Any recommendations on straps? Black rapid, etc
I've owned a couple of black rapids, it's a nice strap particularly for heavy lenses like a 70-200mm 2.8. The problem with the black rapid or any strap that attaches to the tripod mount though is that the camera has a tendency to swing while you walk, and with a heavy lens that gets old after a half a day or so of lugging it around.
I tried the optech sling system, since it mounts at two points the camera swings less - however the strap lacks anything close to adequate padding so it really doesn't work all that well for a heavy lens.
The solution I finally settled on was a vest - yes, I do look like a reject from a SWAT team so this wouldn't be the best idea for those who like staying under the radar. However for me it works well. I ordered a custom vest from The Vest Guy - it's their traveler vest with extra padding in the shoulders. The vest comes with it's own carrying straps that I can attach to the camera, I can carry one camera on either shoulder or I can change it so I carry a single camera in the middle, which is what I normally do since I only have the one body.
Works well, if I get tired of carrying the camera in the middle I can easily switch it to either shoulder. The vest does a good job of redistributing the weight, has lots of pocket space for accessories or even additional lenses, and is MOLLE capable so I can add additional storage pouches as needed. I've gotten two molle pouches, one I use to store spare batteries and the odd filter I might want to carry along, the other for my cell phone.
I do stand out a bit at the zoo, but then again being a 6'2" redneck carrying a DSLR with a 70-200mm 2.8 I already stood out a bit anyway, so I don't mind. Lol