SLR Camera straps haven't changed much over the last, oh, century or so, which is surprising considering how awkward most of them are. Then came the R-Strap, a $US44 strap that uses the tripod mount on the bottom of your camera instead of the rings on the sides, allowing for a comfortable over-the-shoulder sling paired with quick-draw action. Even better are these two how-tos, that show you how to make one yourself for just a few bucks worth of hardware (which Charlie from Wired had success with judging by his photo here). Check out the video below of an actual R-Strap in action Taxi Driver style for inspiration.

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Zoom lenses are by no means a rarity, but it's not often that someone chooses to sacrifice one to the internet. FredMiranda forum member sbv20 found himself with a useless Canon 17-85mm lens after the aperture became stuck, so he did what any good gadget freak would: he tore it apart. He documented the process with a fantastic series of photos which demonstrate that even the boring lenses found dangling from necks at any tourist destination are obscenely complicated.

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This balsa wood Canon DSLR is a perfect object of desire for both photography aficionados and people who like crafts. The steps are really simple, and the results--as you can see in the image--look great.

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If you are looking for a good prosumer Canon camera, then you will only have to wait four more days. According to a Best Buy tipster, and this leaked screenshot of their stock system, the Canon EOS 50D will arrive on October 5.

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There's something about the 24-megapix Sony Alpha 900 DSLR, which hits stores in Japan on October 23rd for about 330,000 yen ($US3,150), that feels great. It might have been the two lovely models in Hawaiian wraps that the electronics giant had posing for shutterbugs at CEATEC outside Tokyo, or it might be the 900's 35mm full-frame CMOS Exmor sensor and the tester's Carl Zeiss Sonnar 135/1.8 lens, a combination which delivered outstanding performance. I found myself uttering the word "amazing" several times while shooting with it.

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Not the most practical DSLR bag, but Acme Made's Bowler is definitely the awesomest, if only for the strong odour of The Big Lebowski. You won't be able to cram a million lenses into its satin-lined polyurethane shell, but if The Jesus carried around a DSLR, you know it would be in this bag. And you don't fu—well, you know the rest. If the red's a little too flamboyant for you, there'll be navy and black versions following it in December for $US40. [Acme Made via Crave via BBG]

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Some of you are thrilled that the age of video on DSLRs is here; some of you are surprisingly pissed off about it. Truth is, the 720p video coming from the Nikon D90 can look amazing, but in some ways it can't replace even the cheapest cams when it comes to chasing kids and pets around. The good news is that you can use sweet DSLR lenses—in this case, a trio of Nikkors—for a cinematic look and feel. The bad news is, there's no autofocus in video mode. It's a bitch, but it forces you to think more like a filmmaker and less like a hockey mum. Check out the video above, then drop down for some issues and tips we've sorted out so far. Update: Still framegrabs from the actual video below.

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The mystery of Nikon's Black Gold D60 might have just been solved, and man, it is not pretty. No really, it's a downright repulsive study in tackiness, if these pictures are to be believed (sadly, it looks like they should be). Nikon has liberally slathered the D60 with cheap gold paint aaaaaaand... that's it. And you get to pay an extra $US50 to rock more shiny than the people who actually have taste and get a regular D60. I'm not sure who came up with this, but even Mr. T wouldn't use this camera. [Nikon Rumors, DP Review]

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Made by Ryan Cashman, this movie shows you that with a chunk of ingenuity and a huge bucket-load of patience you can make movies with any old DSLR. Ryan's clip of an LED pianist was made with nothing more sophisticated than a green keychain LED and a Canon digital Rebel. He took a sequence of 20-30 second exposures, and strung them together later into an animated movie with original music. HD-video DSLRs? Pah... this is real art. [Vimeo via Wired]

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Sigma's new SD15 and DP2 cameras are incremental developments of the original SD14 and DP1 cameras, but without too much in the way of change. The SD15 and DP2 share the same 3-layer 14-megapixel Foveon X3 sensor as their predecessors, but have a new True (Three-layer Responsive Ultimate Engine) II image processor aboard for improved image quality and processing speed. The DP2 has a new flare-reducing 41mm-equivalent F2.8 lens, and has adjusted controls, while the SD15 has a larger 3-inch LCD...but these seem to be the main improvements. We'll have to wait for more info from Sigma to see if the changes make a big difference or not, and for pricing and release dates. [DCWatch]

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