Toronto Photography Meetup Group

I would appreciate any comments on the use of shoulder harness camera straps. Having a camera hang around my neck all day can be straining sometimes. I would think these straps would take the load off your neck but was wondering what the cons might be of using such a system.

Thanks

main downside is that the camera is typically only connected to the strap via an o ring on ONE strap lug rather than two... could be of concern if you've got a heavy SLR and long/heavy zoom mounted...

This is not a shoulder harness but I got this on the recommendation of another tpmg member and it is great!! It is non-slip (doesn't fall off my shoulder) and really relieves the pain on my neck.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1 ... lack_.html

Not too sure how well this product actually is but it looks pretty cool.

theres even a video that shows how it works!

http://www.vistek.ca/store/BagsCases/24 ... tenr2.aspx

That good news that both Vistek and Henry's carries this now. I've wanted to get that for a while.

That video cracks me up!! Does he think he's Clint Eastwood or something? lol

Hey

I have the Black Rapid strap and it is pretty good. I have used two straps with the connectors to make it a two camera system. It can take a while to get it set at just the right position, but it works. I find it rides up a bit into your neck so you need something with a collar as opposed to a t-shirt. The Black Rapid strap works great for street shooting as it can keep the camera low profile until you want to bring it up to shoot.

You may also be interested in looking at the Cotton Carrier System.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7naJTDpo8vI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBQ_SwaOqB8&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ravjE30L ... re=channel

or the Spider Holster http://www.spiderholster.com/

Daryl

That Cotton Carrier seems like a convenient and safe system. I don't know about the harness - but adding the holster to my bag or belt might work well. They are based out of Vancouver so I assume no customs/duty issues to contend with.

I was going to buy the BlackRapid R-strap but read the horror stories about the hardware breaking off.

So here is my DIY R-Strap for less than $20

Make a loop with a regular utility strap ($1.50).
http://www.campingsurvival.com/stron1inutst.html

Hook up a aluminum biner ($2).

Thread a key chain split ring through the hole of the RRS L-bracket of my 5D MKII like this guy did :
http://www.timothyarmes.com/blog/2009/0 ... a-confort/

and viola, a DIY R-Strap that is secure.


For comfort, thread the strap through the shoulder pad of my old camera strap or for real comfort, spend $12 on a Planet Waves Gel Guitar Strap Shoulder Pad.
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Planet-Wave ... 1171516.gc

It work very well!

WKHC: Could you post a couple photos? I'm curious about how this works.

I've been thinking about re-purposing the strap from my lowepro shoulder bag as a camera strap. It's thick and well padded, and quite grippy. I don't use the shoulder bag often (I've switched).

I will see what I can do since I only have one camera. I have it all setup now and I am very pleased with it. Thanks BlackRapid for the idea

I have a BlackRapid strap and have no problems with it. Defo better than a regular neck strap and I like that it can quickly come off when you need to use a tripod. I've had mine for over a year and wouldn't go back to the standard neck strap.

After the Toronto Island hike yesterday I'm definitely considering going to a dual R-stap step so I can carry both my A900 Digital and Maxxum 9 Film bodies. That being said, I'm a little confused by the configurations, so I wonder what the best/cheapest configuration of parts are. Do I get the double strap, or do I get two straps + coupler?

There have been some concerns re the FastenR-2. Can anyone attest to the quality, or recommend a plan B?

I use a neoprene one I got from deal extreme. I will never go back to the stock strap from canon.

My bro-in-law uses the R-Strap system. Looks very convenient and easy to use but I cringe just looking at the single clip holding his camera and lens.

I bought one of the r-straps recently and so far it has been great. Love using it - no real hard workout yet. But it managed fine for the few hours I was out with everyone on the Toronto Island photo shoot. And weight is not an issue. It was using it the whole time with my D300 (with battery grip) and 70-200 2.8 (o-ring mounted on the battery grip tripod mount).

Jordan

I thought the same too...but realistically if one of the regular strap ends comes undone...not much different from one ring failing. I have enough spare straps and strapping material, I'll probably make my own to try out.

I have the R Strap too and love it. My only complaint is that i have it screwed into the tripod thread so i cant have my pod head screwed in at the same time, otherwise, it's comfortable and handy.

So I emailed Black Rapid about testing data for the FR-2, and got this reponse:



Followed almost immediately by another email saying this:

I just came back from a 2 weeks vacation and I was using my DIY R-Strap to carry my 5DII with either the 24-70 or the 70-200 on it all the time. It works great and secure. I never once worried about anything breaking off.

If you are thinking about getting the Blackrapid strap, I suggest you take a look at this thread first :
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/771373

Can you post photos of the DIY finished product?

Looking at the thread on FM (thank you very much for that link, btw), I would certainly go for a second point of contact to the camera body for safety. On the vertical grips of both my Maxxum 9 and a900 there is an additonal spare strap eyelet which looks to be a good secure location to connect to.

Here are some pics of my DIY R-Strap. Pardon the quality, it is snapped with my Blackberry.

The round ring is the key chain ring taped up in electric tape to protect the L Bracket. The aluminum biner is also taped up to eliminate metal to metal contact.







Not shown is the shoulder pad for comfort.

This setup is great. I have the camera pointing back by my waist or the small of my back and I can reach for it and swing it up to shoot just like that. And wearing this all day wolking around is quite comfortable,

Based on the photos I assume you wear your strap across your chest then?

Yes, the same way you wear an R-Strap.

any good ideas on how to attach the ring without the L-bracket? I have the RC2 plate...but the D-ring doesn't look secure enough to use as a mounting point

I'm going to go to Vistek Mississauga tonight after work to get a good look at the double straps and see if it can diy'd.

My setup needs the L-bracket. In fact, not all RRS L-bracket has a closed loop to attach the o-ring to. For example, the L-bracket for the 5D MKII without grip has an open loop so useless for this purpose.

Black Rapid offers the FastenR-2 for sale on it's own. Both Henry's and Vistek list it, and I can confirm Vistek Mississauga had them in stock during my visit this evening.

I tried on the DR-1 double strap (one was left in the "pro section" at the back of the store, and while I lacked the pair of camera bodies to try with it, it seemed very comfortable. For it and the other thing I was looking at, a spyder pro colour calibrator, the salesperson wouldn't offer me a deal, so I walked out of the store.

The other issue, is that if the new FastenR-3 is coming out as Black Rapid told me, part of me doesn't want to waste the expense of the kit which includes the v2's.

Don't know if you have seen this yet http://www.blackrapid.com/buzz/announcing-the-fr-3/

Personally, I swear by the RS4. It's completely overpriced for what it is, but it's so convenient and makes even my 5D+Grip+70-200 2.8 easy to carry. plus it has a handy little pocket for extra batteries or memory cards.

The only negative I can think of is sometimes when you grab for the camera, you pull the shoulder strap down at the same time, forcing you to readjust the strap once you finished shooting. This is especially true if the strap pocket is loaded with something heavy like batteries.

An alternative that I haven't tried is the Luma Loop http://www.luma-labs.com/products/loop reviewed here: http://goo.gl/MzOL

Otherwise, a much cheaper DIY solution can be found here: http://abella.net/?page_id=140

-phil