BlackRapid strap. Is anyone using it ?

[michael_k.1]

<p>Hi,<br>

My D3's strap needs to be replaced. A local vendor proposed me the blackrapid stuff which seems good.<br>

Is any wedding shooter here using this strap ? What's about camera safety ?<br>

Thanks for your advice.<br>

<br>

Mike</p>

[gatorpan]

<p>Hi Mike;</p>

<p >I have never seen this stuff but this looks like a great system for street photography. I have actually been carrying my camera over my shoulder with the lens to the back for years when doing photography in situations where I don’t want people to know I have a camera until the last minute. For a wedding? You are shooting all the time. You probably have a flash mounted… everybody knows you’re the photographer. And, hey you have enough problems making sure your camera does not knock over a bottle of wine or landing in the cake when you turn around to shoot that ‘fleeting’ moment.</p>

<p >So for a wedding I will stick to classic around the neck and on my chest area carry. But for CCW (concealed carry work), I think I will buy a BR rig soon. Thanks bring BR to my attention.<br>

Rafi</p>

[mark liddell]

I have it and it's great, the camera is immediately accessible right by your hand and it doesn't bounce around when you walk due to the rubber in the strap. When you crouch/bend/whatever it also doesn't swing about. My only criticisms are the price and the supplied shoulder pad is not that comfortable. I can't beleive it's taken this long for someone to design a strap that actually works well.

 

The camera is totally safe, the screw has a rubber washes to stop is working undone. There is also a locking clip so you can take the camera off the strap quickly if you want to. I use my camera with an L plate and with this I don't even have to unscrew the strap if I want to use a tripod.

 

Shootsac + rstrap = great quick access combo

[robin_fox]

<p>I have it and love it. I just purchased it a few months back and so far so good. It takes the weight off of my wrist. I use it when I'm photographing weddings.</p>

[john_deerfield]

<p>The Black Rapid strap is great for single camera shooting without a tripod. By that I mean you aren't going back and forth between strap and tripod. This is because the fastener screws into the tripod socket! But for single camera shooting, I don't think it can be beat. For dual camera shooting, Op/Tech recently introduced a dual harness. I tried the Black Rapid dual system and it doesn't work for me. The balance is poor. If both cameras are hanging, it's great. If you only have one camera or you using two cameras but shooting with one (!) the strap sags. This doesn't happen, at least not to the same degree, with the Op/Tech dual harness. Finally, the Op/Tech system uses the actual camera strap holders thereby freeing up the tripod socket so that you can easily mount the camera on a tripod and when done, click it back into the shoulder strap.</p>

<p>Op/Tech: http://optechusa.com/product/detail/?PRODUCT_ID=87&PRODUCT_SUB_ID=&CATEGORY_ID=11</p>

<p>All of that said, my wife (who doesn't care for tripods!), LOVES the Black Rapid.</p>

[blockphoto]

<p>I had the same problems with the BR straps as John (I use two bodies most of the time and the balance was never right with the BR strap(s)). The other issue was that I frequently shoot from my knees or the ground, and the camera I wasn't using was always hitting the ground and screwing up my own balance/posture (I suspect this problem would exist with the op/tech harness, but I've never tried it). <br>

My solution has been to put upstraps on both cameras and sling a camera over each shoulder; the rubber pads stick to my shoulders like they're attached so I can move freely without worrying about them slipping, and when I need to crouch it's easy to take one strap off and put the unused camera down if necessary. My back and neck remain reasonably happy after 6-8 hours of carrying both cameras and extra lenses in a boda bag around my waist...makes it easier to maneuver through crowds too.<br>

(For a single camera, though, the BR straps seem like the best choice.)</p>

[tangibleimages]

<p>The solution for me about the switch between the strap and a tripod is to replace the screw-in bracket supplied by BR with a tripod plate. So far it works just fine (absolutely no loosening even after 8 hours) and all I need to do to attach to a tripod is unclip the strap (leaving it on my shoulder) and attach the camera to the tripod (plate is already in place).</p>

[john_deerfield]

<p>That only works if you are using a tripod plate with a D-Ring or similar. It won't work with something like an L-Plate (which is what I use!).</p>

[aperryproductions]

<p>When I'm shooting events I use a thinktank belt system and harness. I use a camera support strap on each side of the harness (<a href="http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/camera-support-straps.aspx">http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/camera-support-straps.aspx</a>) Then I created a custom loop on each side of my cameras using small webbing and a screw chain link in it (two chain links per camera - one on each side). When I'm shooting with two cameras I put one camera on each support strap combining the two links onto one strap. Then I load up the belt with as little or as much as I need. When I'm not using my harness I simply use the chain links to attach a standard strap or any other strap I like....I never have to futz with weaving the strap in and around the camera and those pesky buckle/adjustment pieces again.</p>

[cathy_and_david_bock]

<p>I love mine, my wife hates hers. Just a matter of preference. I like it for saving my neck from getting sore and being able to drop the camera. She hates straps altogether.</p>

[michaelchadwickphotography]

<p>I use it and love it. As for the tripod socket, I actually shoot with a bracket which has additional screw holes so I am able to get around it that way. Balance isn't that much of an issue compared to the ease of use it provides. I do recommend it, though like anything new, you gotta have a couple of runs to get used to it. : )</p>

[frank_gary]

<p>I made a home built version to see if I liked the idea and the way it carried. While I don't shoot weddings (just for fun) I did use it all day yesterday at a festival and really love it. After some slight modifications to the home built I don't even have a desire to buy the genuine product from BR though it does add some nice additions to what I did. <br>

To avoid needing their special plate that attaches to the camera I just used a piece of small climbing rope tied in a loop with a double figure eight knot and run through one of the strap points on the camera. before anyone says that isn't strong enough everything I bought (aside from the plastic pieces) is rated in kilonewtons which are about 220 lbs breaking strength). This causes the camera to hang at an angle that I find very nice. <br>

All in from a local outdooring store it cost me maybe 10 bucks and about as much time as ordering and unpacking a strap from BR. I'm not going to deny the purchased product is nicer and if it breaks you have someone else to blame but if you want to demo the idea give the home build a try. I've attached a picture of it attached to my very non-digital camera.</p><div></div>

[art_tatum]

<p>I bought two and never looked back. I have one slung on each shoulder with a couple of their 'joiner' clips on my back to keep them reasonably stable and together. I just love reaching down and sliding up the cameras to my eye. I have been shooting with the BR straps for 1.5 years of active (weddings) shooting and the best part is not having my camera(s) flopping around on my chest/stomach. You'll never look back (unless you turn around).</p>

[bjscharp]

To all people having trouble with combining the R-strap with an L-plate/tripod use, read <a href="http://www.photo.net/filters-bags-tripods-accessories-forum/00WITh">this thread</a>. Short version: get a small QR clamp and mount the Rapidstrap eyelet to that.<div></div>

[ricd]

<p>The concept of the BlackRapid I liked so, the same as Frank Gary I made one. Yes, I purchased their FastenR-2 connector for the bottom of my cameras. For a while I liked it but, in the end I did not like the camera hanging on me, having too much movement. Then I purchased the B-Grip, http://www.bgrip.com , YouTube has numerous B-Grip videos to watch.</p>

<p>The B-Grip connects to my pant belt around my waist holding it firm to my hip. As I run, jump, squat, climb, and the like, all the while the camera is there not swinging. It comes with a rain cover for the camera as well.</p>

<p>My B-Grip was purchased from Adorama. For me it is liberating not having a neck strap or shoulder strap. Though B-Grip works better for me than the BlackRapid, YMMV.</p>

[mark_ridout1]

<p>I use the double black rapid strap - best investment I made in 2009 for my back. I use it all the time</p>

[nathan_b]

<p>I didn't need to buy one. The number of perfectly good laptop bag straps I had just laying around made it stupid easy. I just clipped one to the d-ring on the bottom of my tripod quick plate. Nothing to it.<br>

That said, it's the only type of strap I use now. What a massive difference in usability and comfort. Super useful to carry the big glass.</p>

[russ_butner___portland__or]

<p> I have and use it for wedding work. I really like it. Especially when shooting with two rigs.</p>

<p>Russ</p>