Holdfast Money Maker | Part 2

See the blog post about my initial thoughts here: Holdfast Money Maker | Initial Thoughts

So, I've used the Holdfast Money Maker for about three weddings now, so now I have more experience with it and can share some more of my thoughts.

Seriously, this thing looks really, really awesome. It actually looks more awesome on guys, in my opinion. Tyler looks great with it on when he's wearing a dress shirt (Photos later, when I get around to getting my film developed.) The straps got uncomfortable after the first few hours of the day. It's stiff leather, so it does get more uncomfortable than something like the Black Rapid's dual strap system, which I assume is soft and cushiony. I found myself adjusting and moving the straps around like a backpack, but only recently I tightened the strap up about three notches. I think that because the Holdfast is so straight and stiff, it might be better suited for a male body, which usually has a straighter torso.

Another thing I noticed is that even if I'm wearing a long sleeved dress shirt, I still feel the straps chafing my skin. I'm not sure if it's because the straightness of the Holdfast is competing with the curves of my body or if my skin is just more delicate or sensitive.

One last thing - I'm not sure what those metal pieces in the back are for (the ones resting on the shoulder blade). They don't seem to serve a purpose other than rip a few pieces of my hair off if I'm not careful. I still have to wear my hair completely out of the way (like a bun!) or else it catches every so often.

Anyway, I've tightened the strap three notches during the reception of the latest wedding, and it was much more comfortable after that. Though I'll have to wait a few weeks to test that theory out. Still, it's a beautiful strap and I get a lot of compliments on it. Well, either "Cool strap" or "You look like Laura Croft!" or something along the lines of that.

Photo by Tyler Watkins.

Holdfast Money Maker | Initial Thoughts

Shooting with primes is great, and I'm definitely looking to step up my photography by not letting myself miss a shot with not having the right lens at the right moment. So just a few days ago I picked up a Holdfast Money Maker. I haven't had a real chance to use it out in the field yet, since right when it arrived in the mail I had to go up to Santa Barbara for a weekend film shoot, and then immediately went to Las Vegas for NAB (an annual trade show produced by the National Association of Broadcasters. Pictures from those up soon!)

I thought I'd share a few initial thoughts about the Holdfast Money Maker. Packaging is great; it made a good first impression. The leather definitely needs time to be worn in, as when I first put it on, it was stiff and left sawdust-like material on my clothes. Folks with long hair, tie your hair up out of the way! My long hair immediately got caught on the metal hooks and it took off a few strands. Ouch!

I got my Money Maker in bridal chestnut, a great color that matches almost everything stylishly. I initially thought about buying the Black Rapid dual camera system, but decided to go with the Money Maker because it looked a lot less tactical. I always prefer something that doesn't make me look too intimidating. I don't want to look like I'm geared up for battle!



One of the things I immediately tested out was to see how the straps would fit with just ONE camera on it. Surprisingly, it doesn't shift the entire strap system to one whole side, which is great. I also immediately tested to see if using it in portrait mode with a battery grip would be awkward or anything, since sometimes my black rapid strap's clip would get caught in itself in odd ways.

All in all, I'm excited to test this dual camera system out and see how my back feels after a full day of shooting. The Holdfast Money Maker feels like I'm wearing a backpack since it crosses in the back so I'm hoping it'll distribute the weight evenly.  Photos shot by Tyler.