Cheap black rapid alternatives

Ben6

Ben6

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Has anyone tried them? I've been thinking of a black rapid for a few months now to carry two body's during portrait shoots. I'd only be using fairly light set ups, 35mm sigma art etc and I've seen some of the Chinese copies on ebay for as low as £9. I know some people will jump to say that they wouldn't trust anything other than a genuine one but has anyone else tried one? I'm tempted to order one even if it's just for a look at the quality, if I'm not impressed i just wouldn't use it.

Here's a link to one I've found. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Quick-Rap...1&pid=100005&rk=4&rkt=6&sd=251766856262&rt=nc
 
Ben6 said:
Has anyone tried them? I've been thinking of a black rapid for a few months now to carry two body's during portrait shoots. I'd only be using fairly light set ups, 35mm sigma art etc and I've seen some of the Chinese copies on ebay for as low as £9. I know some people will jump to say that they wouldn't trust anything other than a genuine one but has anyone else tried one? I'm tempted to order one even if it's just for a look at the quality, if I'm not impressed i just wouldn't use it.

Here's a link to one I've found. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Quick-Rapid-Double-Dual-Shoulder-Sling-Belt-Strap-for-2-Two-DSLR-Digital-Cameras/261597583490?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid=222007&algo=SIC.MBE&ao=1&asc=29952&meid=71639be566574523a3a66e5e446396b1&pid=100005&rk=4&rkt=6&sd=251766856262&rt=nc
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Even if its just to try,they still could fail with your stuff on it :confused:,just put the £9 toward a good strap :)
 
simonblue said:
Even if its just to try,they still could fail with your stuff on it :confused:,just put the £9 toward a good strap :)
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I wouldn't trust em personally

Too much plastic
 
My op tech neck strap has been fine but I don't let it drop like you would a camera body on a dual strap and leave it swinging around with a 70-200 2.8 on a single bolt while playing with you're 24-70 and battery grips attached

It's a lot of weight swinging around at waist level
 
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All interesting opinions thanks guys, I know even official black Rapids do scare some people just at the thought of them so I knew a cheaper brand would put more off too.
 
I normally pennypinch on everything but didn't when it came to a strap. Yes BR prices are disgusting but the quality is evident. I'm happy hanging my 300 L and 7D from it when I'm walking around. I'd be nervous doing it with the cheaper versions.
 
@Ben6 i bought one of the cheap K straps (single) from the bay with the same mind set, if it was crap i wouldn't use it. I haven't used it... The sling / strap itself is fine, no issues with the quality but the karabiner on it i didn't like the look of especially hanging a gripped body + 70/200 on it. I have all op/tech kit these days and couldn't be happier.
 
I have opted for op/tech kit, after buying a cheapo sling strap. i have used op/tech for the last 2 years no problems at all.
 
Ben6 said:
Has anyone tried them? I've been thinking of a black rapid for a few months now to carry two body's during portrait shoots. I'd only be using fairly light set ups, 35mm sigma art etc and I've seen some of the Chinese copies on ebay for as low as £9. I know some people will jump to say that they wouldn't trust anything other than a genuine one but has anyone else tried one? I'm tempted to order one even if it's just for a look at the quality, if I'm not impressed i just wouldn't use it.
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Photography kit is usually pretty expensive stuff....i wouldn't trust mine on anything but BR!
 
Q-Straps have worked fine for my heavy gear, no issues whatsoever ... but so many just believe expensive = good :thinking:
 
SteveF said:
Photography kit is usually pretty expensive stuff....i wouldn't trust mine on anything but BR!
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My black rapid is probably the best "accessory" I have. The difference between that and the regular neck strap is night and day.
If you have 100's or thousands of pounds worth of gear attached to it- another 50 quid doeant matter bother me.
 
Just ordered a BR off Amazon. £58 is a lot of money, so is the £2500 dangling of the end of it.
 
Making my own from an old neoprene tripod strap and a couple of swivel 'krabs', i'll be using the 'lugs' of the body as opposed to the tripod thread, i feel more secure in that type of carry but it'll still swing up to capture mode.
I've tested a prototype that just carries the camera on the hip but should have the swivels in post tomorrow to finish the job.
 
I wore 1/2 way thru two of the BR clips with the fixed SS fastnr... the clips are made out of zinc alloy. If I were still using BR type straps I would swap the clip out for a SS one.
 
I definitely didn't mind spending £50 odd when I already spent so much on camera gear, I'd hate to save £30 just for an imitation to drop my £2000 odd camera and lens.
 
I had an optech single sling before and not had problems, although didnt use it to carry much weight, only a 500D, tokina lens and flash, probably around 2kg. Now i use a q strap (double sling) and carry much heavier stuff like 70-200 2.8+1D MK II N on one of them, probably close to 3.5kg sometimes and *touch wood* they have been fine
 
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Having a little browse it seems that optech mounts to the camera body where as Q-strap mounts to the tripod mount. I leave the tripod mount connected to the camera and like it like that but the arca mount for the Q strap is £25, is there a method to mount the q strap to the camera body?
 
FlyingShrapnel said:
I had an optech single sling before and not had problems, although didnt use it to carry much weight, only a 500D, tokina lens and flash, probably around 2kg. Now i use a q strap (double sling) and carry much heavier stuff like 70-200 2.8+1d2n on one of them, probably close to 3.5kg sometimes and *touch wood* they have been fine
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wait... the first strap i had wasnt an optech, it was another BR knock off brand. forgot who it was made by :exit:
 
sk66 said:
I wore 1/2 way thru two of the BR clips with the fixed SS fastnr... the clips are made out of zinc alloy. If I were still using BR type straps I would swap the clip out for a SS one.
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Yes, I noticed the other day mine was starting to wear through. Will probably contact BlackRapid about it and see what they have to say on the matter

View attachment 34526
 
No wear on either of my Q-Straps :)
 
To be fair mine is used for carrying large primes with a pro body attached regularly, so that's between 5-8kg hanging from it. I've also worn through a genuine Lens Coat from it rubbing against my leg when walking out in the field.
 
Surrey Sam said:
Yes, I noticed the other day mine was starting to wear through. Will probably contact BlackRapid about it and see what they have to say on the matter
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gramps said:
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3479698
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They're all fairly flimsy Zinc Alloy... TBF, Zinc Alloy isn't "crap," I think it's just not up to the demands when combined with the fixed SS fastn'r and heavy loads/wear. I would replace it with a SS trigger clip.
S0192-0-195x195.jpg


I've owned the knockoffs as well as the BR's... IMO, the pads aren't as nice, but that's about the only difference. When BR patented the "sliding clip" and drove most of the others out of the market I switched back to Optech and CarrySpeed.

I use CarrySpeed straps with their "folding pin plate" combined with spider holsters. I use the Optech Pro-Loop with both uni-loop connectors attached to a mount point for heavy stuff (i.e. 400/2.8).
 
I have had two Q-straps fail during use so would never recommend them. Both connectors fell to pieces the second after less than a weeks light use. The seller was very reasonable and I was lucky that nothing was damaged I wouldn't trust them with a £20 compact let alone a dslr!
 
Got two of these the other day and took one out for a spin today (only wanted one but the deal was for two) - worked fine. Nothing fell off even though it was carrying my 6D with a Tamron 150-600mm lens on it. I did tie a bit of string to the lens and round the strap and I will be stitching the loose end so it forms a continuous loop and can't come undone but it is well made and does the job.

[Rant]
The Black Rapid and the rest just seem like a rip off to me, I mean, here is a climbing harness for £25. That is a CE certified climbing harness that people trust with their LIVES not just a few grands worth of camera kit, it is more complicated than a camera a strap and has to be tested; how anyone can justify the best part of 60 quid for a bit of string to dangle a camera from is just playing on the "my lens is expensive so anything that comes near it should also be expensive" mentality!!!
[/Rant]
 
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crofter said:
I then got one of these,http://www.amazon.co.uk/OP-TECH-Utility-Strap-Sling/dp/B003T0EYVE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428647365&sr=8-1&keywords=optech+camera+strap.
Much better,when I have my Sigma 150-500 hanging on it I use both attachment points,one on the camera and one on the lens, works well.
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Seems like a good idea but is it designed for heavy lens & camera?
The Op/Tech USA Utility Strap-Sling is designed to carry small bags, battery packs and other items needing to be worn across the shoulder.
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I've tried quite a few of them over the years. The caden double strap in post one I used for quite some time. Didn't have any problems. My mate got one and it started to fray after his first use.

The optech doing strap is great with one exception. Unless you dangle it from the tripod mount using a Black rapid style screw fastener then it gets in the way if you want to shoot portrait.

The optech double strap is rubbish. I sent it back about 30 mins of receiving it. Too much faff and the end straps just flop about.

I've now got the black rapid dr1. There ultimately comes a point where you think 'do I really want to carry £4k worth of cameras on a strap costing £9....
 
rpsmith79 said:
From the Op-Tech website

http://optechusa.com/utility-strap-sling.html

Recommended Load - 6.8kg

Should be more than enough for most setups, not sure where they got the brurb for the Amazon listing though
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I use the op-tech pro-strap sling and utility strap sling (they're about the same except the pad). I carry a 400/2.8 + D4 + SharpShooter Camera Mount (rifle stock) on it (~ 15lbs/6.9kg) w/o issue.

From the op-tech site:
"The recommended load is the weight that is most comfortably carried by a particular strap. It is not the maximum load capacity of the strap."

They don't recommend more than 6.8kg for any strap... it *is* a lot of weight to carry on your shoulder/neck.
 
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