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07-01-2009, 12:16 PM   #1
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Camera Strap Options

I'm looking for a new strap to replace my Domke Gripper strap I've been using for several years. I love this strap but it's starting to fray and after adding the Tamron 28-75 and the K20D to my kit, I need a strap with a bit more padding. I stopped by the local camera shop this week and they had about 4 different straps, the Skooba, a padded, suede Tamrac, an Op/Tech Classic Neoprene and a Lowepro. None of which I liked to say the least.

I'm looking for opinions on different straps that meet the following criteria:
1. Low profile, not thick and bulky but still somewhat padded
2. 1" wide
3. Secure

I think I would like the Op/Tech Envy strap but haven't found one in the wild to look at and touch. If anyone has experience with this strap I'd love to hear what you think about it. One thing that trips me up with it, is the quick-release straps. I've never used a strap with those because they've never seemed to be very secure when I've checked them out in the store, so I'm just leary. Plus, it looks bulkier than the Domke of course, and I want to be able to wrap it around my wrist and arm when I'm shooting and don't want to have the strap around my neck.

I may just order the Envy and see for myself, but if you guys and gals have any ideas for me, I'd love to hear 'em!

07-01-2009, 01:12 PM   #2
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I have a Habaku wrist strap that is really comfortable and solid, but now the K-7 has external lugs so I don't know what to do.
07-01-2009, 02:40 PM   #3
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Yeah, I thought about that Habuka hand strap a couple of years ago but decided I'd prefer a neck strap so I could let the camera hang from my neck instead of having to put it back in my bag or sit it down if I needed two hands to do something. Thanks for the suggestions and good luck with the K7 and your strap. There's always something!
07-01-2009, 02:51 PM   #4
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I use the Zing hand/wrist strap combined with the "stock" Pentax neck strap. It is a comparable combination to what I've used in the past, for just what you described.

Also, if your local shop has a used section, you might peek through it to see if there is a "close enough" option in there.

07-01-2009, 03:15 PM   #5
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I have several Lowepro straps, and while I love their bags of which I have five, I am not as fond of the straps because the quick releases are very inconveniently placed and always in the way of my hands and the camera. Don't know about Domke straps, but greatly enjoyed their bags for many years. I changed to Op/Tech Super Classic camera straps about a year ago and am super pleased with 'em. (The Super Classics are 2 inch wide, though). Op/Tech's quick releases are placed away from the camera body so they are not as much in the way and the padded parts of the straps are very effective in distributing and cushioning the weight. I use their guitar, banjo, and mandolin straps, too and the quality is top end there also. Am sure you will be well pleased with the 1 inch Envy model you referred to in your post, MacGirl. The quick releases that Op/Tech uses are quite reliable; I'm trusting basically the same releases on the instrument straps that they use on camera straps with a lot more weight. I don't think most folks know just how much a banjo or Les Paul guitar weighs............

If you do get to thinking about a hand strap, go look at Camdapter's website. I have one of those attached to a K20D and battery grip that I carry inside a Lowepro shoulder holster; I just unzip the top, slide my hand in, and pull out the camera. Quick and easy and the camera is well protected, much better than around my neck and I really don't miss shots because of the little bit of extra time in the zipping and slipping.
07-01-2009, 06:19 PM   #6
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another vote for optech...if you strap a long lens on, it's tolerable around your neck...
07-02-2009, 03:45 PM   #7
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Thanks for the suggestions everyone! Keep 'em coming...

07-02-2009, 03:56 PM   #8
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Hrm, I use the big boomerangey Op/Techs on anything that might get heavier than a certain amount, ...I was a skeptic about the neoprene, but these are nice. ...Otherwise, my favorites are actually similar to those Domkes, and ...the suede Tamrac types I used to use. If you want a narrow one, that's still padded, that was kind of where I'd go back in the 80's, when mostly you could have something like that, or wide webbing that spread the weight but created its own discomforts for me. I like the Lowepro Speedster, it's like a Domke gripper, but a bit less than an inch and a half wide, and very grippy. Very good for lighter rigs, anyway, up to, really, an old metal film body with winder and not-too-heavy lens.

I'm wondering if your desire for a narrow strap is kind of for similar reasons to what I had before I tried something new: not really figuring on that the newer designs can be wider without being very uncomfortable. (Though I think Tamrac and Lowepro both have straps which are narrower, with neoprene pads. A friend who tried the latter doesn't much care for it, if all I really know,


So, that's all I can say for that. But... Some folks mentioned some new and neat-looking things on another thread. One was, a Crumpler 'Industry Disgrace?' (points for memorable names, I think that was the one, though. ) And the other was... Something I'll have to look through old threads for. Those might be worth checking out.

Here, I found the one I'd never heard of. *this* looks pretty intriguing, from some mention on another thread:
http://www.rei.com/product/753280?cm_mmc=cse_froogle-_-datafeed-_-product-_-...:referralID=NA

It's called a 'Pacsafe,' ...looks pretty good. I think I'd bypass the dog-clips on it (don't like to trust that sort of thing) but it's narrow and padded.

Last edited by Ratmagiclady; 07-02-2009 at 04:23 PM.
07-02-2009, 04:38 PM   #9
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Ha! I think I posted in that thread you are refering to and I remember checking out the Crumpler strap. I'm pretty sure it's very comfy, but it looks very bulky to me. I need to find it and try it and fall in love with it.

I wish straps weren't quick-release. I'm having a time finding ones that aren't. I'm always going against the tide I guess.
07-02-2009, 04:53 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by MacGirl Quote
Ha! I think I posted in that thread you are refering to and I remember checking out the Crumpler strap. I'm pretty sure it's very comfy, but it looks very bulky to me. I need to find it and try it and fall in love with it.

I wish straps weren't quick-release. I'm having a time finding ones that aren't. I'm always going against the tide I guess.
Hee, right. I didn't look that hard just now. The Pacsafe one looks like you could skip the clips one way or another. I looked at the reviews, now, and a couple reviewers complained of something coming loose, can't tell whether it was the clips or not, but those sure look rather vulnerable.

Hey, you know, though, if you're good with handcrafts, it looks like you could narrow down one of these Optech Pro straps like I have, if you don't like the width, no sewing involved.

I dunno, though, that 'Envy' strap might be just the ticket for you, anyway. Never tried one, but it looks pretty interesting. I suppose I'd give one a try, myself, if I had need, though that's partly cause I have these matching connectors on a few things.

Last edited by Ratmagiclady; 07-02-2009 at 06:06 PM.
07-10-2009, 02:27 PM   #11
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Have you considered the R-Strap? I picked one up recently after my frustration with traditional neck straps boiled over, and have to say I love it. It attaches to a lug that screws into the tripod mount on the bottom of the camera. The camera then slides up and down the strap from your hip to your shoulder. The padding is not extreme, but it is comfortable so far and isn't too bulky.

It doesn't work as smoothly on me as it does for the guys in the demo video on their website, but that's very probably due to the extra contours around my waist.

(NOTE: the videos on their website are based on the original version of the strap which has since seen significant revision, but the current version works on the same principle. ALSO note that the suggestion in the video to hoop the strap onto the "D-ring" on the bottom of a tripod QR plate is inadvisable as the ring may twist off the plate.)

Some may find the $54 price tag a little steep for a strap; you can google for DIY instructions.
07-10-2009, 03:14 PM   #12
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"Back in the day" (don't you hate it when someone pulls that old line out?) I seem to recall that straps were everywhere. You had so many choices!

Now? Where did all the incredible variety of straps go?

For me, I am looking for a nice distressed leather kind of strap--but of course it should be wonderfully comfortable, hold the camera securely (because goodness knows, with me, it needs to be "secure"). So far, just haven't found that beast.

And a distressed leather bag, too. But that's another thread
07-10-2009, 09:21 PM   #13
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Tyson G - Thanks for the R-Strap suggestion, I've undoubtedly discovered it through my searching and that type of strap just doesn't appeal to me. I like carrying across the shoulder but I'm looking for a more versatile "traditional" strap that I can use around the neck, across the shoulder, looped around the wrist or looped "rifle-style" around the tricep.

ifringe - Oh, yes! A nice broken-in leather strap would be heaven but those are so hard to find unless you know someone who works with leather and can make you one. I did stumble upon an Italian fellow's website who hand-crafts straps but they are mostly for Leica. His straps looks scrumptious though....Luigi! If you were getting a K7, one of these straps would be the way to go.

The last couple of weeks have been spent looking for the Op/Tech Envy strap but so far none of the camera shops I've visited have had one. I was almost ready to just order it online but further searching lead me to Photojojo and the reclaimed seat beat strap. Souldier/Photojojo I was so smitten with these I had to order one up and I'm awaiting it's arrival. It was wider than I initially was looking for and isn't padded, but the fact that it didn't have quick release attachments was a plus and it came in all those nice pretty colors....! I am concerned about the metal buckles but I'll see how it goes...just have to keep that fact in mind when folding the strap in the camera bag. The quick adjustability of the strap is something I'm excited about too. I'll post an update once I received the strap and have used it for a few days for those who may be interested.
07-10-2009, 10:16 PM   #14
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MacGirl, although you said you don't like the R-strap, your thread did finally inspire me to write up my super cheap DIY alternative to the R-strap, so I wanted to point out the short description I just posted, and recommend a DIY solution - straps are so basic, it's fairly easy to create on your own . I find the 1.5 inch seatbelt webbing I used really spreads out the load and feels better than most padded straps I've tried (though some of those neoprene options look pretty nice too).
07-11-2009, 10:29 AM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by MacGirl Quote
Oh, yes! A nice broken-in leather strap would be heaven but those are so hard to find unless you know someone who works with leather and can make you one. I did stumble upon an Italian fellow's website who hand-crafts straps but they are mostly for Leica. His straps looks scrumptious though....Luigi! If you were getting a K7, one of these straps would be the way to go.
Wonderful find! Thank you for that great link.

Alas, no K-7 yet. But, it is very high on my list of things that I simply cannot live without. So, when I get one, it is time to scratch that itch!
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