Black Rapid Camera Strap

[insidescoop]

I've been on this forum for awhile now and am so impressed with it! Truly, I thank God for this forum everyday. It has been SO helpful to me! I hope I'm not violating any forum rules but I did want to share a link that makes a product I've found to be a better mousetrap. It's a very cool twist on an old idea...the camera strap. This company invented a better mousetrap as far as I'm concerned and if you check out the link and watch the videos I think you'll agree. The camera strap this company produces allows the photographer to access their camera in rapid gun slinging mode and get that elusive shot without all the necessary neck pain that comes from hauling your heavy DSLR around on your neck on an all day shoot. Let me know what you think.

Here's the link:
http://www.blackrapid.com/

Grateful to all forum members...

Insidescoop

[wilgk]

Hi Tony - I have 1 and am very happy with it I find it also gets the camera out of the way when I go up close to a model/subject and ask them to stand/sit etc how I want them - then when i step back ready to shoot, I bring the camera to my eye.
Cheers

[insidescoop]

Glad to see another Black Rapid user onboard. I think it's a wonderful invention! Mine will be here soon!

[Ollokot]

Hi Tony,
I have a Black Rapid and find it very comfortable and like Kay am very happy with it.I did however put some protective tubing on the connecter that slides on the strap,just for piece of mind in case of scratching.
Best Wishes Pat.

An afterthought ---- I cut the camera mount strap from a neck strap and used this as a safety line onto the connector.
Pat.

[Klickit]

I'm currently scratching around in the bus to see if I can find enough bits to do a DIY on this. Too, too pricy for a real one for this chick. But I do like the idea....

[Hansm]

I'm currently scratching around in the bus to see if I can find enough bits to do a DIY on this. Too, too pricy for a real one for this chick. But I do like the idea....

They are pricy but I would not risk to connect my 5D with 24-70mm L lens to a DIY piece with the chance that it drops to the ground.
Seen some Chines copies but the metal is much less solid as the B R stuff.
Quality has it's price.
I like it very much and use it for 1/2 a yaer now. Much less pain in the neck at the end of the day.

[JK6065]

I'm currently scratching around in the bus to see if I can find enough bits to do a DIY on this. Too, too pricy for a real one for this chick. But I do like the idea....

It is pricy and that's why I wanted to make one myself before. My idea was to use a sturdy belt, a solid eyebolt (capable of carying around 100kg depending on the specific type) from a hardware store and some kind of small carbiner used for climbing (capable to carry a grown adult). Might be a bit overkill but certainly solid :-). The only problem is that the thread for the tripod on the bottom of the camera is not that standard. It's a 1/4'' thread which is rather different than the standard M6 thread. So basically for DIY I had to buy a BlackRapid FastenR for about $15. All materials together would cost me about $35.

I decided to buy a second hand on a dutch ebay-ish site. This cost me about $55. So for not that much more money I bought the original strap.

I'm quite happy with the strap. IT's comfortable and it works fine. The onlything I don't like about it is the sholderpad. It has some storage room in it and therefore it's quite large. I don't use that anyway so I would like it a bit smaller.

[BJ Denning]

Here is a decent DIY R-strap, ~$12 US. They suggest connecting to the quick release from a tripod mount, or a keychain ring through the normal strap mount.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...d.php?t=650854

[insidescoop]

Here's a hint for some reassurance that the mount on this strap is highly unlikely to ever come undone...before you screw the strap mount into your tripod receptacle just wet it a bit....it will stick like all get out! You may have to use a pair of pliers to get it off! LOL! - but it works.

[stevewe88]

I wouldn't want to encourage anyone to break any copyright laws but....I have a chinese copy that is called a Quik Strap and the logo looks incredibly similar to the Black Rapid "R" logo.

It is extremely sturdy and in fact i would say that the connector between strap and camera looks more sturdy than the Black Rapid version that a friend has. The only down side is it doesn't have the sliding stoppers on the strap for when you want to lock the camera in place but it hasn't proved to be too much of a nuisance yet.

Certainly the strap is far better than the around the neck type particularly when using a longer lens that tends to lean the camera forwards on a traditional strap.

I have however lost a viwfinder eye cup because it is very easy to catch it when you are walking with the camera at your side.

In summary, I would recommend having a go with a cheap one first as mine was at least a quarter of the price of a black rapid and it won't be to everyone's taste.

[SteveFawcett]

I too use the Black Rapid strap .... RS-7, what a wonderful piece of kit!! Makes street photography very enjoyable when carrying around heavy gear.

Steve

[FrankMi]

I use the RS-7 as well. I leave my Gittos Ball Head mounting plate attached to the camera and clip the RS-7 to the mounting plate D-ring making it fast, simple, and secure to swap between the RS-7 and tripod mount.

[Bobobird]

Hi Tony,
I have a Black Rapid and find it very comfortable and like Kay am very happy with it.I did however put some protective tubing on the connecter that slides on the strap,just for piece of mind in case of scratching.
Best Wishes Pat.

An afterthought ---- I cut the camera mount strap from a neck strap and used this as a safety line onto the connector.
Pat.

I don't quite understand what you did - a pic or 2 of the setup?

Thanks.

[rpcrowe]

I always swim upstream against the current. Methods of carrying equipment are very personal and what feels right for me may not be right for someone else.

I am not keen on the Black Rapid type of strap. I really don't like my camera attached by a single attachment point. Nor do I like two attachment points at the opposite end of a single strap like a standard neck strap configuration.

I also don't like my camera hanging upside down and since I virtually always shoot with a full size hotshoe flash attached. I don't like the flash hanging beneath the camera.

Instead of a Black Rapid Strap, I use an OPTECH Dual Harness. Each camera is attached at two points and the attachment straps are independently attached to the harness. If, a single attachment strap fails or is cut by a slash and run thief, the camera is still secure. A friend lost a camera to a slash and run thief in Naples, Italy and I have been wary of that ever since. (BTW: nothing against Bella Napoli, it is one of my favorite cities).

http://optechusa.com/dual-harness.html

The Dual Harness distributes the weight of my load across my shoulders and I can easily carry my two 1.6x cameras 17-55mm f/2.8 IS + 70-200mm f/4L IS lenses and two hotshoe flashes (which is my standard walk-around kit) without backpain or fatigue.

If I feel I need extra security, I wear the harness underneath my photo vest which should make it more difficult to snatch.

I often shoot with a tripod or a monopod and have RRS L-Plates mounted to each of my cameras. I can detach one of the attachment straps from the Dual Harness, attach the camera to the tripod/monopod and then detach the second strap from the dual harness. Absolutely no chance of dropping the camera. I can then shoot with no strap connecting my tripod and me.

I have modified my Dual Harness rig slightly by attaching a carabiner clip to each of the side adjustment straps of my photo vest or my side belt loops if I am not wearing a vest. Clipping a carabiner to each of the camera attachment straps prevents the camera/lens from swinging as I walk, run or climb.

The Dual Harness is also quite reasonable at $32.95 USD on Amazon USA.

[meltimtiman]

Been an Black Rapid Strap fan for more than 2 years. Used the RS-4 for 2 years...



and upgraded to the RS-Sport ver 1 about 3 months ago. For me, the RS-Sport is the best camera strap made by man.