Black Rapid vs Generic Strap vs Generic Strap with Black Rapid Fastenr?

[Jack2013]

Hi all,
So I bought this shoulder strap a bit over a year ago and it hasn't let me down
Ebest - Decompression Camera Shoulder Strap for Canon Nikon Sony Pentax Olympus Panasonic: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

My only complaint was the screw part of it didn't fit the Nikon (as pointed out in some of the bad reviews). I've since bought a Manfrotto 190XPro and noticed the baseplate has a ring which is used to tighten the plate to the bottom of the Nikon. I attached the carabiner to the ring whilst hiking about recently and it seemed to work fine, but would this likely fail in the future?

The actual sling strap although cheap in cost seems to be well made, with metal connections and an almost seatbelt quality strap, so find it hard to justify spending £40 on a black rapid if I could potentially only spend £15 on just the blackrapid fastenr:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Rapid...F8&qid=1396895259&sr=8-5&keywords=black+rapid

I'd be interested in everyone's thoughts, I'm currently using a D7100 so perhaps it's better to bite the bullet and get a black rapid just for the peace of mind.

Cheers

Jack

 

[Scatterbrained]

First, let me say that you get what you pay for. Second, rather than use the tripod mount and have to remove the strap every time you use your tripod, consider using an Op-Tech utility loop to hold the strap to the cameras strap lug instead.

 

[Jack2013]

First, let me say that you get what you pay for. Second, rather than use the tripod mount and have to remove the strap every time you use your tripod, consider using an Op-Tech utility loop to hold the strap to the cameras strap lug instead.

Hi Scatterbrained,
to be completely honest it wouldn't bother me disconnecting the strap, I'm more concerned about the strap breaking or unscrewing from the body..
It seems the blackrapid would be as susceptible to this as any other strap?

 

[DarkShadow]

I just got the black rapid classic from B&H.I carry a canon 60D with a sigma 150-500mm all day long in comfort and has the zip pocket for extra cards.It's worth every penny and its well made.So Glad to get the weight off my neck and no more strap in the way of my view finder. That being said regardless of strap quality, its alway best to have some hand contact and For example, I let the camera hang by my right hip but always have my hand around the tripod mount color when I am not holding up to the eye.

 

[ecphoto]

That looks awesome, I would be worried that it would hit something and break while I was walking lol.

 

[Braineack]

First, let me say that you get what you pay for. Second, rather than use the tripod mount and have to remove the strap every time you use your tripod, consider using an Op-Tech utility loop to hold the strap to the cameras strap lug instead.

gets in the way when shooting. I put a BR style loop on my tripod mount for my Op-Tech strap; else I have to unclip the camera at each use.

 

[ronlane]

I've had my BR strap for well over a year now and I've never had an issue with it loosing off. I do tend to tighten it fairly tight just to make sure.

Sounds like it is a concern of yours. If so, make sure that you add checking it as part of your "pre-flight checlist" and then once or twice during your walk about to check and make sure that it's tight.

 

[Jack2013]

Thanks all for the replies, the obvious difference in cost between the generic strap above and the black rapid is also a concern for me, something has definitely had to give for a strap to only cost £9.

Now just to choose which BR strap..

 

[DarkShadow]

I've had my BR strap for well over a year now and I've never had an issue with it loosing off. I do tend to tighten it fairly tight just to make sure.

Sounds like it is a concern of yours. If so, make sure that you add checking it as part of your "pre-flight checlist" and then once or twice during your walk about to check and make sure that it's tight.

Yea mine is so tight that any more it would probably strip it.

 

[BillM]

I use a Carry Speed strap with the BlackRapid connectors. If Carry Speed hadn't gone out of business I probably wouldn't be using the Black Rapid connectors. But I couldn't get any additional Carry Speed connectors. But I have never had the BR connector loosen on me. I typically carry a D7100 with 80-400 and sometimes I'll carry a D800 with Tamron 300 f/2.8.

 

[robbins.photo]

First, let me say that you get what you pay for. Second, rather than use the tripod mount and have to remove the strap every time you use your tripod, consider using an Op-Tech utility loop to hold the strap to the cameras strap lug instead.

Hi Scatterbrained,
to be completely honest it wouldn't bother me disconnecting the strap, I'm more concerned about the strap breaking or unscrewing from the body..
It seems the blackrapid would be as susceptible to this as any other strap?

Ok, a couple of thoughts here - BR is made from ballistic cloth, so no, the strap is going to going to give out. You could put it over a large enough tree branch and suspend your entire body weight from it for days, still won't break. The weak link here is not the strap (even the ones made from relatively cheap nylon are much tougher than you can possibly imagine) - the weak link is where the strap attaches to the camera.

If you are using a black rapid strap and a black rapid attachment you shoudn't have a problem. The problem most people run into is that they use something like a black rapid strap and then attach it to the ring on the bottom of a standard tripod mount quick release which of course was never designed for this purpose. The tripod mount ring fails, camera falls. So if your going to attach it to the bottom of a tripod mount, buy the black rapid replacement for the tripod mount screw/ring - which is specifically designed for this purpose. Even if you only intend to use it with a cheaper strap, it would be well worth the investment.

BTW I own a Black Rapid CS-5 myself, best money I ever spent. Worth every single penny, and it is just so much better than the cheap knock off I tried originally it isn't even funny. Night and day comparison.

 

[DarkShadow]

I think the most important part is to be mindful of your equipment and you should never have a problem.

 

[Scatterbrained]

First, let me say that you get what you pay for. Second, rather than use the tripod mount and have to remove the strap every time you use your tripod, consider using an Op-Tech utility loop to hold the strap to the cameras strap lug instead.

Hi Scatterbrained,
to be completely honest it wouldn't bother me disconnecting the strap, I'm more concerned about the strap breaking or unscrewing from the body..
It seems the blackrapid would be as susceptible to this as any other strap?

Well, for one, if you put a little saliva on the gasket before screwing it down, then screw it down tight; it won't come loose. Second, with the utility loop it's simply not an issue anyway.

First, let me say that you get what you pay for. Second, rather than use the tripod mount and have to remove the strap every time you use your tripod, consider using an Op-Tech utility loop to hold the strap to the cameras strap lug instead.

gets in the way when shooting. I put a BR style loop on my tripod mount for my Op-Tech strap; else I have to unclip the camera at each use.

I've been carrying my camera with the Op-Tech loop for several years without issue. Not once can I recall it "getting in the way" while shooting. However, the BR strap connector on the bottom of the camera is very uncomfortable when shooting vertically with a battery grip.

 

[Scatterbrained]

First, let me say that you get what you pay for. Second, rather than use the tripod mount and have to remove the strap every time you use your tripod, consider using an Op-Tech utility loop to hold the strap to the cameras strap lug instead.

Hi Scatterbrained,
to be completely honest it wouldn't bother me disconnecting the strap, I'm more concerned about the strap breaking or unscrewing from the body..
It seems the blackrapid would be as susceptible to this as any other strap?

Ok, a couple of thoughts here - BR is made from ballistic cloth, so no, the strap is going to going to give out. You could put it over a large enough tree branch and suspend your entire body weight from it for days, still won't break. The weak link here is not the strap (even the ones made from relatively cheap nylon are much tougher than you can possibly imagine) - the weak link is where the strap attaches to the camera.

If you are using a black rapid strap and a black rapid attachment you shoudn't have a problem. The problem most people run into is that they use something like a black rapid strap and then attach it to the ring on the bottom of a standard tripod mount quick release which of course was never designed for this purpose. The tripod mount ring fails, camera falls. So if your going to attach it to the bottom of a tripod mount, buy the black rapid replacement for the tripod mount screw/ring - which is specifically designed for this purpose. Even if you only intend to use it with a cheaper strap, it would be well worth the investment.

BTW I own a Black Rapid CS-5 myself, best money I ever spent. Worth every single penny, and it is just so much better than the cheap knock off I tried originally it isn't even funny. Night and day comparison.

I generally agree here, however, there was a major issue with the first generation Black Rapid fastener lugs that saw more than a few cameras hit the ground. That's why the new Fastn-R is one solid piece of metal. There was also an issue with the first iteration caribiner they were using. I'm actually on my third caribiner. The first gen had an issue with the lock breaking (I went through two), haven't had any issues with the newer version. Of course now my strap is worn out. . . . . . .

 

[robbins.photo]

Hi Scatterbrained,
to be completely honest it wouldn't bother me disconnecting the strap, I'm more concerned about the strap breaking or unscrewing from the body..
It seems the blackrapid would be as susceptible to this as any other strap?

Ok, a couple of thoughts here - BR is made from ballistic cloth, so no, the strap is going to going to give out. You could put it over a large enough tree branch and suspend your entire body weight from it for days, still won't break. The weak link here is not the strap (even the ones made from relatively cheap nylon are much tougher than you can possibly imagine) - the weak link is where the strap attaches to the camera.

If you are using a black rapid strap and a black rapid attachment you shoudn't have a problem. The problem most people run into is that they use something like a black rapid strap and then attach it to the ring on the bottom of a standard tripod mount quick release which of course was never designed for this purpose. The tripod mount ring fails, camera falls. So if your going to attach it to the bottom of a tripod mount, buy the black rapid replacement for the tripod mount screw/ring - which is specifically designed for this purpose. Even if you only intend to use it with a cheaper strap, it would be well worth the investment.

BTW I own a Black Rapid CS-5 myself, best money I ever spent. Worth every single penny, and it is just so much better than the cheap knock off I tried originally it isn't even funny. Night and day comparison.

I generally agree here, however, there was a major issue with the first generation Black Rapid fastener lugs that saw more than a few cameras hit the ground. That's why the new Fastn-R is one solid piece of metal. There was also an issue with the first iteration caribiner they were using. I'm actually on my third caribiner. The first gen had an issue with the lock breaking (I went through two), haven't had any issues with the newer version. Of course now my strap is worn out. . . . . . .

Never tried the first gen myself but my guess is the op probably won't run into any issues since I don't think they sell those anymore.

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