Scarabaeus Camera Holster

Holster - noun, a sheathlike carrying case for a firearm, attached to a belt, shoulder sling, or saddle.

For a long time I realised carrying a camera round your neck for a long time can result in a bad sore neck, you secretly wish that some genius will come out with a holster that you can clip your camera on your belt; allowing you to "draw" your camera instantly like a pistol, shoot, and slide back into the hostel when you are done ;) Not that there is a lack of holster candidates, Google "camera holsters" and you can find plenty!

But... they are mostly made for BIG and heavy DSLRs which, as you know; I have NO INTEREST in anymore.

Where is my dream holster for my compact or mirrorless M43 cameras? None! Until now!!
SCARABAEUS was discovered by me on Friday and I placed an order immediately, this is what arrived at my office today (Wednesday)!

This is what's inside the black cardboard box, the parts for the Scarabacus camera holster.

 All the parts taken out of the box... Top left, clockwise; the belt holster itself, a camera adapter plate with a flat (countersunk) screw to attach it with, also included is a regular round head screw and an Allen (hex) key for tightening both screws.

The core of the Scarabaeus is made of anodized aluminum, the outer parts (belt loop, frame, hinge, etc.) as well as the camera base plate and screws are all stainless steel!

 The holster is 63mm x 43mm in size, 17mm thick and weighs a rather heavy 140g. On the inside of the holster are two pieces of snakeskin (look alike)    leather to protect the mounted camera body.

Notice the slot, that is where your camera go and the number-eight wire like "safety catch" is in "open" position.

"Made In Germany" is proudly displayed inside the holster :)

Like most German products, the holster clip is solid, heavy; well made and a bit over engineered but should last a life time!

La Vida Leica, a meeting place for Leica M system photographers did a really detail test of the holster; good read!

What has this got to do with Leica?

If you have visited the home site of Scarabaeus, you will know that the holster inventor; Adrian Floryszczak, engineer and innovator from Germany was initially made for his Leica M camera.

I suppose you want to know how well my Nikon Coolpix P7700 and Olympus OM-D sat on the holster?

   

After some testing, I decided to fit the round head screw on the Nikon and the plate on the OM-D.

The compact Nikon P7700 fit like a glove on my belt and I were able to fast draw it out when I am ready to shoot!

No amount of shaking and jumping able to dislodge the Nikon from the belt holster!!

The OM-D with the rather heavy Lumix 7-14 zoom is too much for my belt! Not a very comfortable proposition!  Obviously the holster is made for compact range finder like cameras!

The OM-D with a lighter, smaller lens should sit well on the holster. More testing are needed.

Famous Last Words...

How much?  One of my Malaysian asked and he nearly fainted when I told him the simple looking Scarabaeus Camera Holster cost me 125.21 Euro or NZD 211.00 or RM 543.00 (if you order from Malaysia)!

Some think I am loosing it ;)

Obviously it is not everyone's cup of tea, but how do you put a price on a beautiful design and I quote the last paragraph from La Vida Leica's review...

"The Scarabaeus might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's an intriguing new product that stows your camera quickly and easily. You can rest assured that your camera is secure, the load carried effortlessly and with an invigorating new freedom when shooting without a neck strap (consider a wrist strap though, which we recommend). 

Don't think of it as a quick draw gun holster to shoot from and more of a holstereque method of carrying in between shooting and you'll get the concept immediately. While designed with the Leica M in mind, it can work with a lot of smaller (system, compact and mirrorless) cameras as well - and it's a sure bet the Scarabaeus is more solidly built than anything you'll attach to it."  - La Vida Leica