funny - I've been enquiring in climbing shops for a year or two about something like this. I thought a big metal hook or some kind of carabine might do the trick. But between you and spider, you've got the problem licked. Thanks for the inspiration.

Nov 14, 2009 at 07:06 PM

RustyBug
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p.1 #8 · DIY Hip Holster - my alternative to a strap

No pic, but I hang mine from a carabine & my hand strap ... holds a heavy setup of 1D MK II & Mamiya 150 2.8. I just make sure I put the carabine on the belt (not a loop).

Nov 14, 2009 at 07:24 PM

Sam Bennett
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p.1 #9 · DIY Hip Holster - my alternative to a strap

brainiac wrote:
Sam Bennett wrote:
Spider came after, actually. I've been playing with this idea for over a year. This is just my latest version of it, with the addition of the "stop".

It's funny - I've been enquiring in climbing shops for a year or two about something like this. I thought a big metal hook or some kind of carabine might do the trick. But between you and spider, you've got the problem licked. Thanks for the inspiration.

I've tried using a carabiner too - this set up lets you use either...

While the carabiner is very secure, the holster is just way, way faster to get to and swings less. The holster also hangs a bit lower, so it's easier to put back. Glad I've inspired you - I really love this setup.

Nov 14, 2009 at 11:13 PM

Sam Bennett
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p.1 #10 · DIY Hip Holster - my alternative to a strap

IMPORTANT UPDATE:
For anyone reading this, I must followup and say that this setup did in fact result in my camera's shutter release button being broken off. The reason for this is that within the "arc" that the camera is free to travel and swing at, the shutter release button would come into direct contact with the rubber portion of the holster:

Button missing, lost somewhere in the woods...

Thankfully Panasonic took a great interest in this damage and contacted me directly to get more photos and eventually exchanged the unit for a brand new one (thanks Panasonic)! This is clearly a case of someone using the camera in a way that the designers didn't envision, and Panasonic was very gracious in replacing the unit - but it does bring up two issues with the button. First off, the button isn't recessed, it's raised a bit. And more importantly, the button is not "freely rotating" - it is fixed in place, which is why this amount of pressure resulted ultimately in failure. Had the button be freely rotating, this likely wouldn't have occurred (both my D50 and D700 have freely rotating buttons).

Now of course, long term - something else likely would have failed. I suspected that if anything the mode dial would get damage first, but the shutter button failed after a few weeks of almost daily use. With that in mind, I don't think I can really recommend this setup - the camera isn't weak, but it isn't robust enough to stand up to that much jostling.

With that said, I love the hip holster idea, and so I'm not giving up. What I'm working on now is something that's more of a "bracket" solution. The one pictured below greatly minimizes the amount of jostling that occurs, resulting in just a minor amount of swing.

This comes at the expense of easy pocketability - which was one of the nice things about the strap-and-ball solution. I'm working with a friend to actually productize this solution, so I'll keep you up to date.

Dec 19, 2009 at 03:11 PM

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