Leather camera straps to dress up mirrorless cameras like the Fuji X-T1, X-Pro1, X-100, and X-E1/2

One of the appealing things about the Fuji X-cameras is their handsome, retro look. Many photographs, me included, have enhanced that look by adding a retro style leather strap to the camera. I did some research while looking for straps for my X-T1 and X-Pro1 and thought I'd pass it along in this post.

One thing to consider when buying the strap is its length. Many of the leather strap offers have a fixed length. I measured the length of the straps I was currently using and found that I had set them to be a bit longer in length than most of the fixed length variety. So that narrowed my search field down only to straps where the length could be adjusted.

Below is a list of a few I found conveniently available for ordering on the internet. All of them are adjustable in length. One of them, the Tap & Dye is a fixed length, but is custom made to your order so the length is what you specify. One of them is a hybrid style combining the best qualities of both nylon and leather into one strap.

So here they are, just in time for you to buy a Christmas present for your X-camera. I provided links to the manufacturers where pertinent, and links to where you can order them online.

Tap & Dye Legacy leather custom made camera strap:

The Tap & Dye strap is what I use on my Fuji X-Pro1. It enhances the retro look of the camera nicely.

Tap & Dye straps are custom made in the USA to your order, and, while not length adjustable, are cut to your specified size. It can be ordered with or without bumpers and neck pad. Cost begins at $75 but varies with options.



Ciesta CSS-HM12-A03 Mano Leather Camera Strap:

This leather strap by Ciesta has braided ends, a leather shoulder pad, and is length adjustable. It is available in several colors here at Amazon for $44.49.



Adjustable length, padded leather strap:

This strap of genuine leather has the advantage of being adjustable in its length with three holes on each end. It is also padded in the middle where it is 20mm wide. I'm not even sure who the manufacturer is, which is why I did not mention it in the heading, but it looks really nice and meets the definition of what I was seeking when I started this article. This strap is available on Amazon for $31.50. Reasonable enough.



Ciesta CSS-L15-A06 Leather Camera Strap L15:

This Ciesta strap is a hybrid. The part near the camera is nylon while the main strap is made of leather resulting in the best of both worlds. The nylon is adjustable in length, piable and soft where it needs to be, and the leather section is strong and attractive over the main length. I use this strap on my Fuji X-T1 and really like it. Very well made, it is sold on Amazon for $36.99. It is wearing quite well with a nice patina on my X-T1.

Keep in mind, one of the beauties of leather is the way it develops character as it ages -- one of the main reasons for choosing it for use on a retro-style camera. The leather straps I have on my X-T1 and X-Pro1 look better every time I use them.

Fuji XF 50-140mm f/2.8 zoom arrives!

The new Fuji 50-140mm zoom lens arrived yesterday. I will be testing it throughout the week and following up with a hands-on review later in the week.

First thing I noticed was the size. While it is understandably a large lens compared to the long lens Fuji lineup, it is much smaller and lighter than the equivalent (70-200mm) zooms you would find on a Canon or Nikon full frame camera. I had been wondering if it would be too large for casual travel shooting, but I immediately found it quite comfortable to hold and use.

Below is the first quick shot I did with it. You can download the full res image by clicking here.

More to follow as I put this it through its paces. Initial results are showing impressive results from a very well constructed lens.

Read the full, hands-on review here.

I got mine from Jeff at Fotocare in New York's photo district. He might have some more left. Give him a call. Tell him I sent you.

Faster UHS-II card readers available for the new SD UHS-II cards

Awhile ago I did a blog post on the speed of the new UHS-II SD cards when used in a Fuji X-T1  These cards dramatically increase write speed in a camera, like the X-T1, that can take advantage of their new technology, but the ability to read from the cards at a faster rate was hampered by the unavailability of a UHS-II card reader that could transfer the data into a computer. All that has changed, as currently there are two UHS-II readers on the market that can read these cards and transfer the data at a much higher rate over a USB 3.0 line.


SanDisk Extreme Pro SDHC/SDXC UHS-II Card Reader/Writer:

One device is made by Sandisk, the company that introduced the faster SD card. It is the SanDisk Extreme Pro SDHC/SDXC UHS-II Card Reader/Writer. It reads SD cards only and plugs directly into a computer USB 3.0 port. The Sandisk reader is available for $39.99


Delkin Devices USB 3.0 Dual Slot SD UHS-II and CF Memory Card Reader:

The other available device is the Delkin Devices USB 3.0 Dual Slot SD UHS-II and CF Memory Card Reader. It has the advantage of being able to handle both SD and CF cards -- and can read them simultaneously. The Delkin reader is available for $34.99.

Both reader/writers can trasfer data over a USB 3.0 port at speeds up to 500 MB/s, which is 10 times faster that USB 2.0.  And both are backward compatible to USB 2.0 technology.

If you are planning on buying a card or reader, you can help support this site at no extra cost to you by clicking the link and purchasing from one of our affiliate sellers listed below -- and thanks for your support.

The SanDisk UHS-II Card Reader/Writer can be ordered from:  BH-Photo  Amazon

The Delkin Devices USB 3.0 Dual Slot UHS-II Card Reader  BH-Photo  Amazon

You can order the new Sandisk 16GB SD UHS-II card here:   BH-photo   Amazon
You can order the new Sandisk 32GB SD UHS-II card here:   BH-photo   Amazon

You can order the new Sandisk  64GB SD UHS-II card here:   BH-photo   Amazon

All available UHS-II cards and readers can be found here:  BH-Photo

The Thanksgiving Day meal begins...

We began early prepping the actual Thanksgiving meal. You can see the progress of the meal as the day went on until the final feast was put upon the table.

The turkey is prepped before putting in the oven. 

Green bean casserole before the addition of onion rings. 

Apple crumb pie.

Jamie's home baked pumpkin pie.

Cornbread with honey.

Basting the turkey.

...and finally the meal is served...and photographed:

Hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving from New York!

The day before Thanksgiving - laying it all out

Only one day left until the main event. My wife and I laid out the ingredients that will be going into the meal tomorrow. My daughter, Jamie, contributed her traditional pumpkin pie.

We photographed this at  home in the actual dining room where it will be served tomorrow. The day was rainy and bleak in Manhattan, and the light quite dim. I set up a Vanguard Alta Pro 254CT overhead tripod with the Nikon D750 and a 35mm Nikon f/2 lens, which I used at f/16 and ISO 125. Originally, I had placed a large fold-out reflector off to the right, but found the light to be too "clean" and even. So I did away with the reflector for this last shot, turned on some room lights to add warm tones in a few spots. and bounced a little fill into some critically dark areas with two small silver cardboard reflectors.

Counting down to the main event tomorrow.

Propping for a Thanksgiving photo session

Today we spent our time in the studio sifting through our collection of country-type cooking props to select some for the look we want to achieve in our Thanksgiving photo session. While we had the props out, I photographed some of them in their own right. We maintain a large collection of food related props because we do so much food photography.

The look we were going for in our Thanksgiving Day shoot is more casual country than polished traditional so we will be using props and lighting techniques that complement this look.

These photos were taken with the Nikon D750 and Nikon 60mm macro lens. Lighting was a mix of daylight -- which accounts for the slight bluish tint -- and one tungsten lamp with a 1/4 color correcting CTB gel on it to add some warm tones here and there in the scenes. These shots are pretty much straight from the camera.