Toronto Photography Meetup Group

If you're feeling down and need a little bump for your "creativity" look no further than here! This little gift for yourself will make sure you're ready for your next photo op, and will definitely turn heads among your fellow Tpmg'ers! If you have all the best gear in your class, you know you need to have that something special that will have you ready quicker than your competition!

i've seen ads for this thing. Anyone have experience with it?

Looks... interesting, except that for most of us, we only have one camera body, which might as well just be hanging by its neckstrap from the neck.

that is a very neat accessory gb possible?

It looks very nice. I might consider buying one in the future.

I frequently lug 2, or even 3 bodies around at the same time. I would love to be able to use something like that, but it just isn't practical when I'm using a couple of long teles.

And that's supposed to bump your creativity HOW?

I've always bought SLR cases for my cameras, and even had one for my ultrazoom bridge camera. Those cases have a loop to slip your belt through. Problem is it ends up pulling your pants down...I didn't even bother to try out the my SLR version since the bridge camera was enough weight to do it, never mind what the weight of an SLR would do.

This gadget DOESN'T improve things.

$110?!!

I actually could have used something exactly like that on the weekend.... I bought a Black Rapid strap instead so that I could have one body and lens dangled at my side, while the other was around my neck. I'd love to have a system that stays off my neck.

i thought about this as well, but this seems like this is an independant belt design that doesn't loop through your pants

I have the BlackRapid Double Strap and I use it at events and concerts with my two camera bodies. I don't have to press any "clip" to release the cameras; I just lift and switch between them seamlessly (at times, can even lift and click the shutter, one-handed if needing to catch a quick shot).

That strap is perfect for me already.

Paula
www.pmbimages.com

Do you lose your tripod slot if you use the blackrapid straps?

If I have my tripod with me, I use the Manfrotto plates instead of the blackrapid "FastenR" on the bottom of my camera. The ring on the plate attaches to the Blackrapid strap and it is just as good.

I don't know about other tripod systems, but with with my system the Blackrapid is great. (Granted, I don't have a battery grip on my new camera body and I could see it being an annoyance if I did have one.)

I've got the single strap, but after using it -- I think I would consider getting the double.

If you value your equipment, you'll heed my warning. Do NOT use the manfrotto rc2 qr plates as a substitue for the FastenR! I've personally experienced a d-ring failure, and can point you to a number of threads on other forums with people who tried it with bad results. My solution was to convert to Arca Swiss plates, and get a clamp with a tripod screw threads, and attach the FastenR to that.

Thanks for the tip.

Granted, looking at my equipment, one would think that I don't value it much...

Yes, but at the events I shoot at (concerts, sports/bodybuilding competitions, conventions, celebrity events, etc), I shoot hand-held anyway and tripods aren't practical for these shots or venues (esp. being crowded and all). When I'm shooting static subjects or anything else, I don't bother with the straps since I wouldn't need them. The tripod comes into play then.

I had bought the original single strap (long before the double version came out), and that still works well too when I just need the single camera. I could either use that old one (with the newer Fastern-R I got for it since then, free), or split my double strap and use one of them, as the double strap can be split and used as separate single straps.

I've shot literally all day (i.e. 12-hour events) with these straps on, and they still felt weightless. They don't "flop" against my thighs, as I feel that new gadget mentioned in this thread would do, with a long lens on me. With the BlackRapid, I also know I can swing or adjust the camera (slightly or a lot) away from being bumped in a crowd, much easier than with this gadget. On top of that, I lift heavy weights daily now, and it feels even better than when I first tried them for that long!

I feel the Black Rapid strap(s) was the best photography-related product I ever bought since I took up photography in 2006.

Paula
www.pmbimages.com

Which kind of clamp did you use with the tripod screw threads?

i hope you get a commission. where can i get one?

LOL! No commission. Just being honest.

http://www.blackrapid.com/


Paula
www.pmbimages.com

Yeah, the belt is indeed separate. I was quite surprised at the price though. Yowza!

Paula
www.pmbimages.com

http://www.jobu-design.com/catalog/item ... 579557.htm <-- this, with the FastenR screwed into the bottom. On the cameras I have custom arca-swiss plates which are pretty much permanently screwed on. On my tripod, I also have an arca-swiss clamp, so I can very quickly and easily switch my camera between the R-strap, and the tripod, and back again. I'll take a picture later on put it on flickr.

I still have not found the right way to split the double r-strap and wear it as a single. Do you wear it across your body like the single R-strap?

Will there be an outing soon for a shootout at high noon to determine the fastest draw? :-)

that is a freakin amazing idea. use a 200+mm lens @ wide aperture. aim for a body part and you score a hit if it's in focus. headshot gives you automatic kill.

Ha Ha. We'd have to synchronize camera clocks beforehand so we can check the EXIF to confirm the "kill".

Yes. Go to the link below, and to approx the 2-minute mark in the video. You'll see how it's worn when he demonstrates splitting it. It's actually a better design than the original single R-strap, in that the curve in the new one "molds" around the base of your neck/shoulder area better. It's the same as the newer model single strap they came out with, really (it's just 2 of them modded together).

http://www.blackrapid.com/product/camer ... ble-strap/


Paula
www.pmbimages.com

My RRS L bracket does not have the safety pins (screws) on the edges, wondering if it may slide off after bouncing and walking around - even if I tighten the clamp to the max. Do you have this problem?

Btw Hotwire thanks for the link, the product selection and prices look pretty good

After trying out my uncle's Cotton Carrier system, I thought it really suited what I would use it for. Just ordered one today