[10speeduk]

Hi all,

I have the std kit strap but find it a bit awkward. I mainly take portrait/model shots and a bit of wedding photog too.

I am considering an over shoulder design that screws into the tripod mount.

Black rapid strap looks nice but pricey. Copies are £10 on ebay, but not sure how comfortable I am hanging £1500 worth of kit off a £10 stap!

Has anyone had any personal experiences with this type of strap?

Thanks

Paul

[SOldBear]

My strap setups.

In sling configuration, it can comfortably handle a K7 + vertical grip + DA* 16-50mm (or DA* 50-135mm) + AF540FGZ.

[Karl Stevens]

I agree with you - the existing Pentax strap is very uncomfortable.

My solution was to put a "sock" around the existing K5 strap. Works wonderfully. You can use something existing and tie it off at the end, or if you can sew (or know someone who can) it takes about 10 minutes to make something custom fitted.

[adpo]

if you're iffy about spending that little on the cheap ebay strap, then why are you afraid of the black rapid being expensive? I use the ebay strap, only thing i changed was the tripod plate thing, which i swapped for a ConnectR3 from a friend. Works great so far for me, never had and issues with the strap.
If you want to have a high quality strap, might as well pay the premium for the Black Rapid. Besides, wouldn't your mind be more at ease if your camera was hanging off a $70 dollar strap?

[Frogfish]

Hi all,

I have the std kit strap but find it a bit awkward. I mainly take portrait/model shots and a bit of wedding photog too.

I am considering an over shoulder design that screws into the tripod mount.

Black rapid strap looks nice but pricey. Copies are £10 on ebay, but not sure how comfortable I am hanging £1500 worth of kit off a £10 stap!

Has anyone had any personal experiences with this type of strap?

Thanks

Paul

I have three of those copies - brilliant. Very good indeed. As an added safety measure I add a looped shoelace from the ring to the camera strap ring. Safe as houses, never had an issue.

[DigiMack]

I have been using a Black Rapid RS7 strap for quite some time on a K-5 with a battery grip. I frequently wear it for 6 to 10 hours and think it has to be one of the most comfortable systems I have used yet. The RS7 allows me to carry the camera in front (in dense crowds), at my side (normal with a large lens), or behind me, which is the position I most use when hiking rough country to a site.
I have also found the RS7 to be great in the car, as I can arrange it not to interfer with the seat belt & shoulder strap, and should I stop or turn quick, the camera does not go flying onto the dash or floor.
In summary, I would get one again, even if I had to pay the cost of this system outside of the USA.

[magkelly]

I like my Tamrac N46 straps a lot. I'm short and pretty small across the shoulders so they actually do work as bandoleer straps for me but they might not work for a big guy. They're nice dependable straps though. I just put a cover over mine that I made for extra comfort and because I wasn't too fond of the flames bit. Same idea as the sock, just a bit nicer. I made it along the same idea as a padded car seat belt thing, only longer. It wasn't hard. All you need really is some nice comfy material, craft padding, and Velcro...

[Duplo]

I have a strap attached, but as my pentax system is about compact primes I am not really that troubled by them.

I think the choice of strap probably is closely related to how you carry your camera,
I prefer to have mine in hand and only use the strap for slinging it over my shoulder for a short while here and there or around the neck for a lens change.
Thus my requirements to a strap is minimal and I prefer something that does is not too bulky over something heavily padded

Currently I am testing the popular disgrase by Crumpler and the intial impression is very good.

if I am to carry a heavy combo like a D3+70-200/2.8+speedlight during an event for 10 hours then the Crumpler Industry disgrase is the strap I prefer.

[gtxtom]

I got this attached to an ME Super here on the marketplace. It's nice and thick. Soft too. I've used it for a few several-hour trips and was pretty comfortable, although it does make your neck a little hot.

[littledrawe]

I like these ones and since you mentioned you do weddings you can get something that looks a little more dressy if you think that is important.

Souldier Straps

[Clicker]

I prefer sun sniper pro

[mokey]

I'm quite fond of the Kata reflex C -has 2 little pockets for extra SD cards, and it's the most comfortable strap I've ever owned.

[darrenleow]

I got this attached to an ME Super here on the marketplace. It's nice and thick. Soft too. I've used it for a few several-hour trips and was pretty comfortable, although it does make your neck a little hot.

Careful about the white letters peeling off after the adhesive wears off

[jephi]

As I do not like stuff around my neck, I have DIYed this setup:


Here the camera cannot slip off my wrist when I let go. The small loop on the left side comes in handy when I want to move the weight for to the other hand quickly & for a short time or as a support when holding it in both hands.
The ends of the straps have been "T-shaped" using a hot air gun to melt the plastic fibers into shape, so the strap cannot slip through the fasteners.

I love this arrangement, not only during hiking.

Cheers from Berlin!

jephi

P.S. Never mind the lens in that picture :-)

[GibbyTheMole]

Black rapid strap looks nice but pricey. Copies are £10 on ebay, but not sure how comfortable I am hanging £1500 worth of kit off a £10 strap!

I would have no reservations hanging your K5 or any other camera from the eBay copy strap. I have two of those and they are extremely strong and secure. In my opinion, the original Black Rapids strap is the same $20 strap, and they're just grossly overcharging for a little nylon webbing and what is essentially just a steel bolt that screws into the camera. There's probably about $5 worth of materials in a Black Rapids (or copy) strap.