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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Anybody tried the R-Strap?
Rob Bye, Photographer
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Winnipeg | MB | Canada | Posted: 5:49 PM on 10.28.08 |
->> I've heard about a new camera strap called the R-Strap from BlackRapid. The concept seems good, even if the design is still evolving. The RS-1 version looks about right for sports work, but at $44.00, I'd really like to hear first-hand experiences from SportsShooters before I pull the trigger.
This is the link to their site: http://www.blackrapid.com/ |
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Jeff Martin, Photographer
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wellington | OH | usa | Posted: 5:52 PM on 10.28.08 |
->> I've tried a G-string but not the R-strap. I'm willing though.
My apologies. Couldn't resist. |
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David Lipnowski, Photographer
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Winnipeg | MB | Canada | Posted: 6:36 PM on 10.28.08 |
->> Hey Rob,
Gary F. uses one in the city. I've seen him use it in action, and it seems like it works really well. Just seems pretty pricey for such a simple strap contraption (not to mention shipping it north of the border).
A manager at Don's Photo asked me about products that I'd like to see on their shelves, and mentioned this product, among others.
There are a ton of DIY's for that kind of strap as well. |
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Marvin Gentry, Photographer
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Birmingham | AL | USA | Posted: 6:45 PM on 10.28.08 |
| ->> I have got one but haven't used it alot yet. I ran into one of the NASCAR photographers that used it and from watching her use it , its well worth the money if you need to grab a camera fast and drop the other one. |
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Jeff Mangum, Photographer
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Bullhead City | AZ | | Posted: 6:48 PM on 10.28.08 |
| ->> It looks like a good idea but i carry two cameras, anyone tried using the r strap with two cameras. |
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Eric Isaacs, Photographer
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Santa Barbara | CA | USA | Posted: 7:02 PM on 10.28.08 |
->> I saw it for the first time last week - I was chatting with another photog and he showed me how it works. It seems really practical - they have a newer model than the one he showed me that has a smaller latch. I didn't get much time to look at it as I was rapidly being drained of blood by a swarm of Texas skeeters.
I will likely drop the $45 and try one.
EMI |
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Lesley Ann Miller, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Irvine | CA | US | Posted: 7:05 PM on 10.28.08 |
->> I imagine that I'm the NASCAR photographer to whom Marvin is referring as I'm the only regular, and female, NASCAR photographer using the R-Strap.
I use two and wear them bandolear style, generally with a 300 2.8 hanging on the right and a 70-200 2.8 on the left. When shooting with a short lens, I will usually leave the long lens hanging on the strap and wear the camera around my neck with a regular strap.
I've used them all year and love them. I no longer walk around the track constantly feeling like my cameras are sliding off my shoulders, and as Marvin indicated, I can literally drop one camera and grab the other if something happens and I need the other lens. |
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Darren White, Photographer
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Brisbane | QLD | Australia | Posted: 8:33 PM on 10.28.08 |
->> I've just started using it to carry my second body with 70-200 attached as I've never felt really comfortable/secure with it hanging over the one shoulder.
I can really recommend it, it makes is sooo much easier to carry and deploy.
I'm a little nervous about the clip attachment and might see if I can beef that up a little with a failsafe attachment from that to another point on the body. |
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Rob Bye, Photographer
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Winnipeg | MB | Canada | Posted: 8:51 PM on 10.28.08 |
->> David, I should've known Garry would be an "early adopter" of this strap. I'll ask him about his experiences, and maybe borrow it for a day or two.
I'm hesitant to trust any strap. I always secure my straps with zip ties and hockey tape as an extra measure of security. I'd be doubly sure to do the same with this one.
One thing holding me back is that I use those old Tamron palm grips under each of my lenses with a tripod mount. To attach an R-Strap, I'd have to remove those, and get used to holding the lens by gripping the barrel. Maybe the makers of the R-Strap could design a mounting system similar in function to a palm grip... I could see that adding some versatility. |
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Dan Leitch, Photographer
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New Hope | MN | USA | Posted: 10:25 PM on 10.28.08 |
| ->> I've had one for about two months. Normally use it on the second body with 70-200 on it. I love it, as many have mentioned very easy to get the camera into shooting position. I like that I can get it closer to the middle of my back and not swinging from the side. Less chance of banging the camera and lens into something from the side. Highly recommended. |
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Christian del Rosario, Photographer
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San Jose | CA | USA | Posted: 11:44 PM on 10.28.08 |
->> This is a really fancy version of what you can accomplish with a 60cm climbing sling. This concept has been around for a while: http://www.leicagoodies.com/strap.html
At REI you can do similar for less than $10 as the sling is $6 and a sacrificial keychain (to use the ring) is around $4.
Granted this doesn't offer the fancy pockets and such, but hey...it's $10! |
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Andrew Worrall, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Columbia | M0 | | Posted: 12:14 AM on 10.29.08 |
| ->> Wow, that looks really great. Can't wait to try one out! Thanks Rob. |
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Mark Smith, Photographer
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Elk City | OK | USA | Posted: 12:45 AM on 10.29.08 |
| ->> I thought I had finally ran out of things I had to have. |
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Martin McNeil, Photographer
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East Kilbride | Lanarkshire | United Kingdom | Posted: 7:16 AM on 10.29.08 |
->> Looks incredibly useful; I hate that niggling feeling of conventional straps shifting around my shoulders - even if they're not.
I've had two strap failures in the four years I've been shooting and fortunately, on both occasions, the attached lens hoods took all of the force of impact. One was a 70-200VR, the other was an otherwise irreplaceable Nikkor 28mm f/1.4D!
@Lesley Ann: I'd be interested in seeing a shot of how you use your straps bandolier style - I'm curious as to whether the straps interfere with each other when used in this method, as I too would be toting two camera bodies in such a fashion. |
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Steven Ickes, Photographer
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Mechanicsburg | PA | USA | Posted: 1:14 PM on 10.29.08 |
->> Saw this a few weeks ago and decided that $50 was better spent on something other than a camera strap. Quickly cobbled one together mainly to see how well it would work and test the concept and quite honestly it's awesome. Shot a college football game using it and was so much better than conventional strap.
At this point I'm going to try and perfect my DIY strap and see how it goes. But then again we're all about the gear and gadgets aren't we? I might decide to take the road most traveled and order the R-Strap. |
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Robby Barthelmess, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Santa Barbara | CA | United States | Posted: 10:07 PM on 10.29.08 |
| ->> thanks for sharing that Rob. Looks like a good idea. I hope to hear more about people who use it with two cameras (or on at least one). |
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Tony Sirgedas, Photographer
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Pierce County | WA | USA | Posted: 1:12 AM on 10.30.08 |
->> Had one for about a year now and it's the permanent strap on one camera. It's great when shooting with the 400 on a monopod and then reaching down real quick for something wider. I think it was just updated with a new steel hook. Mine has the aluminum one and is seeing wear from the metal ring connector to the camera.
It sure takes the stress off the neck from using a regular neck strap. |
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Mark Peters, Photographer
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Highland | IL | USA | Posted: 8:03 AM on 10.30.08 |
->> For those that do have, do you always attach it to the tripod socket of either the lens foot or body?
Anyone attach a split ring to the left side strap attachment point on the body and attach the strap there?
Finally, how much cosmetic damage to the body is done by the metal hook? I've seen a couple images on line of the strap in use where the bodies are heavily gaffer taped up. |
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Sean Popke, Photographer
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San Diego | CA | | Posted: 12:36 AM on 01.16.09 |
| ->> Just wanted to bring up this thread and see if anyone has any recent feedback on this strap. I'm looking at getting the RS-4 strap. One concern I have is the weight on the tripod socket of my D300 w/Grip and 17-55mm. |
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Michael Moriatis, Photographer
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Santa Barbara | CA | USA | Posted: 1:10 AM on 01.16.09 |
| ->> I just used the RS-1 with my D700 and 70-200mm on the monopod socket. I absolutely love it. Best strap ever. |
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Sean Popke, Photographer
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San Diego | CA | | Posted: 2:33 PM on 01.16.09 |
| ->> Ok great, I think i'll pick one up and try it out. |
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Jason Jump, Photographer
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Humble | TX | USA | Posted: 2:47 PM on 01.16.09 |
->> Very rarely would I carry two cameras, because the second one was more of a pain in the rear than it was a help, because I spent more time putting it back on my shoulder than I did taking pictures.
Now with the Black Rapid that is no longer the case. I don't have to worry about it slipping off may shoulder.
I love it! |
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Dave Doonan, Photographer
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Kingston | TN | USA | Posted: 4:09 PM on 01.16.09 |
->> do you have to use it with the monopod socket?
What if I am using a short zoom lens and a 70-200 zoom on two bodies? |
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Scott Sewell, Photographer
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Topeka | KS | USA | Posted: 10:39 PM on 01.16.09 |
->> Jody, have you had any issues with the S-biner not staying connected to the camera or the strap? I bought a handful of those things last summer to carry extra things on my belt/shoulder harness (such as water bottles) and every time I used them they came off. Maybe the weight of the camera would keep the clip from opening, but I'm not sure I would trust the S-Biner to stay clipped shut and keep everything from dropping.
I would be interested to hear more about your experience with using the S-biners. Thanks. |
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Steve King, Photographer
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Ann Arbor | MI | USA | Posted: 11:32 AM on 01.28.09 |
->> I tried Jody's idea of using the Metolius sling but I'm using a very small carabiner instead of the S-biner, and a screw with hook for the lens mount. It works very well for me, and since I didn't go for the S-biner I can't comment on how that works. My rig is the D3 & 70-200 on the strap and it really off loads the weight very nicely, and since it hangs right at my waist (I'm short!) I can kneel or stand while using it.
The Metolius strap I picked up has an extra strap under the arm, just in case I want to sling anything else under my left arm like a water bottle or my CF card case that's hard to reach on my speed belt. |
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Andrew Sullivan, Photo Editor, Photographer
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Kissimmee | FL | USA | Posted: 4:34 PM on 04.13.09 |
->> Any R-Strap owners of the Big&Tall variety? I'm 6'2" and 275lbs. I'm on the fence whether this will fit comfortably...
Andrew Sullivan
www.picandrew.com |
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Philip Johnson, Photographer
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Garland | TX | USA | Posted: 5:22 PM on 04.13.09 |
| ->> Andrew, I'm 6'0" and 260 and use two of them. Works great for me. |
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Mike Huffstatler, Photographer, Assistant
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Rancho Cucamonga | Ca | United States | Posted: 5:35 PM on 04.13.09 |
->> Well, it appears that I will be about the only vote of dissension here. I purchased one at WPPI this year, tried it for a while and took advantage of the return for refund policy.
I'm a pretty big guy too, and tall-torso. I had to extend the strap to just about the limits to fit right. What didn't work for me was the body/lens combo just would not stay rested on the side/pointed backwards. The body/lens kept wanting to swing around to the front and this made it really difficult. At the time I was using this primarily attached direct to the MKII body, not a lens mount. This very well could of made a difference in the balance and usage.
With the body swinging around, I actually found it more frustrating that useful. The other part was the strap wanted to move up on my shoulder with the edge rubbing onto/into my neck.
You results may differ, but for me I had to pass. |
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Juliann Tallino, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Port Townsend/Seattle | WA | USA | Posted: 7:23 PM on 04.13.09 |
| ->> I didn't like it at all. Gave it a try at a couple of football games but it's not for me. My husband likes using it though, so I'll keep it for him. |
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Peter Gaby, Photographer
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Madison | WI | US | Posted: 11:19 PM on 04.13.09 |
->> I have one, that I bough while out in Vegas at PMA
find it usefull, but I too have had some minor issues.
For me, it is the way the lense rubs up against my hip - also part of the problem is the rotation knob on my lens keeps hitting me in the hip area as well.
I do find that it is usefull when dropping to your side, and being able to pull it back into a shooting position.
I will probably also look into some of the DIY ideas that have been posted.
It is expensive for what you get - but I don't really think it was a wastefull expense. |
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Tony Mastres, Photographer
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Santa Barbara | Ca | USA | Posted: 12:23 AM on 04.15.09 |
->> My scenario mirrors Steven I's above very closely. I though $50 was a bit much for a strap at first so I built one myself with parts and pieces of old bags and straps lying around the studio in about an hour. I used my "frankenstrap" for four days straight (just one camera) each day making tiny adjustments/improvements. It worked great but in the end I just ponied up for an R strap. Primarily because I never found a truly comfortable shoulder pad, I knew my rig wouldn't be as durable as the real deal and mine just looked a little too "home-made".
So far, I'm very happy with the R, no complaints. It takes a bit of getting used to since I used to just carry "over the shoulder" and this works bast when its satchel style, across the chest but you definitely get used to it fairly quickly.
My advice would be if you have to spend more than $10 and an hour of time making one, you're better off just buying one in the first place. |
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Alan Look, Photographer
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Bloomington | IL | United States | Posted: 9:26 AM on 04.15.09 |
->> My knock off of Jody's idea. Haven't used it a great deal, but I've liked it when I have. It's one tough strap.
One night I used it lugging gear through a crowded hall in an area. I thought it was great. It kept my gear much closer to my body than a regular strap and helped to keep it from getting bumped around.
http://www.alanlook.com/gear.htm
http://chimperscage.blogspot.com |
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Tony Sirgedas, Photographer
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Pierce County | WA | USA | Posted: 6:46 PM on 04.15.09 |
->> Andrew S.,
I'm 6'4" and fairly large boned (yeah, that's it), I love the R-strap and actually am thinking of a second one.
They have a nifty new hookup that will connect two straps together into a harness type set up for carrying two cameras. This looks even more adjustable for us larger folks. |
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Tyson Hofsommer, Photographer
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Kansas City | KS | USA | Posted: 12:32 PM on 04.16.09 |
->> I just ordered one RS-4 the other day. Can't wait to try it out. I will report back here after a few uses.
_____________________
Tyson H. Photography
Twitter: http://twitter.com/TysonHphoto |
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Mark Speight, Photographer
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Vlotho-Exter | NRW | Germany | Posted: 1:20 PM on 04.16.09 |
->> I have been using 2 of the straps for a while now. I think they are great.
Especially when working with 2 bodies, either one strap and monopod, or two straps crossed.
Mark |
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Dave Breen, Photographer
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Somerset | PA | USA | Posted: 6:42 PM on 04.19.09 |
| ->> As I am NOT the consummate fashion-conscious photojournalist, I wonder if an R-strap would work with an equipment vest (sometimes a vest is better than a bag). Anyone have experience using one with the other? |
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Ron Hawkes, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Rockland | ME | USA | Posted: 6:37 AM on 04.20.09 |
->> I used mine Saturday for four baseball and softball games and loved it. Worked extremely well with my 300 attached to the lens collar.
Does not work well with another camera around your neck, but I can see where a second R Strap would work fine or a smaller lens with a second body and long lens on a monopod.
One of the things I really liked about it is the strap seemd to stay put on my shoulder.
My one request would be that I am a big guy and could use a little more available strap. Kind of tight with a lite jacket on. Fine without it. |
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Tyson Hofsommer, Photographer
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Kansas City | KS | USA | Posted: 9:06 AM on 04.20.09 |
| ->> I just got mine Saturday, haven't used it in the field yet, but around the house and initial impressions are that I think this is an AWESOME strap that I wish I would have thought of! HAHA! |
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Ernie Rice, Photographer
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Paragould | AR | USA | Posted: 12:05 AM on 05.01.09 |
| ->> Hey guys, has anyone had any problems using an R-Strap connected to one of those small bogen quick release plates with the D ring in the screw? I'm wondering how sturdy the D ring is. :) Thanks... |
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Nick Morris, Photographer
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San Marcos | CA | United States | Posted: 2:29 AM on 05.01.09 |
| ->> Dave Breen... I took Judy's advise and made an R Strap from the parts she listed and I to use a vest... YES!! I'm one of those vest people but piss off I have an Alpinestar Photo Vest so I do NOT look like a dork! As a matter of fact I happen to have 3 Alpinestar Shooter Vests so I'm 3 times cooler! Anyway back to the point at hand Yes I use the strap and a vest and the combo is friggin awesome. I wish I had this during my embed with the Marines. The combo works amazingly. |
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N. Scott Trimble, Photographer
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Lake Oswego | OR | USA | Posted: 2:59 AM on 05.01.09 |
| ->> I bought mine a few weeks ago and it worked great on a boat shooting a documentary for a weekend. I am hooked! |
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Nick Morris, Photographer
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San Marcos | CA | United States | Posted: 12:08 PM on 05.01.09 |
| ->> Sorry Jody I spelled your name wrong... fat fingers |
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Sean Popke, Photographer
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San Diego | CA | | Posted: 2:17 PM on 05.01.09 |
| ->> I picked one up right before a trip at the end of January. Didn't really like it, so it's been sitting in my closet since. If anyone is looking for one, please let me know. |
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Dave Breen, Photographer
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Somerset | PA | USA | Posted: 10:50 AM on 05.03.09 |
| ->> Is the tripod socket of a camera body or lens bracket a good (single) point of connection? The are two strap "lugs" on most bodies, sharing the weight. I wonder if hanging a camera/lens combo upside-down this manner is a good idea. |
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Sean Popke, Photographer
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San Diego | CA | | Posted: 1:42 PM on 05.03.09 |
| ->> FYI, mine has been sold. |
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Jody Gomez, Photographer
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Murrieta | CA | USA | Posted: 12:38 AM on 05.04.09 |
->> "Is the tripod socket of a camera body or lens bracket a good (single) point of connection? The are two strap "lugs" on most bodies, sharing the weight. I wonder if hanging a camera/lens combo upside-down this manner is a good idea."
Dave,
I think there are two strap "lugs" as you put it more for comfort than security, but I could be wrong.
It seems to me that hanging a body with a 70-200 from the R-type straps using the tripod collar would distribute the weight just fine because the collar wraps around the lens (as I'm sure you know). The tripod screws that most of us are are using to connect the camera to the straps are pretty thick and go fairly deep into the collar, so my guess is that it's safe. If anyone can prove me wrong, I'd love to hear it because I'd really hate to have my camera hit the ground upside down because the screw failed. Yikes!
:~)
Jody |
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Mark Speight, Photographer
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Vlotho-Exter | NRW | Germany | Posted: 6:04 AM on 05.07.09 |
->> I use the 70-200 & D3 combo with the R-strap connected via the tripod collar. It feels comfortable and well balanced. The Connector screws in quite a bit and feels very secure, and on a saftey note, I contacted Melissa Painter at BlackRapid who stated in an email;,
Quote:
The ConnectR-1 takes up to 100 pounds. The strap itself can hold 1000 pounds.
Unquote
I was thinking about trying thr D3 & 300 2.8 combo....but don't feel brave enough yet. Anybody tried this combo? |
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