Utility belt question

dragonariesphoto · May 5, 2013

have any of you ever used a tool belt with the wider pockets to carry lenses? i was thinking of getting one or having one custom made by a friend, i was just curious if anyone had one they liked particularly or if this would even be a good idea. thanks!

i have seen the belts with the lens bags on them, but they still seem to bulky to me.

480sparky · May 5, 2013

I just use a vest. I think a vest would be far more comfortable.

Trever1t · May 5, 2013

Why not get a Lowepro S&F belt and changer? I use the vest too and have a Spider belt.

Overread · May 5, 2013

I'm not a fan of belts to hold heavy gear or lots of equipment - sure it sounds nice, till you try wearing one and then you spend the rest of the day:

1) Pulling your belt/pants up because its loose to be comfortable and thus slips down

2) Feeling uncomfortable in any pose but standing straight (photographers crouch down a lot!) and especially after eating because now the belt is tight!

A photographers vest is a much better solution because you shift the weight to your shoulders and no longer is your waist taking all the strain. Some higher end vests also have waist straps so you can put some weight on your waist without having the falling down trousers problem.

The Manfrotto system I've seen I think also has a harness design so you've again got that around the hips grip, but coupled with shoulder straps.

SCraig · May 5, 2013

I disagree. I have a vest and I have a ThinkTank belt with a shoulder harness and pouches. My preference is the belt however I would NOT use it without the shoulder harness for the reasons Overread stated.

pixmedic · May 5, 2013

where else would you keep your smoke bombs, batterangs, grappling hooks, and other gadgets if not a utility belt?

TCampbell · May 6, 2013

dragonariesphoto said:
have any of you ever used a tool belt with the wider pockets to carry lenses? i was thinking of getting one or having one custom made by a friend, i was just curious if anyone had one they liked particularly or if this would even be a good idea. thanks!

i have seen the belts with the lens bags on them, but they still seem to bulky to me.

ThinkTank makes a modular system... several different belts and pouches to combine.

ann · May 6, 2013

Last year I got a thinktank one , not sure I would like using it, however, it was great. As a short, dumpy woman, a vest just doesn't due the trick. My friends did give me a bit of "grief" about a fanny pack, but it gave me room for a couple of lens, extra batteries and cards, and look the weight off my shoulders;

table1349 · May 6, 2013

He is the Utility Belt Expert!! :lmao:

Ok, Seriously. I prefer a vest to a belt. The weight distribution is better than a belt even when you use the suspenders on the belt.

bratkinson · May 7, 2013

I keep my lenses in individual Lowepro cases when not out shooting, and in a camera bag insert when out shooting somewhere (eg, not in the Lowepro cases). I thought I'd try the Lowepro S&F belt so I bought one. Put 2 lenses in their corresponding Lowepro cases on it and as OverRead indicated, spent the shoot pulling up my belt, etc. I also found the belt-size adjustment couldn't be made to stay put in one setting. It kept getting more and more loose. After that one night, I put the S&F belt aside.

But, given that I have Lowepro cases for each lens, and their attaching to my 'regular' pants belt is no diffferent than attaching them to the S&F belt, I gave that a try. It worked wonderfully. I only put 2 lenses on my regular belt, and a filter holder, and it worked OK. I only had to pull my pants up a couple of times that night. For a walk-around shoot in downtown Chicago last fall, I used only a single case sized to fit the lens on my camera and the one I was carrying, and a filter case. Since my camera is gripped and batteries freshly charged, there was no need for an extra battery.

Should I ever want to go beyond carrying 2 lenses on my belt, I think I'll give an old pair of suspenders I have laying around a try...