Warning about the X2D Neck Straps Lugs

[Justin]

It was lucky that I had the camera lens tucked into my jacket today when one of the lugs on the neck strap supplied with the camera slipped off its mushroom mount without me touching it, preventing the camera's demise on the rocks below. On investigation, both of the lugs will just slip off their mounts without touching the spring clips, which have very little "spring" in them, certainly not enough to make them a safe attachment. If anyone is about to lean over that bridge parapet or out of that helicopter door, perhaps think about a wrist strap or safety lanyard attached to the tripod screw socket!

[sthor]

I was also surprised how flimsy that solution seems taking into account weight and cost of camera.

[Orokaj]

sadly people will praise Hasselblad going back to this "classic" design until the lugs fail on them.

heard many stories of the lugs coming loose causing the camera to drop.

no way to fix that lug though...just avoid using it.

[boojum]

Getting out the wrist strap

[SrMi]

An alternative is to get the upcoming RRS plate and use a QD strap.

[MGrayson]

Or the existing Peipro baseplate and a QD strap. The X2D being reasonably lightweight, I use a tripod socket attached sling without fear of damaging the camera.

[boojum]

As any wriststrap is going to be attached to the tripod socket directly or indirectly what use is a baseplate?  What does it buy me other than more clutter?

[SrMi]

AS any wriststrap is going to be attached to the tripod socket directly or indirectly what use is a baseplate?  What does it buy me other than more clutter?

A QD Connector.

[MGrayson]

AS any wriststrap is going to be attached to the tripod socket directly or indirectly what use is a baseplate?  What does it buy me other than more clutter?

I only use a base plate if the camera is likely to go on a tripod. Then it's very handy.

[boojum]

Hmmm.  My Manfrotto tripod comes with a quick release baseplate.  Not fancy, basic but it does not allow other attachments when it is attached to the camera.  But all I would be needing is a quick release.  I can unscrew it and re-attach a lanyard to the tripod socket. 

[JCM-Photos]

All Mamiya, Hasselblad ... medium format cameras for  more than 60 years had and have this system and it's 100% secure when used correctly.

You have to verify that the spring blades snaps onto the camera turrets when mounting the strap, you have to hear the click.

When not snaping it can be because you didn't pull it until it locks.

Once locked you have to do a double action to pull it off. Pull the lug outward to compress the spring blade and push it out of the camera turret.

If the blades don't snap at all it's a strap default.

[Justin]

The explanation about the "snapping" is quite correct, and my lugs do "snap", but it is easy to put them into a position where the sprung snapper will just slide back over the head of the mushroom without touching the sprung plate. As the previous post said, this is a tried and tested attachment method, so the conclusion has to be that there is an engineering problem with the new lugs that have been revived for the X2D.

[flash]

I also use RRS plates and QD connectors on all my cameras. An alternative is to use a Peak Design plate and use their connectors to the plate. The PD plate is tiny and basically adds no weight to the system.

There's also the RRS QD mount. It's not a plate. Just a QD mount (female). It sticks out from the bottom of the camera a cm but again weighs basically nothing.

https://www.reallyrightstuff.com/qd-am-m2

Gordon

[Justin]

As a follow-up to this and the past 60 years of successful attachment of this system, I found a vintage Hasselblad wrist strap on ebay with two vintage Hasselblad lugs. The lip of the spring blade on the old ones is slightly deeper than on the new ones and whatever twisting torture I put them through, they won't pop off the turrets until the spring blade is lifted, as they didn't do for those past 60 years! The problem is with the design of the new lugs.

[Orokaj]

As a follow-up to this and the past 60 years of successful attachment of this system, I found a vintage Hasselblad wrist strap on ebay with two vintage Hasselblad lugs. The lip of the spring blade on the old ones is slightly deeper than on the new ones and whatever twisting torture I put them through, they won't pop off the turrets until the spring blade is lifted, as they didn't do for those past 60 years! The problem is with the design of the new lugs.

Interesting, I am aware that the new Vandra straps were recalled, friends had to send theirs back for replacement due to the poor lug design..but I thought the lug designs are the same with normal straps came in the box...