I’m looking to bring a number of new brands to Rigu over the next few months, making a wider range of camera strap (and other products) available. Hopefully, this will mean that Rigu will have something for everyone, at every budget.
I’ve seen Heavy Leather NYC come up a few times in my travels around the internet and always admired their straps, especially their Slingshot strap (available in black or brown). It was that item that first drew me to the brand and I’m glad to have them on the site now, making Rigu their first ever European distributor.
Slings are something that I feel are a bit underrepresented with it comes to camera straps. A lot of people want to be able to wear a strap across their body, and most standard neck straps are just a little bit too short for that.
If you look for sling straps, the options are typically fairly limited, uninspiring, and very much focused on function rather than looking good. The Slingshot by Heavy Leather NYC is that most unusual combo, form and function. It’s good looks draw on their years of experience crafting guitar straps for people like Prince, Black Sabbath, and Lemmy from Motorhead, whilst also maintaining security by layering the main leather belt on top of nylon. You wouldn’t see it at first glance, but it’s there and it keeps this strap extra secure. The padded shoulder pad keeps this extra comfy, helping you get through a day of shooting.
As I say, Rachael, the owner of Heavy Leather, has a lot of experience with guitar straps and it’s fair to say that it’s mostly a guitar brand. I don’t want to stereotype rock and metal metal as being one thing or aesthetic, but that experience seems to bring something else to the straps when it comes to the design style that I don’t usually get from a camera brand. It’s a look that I haven’t had at Rigu before, and I’m glad to have it.
With Heavy Leather being mostly a guitar brand, it does mean their camera strap range isn’t huge, so I have abandoned my “dip the toe in the water” process that I usually have with new brands, and stocked their entire range from day one. Quantities are relatively limited, but everything is available and this is the best way for me to judge what items people like and get valuable feedback by having everything available.
By making Heavy Leather products available in the UK, Rigu has once again made it easier, faster, and cheaper to get hold of high-quality camera straps that would have otherwise required long waits for customs, import charges, and hassle in the event of needing to deal with customer services. Fundamentally, Rigu aims to make the process of getting cool things easier for photographers, so if you have seen a product and thought “I want it, but I don’t want to have to import it” get in touch and maybe it can become a Rigu product.
Vegan photographers were rightly excited when HoldFast Gear announced their new vegan leather MoneyMaker dual camera harness a couple of months ago, and now it’s available to buy in the UK with no import charges and free tracked delivery from Rigu!
At the start of the year one of my aims for the company to was expand the range of camera straps available, and this included options for vegan photographers. I’m not a vegan, but as a business owner it makes sense for me to cater to a variety of photographers as possible, and I would like to make sure vegans have good options when it comes to camera straps.
The problem with most vegan camera straps is that they just aren’t very good, and their vegan aspect is merely a marketing tool for a cheap plastic camera strap. The reason why Rigu doesn’t have many vegan options is because the vast majority of them are not good enough for me to sell and be confident in the product.
I was really keen to check out the vegan leather MoneyMaker, but as with all new products I have to be careful how and where I invest my money with a brand, even one like HoldFast Gear where I’ve always been impressed with their products. Due to this, I thought it best to play it safe and stick with black and brown options for the vegan leather, rather than something like the neon yellow, as that’s probably a bit more niche in terms of appeal.
As you can see from the photos, the vegan leather MoneyMaker is very, very similar to the standard leather version. In terms of functionality there are a couple of differences. There is no version available with D-rings, all vegan MoneyMakers have no D-rings. The sliders (the part at the bottom of the harness that attaches to your camera) are not adjustable, as they are on a standard MoneyMaker. In my experience, it’s rare that people need to alter the length of the sliders on their MoneyMaker, so I don’t think that this will have too much of an impact on most people.
Other than those two things, it is functionally the same and will give the same comfort, convenience and improvements to workflow that the standard leather version would provide to a photographer.
One thing I was concerned about when placing my stock order was what the material would feel like. I’m yet to find a “vegan leather” that feels like actual leather, and that remains the case with the vegan leather MoneyMaker, but I suppose that’s not really the point of the product.
This are trying to recreate chicken nuggets for vegans so that it tastes like a chicken nugget. HoldFast aren’t trying to replicate their normal camera harness, they’re making a new product that appeals to a wide range of people whilst also meeting the needs of vegans.
It doesn’t really feel like leather, and it definitely doesn’t smell like leather. There’s a slight amount of texture on the material that is similar to the random crinkles, creases, and variations that you would expect from a MoneyMaker, but it’s not going to fool anyone into thinking it’s the real thing.
In my opinion there was no point in them trying to recreate that look and feel because it’s not currently possible as far as I’m aware, though there are some really cool projects out there which are getting much closer. Maybe they could have produced something that looked similar, but it wouldn’t have had the same durability and product lifetime (which is a major reason for picking a HoldFast product over the copycats, their harnesses last a long, long time).
For that reason I’m glad they went in the other direction and produced a MoneyMaker that is all-weather, durable, and wipe-clean. Now, as well as appealing to vegans with avoiding animal-based products, they have a product that can work well for extreme sports photographers, sailors, and anyone that works with their cameras in poor and changeable weather. Matt Swaggart (HF founder) even says that if you were to write on these harnesses with a sharpie pen it would just wipe right off. I don’t necessarily recommend that you write on your harness, but it does get across the point that this is a great option for photographers working in harsh environments where they wouldn’t want to go with a leather camera harness.
As ever, it’s important to remember that my company Rigu is the UK’s leading seller of HoldFast Gear products, and I’m a big fan of their company. It’s natural that I’m going to be positive about the new vegan leather MoneyMaker, but I do think that as a product it is something different that should appeal to both vegans and a variety of other photographers and I’m eager to see how people in the UK react to it.
Rigu has the widest selection of HoldFast Gear products in the UK, at prices that are considerably cheaper than importing them yourself from the US, and without the hassle of paying for customs & import duties, with free tracked delivery.
If you are a customer, shopping with Rigu has largely been the same over the past couple of months as normal. However, as I have only visited the office a handful of times since my last coronavirus-related post, it definitely doesn’t feel normal to me, and I just want to update people on how Rigu is doing.
Here’s where we’re at with operations at the moment:
My brother Neil is doing an excellent job getting orders sent out to the same schedule as I would normally achieve on weekdays. In this regard, nothing has changed.
The Royal Mail are doing well, and most orders are arriving within the expected delivery estimate, but there has been an increase in orders which have been arriving late. This often appears to be packages sitting at depots for an extended period. My presumption is that this is due to a reduction in capacity at depots in both the ability to sort and deliver mail and is dependent on the area you’re in. I should reiterate that most orders are arriving within the expected timeframe, but order earlier than usual if you need an item by a certain date.
Special Delivery services are still not available as an upgrade as the Royal Mail are not able to guarantee that timeframe, and I would rather not make it available than have disappointed customers.
Customer service e-mails are being responded to quicker than usual, as I am sat at home and there’s less to do here than in the office.
You are not able to contact me via the office phone number (as I’m not there), all enquiries are to be made via e-mail or social media, please.
Officially, the personalised camera strap service is not available. However, that hasn’t stopped a couple of people ordering it anyway, and in those cases me and Neil have found a workaround so that I can safely go to the workshop and personalise the strap after which Neil then packs it and preps for postage. It’s not something I want to be doing regularly (it’s an 80 minute round-trip drive to the office) but if you really need a personalised strap, it can be worked into the schedule I have for taking shopping to my family.
One thing I have been enjoying recently is going for lots of walks around the local area, and taking my camera with me too. On these walks I’ve had plenty chances to listen to business podcasts and think about ways I can improve Rigu. I am looking at new brands to bring to the site, and thinking about ways to make the site more efficient, more usable, and better for customers.
Hopefully for all the ways that coronavirus has held Rigu back over the past couple of months, it will provide a chance to focus on other aspects of the business that often get neglected because I have to deal with day-to-day issues and jobs.
As ever, thank you very much to everyone who is placing orders at the moment. I recognise that it’s a time of great uncertainty in all aspects of life, especially financially, and as I said at the start of all this, I understand that a nice camera strap is not at the top of most people’ priorities. I can only assume that there are a lot of people who have had a chance to reconnect with photography and now that they’re spending more time with their camera they want to be comfortable (and look good) whilst they’re taking photos, and I truly appreciate those people visiting Rigu.
A couple of days after lockdown began (and I stopped going to the office, leaving my brother to fulfill orders whilst I dealt with the admin from home) a box arrived from the USA full of Simplr Camera Straps.
Getting fresh stock in is great, except Simplr don’t label their straps. It would have been unfair to expect Neil to learn the differences between their models, or to label them up himself, so we decided to leave it for a while and the box sat unopened, and unavailable to customers.
That while ended earlier this week when I went in my office for the first time in… 7(?) weeks, sorted out the labels, prepped the straps, and then wiped down every surface I’d touched with antibacterial cloths so that I couldn’t risk infecting my brother.
Every item of theirs that’s listed in the shop is available again now. If you need a simple, lightweight, minimal, practical, and functional camera strap, Simplr is the right option for you.
As some of you will know, whilst I can’t get to the office due to the coronavirus my brother Neil is sending out orders to make sure Rigu is running almost as normal. As well as having his own job, and doing mine at the moment, Neil is also a member of the Langdale and Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team.
The LAMRT are a group of volunteers that go out in all weathers and at all times of day to help people that have been injured or got lost on the mountains. They are all volunteers with no members receiving payment for their work, and they receive no funding from the government.
As part of the celebrations to mark the teams 50th anniversary, they have released some Rescue Team Trumps cards. These are fun cards that will give them a fundraising boost whilst also helping people (especially younger mountaineers) learn about being safe and prepared for a day in the hills.
The team do not have an ecommerce system setup, so Rigu was asked to sell the cards for them. This is of course not being done for Rigu’s profit, and it allows them to benefit from piggybacking on my system to give them volume discounts on postage, payment processing, and packaging. This allows them to provide the cards at a lower price to supporters whilst also maximising their fundraising efforts.
If you are a photographer that spends time in the Lake District and may well find yourself carried off a mountain by my brother and the rest of the team, please do consider ordering a pack of cards.
Holdfast Gear Original and Skinny MoneyMaker camera harnesses
For almost a decade HoldFast Gear have been producing camera straps and harnesses using high-end leather and components, helping thousands of photographers to improve their workflow whilst looking stylish and being more comfortable than ever before at work.
Over that time, their product range has expanded. Some of these products have a bit of overlap in what they can do and who they’re appropriate for, which can be confusing for some photographers who just aren’t sure what is right for them.
Being the UK’s leading seller of HoldFast products I talk to a lot of photographers and I know that people are often unsure whether they should go for the skinny MoneyMaker of the original/regular version. I thought that I’d provide some advice and clear up a few misconceptions to help people decide what MoneyMaker dual camera harness is right for them. People are of course still welcome to get in touch for advice because buying a MoneyMaker is an investment, and I know people want to be confident in their choice before making a purchase.
This article is being written whilst I’m not able to visit my office due to the COVID-19 pandemic (though orders are being dispatched almost as normal), so I’m just using HoldFast’s own product images for now as I don’t have access to the harnesses at the moment to take some nice photos of them. Hopefully when life returns to normal I’ll be able to get some nice side-by-side shots to better illustrate the differences.
What differences are there between the Original and Skinny MoneyMakers by HoldFast Gear?
Physical size
The biggest and most obvious difference is the width of the leather. The main belt of leather on the original MoneyMaker is 1.5″ (38mm) wide. The main belt on the skinny MoneyMaker is 1″ (25mm) wide, with removable leather shoulder pads that are 1.5″ wide.
Despite the difference in the main belt width, both versions use the same width of leather on the adjustable slider (except with a smaller metal connector to attach to the harness on the skinny version, so ensure a tighter fit and prevent the slider from catching and nipping at your clothes).
With the main belt being less wide, this of course means it uses less material and is therefore a lighter product, and can also be packed smaller in storage or transport. It’s not a huge difference, but if you are trying to save every gram possible, or have limited packing space in your camera bag then this might be a consideration for you.
Flexibility with D-rings
The original MoneyMaker comes in two versions; with D-rings or without. They can’t be added or removed after purchase, so it’s important to choose wisely when you place your order. The main use for the front D-rings is adding a 3rd camera with a set of leashes, and I’ve heard of photographers using them for their press pass at gigs and events so that it can be kept easily visible without getting in their way. On my on own MoneyMaker I’ve never actually used the D-rings for anything, but I think they look cool and add to the aesthetic of the product so I’m happy to have them there.
Why wouldn’t you want D-rings? HoldFast themselves recommend not having the D-rings if you have long hair that you wear down when you’re shooting, and you know you won’t be using the harness with a 3rd camera. I should say I’ve never had someone return a MoneyMaker because their hair was getting tangled in the rings, but it is something to consider. You might also want a more minimal looking MoneyMaker with no D-rings so that it is just leather on your shoulders.
The skinny MoneyMaker does give a lot more flexibility in this regard. The D-rings are held in place on the skinny MoneyMaker by the removable shoulder pad. You can remove the D-rings and still keep the shoulder pads on the harness (or remove them too) if you are concerned about your hair getting caught in the rings, or you just don’t see the need for them. If you felt you needed them later on then it would just be a few minutes of adjusting the harness to get those rings back on.
Which is more comfortable?
This is a tricky question to answer, because it is very dependent on who is wearing it, so what applies to me and some other people might not necessarily be true for you. Comparing one to the other in terms of comfort is hard because very few people will use the original version for an extended period of time and then switch to the skinny as most people are happy with the first kind they get and stick to it. Still, there is some general advice I can provide, as long as it is understood with the overall advice that no matter which you choose, it will probably be more comfortable than what you are using at the moment.
BrandonBurkPhotography.com
In terms of spreading the weight of your cameras there should be very little difference between the skinny and original MoneyMaker. Your shoulders take the majority of that weight, and the with the width of the shoulder pads on the skinny being the same as the width of the original MoneyMaker band, you’re spreading that weight across the same area.
If you remove the shoulder pads in theory it could be less comfortable, but I think the difference would be fairly negligible except for in extreme cases with very heavy camera setups and extended periods of use without being able to take a break.
The crossover on the back does also take some of the strain, but I am of the belief that the sizing of this shouldn’t make too much of a difference to the level of comfort.
Overall, I think it’s very even in comfort between the two versions for most men and some women, but in the next section I’ll be discussing how for some women there are a few other considerations to make in terms of comfort.
Which is the best HoldFast MoneyMaker for women?
I have had anecdotal evidence from a few female photographers that the skinny MoneyMaker is more comfortable for them. For some women using the original MoneyMaker the width of the harness can end up rubbing under the armpit or generally being a bit of a bother pushing against their bra.
To be clear, no one has ever returned an original MoneyMaker due to this being an issue, so I don’t want anyone to worry too much. I suspect that as the leather gets worn in and more pliable with use that this issue would subside, but when asked by customers I do tend to recommend the skinny version to female photographers.
Some female photographers (and male too) that are slim or petite tend to prefer the look of the skinny MoneyMaker since it is less bulky. I’m a big guy and the original version looks right on me, so it makes sense that the skinny version would be more appropriate for slimmer people. With this in mind, for people that are slim it can sometimes make sense to go for a smaller size than the sizing chart recommends for your height. In these cases if you are unsure I would recommend contacting me for personalised advice.
Is the Skinny MoneyMaker strong enough for my DSLR cameras?
Yes! I’m not sure where this idea came from, but occasionally I get asked if the Skinny MoneyMaker is just for photographers that have more lightweight camera setups like using a pair of mirrorless cameras or just sticking to using short prime lenses which tend to be lighter.
From a practical point of view, the skinny and original versions of the MoneyMaker can carry the same amount of weight. They are both strong enough that they will carry far more than your cameras could weigh, so you can confidently put a couple of big full-frame DSLRs on there with heavy telephoto lenses mounted without any concerns.
It’s slightly more rare, but I do also get asked if the original MoneyMaker wil handle having a 24-70mm lens on one side and a 70-200mm lens on the other with a pair of full frame DSLRs. The answer remains the same; yes. The MoneyMaker is designed with event and wedding photographers in mind, and so it can carry any setup that would typically be used in those professions.
Is the sizing different?
The sizing chart is the same for both kinds of MoneyMaker. This comes with the usual caveats that height is not the only concern when deciding what size is right for you. Slimmer people sometimes need to size down, and bigger people sometimes need to go for a larger size than the sizing chart indicates. Generally, it tends to be that if you fit into a medium original MoneyMaker then the medium skinny will be the right fit for you too.
Conclusion
Let’s be clear, as someone that sells the MoneyMaker and other HoldFast products I recognise that I am biased, but I do hope this article has provided some guidance and advice that can help you make a better informed decision if you are thinking about buying a HoldFast Gear MoneyMaker.
As I said earlier, every person is different. Different taste, different height, different body shape, different camera setup and that means conclusions are hard to draw. The stats are that the majority of my skinny MoneyMaker sales are to women, whereas men are much more likely to order the original MoneyMaker, but I wouldn’t want anyone to feel that they shouldn’t buy either kind based on gender when the most important thing is you purchasing a harness that you will be happy and comfortable using for many years.
If you’re unsure which MoneyMaker is right for you, give me a message or call and I’ll do my best to make sure you get the right MoneyMaker.
Rigu has the largest selection of HoldFast Gear products in the UK, offering same day dispatch and next day delivery, along with excellent customer service and knowledge of their products. It is considerably cheaper to purchase a MoneyMaker via Rigu than importing one direct from HoldFast the USA after you take account for import taxes and fees. The saving is usually around £50 depending on the exchange rate.
At the end of February I had a trip to Tokyo. Originally, this was so that I could go to the CP+ tradeshow in Yokohama to find new suppliers and interesting products for Rigu. The show was cancelled due to (understandable) coronavirus concerns a couple of weeks before I was due to leave, but I felt it was still possible for the trip to be worthwhile as long as I took precautions whilst I was out there to ensure my own safety as well as others. In Japan the COVID-19 response was very impressive, which sanitiser available at the entrance of the vast majority of shops, cafes and restaurants. Being a solo traveller my contact with other people was fairly limited, and with the city being much quieter than usual, it was possible to move around without being packed into trains like sardines to ensure a fair distance from other people.
Anyway, this isn’t a travel blog. Tokyo is a very, very photogenic city. Almost everywhere you turn you will find something that is interesting to photograph, and I decided to take a couple of Fractal Filters along with me as I thought they would be fun to use in places like Akihabara and Shinjuku that have lots of bright signs and colourful lights.
One important thing to remember about Fractal Filters and travel is that they need to go in checked/hold luggage. If you get to security with these in your hand luggage they WILL be confiscated since they look like a knuckle duster and are a big lump of glass. I can’t think of anything fun to shoot with them in an airport or during a long-haul flight so you aren’t missing out on much.
In my previous post about the Fractals my aim was to use them in a fairly minimal and subtle way most of the time. In Tokyo it was very much the opposite. Many areas of the city are an assault on the senses and the Fractals amplified that with really interesting results. Some of the shots were chaotic, almost creating an abstract pattern that was unrecognisable from the reality of the scene, whereas others drew focus to a specific point.
Personally, I’ve always felt that the Fractals work best when you have a subject in frame between 6-15 feet from you, which is why I love using them for portrait photography, but if you’re going to Tokyo and you own Fractals, you’re going to take them. Using them for landscapes or street scenes like these can be fairly hit-or-miss and there were plenty of occasions when I knew they wouldn’t be appropriate. As ever, the Fractals are a tool, and no tool suits every situation. They are fun to play around with though, and it’s nice knowing that my touristy photos of Tokyo are fairly unique.
As an aside, the Fractal prisms did have one unexpected side-benefit whilst I was in Tokyo. Personal connection. I’ve visited Japan three times, once with a friend, once with my partner, and this time on my own. Being on your own in one of the largest metropolis’ on the planet can be quite a lonely experience. English is more widely spoken than when I first visited in 2007, but generally it’s rare to engage in a conversation with a stranger.
The Fractals seemed to break down that barrier, people were curious about the lumps of glass I was wiggling in front of my lens and I would show them the back of camera and the effect the prisms created. It was nice to have a brief conversation with someone that wasn’t serving me my lunch for a change. Japan has a lot of photography & camera shops, but creative items like the Fractals are still rare and it was fun that people took an interest.
Rigu is the UK & Europe’s only distributor of the Fractal Filters, offering quick despatch and delivery, with no customs import hassles. They are listed on Amazon.co.uk, but they’re under the global shipping programme, so you would be waiting for them to come from the US, and you’d be paying more.
Compared to purchasing direct from the manufacturer you will save money (before and after factoring in customs import charges) as well as benefiting from much quicker delivery and UK customer support.
There’s been quite a lot of changes in the world recently due to the coronavirus, and that has also affected Rigu. At times like this I understand that camera straps aren’t most people’s top priority, but the shop does remain open and ready to send out orders.
I (Andy) am working from home, but Neil, my brother who usually takes over whilst I’m working away from Cumbria or on holiday, will be sending out orders for me. My office and stock room is based where he lives and works normally, so this doesn’t create unnecessary travel or connections with other people beyond the norm. We have also discussed measures to help protect the Royal Mail when visiting the office to ensure that contact is kept to an absolute minimum as they are at fairly high risk in terms of spreading COVID-19. There is the possibility that the Royal Mail will stop their collections to the office, which would be an understandable situation, and at that point the only option would be to stop orders.
As is the case at other times when he’s been in charge, there are no personalised straps available at the moment. Neil has seen the burns the stamping machine has given me on occasion (thankfully a rare experience now that I’m used to the machine) and isn’t keen to learn how to use it in my absence.
Other than that, Rigu will continue mostly as normal. The nature of ecommerce is that some of it can be done remotely, if not with the same efficiency (I can only do so much on a laptop compared to my desktop). To be frank being able to keep working on Rigu is something that will hopefully provide an aspect of normalcy in strange times, and I’m sure my partner will appreciate me keeping busy whilst we’re staying home.
I’ve had advice from the Royal Mail that they are not currently able to guarantee that their Special Delivery Next Day by 1pm service will actually arrive the next day by 1pm.
To save customers any frustration I have decided to remove this option from the checkout temporarily, and when the Royal Mail say the service has returned to normal it will become available again.
My apologies that this will impact on some people that need an order in a rush. There is still a next day service available in the form of RM24 (which is tracked on all packages, which are most orders that aren’t books), but this isn’t guaranteed.
Earlier this week I received a big, heavy box from HoldFast Gear. I was able to restock just about everything that needed it, taking the quantity of MoneyMakers (original, skinny, and solo) in the stock room to over 150. Compared to when Rigu started out that’s fairly incredible, and hopefully this level of stock will see us safely through the start of wedding season without items going out of stock.
A new item was also added to the lineup. The brass version of the new quiet HoldFast clip is now available in the shop.
