I was an infantryman in the Marine Corps for 8 years and as such I am used to walking around all day with all kinds of things attached to, and hanging from, my body. So it was a big surprise to me when I got into photography how incredibly awkward and uncomfortable it is to walk around with a camera! I have a D300s which usually has a 16-85 or 70-300 attached, and compared to a flak jacket, ammo pouches, canteens, a rifle, and a host of other worthless stuff should be a piece of cake to carry around. Unfortunately it's always digging into my ribs, bouncing all over the place, swinging wildly if I bend or lean over - I mean it really takes the fun out of my hobby.
The Rapid Strap is based on the one-point, assault rifle slings that I am so used to and does a pretty good job of keeping my camera out of the way until needed. The problem that I have with it is two-fold: Firstly, it's way overpriced. There really isn't much to this thing and in my opinion it shouldn't be more than 40 bucks. My next problem is that it's actually too complex. When I first started seeing one-point rifle slings about 6 or 7 years ago they looked a lot like the rapid strap, with a bunch of buckles and fasteners and different straps. As time went on though, the designs became more and more simple until finally we were left with nothing but a nylon encased loop of bungy cord that clipped to the back of the rifle. This has become the standard sling for people who know what they're doing in the military, and it would make carrying a camera even easier. I hope somebody makes it soon. Black Rapid Strap RS7 Black Fabric, Curved Ergonomic, with ConnectR-2 and FastenR-3
I love this strap, I was very worried at first since I'll be hooking up about $4,000 worth of gear to it at a minimum, but it holds very strong. I had this on my Canon 5d Mk II with battery grip and a 70-200mm 2.8 IS lens and it held strong...I even spun it around like the ad online shows and it still held strong. I ordered a mod that helps secure it to stay in one place better so that will be nice when I'm moving around and being more active. I also ordered a second strap and the connector that allows you to make it into a double strap, so we'll see there. I like this version but I've heard they have some with storage pockets...personally I prefer the low profile, especially when I'm at weddings and need to look classy and professional, not like batman.
BlackRapid is one of the 2 leading "Sling Strap" makers (the other being Luma Loop) and is usually attributed with more sales. After debating for months if I really needed to upgrade my strap (from the standard Canon black and red) I finally decided to take the plunge. Doing so made me realize how important of a decision it was!
To start, my main camera body is a Canon 7D without grip. I don't have a real use for a grip since most of the things I shoot are either sports (where I have fine battery life to shoot 1200-1500 shots easily on 1 charge) or events (where I have plenty of time to change to an extra battery). My main lenses are a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II and Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS. Occasionally (depending on the event) I also have a Canon 430EX II flash hooked up. Before I get on with the rest of the review let me just say that this strap had *NO* trouble holding any and all of that, but more importantly...in place.
Alright if you want to see how this thing works, I'd recommend youtube. A strap such as this one kind of needs to be seen or felt to understood completely. Basically, it's similar to a sling strap for an assault rifle or carbine. Being ex-USAF I immediately saw the usefulness in such a design: ease and speed of access. In the military, a sling is usually used to hold your weapon because it lets you bring the weapon up to operating stance in less than a second even when you least expect it. The other useful reason for such a design is that it keeps the weapon in place even when moving quickly or in different directions. This is just as important because it makes sure the weapon isn't in the way but also because it keeps the weapon safe.
In Photography, all of those things apply. It's extremely important to have ease of access and just as important that you can get it up to operating stance quickly. You never know when that moment will happen and you'll want to get a shot. Being able to *very* quickly raise the camera to eye level and have it trained on target means you can get shots you normally wouldn't be able to unless you're constantly holding the camera up to your face (which gets tiring). The other reason, the ability to keep the camera stationary, is even *more* important in photography because the camera is much more fragile. On an average day I'm usually carrying a concealed firearm as well (legally, of course) and if the camera swings around my hip it has the chance of making contact with the butt of my weapon. For those of you that can't understand why that would be a problem let me say this: hardened steel and polymers are harder than glass...much harder.
Ok so now you know about the usefulness of this strap...what other reason do you need? Comfort. The strap that comes with your camera (whether Canon, Nikon, or some other brand) seems completely fine...until you start popping big lenses on it. For reference, my camera with my 70-200 and flash on it is slightly over 6lbs. That doesn't seem like a lot until you realize all that weight is on a single muscle cluster on your shoulder. If you carry your camera across your body like I do (with the strap on your left shoulder but the camera hanging on your right side) that puts a *lot* of pressure on the muscle cluster. By the end of the day you might find you're not even standing up straight or it hurts to move the left arm a bit. It's something that should be avoided...and now it can.
This strap distributes the weight *perfectly*. After walking around all day long with the strap and the 70-200 attached I had no more pain in my shoulder than I did when I put it on. It's fantastic. The contour of the strap makes sure to distribute the weight across the entire upper body area instead of just the contact point. It makes it *much* easier to handle. Also, the clips on the strap make sure that the strap stays in place no matter what you do. They're easy to move around the strap and once you place them (one right behind the camera body and the other up top) they'll "re-place" the strap whenever you put the camera back down...so you never have to worry about the comfort strap migrating to your back.
Pros
-Extremely comfortable, no matter what's hanging from your camera
-Makes sure that your camera is *very* easily accessible and can be brought to form quickly
-Looks great but doesn't scream, "someone please steal my expensive equipment"
-Keeps the comfort area of the strap on your shoulder so it doesn't migrate to your back
-Can hold weight *FAR* in excess of your equipment (holds somewhere around 250Lbs)
Cons
-Tad expensive at $60, especially if you have to buy extra FastenRs or other accessories
-Very hard to use as a weapon since it's so comfortable. - Blackrapid - Digital Slr - Photography - Strap'
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