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11-13-2016, 05:10 PM   #16
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QuoteOriginally posted by alamo5000 Quote
On looking at their website I might get a wrist strap and a sling. Does anyone know if the clips are interchangeable between the wrist strap and the sling etc etc?
The answer to that is....it depends!

It looks like some of the smaller wrist straps use a smaller clip (which would make sense). The utility strap and the urban sling both use the uni-loop system connectors and some of the larger wrist straps use those too.

QuoteOriginally posted by alamo5000 Quote
Another question...the utility strap and the urban sling... between those two does anyone have any experience?
Looking at the website I can see two major differences between the two systems.

1. The urban sling has a braided steel cable sandwiched between the two thicknesses of webbing in the strap. This means that anyone trying to slice through your strap with a knife will hit the cable and fail in their attempt. This is good if you shoot in high risk areas, the downside is that having been foiled in their robbery the perp may then stick the knife in you instead!

2. The urban sling uses a regular straight shoulder pad whereas the utility strap uses a contoured shoulder pad that better distributes the weight when you have the strap on one shoulder and the camera on the opposite hip. Having used a lot of different camera bags over the years that had straight shoulder pads I can honestly say the contoured one on the utility strap is far superior. The shoulder pad sits flat on the shoulder instead of digging into your neck as it tries to twist like a straight one would.

11-13-2016, 05:21 PM   #17
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Put me in the switched from Blackrapid to Peak Designs camp. Because the Peak Design strap attaches to the tripod socket and to 1 of the camera strap lugs, it swings much less than the Blackrapid straps when hanging at my side. With the Blackrapid strap I almost always felt the need to have one hand on the camera to keep it from swinging. I have been using blackrapid/peak design straps for many years and I have never felt the need for extra attachments to keep my camera secure. My hikes are only day hikes, and on the hairier sections I put the camera in my backpack, but the attachments have never come loose and I have not had any near disasters.
11-13-2016, 05:26 PM   #18
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Just switched from the Op-Tech to the Peak Design. Love it!! In "sling mode" it doesn't bounce around like the Op-Tech did. It is very strong and for me - was worth every penny. I purchased the SL-2 and an extra set of anchor points. Have three points on the camera: one in each strap lug and a third on my L-Plate. I normally use the strap as a sling so only one lug and the plate anchors are used. This keeps the camera from moving/swinging when I am hiking. All of my camera bodies now have the anchors on them and I don't think I am going to be looking at a different strap for many, many years. As for cutting through the strap - would have to be a very sharp knife to cut through the material of the strap and (as Tako Kichi said) - if they want the camera bad enough...

The Op-Tech strap - a great strap - very comfortable. The sling part works adequately. The downfall of it (and what the Peak Design does NOT do) is that - when hiking, the camera likes to swing around. When I saw the Peak Design videos and how they claimed the camera would not move - I thought I will try it. It worked perfectly. Just my two cents.
11-13-2016, 06:11 PM   #19
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QuoteOriginally posted by Tako Kichi Quote
2. The urban sling uses a regular straight shoulder pad whereas the utility strap uses a contoured shoulder pad that better distributes the weight when you have the strap on one shoulder and the camera on the opposite hip. Having used a lot of different camera bags over the years that had straight shoulder pads I can honestly say the contoured one on the utility strap is far superior. The shoulder pad sits flat on the shoulder instead of digging into your neck as it tries to twist like a straight one would.
Excellent point. Thank you for that. The shoulder pad is a big deal since I am after all going for comfort.

This is getting narrowed down nicely.

In a couple days I will weigh all my options and try to make an informed choice. As for now I am leaning towards that sling with the contoured shoulder pad.

My reasoning is this: It hooks onto the strap lugs of the camera. I can put another little strap with a clip onto a belt loop as a back up so that I can have a little more insurance but still be able to unclick it when I am ready to shoot. This will also keep my camera from flopping around as I am walking around too. That combination seems like it would make a really good combination. Generally hands free except when I want to use it.

11-13-2016, 06:28 PM   #20
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QuoteOriginally posted by 77me Quote
Put me in the switched from Blackrapid to Peak Designs camp.
QuoteOriginally posted by claskowski Quote
Just switched from the Op-Tech to the Peak Design. Love it!!
Got a link?

I am still very open minded at this point. For sure.

Anyone else that has links to their favorites or recommendations it would be much appreciated as well.
11-13-2016, 06:43 PM   #21
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QuoteOriginally posted by alamo5000 Quote
Got a link?

I am still very open minded at this point. For sure.

Anyone else that has links to their favorites or recommendations it would be much appreciated as well.
Here's a link to the Peak Design Slide.
11-13-2016, 07:17 PM   #22
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OP/TECH USA | Leading manufacturer of neoprene camera straps


Utility Strap | OP/TECH USA

here is a link to ask questions via email

https://optechusa.com/contacts/index/


Last edited by aslyfox; 11-14-2016 at 07:57 AM.
11-14-2016, 04:48 AM   #23
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QuoteOriginally posted by Tako Kichi Quote
I use the Op/Tech USA utility sling and really like it. The comment virusn3t made about 'bounce' is from the neoprene shoulder pad stretching and returning slightly as it absorbs the loads and shocks, it's designed to do that and I don't think it's an issue at all.

I also have a leather hand strap on my camera like this one (mine is just a generic one I picked up on Ebay)....


As it makes use of the right camera strap lug I use both of the Op/Tech uniloop connectors, one on the left camera strap lug and one on the base plate of the hand strap. This means I have two points of attachment to the Op/Tech sling instead of one which which provides extra security in case one fails (not that I think it ever would as they are very well made). I clip the the male and female uniloop connectors together when I'm not using the sling which prevents them flopping around and also acts as a second hand grip on the left side of the camera if I ever need it.

I did a lot of research before I bought mine and came to the conclusion that I didn't really like the straps that screw into the tripod socket as I felt that was a weak part of the design (I have an engineering background) and I have seen photos on the net of fittings that have failed and allowed the camera to drop to the ground (either through metal fatigue/stress fractures or the metal loop simply pulled out of the screw base).
Do you have the hand strap and the sling strap on the camera at the same time? I like the idea of being to switch back and forth between the two options but have never seen a good way to do this since both attach one end into the tripod socket
11-14-2016, 05:06 AM   #24
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QuoteOriginally posted by jddwoods Quote
Do you have the hand strap and the sling strap on the camera at the same time? I like the idea of being to switch back and forth between the two options but have never seen a good way to do this since both attach one end into the tripod socket
Sorry to butt in, but this is something I can do as the hand strap I use enables mounting to a tripod or attachment of a sling strap whilst the hand strap is fitted.

Tas
11-14-2016, 10:12 AM   #25
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QuoteOriginally posted by jddwoods Quote
Do you have the hand strap and the sling strap on the camera at the same time? I like the idea of being to switch back and forth between the two options but have never seen a good way to do this since both attach one end into the tripod socket
Like Tas in the post above I can use both at the same time. The Op/Tech USA Utility Sling does not use the tripod mount, it normally attaches to either one or both of the camera strap lugs. In my case my generic hand strap attaches to the right camera strap lug and has a plate that attaches to the camera via the tripod socket. The plate also has a spare strap lug built into it (the other is used by the hand strap). The utility sling has two 'pigtails' that attach to the camera and then clip to the sling. One of the pigtails is attached to the left camera strap lug and the other is attached to the spare lug on the hand strap base plate. The pigtails have one male and one female clip so I can clip them together to stop them flapping around when I'm not using the sling, they also double up as a mini hand strap on the left side of the camera. There is enough room between the pigtails and the camera to get several fingers through so that I can hold the camera securely in my left hand if I need my right hand for something else (changing lenses for instance). The pigtails never get in the way during normal operation either as my right hand is through the hand strap while my left hand is supporting the lens.

In addition, I always have the hand strap attached to the camera and when I want to use my tripod I mount the quick release plate to the tripod mount in the hand strap plate. The plate provides ample surface area for support and I've never had a stability or wobble issue when doing this, even with a 55-300mm lens fitted. I can even carry the camera on the sling AND have the tripod QR plate mounted at the same time (something that cannot be done with the slings that use the tripod mount in the camera).
11-14-2016, 04:44 PM   #26
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QuoteOriginally posted by Tako Kichi Quote
(something that cannot be done with the slings that use the tripod mount in the camera).
Not quite true. I have my markins QR plate attached to my camera and have used both Blackrapid and Peak Design straps at the same time. Blackrapid and Peak Design sell acra compatible plates which work with their straps. The Peak Design plate also works with their camera clips.
11-14-2016, 06:20 PM   #27
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Thanks for that info 77me as I wasn't aware of that. I had just assumed (incorrectly) that it was a one or the other situation.
11-19-2016, 04:14 AM   #28
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Sorry to be so brief here, but I'm on my way out the door and, actually, already a few minutes late. So no links. Sorry.

Search online for the Sun Sniper Sling strap. I've used it on a couple of the K-5 series of cameras. It does use the tripod screw, but that problem becomes moot when you place a Joby UltraPlate between the strap and the camera. The plate has a female tripod screw on each end. The plate lets you place it wherever is convenient by using an attachment screw that is able to slide roughly 2 1/2-3 inches in a groove. I always use a battery grip on the camera, which does not have the tripod screw centered under the lens. So, I attach the plate to the grip. Have the left end of the plate centered under the lens, and attach the strap to the screwhole on the right. I can then slide the left end of the Ultraplate (arca-swiss) onto the tripod head, and still have the strap attached on the right end of the plate. I often leave the strap on when the camera is on the tripod. Nice to have that option when moving around a lot-just slide the camera off of the head and have it hanging on the strap already!

In 6+ years of using the Sun-Sniper, I have NEVER had the attachment screw come loose. In fact, if I need to remove it for some reason, I need to use pliers or channel lock pliers to loosen the screw. But if I just want to travel light, I just remove the grip, and leave the strap attached to it.

I have been disabled for 13 years now, with back and both legs in pretty bad shape. I have used this set-up with my Tamron 70-200 2.8 & Sigma 50-500. I have never had to stop shooting because the strap became uncomfortable. I have to make sure that I am not overdoing it because of pain that will come roaring in to my legs, feet and back later.

Sun-Sniper makes a clip you can attach to belt or pants to keep the camera from flopping around. You can save $30 and just use a carabiner attached to a belt loop to do the same thing.

I honestly have not even looked at another strap since I started using the Sun-Sniper. At least give it a look. And don't forget about the Joby UltraPlate. Total cost: (6 years ago) ~$120.

Now I'm REALLY late.
11-20-2016, 05:40 PM   #29
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Just a quick update...

I ordered an op-tech sling, an op-tech wrist strap, and an tripod sling as well today.

I found out the clip on the DSLR wrist strap is supposed to be the same as the one for the sling so that's good.

They should be here in a week or so for me to test out.
11-20-2016, 07:54 PM   #30
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based on what I have read here, I ordered, and received today, a Joby Ultrafit hand strap with Ultra Plate from Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/JOBY-UltraFit-Hand-Strap-UltraPlate/dp/B00F5JHDZG/ref...oby+hand+strap

I am sure that other retailers may carry it as well.

I attached the ultra plate to the baseplate of the Pentax K 3"s battery grip and the hand strap to the same attachment point on the top right side of the Pentax K 3 where I also have attached the Optech Utility sling. I am right handed and this allows me to wear the sling on the left side of my neck and lets the camera slide up in front of me as I pull it into shooting position with my right hand. It hangs off my right hip when I am not using it.

The systems seems to fit well together. The biggest problem I had was getting the straps through the necessary slots (I have thick fingers and they are not very nimble.)

The only downside I foresee now is trying to keep track of the allen wrench necessary to attach the ultra plate to the base plate of the camera's battery grip.

the extra threaded holes in the ultra plate allows me to mount the system to a tripod or monopod without having to take the hand strap off and I can quickly detach the Utility sling if necessary when needed.

I chose the Utra hand strap with the ultra plate because I figured that if it didn't work as I hoped, I would at least have ultra plate to use with the tripod or monopod.

Last edited by aslyfox; 11-20-2016 at 08:02 PM.
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