rhaytana__tim_adams_ Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 I just bought an Op-tech EZ-Comfort Strap, which will support aboutnine pounds of gear dangling from my neck. The optech web site sitesa recommended load of ten pounds for this strap. Recommended load,according to the site, is for comfort. Not breakage concerns. Still, I worry. Do camera straps break? Has it happened to any ofyou other photo.net users? To a friend? I shudder to think of theseams ripping out and all that expensive gear crashing around my feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicaglow Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 The optech is a great strap and I use it with my heavy Hasselblad equipment all the time without a problem. The only camera strap I've ever seen break were the old SLR leather or leatherette covered ones that cracked over time and got brittle. The bigger problem is ensuring you install the strap correctly because I've experienced straps working their way undone before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoneguy Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 Mine broke last month. Dropped a 20D, 70-200 2.8L. The lens hood bore the brunt of the fall, and I escaped with no damage what so ever. It happens. I bought a new handstrap, and moved on. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob oldendorf Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 In the bad old days, LEATHER straps would eventually dry out and fail. I can't say that I've heard any anecdotal stories of strap failure here in recent times. (I imagine that some photojournalist who uses his gear hard might very well pipe up with some instances, but I don't travel in those circles.) Plastic buckles and connectors tend to be the weak link these days, usually involving user error: a quick-release connector that hasn't been properly seated, and pulls open because it hasn't locked. From an engineering point of view, there IS something to be said for having a strap that is NOT of infinite strength: in the event of a catastrophic accident, it's probably best to LET the strap be the weak link, and having the strap fail first, BEFORE the camera lugs - or the photographer's neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_henderson Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 I have had an Op/Tech strap fail, though not quite to the point of breaking. This did occur after a couple of years of use hauling around a 20lb medium format kit, and it was a gradually occurring failure not a sudden catastrophic one. I should also say that I went right out and bought another strap by the same manufacturer because they are pretty comfortable to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimstrutz Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 I have had two plastic strap quick releases that failed in the past few years. One was new and just defective. The other must have gotten cracked from someone stepping on it or something. On one the equipment fell, but was not significantly damaged. The other I caught before destroying anything. I always check these things now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrydressler Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 in 47 years I never had a strap break but 1 time the little metal wire conector broke my coat was the thing that kept it from hitting the ground. Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilly_w Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 If I have a critical piece of sewn gear I will stress-test by applying 1.5 to 2x my intended carry-weight, thus 18 lbs in your case should do it. Observe the seams as you do so. I remove the strap or sewn peice and hang dead weight from a bag (books, rocks, etc.) and observe the seams. Many seams are not sewn w/ a lock-stitch. If they begin to *go*, then they practically come *unzipped*. An easy remedy is to apply a bead of Shoe-Goo or seam sealer, any type of durable / waterproof glue that will penetrate the seam. If, after several years of abrasion, one portion of the seam becomes worn-through, the entire seam won't *unzip*. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_Ingold Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 Op-Tech straps that have a strap or loop that goes through a D-ring on the camera are arguably the safest. The plastic QR clips may fail, but tend to do so as you attach them. The clip will still hold if only one "ear" remains. The stitched joints of the Op-Tech distribute the load better and wear less than rivets and swivels in metal joints. I have had straps with metal clips fail when the strap twists just so and the clips release when placed under load - both bags and cameras. Fortunately, this happened just as I picked them up. I have also had leather/leatherette straps fail where attached to metal ends. I replaced the straps when I noticed the cracking, before the camera had a chance to fall. I have also had two swivel connectors fail on camera bags (LowePro) after extensive use. (I no longer use swivels - I pull the strap through the D-rings directly and buckle them down.) I won't use my 50 year old Rollei strap because leather is subject to mildew attack and can fail suddenly even if it looks normal from the outside. I can't imagine anyone carrying a 10 pound camera on a neck strap, much less a 20 pound MF camera, if one even exists. My entire Hasselblad kit weighs about 28 pounds, and I use a backpack. A little hyperbole, perhaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
constance_cook Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 I have used Op-Tech straps on both my F5 (from 1996 to now) and on my F6 since I got it when it came out. I always take pliers and press the ends (where the hole goes over the nub) to be sure it is on as tightly as possible. I have never had a strap of any kind fail, though. Conni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhaytana__tim_adams_ Posted March 27, 2006 Author Share Posted March 27, 2006 Thanks to all who responded. The expensive straps at the camera shop all included plastic quick release snaps ... which might work just fine 99.9% of the time, but which still struck this shopper as a potential weakest link. Several respondents have mentioned problems with these snaps, so I now feel grateful that I passed them up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennismk Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 The plastic quick release snaps are the weakest link as other have said. What I do with all of mine is to use an electrical plastic wire tie available at all hardware shops to make sure that those plastic snaps can not come undone. they even come in the color black. this works very well. Hope this is some help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picturesque Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 I've used Tamrac and Op Tech straps for years, some with my Hasselblad, bracket and Metz potato masher flash, which weighs a lot. None have broken, but I do check them periodically, and if I see ripped threads or worn fibers, etc., I replace them. Checking and replacing seems to be the best preventive method. New straps and straps not worn down--of any design--probably all have a very good chance of not breaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew robertson Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 I had my Op Tech Cam / Bino harness come unclipped constantly, and I emailed the company. Three days later, I had a personal response from the president of the company, his business card, and some newly designed camera loops (which were the part that failed). Talk about awesome service - I am now a very loyal Op Tech customer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franklin_polk Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 I'll second the cable tie for the quick release connectors. It also prevents you from accidentially releasing your camera. I feel safe to say that with the cable tie, the straps as strong as if there was no quick release there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_henderson Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 I should qualify- I put my strap on my bag, not my camera, though that wouldn't seem to make a lot of difference to its ability to support weight up to its supposed tariff. It was the neoprene that failed, not the clips, and actually I note from my records that it failed after a year -though I'd previously had another which wore over several years but never failed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochen_S Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 I know nothing about Optech products. I have a folder which fell down 2 times due to the bad condition of the NRC's leather strap after 30+x years. I also own at least one backpack of that kind and should do well to replace some recently made leather strap for my 2nd Leica. With elastic (Neoprene) straps it is good to stay within their recommended payload, otherwise the camera will bounce up and down on these bungee-straps. Until now I felt rather comfortable with average original straps. Sometimes one can get used ones dirt cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike crist Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 30+ years ago, I was photographing Britt Hume (now of Fox News, then a headlines-making investigative reporter covering the Watergate scandal) while he was addressing a crowd of university students. Standing right behind him as he spoke, I shouldered my prized, black Nikon FTN while picking up another camera with a different focal length. The leather strap parted and the Nikon fell to the concrete, landing on the meter head with the most sickening crunch I've ever heard short of a limb breaking. Hume turned, looked at me with immediate sympathy at what had just happened, shook his head and resumed his speech. "No more leather straps"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
35mmdelux Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 yes. Try to buy nylon. on most straps the leather is the weak point. try to get one without metal so it doesn't scratch your camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhaytana__tim_adams_ Posted September 27, 2006 Author Share Posted September 27, 2006 Update: it broke! Please see the thread: http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00IDj8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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