I just bought..

[JimMcClain]

I got a BlackRapid RS-4 Classic last July, wore it a few times to carry my Nikon D5300 and lenses, then put it away. It wasn't comfortable and didn't work as nicely as I saw in videos. I was content to just hand-hold the camera, but I worried occasionally about losing my grip.

Now I have a D810 and some really nice glass. I could see 6K worth of equipment getting ruined real easy if I dropped it. I read more reviews and watched more videos and finally ordered the BlackRapid RS-2 Sport 2. You might think that would be too skinny to hold a D810 and fast glass, but I like this a lot. I already carry a backpack for my oxygen tank, which is what made using the RS-4 so difficult, but the RS-2 Sport plays real nice with my CamelBak M.U.L.E. I wore it for a couple of hours today and absolutely no soreness. Of course, I do feel more secure using the under-arm strap attached.

Jim

 

[TCampbell]

I have the RS-7 strap and I use this to carry my "gripped" 5D III with the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens... and I can carry that all day long and never once think "this is too heavy".

So now whenever I see someone talk about a camera or lens being "too heavy", the first thing that pops into my head is... "I bet they're still using the factory 'neck' strap." Because back when I used the factory strap, I definitely didn't like a "heavy" camera & lens on my neck.

The only thing I didn't like about the strap is going from strap to tripod and back. I like to leave the arcs-swiss plate on the camera body so it's always ready to clamp on a tripod. But I have to remove the plate to attach the Black Rapid bolt. That was a hassle because when you have to unscrew the bolt, screw on the "quick" release plate and screw it down, clamp it to the tripod, and then do all that in reverse when you're done using the tripod, doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of a "quick" release plate?

Alas, I discovered this: Acratech Swift Clamp

Yes... at $149 for this accessory I cringed too. But after "almost" buying it for about a year I finally caved and I am VERY happy to have spent the $149. If you go from sling-strap to tripod and back very often... you WANT this accessory. My heavy long lenses (lenses big enough to have their own tripod collar) have their own arcs-swiss plates that I just permanently leave on them at all time (it's not a "quick" release anything if I only have one and have to transfer it to every piece of gear). Since everything has the plate on it, I just just clamp the sling strap to the lens instead of to the body.

 

[otherprof]

I have them but getting the Holdfast Money Maker dual strap. BTW, you may want to add this little safety device for your strap (Camera should strap safety device | James Tang Photography ) . I had one broke My camera and 24-70 f2.8 dropped to the ground. Thankfully nothing else broke.

My Carry Speed strap came with a little safety device included, which connects the camera to the strap for extra safety. At the time I bought the Carry Speed, over the Black Rapid, it was because the Carry Speed attachment plate has a tripod socket, so the strap did not have to be removed to put the camera on a tripod. BTW, the tripod is a C. M. Marchioni, made by hand in his garage in New Jersey. Did that bring back any memories?

 

[Jay Vee]

I was really eyeing the Sport one but $70 was too tough to swallow for a camera strap. I went on ebay and got one of the copycat ones for a third of the price. Looks to be well made and have been working great so far. Having the weight on your shoulders instead of your neck definitely helps lessen the strain, especially on heavier cameras. It also gives a more causal look to carrying the camera than having it dangle across your chest.

Here are a few cons I found while using these straps though.
1. Takes up the tripod mount
2. Hard to have full trust in strap not failing and your expensive camera smashing to the ground. A strong, short string as backup should solve this problem.
2. Have to be more conscious of your camera in tight spaces as it's more likely to swing and bump into things.

 

[ByronBrant]

70.00 is cheap piece of mind when I have 4000.00 hanging on it.

 

[Microbois]

Tony Northrup just posted a review on straps :

 

[Jay Vee]

70.00 is cheap piece of mind when I have 4000.00 hanging on it.

Not sure if I would call it peace of mind when it protects your camera no better than the neck strap. Actually these types of straps introduce way more points of failure and higher chances of user error. When you have to create your own safety backup there is obviously a weakness in the design. Just do a quick google and you'll get numerous results of them failing.

I continue to use mine because I like the convenience and less strain on my neck but I do have a second safety line as a backup.

 

[W.Y.Photo]

The factory strap has straps that slip off all the time with no real locking mechanism involved.. The blackrapid at least seems safer than that..

 

[ByronBrant]

The black rapid isn't prone to failing. There were some failures on early models with the old mounting that attaches to the bottom of your camera. But I also seen where Black Rapid paid to have their gear fixed. So I feel confident using mine. I don't let my camera dangle aimlessly at my side. I keep a hand resting on it so I have control.
Different strokes for different folks. But I've tried lots of straps and nothing works as well for me as the Black Rapids sling strap. RS7 sport if that matters.

 

[JimMcClain]

Not sure if I would call it peace of mind when it protects your camera no better than the neck strap.

But you are speaking as someone who...

I went on ebay and got one of the copycat ones for a third of the price.

Unless you have had the opportunity to walk around with a BlackRapid on, you wouldn't know what peace of mind is, regarding these straps. You are comparing your cheap knock-off (why do you think it's cheap?) to something of quality you know nothing about except what you think a few old, bad reviews revealed. I don't know where you are looking for reviews, but I have found far more positive reviews about BR than negative.

Jim

 

[Microbois]

Ha! Plan worked. Ok, good job guys. That's another convert to the dark side. Just one more and we win that free trip to that magical, enchanted place known as Cleveland.

Indeed, your evil plan worked perfectly... I just got my Black Rapid Sport strap last night, and I have to admit, it's a neat design that works very well. I can't wait to put it through its pace on the soccer fields this spring, as of right now, I'm pretty only doing studio work. It just makes a lot of sense how it works, and I'll probably the first one ever to say that, but I wish I knew about that product long ago... Thanks guys for reminding me, and making me spend money again...

 

[Gary A.]

I have a few Black Rapid sling type straps. They worked great on my dSLRs but on my mirrorless cameras the balance is off and the lens tends to point out inside of in which is my preference. I have a very long DSPTCH strap which can be used as a neck or sling type. On my mirrorless, fixing the DSPTCH strap to the battery grip and eyelet works as a sling and the lens points in. Typically I shoot with two cameras, wide on the neck and long on the sling, so a long lens really sticks out into traffic when shooting with the Black Rapid.