Modifying a Leica T-TL-TL2 Belt

Leica provides a rubber strap with their T, TL, and TL2 cameras, but many users are not particularly fond of it. The strap can be a bit cumbersome to use, and over time, the rubber tends to wear out, as mine eventually did.

A popular alternative is to purchase the universal Leica Strap Lug Kit (Leica part number 18807). However, keep in mind that even second-hand kits can cost you between €40 and €50. I ended up buying one myself. Interestingly, you can now find brand-new rubber straps in various colors, such as white, yellow, orange, and red, for around €30 to €40. This strap might even come in handy later on.

Recently, I acquired a second Leica T camera, and this time I wanted to find an alternative way to attach a universal strap to the camera.

The solution turned out to be quite simple. I decided to use the old rubber strap that came with the Leica T and modify it to allow the attachment of any strap. I had read about this modification on a Leica forum, though the written instructions weren’t entirely clear. There was a mention of using a punch to remove a small pin from the strap, but that’s not necessary at all. All you really need is the strap, a sharp knife a set of Peak Design Anchors and Peak Design Belt Adapters.

Start with taking the original black rubber Leica T-TL or TL2 belt :

Slide the plastic protector backwards :

Look closely, there is a pin through the rubber strap :

Now cut the strap just behind the connector:

Now cut the rubber with the tip of the knife down to the metal pin:

Remove the small piece of rubber:

At this point, you’re essentially done. With the remaining connector, you can attach almost any universal strap to the camera, as long as the strap has a flat nylon strip at the end. This works just like how straps were attached to analog cameras in the past.

However, we take this system one step further by turning it into a universally interchangeable setup using Peak Design Anchors and Belt Adapters. With this system, you can easily adapt and attach any strap or wrist strap to your camera. This makes it convenient to quickly swap out straps depending on the situation—whether you need a different length or style for comfort or functionality.

To achieve this, we repurpose the plastic protective cap (which could have also been used in the previous step), along with a Peak Design Anchor and the recovered connector :

Thread the PD Anchor cord through the protective cap :

And also under the pin of the metal connector:

Push the cord back into the bottom of the protective cap and push through:

When the loop becomes visible, pull it through as far as possible:

Push the protective cap as far back as possible towards the connector:

Now pull the loop over the plastic end of the PD Anchor:

Now slide the plastic protective cap back a little so that you can tighten the cord of the PD Anchor properly:

Slide the plastic protective cap back onto the metal camera connector and you’re done:

Do this with the other camera connector as well:

Remove the connector caps from the camera with the sim connector pin remover:

Click the modified connector into the camera:

And done! :

Result :

I hope this tutorial was clear and helpful to many Leica T, TL, and TL2 users.

Timeline Update:

For the keen-eyed readers, you might have noticed a new lens on the Leica T, not a Lumix S series or Chinese manual lens, but a lens with orange lettering – It is the Leica Super Vario Elmar TL 11-23mm f/3.5-4.5 ASPH. I’ll be sharing a detailed review of this lens later on.

Additionally, in one of the images, you may have spotted that the half-case for my Leica T, which was originally green, is now gray. This is another original Leica accessory, now wrapped around my second Leica T camera. Yes, I’ve expanded my Leica collection with a second Leica T—this time, a pre-owned one.

After owning my first Leica T, I became so motivated in my photography that I decided to purchase a second one. It was part of a package deal that included the camera, a Leica lens, and some accessories, including a second Visoflex viewfinder. This purchase happened less than two months ago, during the period when I was debating whether or not to buy the Lumix S5.

As of the time of publishing this article, that decision still hasn’t been finalized. However, I must admit that I’m leaning further away from the idea of buying it—most likely because reason is starting to win over emotion.

To be clear, the Lumix S5 is an excellent camera, and a fantastic entry into full-frame photography. But it’s becoming evident that it might not be the right choice for me.

This article was written by Marc R.
While I primarily speak Dutch and have some knowledge of English and a little French, ChatGPT helps ensure my writing is grammatically correct. I often mix Dutch and English in my drafts, and ChatGPT steps in to translate and correct.