What's the advantage of the blackrapid and similar straps
- Thread starter dougietee
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- Martin
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They hang on your shoulder not your neck = More comfortable
The Camera hangs on your hip = More discrete and comfortable
The camera slides up the strap so nice and slick = Easy
Fixed on the tripod screw= Straps don't get in the way in Portrait mode
That should get you started...
The Camera hangs on your hip = More discrete and comfortable
The camera slides up the strap so nice and slick = Easy
Fixed on the tripod screw= Straps don't get in the way in Portrait mode
That should get you started...
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- Laurence
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I always felt that my head was being pulled off when toting my Canon 1D with a 100-400 lens. Neck ache after 20 minutes now banished!
Some people complain that the equipment is more prone to knocks when hanging at the side, I haven't found that to be the case ....yet.
There's always the fact that your'e not shouting CANON or NIKON etc at any opportunist street robber either.
Some people complain that the equipment is more prone to knocks when hanging at the side, I haven't found that to be the case ....yet.
There's always the fact that your'e not shouting CANON or NIKON etc at any opportunist street robber either.
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- Phil
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They're invaluable when doing weddings as you have instant access to two cameras in one swift movement. I wouldn't work without it.
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- Richard
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I think the key advantages are: weight is on your shoulder, camera is on just a single sliding clip attached to the base, hangs upside down and nestles nicely against your leg/waist/hip, or across your belly, or around your back.
Result is effortless carrying, instant access right where you want it, strap stays completely out of the way. V good
Not normally, though there are various DIY fixes. Mine is attached to a lug on my Markins L-bracket via a little DIY strap doesn't get in the way of the tripod at all. Some Arca-style QR plates have something similar you can hook on to.
Result is effortless carrying, instant access right where you want it, strap stays completely out of the way. V good
Not normally, though there are various DIY fixes. Mine is attached to a lug on my Markins L-bracket via a little DIY strap doesn't get in the way of the tripod at all. Some Arca-style QR plates have something similar you can hook on to.
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- Tim
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To my knowledge they have not made a Manfrotto compatible plate. They have made a FastenR-T1 which is a bolt and D-ring to replace the one that goes through the Manfrotto 200PL-14 (RC2) plate. The original Manfrotto D-ring was never designed to take a significant weight tugging at the ring. It was designed simply to allow the bolt to be tightened, not to be load bearing.
There is a risk (possibly theoretical) that the Manfrotto D-ring could simply pop out of the bolt and leave your camera and lens on the floor. I have a couple of knock off Manfrotto plates and I know for a fact the D-rings on them are not well secured. I have had them pop out when simply tightening the plate firmly. They would absolutely not handle the weight of a camera and lens. Maybe the genuine Manfrotto D-rings would hold up, but that's a chance I'm not willing to take. For the sake of ~£15 per T1 I would not take a chance of smashing £1,000s of gear.
That said, I'm not entirely comfortable with the length of the T1 bolts. They are shorter than the Manfrotto bolts and penetrate into the camera less, with about 1 turn less thread to secure the camera. Those who know more about these things than me assure me that there is sufficient metal to metal contact there, but it might be worth using a little Loctite to ensure the thread does not back out unnoticed.
This afternoon I'll be experimenting with leaving the normal Manfrotto plates and bolts in place and fixing my FastenR-3 fasteners to the underside of a couple of Manfrotto MN323 QR platforms. This will allow me to maintain full tripod compatibility across three bodies and two lenses without constantly swapping plates, bolts and connectors around and will give me a quick release for the cameras/lenses from the ConnectR-2.
Apart from all that, I agree fully with the benefits listed by others. I have the DR-2 twin strap and it can be worn and used under a coat, which not only is more covert, but also protects the gear from rain.
I also have three Optech Pro straps and a Cotton Carrier System and if I had to pick one system over the others it would be the Black Rapid. The Cotton Carrier would be the better bet for traversing tricky terrain or mountain biking, skiing etc. as it prevents the gear from swinging, but it is not quite as quick and secure to use. For most types of photographic situation I think the Black Rapid solution is ideal.
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- Dave
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:bonk::bonk::bonk::bonk::bonk:
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- Chris
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That's more important than it sounds. I went for a Optech sling to save a few quid/keep the tripod mount free. The reality was the strap was almost unusable in portrait and ended up buying a BR FastenR-2 anyway so would have been barely worse off getting an RS4 in the 1st place. With the fastenR in place the strap is brilliant, but I still should have gone BR on day 1.
OP
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- Doug
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I can testify to that as I have an RC2 head and plate, and I have popped the D-ring out just by hand tightening the bolt.
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- Richard
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There's a long thread on POTN about the Manfrotto QR plate and various issues with it and the Black Rapid attachment. It seems like a combination of fractional variations between some Manfrotto plates and user error. But that said, the original Manfrotto hook was never intended to hang a camera off and while the ones I've got seem pretty strong, I just wouldn't risk it. You just can't shake off that uncomfortable feeling things could, million to one chance, go horribly wrong.
The other thing that Tim mentions is the security of just a turn or two on the threads. I'm sure that's strong enough, but the danger of it loosening is real, and once it's loose the moment of terror is nigh. That's why I think the Black Rapid attachment has a rubber friction washer, to stop it turning even when loosened.
I wanted to post a picture of how my BR stap attaches to the L-bracket, but unfortunately the camera won't take a picture of itself. Anyway, this is it https://www.photoproshop.com/produc...cts_id/1005?osCsid=gebkfhq6o0en91gabu0b0gnvs4 and though expensive, these lightweight and very strong L-brackets are absolutely brilliant - just fit and forget.
In the photo on the link, you'll notice strap lugs on both ends of the bracket. I have made a short strap (out of an old camera Canon strap) which forms a loop which the BR swivel hook goes through. It's very securely sewn together, so much so that when I tested it with a metal hook, the hook bent first! I don't have to remove anything to use a tripod, it hangs out of the way. It also moves the balance point to an even better position IMHO. Another thing I like is that the camera sits flat on a table - no wobbling around on any protrusions.
The lug on the opposite upper end of the L-bracket, I use to loop an OpTech QR strap through (so I have two strap options) and this also goes through the camera lug as double security. So even if the tripod screw comes out, everything's still attached.
The other thing that Tim mentions is the security of just a turn or two on the threads. I'm sure that's strong enough, but the danger of it loosening is real, and once it's loose the moment of terror is nigh. That's why I think the Black Rapid attachment has a rubber friction washer, to stop it turning even when loosened.
I wanted to post a picture of how my BR stap attaches to the L-bracket, but unfortunately the camera won't take a picture of itself. Anyway, this is it https://www.photoproshop.com/produc...cts_id/1005?osCsid=gebkfhq6o0en91gabu0b0gnvs4 and though expensive, these lightweight and very strong L-brackets are absolutely brilliant - just fit and forget.
In the photo on the link, you'll notice strap lugs on both ends of the bracket. I have made a short strap (out of an old camera Canon strap) which forms a loop which the BR swivel hook goes through. It's very securely sewn together, so much so that when I tested it with a metal hook, the hook bent first! I don't have to remove anything to use a tripod, it hangs out of the way. It also moves the balance point to an even better position IMHO. Another thing I like is that the camera sits flat on a table - no wobbling around on any protrusions.
The lug on the opposite upper end of the L-bracket, I use to loop an OpTech QR strap through (so I have two strap options) and this also goes through the camera lug as double security. So even if the tripod screw comes out, everything's still attached.
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