survey of camera straps on hassy-type cameras

Hi to all, I'd just like to know/survey of all those who own

Hassleblad or similar kinds of cameras (e.g. Bronica or Mamiya RZ/RB)

whether you use a camera strap or whether you simply use it on the

tripod all the time, thus rendering the strap unnecessary. This

question is for those who take their cameras out in the field.

I love holding my new Hassleblad, no strap, though the hand-strap with the CW winder is lovely.

My 501 CM almost always has the Hasselblad neck strap attached,

whether handholding or using a monopod/tripod. I only take it off when

using a stroboframe. I like the security.

Doug from Tumwater

Most of the time there is a strap on my camera (the wide one is much more comfortable!). It's not needed if you use the camera exclusively on a tripod and for handheld if you simply take the camera in and out of a shoulder bag. One advantage though: It's easier to change a roll of film if the camera is suspended from your neck and you have both hands free to handle the film and insert.

Alex,

 

I have a Bronica ETRSi that I have used for everything from nature to weddings and commercial. I own a wide strap & use it most of the time.

 

I do not use it while photographing weddings. I have the camera mounted to a Stroboframe. Power and synch cords would otherwise get hopelessly tangled with a strap making me crazy when I need to have it together.

 

I do not use it for commercial work with the camera mounted to a tripod, or moving around in a small area. Again, the strap gets easily tangled with power cords. I also usually have a place to set the camera down.

 

I definitely use the strap when doing nature photography which is exclusively on a tripod. When I carry camera & tripod over my shoulder, I've got ahold of the strap in case the camera unlatches from the tripod. (Fortunately, that has never happened.) When the camera and tripod are strapped to the back of my camera pack, the strap is run through the pack's sternum strap for security. On the other hand, I've had wind blowing the strap ruin a long time exposure. I normally don't extend the center post of the tripod. That one time I did, and noticed camera shake as the strap flopped around. (The moral? wrap the strap around the tripod so it doesn't flap around.)

 

When I do macro work, I've had the strap get in the way. My foot has caught on it while moving around the setup. Again, wrap the strap.

 

The bottom line is, it's a security device. Use it as frequently as its practical to & be aware of when it can cause problems. I have a plain black strap made with nylon coated neoprene. I inspect it regularly for wear.

 

~Ted

Alex,

 

Many years ago I tried using the strap on a MF camera but I soon

took it off. It just got in the way. MF cameras, IMHO, are too

heavy and bulky to be carried around the neck. My 205FCC

stays in the camera bag until I want to take a shot - sometimes

on a tripod, sometimes handheld - and the goes straight back

into the bag. The powerwinder makes for a convenient handle

to hold the camera whilst taking it in and out of the bag. I am very

careful.

 

I doubt if a strap would save the camera from a fall (although I

am sure that many MFD members will have stories about the

time the strap saved the camera). But, I am a firm believer in

Murphy's Law: The time that the camera slips out of the fingers

will be the one time that the strap is hanging loose...

 

The one time that I banged a camera hard was when I slipped

climbing up some wet cement stairs. Strap or not, that camera

went down with me. Fortunately it survived - in better shape than

me...

 

Although, having now voted in favor of "no strap", a short, sturdy

wrist strap (maybe something that wound back into itself to stay

out of the way and not flap in the wind) would be a added safety

feature. Maybe some bright accessory's designer might pick up

on the idea and produce one.

 

Regards

Peter

I like to take handheld pictures in dimly-lit places where tripods are

forbidden or impractical. With a strap and careful technique I get

perfectly usable pictures at 1/16 - 1/8.

 

My trick is to place the camera on my chest and use a waist level

finder. My right hand goes under the camera with the thumb on the

shutter release. My left hand focusses and is used to pull the camera

back into my body for the shot. The strap goes over my left shoulder,

across my back, under the right armpit, wraps once round my right

forearm and back to the camera. By bracing my shoulders and pulling

in my elbows I can tighten everything up nicely and just squeeze off

the release, preferably between heartbeats.

 

The photo in this thread on the People photography forum was taken

this way with a shutter speed of 1/16s:

 

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=002kPz