Neck or Hand Strap 1DS???? and Lens

[russellsnr]

Hi, OK took the plunge and bought a used 1Ds mark II £1150 3000 activations and not Ebay!!! anyway now I need to purchase a decent neck strap or is a hand strap a better option, I read that the camera is a little on the heavy side.
Any recomendations on either neck or hand starp please.
Also as I sold my 10-22mm EF-s I was considering a replacement, as I already have 70-200 F4, 17-40, 28-135 & of course 50mm and my main interest is outdoor photography any suggestions as an additional lens?
Thanks
Russ

[Colin Southern]

Hi Russ,


Congrats on the purchase - sounds like you did well!

If you have any questions, be sure to shoot them our way.

I used to use a neck strap, but have long since thrown it away, for the following reasons ...

1. It used to give me a sore neck

2. With a long lens the base of the camera digs into my stomach, and

3. When shooting vertically, the strap always flops down in front of the viewfinder.

These days I just use a handstrap -- camera just hangs from the end of my arm, and if I need a break, it's easy to just cradle the camera + lens with my left arm (a bit like you'd hold a new born baby).

Wouldn't have it any other way now - I've known other who've followed my lead who are equally as happy to get rid of that neck strap.

[maloufn]

Russel. I have both the grip on a 50D with battery grip and sometimes a 70-200 lens. Since Ive had the the handstrip Ive never used the neck strap. You might just have to do a bit of resistance exercise for your dominant hand.

Good luck with your new camera. I am envious.

Nasseem

[russellsnr]

Hi, Colin I already have a pain in the neck after 37 years it's called a W??E
What strap do you advise as looking online there seem to be many (Ebay in the 100's)
Nasseem same question to you please
Thanks
Russ

[Colin Southern]

Hi Russ,

Just the standard one ... have a look here (a few photos down, attached to the camera). Nothing special.

[maloufn]

Hi Russ,

Just the standard one ... have a look here (a few photos down, attached to the camera). Nothing special.

Russ I just got one off Ebay. haCanon one is around $30 if my memory serves me right. I just bought a cheapy for around 20 off Ebay. They all do the job.

Nasseem

[PopsPhotos]

I use a shoulder harness for my heavier cameras. The one I like best is the Bushnell, although the Butler Creek is the same.

Pops

[Snarkbyte]

You may want to consider a sling such as the Black Rapid RS-7 (like this ). I got one about a month ago, and now I can't imagine using any sort of neck strap. They're not cheap, but they do a great job of saving your neck while keeping the camera accessible but out of the way, without a lot of swinging and flopping around. It's great to be able to bend or squat without the camera dangling from a strap in front of you. The only nag is that the carabiner-type fastener is a bit clumsy to attach/remove, but it is very secure. Also, a couple of the optional "Joey" pouches are really handy for those few small items you just can't go anywhere without (spare batteries, microfiber cloth, grey card...).

[russellsnr]

Hi, Thank you for all the advice,
I have now bought the Canon H/S from good old Ebay.
Again Thanks
Russ

[Letrow]

So, I am too late to advice you, but I would go for a long neck strap in case of a camera over 1 kilo (inclusing lens).



Last year I bought an Op Tech, like the one pictured in black. It is a long strap if you want, so it hangs on my hip almost when I wear it with one arm through the strap (hope this description is clear). When I need the camera I bring it up in front and there is ample space in the strap to make that comfortable. The padding distributes the weight of the camera, so you don't notice the camera that much on longer trips.
I can't imagine using a handstrap with the Nikon D7000 + lens. Way too heavy. The Canon 1D might be a lightweight, I don't know.

[Colin Southern]

I can't imagine using a handstrap with the Nikon D7000 + lens. Way too heavy. The Canon 1D might be a lightweight, I don't know.

The Canon 1Ds2 weighs about 1515g with battery; I use a Canon 1Ds3 (about same weight) with a 70-200 F2.8L IS USM II lens (total weight) approx 3kg with no problems on just the hand strap. It really hands off the ends of the fingers - the strap just keeps the hand against the camera.

[Letrow]

The Canon 1Ds2 weighs about 1515g with battery; I use a Canon 1Ds3 (about same weight) with a 70-200 F2.8L IS USM II lens (total weight) approx 3kg with no problems on just the hand strap. It really hands off the ends of the fingers - the strap just keeps the hand against the camera.

Well tastes differ Colin I guess.
I don't want that kind of weight hanging from one arm all the time. It would be ok for a few minutes I think, but for a longer walk it just doesn't make sense to me. The arm would get numb and knowing myself I would start switching the camera from left to right and vice versa to keep comfortable. But if you like it, keep on doing it.

I see your reasons against a neck strap Colin, but feel that with a long enough neck strap the first two reasons disappear. Good padding takes care of the neck and long strap enables you to wear the camera to the side.

The Black rapid RS-7, which I never tried looks good as well. Comfortable and camera out of the way.

I want to keep my arms free to do other things and these neckstraps do just that.

[Colin Southern]

Hi Peter,

I don't want that kind of weight hanging from one arm all the time. It would be ok for a few minutes I think, but for a longer walk it just doesn't make sense to me. The arm would get numb and knowing myself I would start switching the camera from left to right and vice versa to keep comfortable. But if you like it, keep on doing it.

If it gets a bit heavy I just cradle it with my left arm - mostly though I wouldn't want to carry a camera for long periods of times without using it - so in reality it's getting used a lot of the time too (usually just walking between locations on outdoor shoots)

I see your reasons against a neck strap Colin, but feel that with a long enough neck strap the first two reasons disappear. Good padding takes care of the neck and long strap enables you to wear the camera to the side.

I don't think it works that well with the 1 series cameras -- they have a built in grip, and the balance of the camera + long lens is terrible when suspended from a neck strap if one suspends the camera from the bottom right hand lug, and if one suspends it from the top right hand lug the strap covers the viewfinder when shooting vertically. For getting the camera at the hip position - but not getting hit by the legs - I think the easiest solution is the Spider Holster - I have one, but to be honest, I only use it to keep my light meter handy during studio shoots, although I know someone who uses it for shooting weddings and loves it.

[ktuli]

All,

From the discussion above and my personal searching, I think I know the answer to this question, but I'll ask anyway...

Does anyone know of a shoulder/sling type strap that would have clips at the end so you could relatively easily remove the strap (preferably without it being a plastic buckle type release that would still leave a short "pigtail" connected to the camera)?

The reason I ask is because I currently have both a hand strap and the original shoulder strap connected on my 7D. I like the hand strap, but for longer walks between subjects, I tend to use the shoulder strap. But as Colin says, it then becomes annoying. I don't know, perhaps removing/replacing a shoulder strap - even with clips would be annoying too...

Anyone know of such a thing?

- Bill