How to carry 2 Cameras at once (airshows)

cambsno

cambsno

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When airshow season starts, I plan to have 2 cameras - one with a 300mm f/4 and the other with most probably a 70-200 / 180 prime / 24-70 lens on (cameras will be D300 + D700).

Is there an easy way to carry both without the danger of them banging into each other? Dont fancy having to keep putting one in the bag while i use the other!
 
Op-Tech Dual harness is the other option - though I mainly use mine with just 1 camera attached, I have used it with 2 and it works well.
 
cambsno said:
When airshow season starts, I plan to have 2 cameras - one with a 300mm f/4 and the other with most probably a 70-200 / 180 prime / 24-70 lens on (cameras will be D300 + D700).

Is there an easy way to carry both without the danger of them banging into each other? Dont fancy having to keep putting one in the bag while i use the other!
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I use carry speed straps and spyder holster. The CS pins fit the spyder holster. One camera on strap, other in holster, can be swapped at any time.
 
I use a Q-Strap double harness and carry a 5D3 and Sigma 150-500 OS on one side and a 7D and Sigma 120-400 OS on the other. While they are heavy it remains very comfortable to wear all day and I have had no problems with it at all.
 
cambsno said:
When airshow season starts, I plan to have 2 cameras - one with a 300mm f/4 and the other with most probably a 70-200 / 180 prime / 24-70 lens on (cameras will be D300 + D700).

Is there an easy way to carry both without the danger of them banging into each other? Dont fancy having to keep putting one in the bag while i use the other!
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I'd mount the 300 onto a monopod and carry it over your shoulder.
 
I recently did a dual camera shoot. I found the easiest way without investing in a new strap was to have your prefered camera round you neck as normal. With the Second take the strap off al turn it around (don't know about Nikon but on canon the inside of the strap is grippy and the outside not) so the slippery side is facing in and make it as long as you can then wear that across you body (over your left shoulder with the camera sitting under your right arm.) I found this the most comfortable way to do it.

That said this pretty much crippled my back after a days shoot!
 
Q Strap double.

I have one that I carry a 5D2 with 28-75 and a 1d3 with a 70-200 f2.8 which weighs a ton.

Comfortable all day and very quick to change cameras on the fly.

Mine came with a dodgy clip, qstrap replaced it by 1st class post with o quibbles. Top job if you ask me. :D
 
ChrisH said:
Q Strap double.

I have one that I carry a 5D2 with 28-75 and a 1d3 with a 70-200 f2.8 which weighs a ton.

Comfortable all day and very quick to change cameras on the fly.

Mine came with a dodgy clip, qstrap replaced it by 1st class post with o quibbles. Top job if you ask me. :D
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Normally if I have something and it breaks and the manufacturer replaces it no quibble I tend to like them more than if the product had been fine. This happened to me with a drift helmet camera. Very good warranty had a brand new replacement in OEM packaging (So I had an extra battery more straps etc.)

However when it is something designed to carry £????'s worth of delicate equipment it would put me right off!
 
Faldrax said:
Op-Tech Dual harness is the other option - though I mainly use mine with just 1 camera attached, I have used it with 2 and it works well.
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me too works well and had it a while now it its very robust:clap:
 
chris-red said:
I recently did a dual camera shoot. I found the easiest way without investing in a new strap was to have your prefered camera round you neck as normal. With the Second take the strap off al turn it around (don't know about Nikon but on canon the inside of the strap is grippy and the outside not) so the slippery side is facing in and make it as long as you can then wear that across you body (over your left shoulder with the camera sitting under your right arm.) I found this the most comfortable way to do it.
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Works for me too. (y)

And yes, Nikon straps are grippy on the opposite side to the name.
 
My Q strap came with an obviuos fault with one of the carabena's so was spotted before use.

I think it follows that anything can break but if you never trust anything to not break then dont buy anything LOL.

See your point though.
 
When i'm shooting with two cameras i put one around my neck and one on my shoulder (telephoto). I adjust the strap so that the tripod mount shoe hooks inside my belt, which stops it swinging about . HTH
 
Silver pixels said:
When i'm shooting with two cameras i put one around my neck and one on my shoulder (telephoto). I adjust the strap so that the tripod mount shoe hooks inside my belt, which stops it swinging about . HTH
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Interesting idea, normally remove mount but may give that a bash.
 
Why stop at 2? :)

20110217_153415_1119_LR.jpg


I'm wearing a Black Rapid DR-2 double strap and a Cotton Carrier Chest Vest. This is not my usual apparel, as mostly I use just the DR-2, either in double strap mode or single strap mode, which it also supports. Hopefully the coat and dark top make the copious strapping slightly less conspicuous.

The Cotton Carrier can also hold two cameras at once, with the addition of an attachment not shown here, but not whilst the Black Rapid is in play. Its advantage is that the cameras don't swing about at all. Its disadvantage is that it takes a little more care and a moment of time to make sure the camera is safely secured into its slot before switching bodies. With the BR you can just "drop" one body and grab the other one immediately without fear of it accidentally falling.
 
I would leave Q-strap alone had the thing come apart while out lucky for me the camera landed on something soft so I wasn't reduced to tears as it would have meant a new camera and lens other wise.
Best to spend a few quid more and get something that will last.

Tim.
 
cambsno said:
When airshow season starts, I plan to have 2 cameras - one with a 300mm f/4 and the other with most probably a 70-200 / 180 prime / 24-70 lens on (cameras will be D300 + D700).

Is there an easy way to carry both without the danger of them banging into each other? Dont fancy having to keep putting one in the bag while i use the other!
Click to expand...

Or
Just use one camera with a suitable telephoto and enjoy the event without doing damage to your spine!
 
As a couple of people have said already - no need for fancy straps. The two balance each other out well. Assuming no flashes / pocketwizards of the cameras, put them with the top of the camera (ie the hot shoe) in towards your bum, stops the lenses from sticking out.
 
Get a Sigma 50-500 and concentrate on the show rather what camera / lens to use.
 
cambsno said:
Like my 300 f4 too much, stunning lens.
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Can't disagree with that. I use a Sony 70-400 for flying shots on a FF body and that does for me. Unless I want to swop lenses for static, I've also got the Sony RX-100; the quality isn't far off a DSLR.

I did have the Bigma, but sold it before the gears stripped (for the second time) in favour of the Sony.
 
Or you could try what I saw one guy doing at RIAT last year....

I couldn't stop laughing. This was at the fly out day on the Monday, so lots of planes taxiing to runway very close to us and then taking off down the runway -- a mixture of very close shots and long shots...

This guy had brought his missus along. He was constantly switching lenses from close up to long, back and forth, again and again each time quickly hading over the lens to his missus who would (rapidly) had him the lens he wanted.

It went on all day... I'm surprised she didn't bash him over the head with one of them she didn't look at all happy!:bang:
 
Jayst84 said:
If you have two shoulders, put one camera on each - been working for photographers for years. :)
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awphot said:
Exactly and all that padding (called a body) inbetween stops them banging into each other.
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Rob 80386 said:
Works for me (y)
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Absolutely! I've been ignoring this thread as when it was first posted I immediately thought…two cameras, two shoulders - sorted. But the thread kept popping up to the top of the list so in a moment of weakness I took a peek.

FWIW (not a lot!) I've been a press photographer working with two 'pro' cameras for over 25 years (3 back in the days of film and before good zooms).
One camera over each shoulder, tuck the lens behind your bum. Simple, subtle, safe and ready for action.
If you also have a bag; the camera with the short lens goes around your neck, or on the bag shoulder and over the bag's strap (whichever you prefer).

As also mentioned, long lenses (300 f2.8 and above) can be carried on a monopod over your shoulder, but be careful in dense crowds.

It's late, and I know I'll regret posting this later, so please accept my apologies now. :LOL:

All the very best.

Cheers,
Tony
[ Slopes off back to lurking quietly in the background! ]
 
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