DSLR strap with quick release

Recommendation sub £50 please. I tend to use D800 with a fairly heavy 80-200 t2.8. No sports, just general stuff

Look at Op-tech straps.

Recently discovered Peak Design; quite like their anchors.

A $3000 camera + $2200 lens = $50 strap. What's wrong with this equation?

 

Actually there are many strap is which will support this rather heavy load, but not comfortably. I used Op-Tech straps for years, but even the wide foam shoulder pad places too much stress on my neck and lower back, and is too tight to be carried cross-shoulder. It's not getting any better as I grow older either.

 

I use a Sun-Sniper strap, which fits cross-shoulder with a sliding swivel on the camera. That keeps the camera from dragging the strap along when you raise it for use. Black Rapid makes a similar strap. Even these straps tend to drag the shoulder pad out of position. I recently purchased a Really Right Stuff strap, which has a Magpul single/double tactical strap with a quick-detach swivel and a miniature Area clamp. The large loop hangs comfortably and returns to the correct position when you put the camera down. It is secure, yet easily detached for use on a tripod.

 

A 70-200/2.8 lens can be carried comfortably for long periods of time. Examples would be hiking or covering weddings and events. The lens hangs downwards, out of the way and the weight is distributed well on one shoulder and can't slip off.

Edited February 23, 2017 by Ed_Ingold

Edward, why should a simple strap cost more than $50? It's not a designer fashion-statement, but a simple length of material with a couple of clips at the end. Wide polyester webbing can support tens of kilos very safely, so why should the cost of whatever its load matter?<p>

Having said that, I'd steer well clear of those plastic quick-release clips that simply click together. I haven't seen one that I'd trust not to come undone accidentally. Small climbing style metal equipment clips are far better and readily available these days. They could be added to any decent strap.

I think I qualified my answer sufficiently. PN seems to have eliminated paragraph spacing. Metal clips beat up your camera, and are not necessarily more secure than the double-pronged plastic cups used on camera straps. Those will hold even if one of the prongs breaks. Op-Tech straps come in several forms. I don't care for the ones which are foam only. Others have a web strap with a foam pad.

I like metal strap connectors on cameras - not on mine, but on the ones I buy cheap because of the wear and tear.

 

I've been using a couple of old Tamrac straps with plastic quick buckles for well over a decade, switching from camera to camera starting with a big old Nikon F, and never had any issues with the buckles.

• I've been using a Promaster on my D800E for a few years now and on D700s before that although I don't walk very far with a 70-200 attached. I tend to cradle the rig in my hand when carrying that lens. The strap is quite comfortable with a thick, sculptured neoprene pad designed to spread the weight over neck and shoulders. The pad is ergonomically styled to fit the nape of your neck, with an 'up and down' orientation. I like it best of four good straps I own. It has metal, caribiner styled spring clips at the camera end and also a two pronged plastic connector on each side for quick release and adjustments. The plastic clips have NEVER released unintentionally.
  
• If you need more sense of security there are good work-arounds to reinforce the connection. Here is one way to do it (taken from Google images).
  
• By the way, the OP did say 50 British pounds, not dollars, so that is $82 in my world. Plenty, regardless of the value of the load.
  
• 
  

I use a Movo MB700 Universal Single Camera Carrying Vest Holster System. It mounts the camera on a plate strapped to your chest. The camera is securely held and snaps in and out of the plate for quick use. I prefer this to a strap because I ride a mountain bike with the camera and this system prevents the camera from swinging back and forth and hitting the handlebars of the bike. Its also very comfortable. Also costs less than $50.00.

Jeff, I have used Tamarac and Optech for about 10 years and they held up well. The Optech straps have male and female fastex style quick disconnects on the camera that are still alive while the Tamarac straps are similar quality but use female fastex style buckles on the body so if you want a very short strap on the Tamrac you have to buy a center strap . I switched to Upstraps about 6 years ago and have not looked back. Upstraps are more robust and have a moderately stiff shoulder pad that does a good job of anchoring the camera on your shoulder. The fastex buckles are larger but you can buy the strap with or without quick disconnect fastex style buckles with either Kevlar or vectran loops that have been gentle on my camera bodies. Unfortunately they use male to male main straps so if you want a really short center strap you have to buy one rather than just connect the ones on the camera body. Not all fastex buckles are the same and I have broken several medium size buckles from general wear and tear and no abuse. Fortunately none were for cameras. The Upstrap is the best conventional strap I have owned. Good hunting.

:)

I've been relatively happy w/ Blackrapid. I like the way it hangs and easy to retrieve. I've hiked and biked with a D800+70-200 hanging on a BR strap and was quite happy. I've also used the BR dual body quite well.

 

My primary concern was the fastener coming unscrewed from the camera, especially after my son's D5 hit the ground from that happening. I modified one by adding a set screw that should prevent that in the future. BR also have a tether that also provides such protection.

I second or third Optech. They have a complete system of interconnecting straps, wrist straps, extensions. I use the neoprene strap for Canon 6d and 5div and 70-200mm f2.8 with no problem. Plastic fasteners are just fine. I hate the straps that have the camera banging against your hip, so a conventional strap suits me. They are also sensibly priced, unlike many of the boutique straps.

When you get into really heavy lenses, there is a great deal to be said for the Black Rapid strap(s). Seems to make the weight go away somehow (link to Dante Stella site, article on Black Rapid somewhere). The optional tether is also good to get (link2)

I recently acquired an Optech, very comfortable once you get used to the "bouncy" feel!

IMO the bits left attached are too long though. It also seems to have a strong desire to twist the lower sections massively & instantly.

I am also a Black Rapid fan. My one complaint is that it is not a quick release device. I need to unscrew the connector from the L plate on my camera to switch to a tripod. A Really Right Stuff Screw-knob Clamp with 38mm jaws and strap bosses solved this for me. I can now quickly swap back and forth from strap to tripod. While I have never had a body release from the clamp, I use a an Optech uniloop as a safety. This set up is about twice your max price of 50 but well it if you already use an L plate. If not, the RRS QD plate and strap is also a good bet at about 77 pounds. Again, higher than your ceiling of 50 but for the security and ease of use I find these solutions well worth the added cost

I use the same set up as Anthony when I use my Black Rapid strap. However, I prefer a neck strap carried over one shoulder with the lens pointed in (suggested by Joe McNally). It is not a quick to pull up and shoot but feels more secure to me.

I used a Magpul strap from Really Right Stuff on a recent photo vacation. About half of my 7000 photos were taken with a tripod. The Area-type attachment was easy to remove, yet secure when in use. It is used cross-shoulder like a Black Rapid strap, but doesn't twist or slip. The Magpul strap has a large loop with a short straight section, to which the camera is attached. The strap is 1-1/2" wide, and doesn't need a shoulder pad for comfort. The length can be easily adjusted, for example to use over a winter coat.

 

Technically, the strap is a single-point sling for a military rifle, easily converted to a two-point sling, with military grade quick-connectors.and swivels.