Best camera strap for 2 DSLRs with mobility for squatting/bending?

[paul_c7]

<p>Hi everyone, I am looking at buying a camera strap / harness system of some sort as I recently purchased a 2nd DSLR body (a 7D as a backup to my 5D2) and need some way of managing them. A friend of mine who shoots weddings told me about the blackrapid double which I looked into and that looks great, but many reviewers seem to say the same thing about it - that it is comfortable for all-day use and is great for standing/walking, but that it is very limiting in terms of mobility as it makes leaning/squatting/bending/twisting difficult since the cameras tend to swing around like a clock pendulum. While I definitely like the sound of the blackrapid double for shooting while standing or walking and may still invest in one for those types of situations, right now I'm doing a lot of race and automobile photography at a dragstrip near where I live so I end up doing a lot of squatting and bending over to get low-angle shots. I've also read about belt/clip-based camera holding systems but my concern with something like that would be that the end of my lens would be pretty close to the ground if I were squatting down with it attached to my belt...scratching the glass on the track surface is the last thing I need, hahah! Does anyone have any suggestions for what might work for me? I typically mount a 70-200 on my 7D for the individual closeups of the cars and I usually put my 15mm fisheye on the 5D2 since it always makes for some really mind-bending photos.</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>I've never understood two-cameras-on-one-strap systems and imagine it would be incredibly awkward. I simply keep each camera on its own strap. The one I'm using at the moment is either around my neck or the strap is wrapped around my hand. The other is over my shoulder. I work in Washington, D.C., where it's common to see a dozen news photographers at an event, so I get to see lots of other photographers at work. This is how everybody (who I see) handles two bodies. I have never ever seen anybody put two cameras on one strap or harness.</p>

[ellis_vener_photography]

Putting two cameras around your neck is asking for back pain and decreased endurance. The human neck is not meant

to be used as a yoke.

 

What I like to do is use the D rings plus straps on my ThinkTANK Photo ShapeShifter backpack as camera attachment

points when I'm shooting with multiple cameras. This keeps my arms and neck free.

 

All of the camera straps that screw in to a cameras trod mounts are disasters waiting to happen, tripod mounts on moden

cameras are not designed to be inverse loading bearing points, at least not on a prolonged basis. Most of them are

attached to the camera body frame with four small screws and held I place by the rubberized covering the frame. A Nikon

F, F2, or F3 is differentt.

[Jochen_S]

<p>I go for 1 camera (strap) per shoulder and secure the straps up there.</p>

[pbalko]

<p>One camera on a Spider Holster and the other on a Black Rapid RS-4 strap.</p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>In the past, I've just used two shoulder straps, one on either shoulder. However, you spend a lot of time and energy straightening straps and keeping the idle strap from slipping off. Now I use Sun Sniper straps (similar to Black Rapid, but with a better swivel and attachment). Both cameras are easily accessible, even with crossed straps. It would also work to have one camera on a neck strap in front and the other on a Sun Sniper hanging to the right, cross shoulder. A harness is just to fussy for the real world, unless you are rock climbing.</p>

<p>My back is kind of game after years of abuse, and even a light camera, in front on a strap, hurts after a short time. A Sun Sniper centers the weight on my spine, and I can carry a D3 with a 70-200/2.8 attached for hours. The long strap with a wide pad distributes the weight well on my neck and shoulder. I carry a bottle of Alleve, just in case.</p>

[paul_c7]

<p>Hi everyone, thanks very much for your input! It's always nice to get some ideas and perspectives from other photogs out there doing similar things but in different ways.</p>

<p>Craig, I don't think your method would be very effective for me for two reasons: 1) I do a LOT of moving around while I'm shooting at the racetrack and I think trying to wear both around my neck would be pretty limiting in terms of mobility, not to mention I can't imagine how they wouldn't inevitably get tangled with each other, and 2) as Ellis pointed out, I don't think this would be very comfortable...I might be able to suck it up for a couple of hours once or twice, but since this is something I do fairly regularly I'm looking for more of a long-term solution.</p>

<p>Ellis, I definitely appreciate your point of concern regarding the tripod-mount-based harnesses. It makes total sense to me, but I have also never heard of this being an issue (but I am also only now starting to look into these harness systems, so it's not like I've done a ton of research or anything). Both my cameras typically have battery grips attached - do you think this would present more of a danger or less?</p>

<p>Phil, thanks very much for your suggestion - I had never heard of the Spider Holster before and I have to admit that it looks very intriguing to me. One question I have for you is why you suggest using this in conjunction with a BlackRapid strap, since I see that they also make a version of the Spider Holster that holds 2 cameras (one on each side of your hips)? I have to admit that my primary concern with straps/harnesses (this is why the Spider Holster looks so appealing to me) is I want to avoid having my cameras swing as much as possible. Sometimes when I'm shooting at the track I have to make a lot of quick, fast movements whether it's to get a shot from a certain angle or to get out of someone's way...but my concern with having one on a strap is that if I had it slung over my shoulder or around my back and I turned around quickly, it might swing out and hit something. Is there a particular reason you didn't recommend the Dual Spider Holster system? I'm really just seeking advice here, not trying to question how/why you do what you do. Obviously you've found that combination to be successful so I'm just looking for a little bit more info about what you like about that kind of a configuration, or what potential drawbacks there might be for something like the Dual Spider Holster.</p>

<p>Edward, yeah, this was definitely my concern in terms of camera straps as well (the swinging and the tangling). I've never heard of the Sun Sniper straps so that was interesting to see - the single "PRO II" strap looks like it would be great for a single camera, and I looked at the "double plus harness" version as well...it looks great with respect to camera accessibility, but I feel like the swinging would still present a major problem (moreso with the double version than the single). Is that why it's advantageous to have one camera on a strap and another on a waist/belt-mount rather than having both waist-mounted or both on shoulder straps of some sort?</p>

<p>Thanks again for all the help and feedback guys, I really appreciate it.</p>

[stick_o]

<p>I used to use a Black Rapid sling strap with my 5DII system, but now I’ve changed to a Fuji X-T1 system I thought it would be useful to see what else is around.<br /><br />The BR was really useful but it has, for me, a few very minor issues:<br /><br />One is the metal work which can scratch the bottom of the camera (I’ve solved this inelegantly with a small square of neoprene fabric which is held in place with Velcro and wrapperd around the metal bits).<br /><br />The camera can swing about if bending down and, finally, the over-the-shoulder strap gets a little uncomfortable after a long period, but it is still infinitely better than an old fashioned type of strap.<br /><br />I’ve been looking at alternative straps (Jobo Pro, OPTECH) both of which have some advantages, but then I thought I’d better look at the holster types like the Spyder Black Widow as well.<br /><br />Having had kit pick-pocketed once before, I am paranoid about security.<br /><br />With the BR strap I used a homemade tether in case the fitting unscrewed.<br /><br />I can see a possible pickpocket threat to the holster systems – how easy is it to steal a camera from one of the holsters? Also, unlike a strap, the cameras have no protection from dropping so do you use a wrist strap of any kind?<br /><br />I’d love to hear of your experiences with any or all of these and if you’ve found any drawbacks or advantages or have other suggestion or ideas please do share them!</p>

[paul_c7]

<p>I've spent some time looking into top- vs bottom-mounted straps and to be honest it seems like there's a fairly equal number of people who advocate for either method. I did come across a few blog articles where people had posted photos of the entire bottom piece of their camera detaching because of a tripod-mounted strap system, but I also feel like they must have been pretty hard on their gear (i.e. as if they dropped it from shooting position to letting it dangle on the strap) to be able to do that much damage to it...I take really, REALLY good care of my equipment (I literally baby it, maybe this is why I will never be a "pro" photographer but I always take time to use and put my equipment away properly and in the most careful way possible). There were also some people who had had problems with the actual tripod mount itself bulging outwards, as if hanging upside-down from the tripod-mounted strap actually pulled the mount away from the rest of the body.</p>

<p>That being said, I also saw a lot of positive comments about the tripod-mount being designed to support the weight of the camera/lens because it is a mounting position just like the rings on the top that hold the regular camera strap. To be honest, this argument makes much more sense to me and I think that as long as you're careful with your gear and that you don't use a tripod-mounted strap to support the full weight of dropping a camera at your side, you'd be fine. It's also easy for me to say that at this point because I've never used any sort of tripod-mounted strap/sling system, but based on what I know about cameras AND straps I can't see how this would pose a huge problem unless you're pretty rough with your equipment.</p>

<p>Still, can anyone tell me if there's any advantages/disadvantages to having one camera on a strap/sling and the other on a belt/clip mount vs having both cameras on a strap system or both belt-mounted? Thanks!</p>

[pbalko]

Hi Paul. I carry a dual kit for event and performance shoots: 7D + 17-55 2.8 on the holster and 7D + 70-200 2.8 IS on the strap. (My aging hips protest the weight of the holstered 70-200.) I usually have the 17-55 combo in hand and find the holster to be a convenient and snug resting place when I want to use the 70-200 combo. I find that while the holster is more secure, the strap offers quicker camera access. While the strapped camera may swing a bit, it's easy enough to steady with one hand when necessary.

 

 

For single body carry, the holster is great for schlepping over the hills and through the woods but I prefer the easier access of the strap when shooting street and other social environments. I do like the options available using two carry methods.

[steve_l]

<p>Ellis is absolutely right here. I have had a high end camera strap that screws into the tripod mount snap off. Fortunately, I was able to stop the fall of my camera with my foot. But YES, they do snap off. Do not trust any of these. If you do use them, use an extra tether cable as a safety back up. Trust me, THEY BREAK. Be very careful.</p>