Thursday, 2 July 2009
L T Beasimer - neckstrap, tamrac
There are many cameras on the market today that are on the heavy side. If you use a light weight camera, a new strap is probably not a desire. For the rest of us, we should consider upgrading the manufacturer provided camera strap.
My camera is a Canon 20D weighing about 5 pounds by itself and comes with a durable fabric neck strap. The supplied neck strap is simple, basic, and advertises Canon boldly. That may be okay if you don't make much use of the strap or use light weight lenses. Take my camera however, and add any one of my heavy L lenses to it and the supplied neck strap can still do the job, but becomes a pain in the neck.
This strap is made for comfort. The pad helps to absorb and distribute the weight of your camera. The suede cover on the pad is smooth enough to feel pleasant on the skin while being rough enough to not slip around easily. The suede covered padding is attached to an adjustable nylon strap which contains a quick release buckle near each end before the strap attaches to the camera.
Having the buckles come in handy when the strap just gets in the way. This usually happens when the camera is used on a tripod. Pressing the sides with your fingers releases the buckle for quick removal and only the piece connecting the camera to the buckle remains. Push the buckle back together and it snaps into the locking position.
Back to the bold advertising, some people feel such items bring attention to their camera equipment. This may cause one to think thieves are paying closer attention to them. While I think seeing the camera is enough to get a thieves attention, I don't really know if this is a legit concern. If it is your concern this strap does have a Tamrac label on it that could be removed or worn against the body so it is not seen.
If you are planning to replace your camera strap, this one is build to do the job and be comfortable.
PROS:
High quality durable construction
Comfortable padded neck
Quick-release system
CONS:
No viewfinder cover Tamrac N45 Black Leather Padded QuickRelease Camera Strap (Black)
As noted by others, the manufacturer straps that ship with most DSLRs are barely adequate for lighter cameras and downright uncomfortable for heavier gear. I agree with the others this strap is very comfortable. The padded suede works as advertised. The strap in black is understated and elegant (to the extent that is possible). What I would like to add is that this strap is adjustable to a longer length than most straps. I'm over six feet tall, and the original Nikon straps on my D70s and D200 are too short for anything other than around the neck carriage with the camera hanging over my stomach, which is a dorky look and uncomfortable. This strap allows allows me to sling the camera over neck and shoulder, messenger style, and have it ride on my hip. The other great thing about this strap is that it is robust. This is especially true of the quick releases. I've tried other straps with similar releases, including one made by Nikon. None of them gave me any confidence and their releases seemed weak. If you're putting a heavy camera, vertical grip and long lens on the strap, you don't want to worry about the quick releases popping loose. You won't with this strap. The releases are strong. They click together very positively. I have no doubt the attachments on the camera body will pull out long before these releases fail. That's a great feeling while working in the field.
Be advised the suede padding is sewn to the woven canvas strap material and does not slide. Although comfortable, the suede will not slide around the neck as easily as a synthetic material. Accordingly, if you carry your gear like I do (above) you will need to slacken the strap a little to get the camera to shooting position because the strap will not be centered around your neck during carry. This is really a non-issue in my opinion, but something to consider when making a purchase. I really like this strap.
I would definitely recommend this camera strap. It goes on really easy, has a quick release if you want to take it off the camera. Very comfortable padded area where it can rest on your neck or shoulder. Strong.
There are plenty of camera straps for DSLRs on the market, but there's a simple honesty to the Tamrac N45 Black Leather Padded QuickRelease Camera Strap that makes it so appealing.
This is one convenient and comfortable camera strap. It was purchased to replace the strap that came with my DSLR, which was just barely adequate to carry the camera for a couple of hours. I've put it through its paces with my Nikon D5000, a medium-weight DSLR that checks in at about 1 lb. 4 oz. (560 g) without anything. Add a lens, and you'll easily go to 2-3 lbs, depending on the focal length. This may not seem like much until you carry this kind of weight around your neck for 10 to 12 hours, and that's when you'll really begin to appreciate the qualities of this camera strap.
The non-slip suede leather pad is comfortably padded, and enough so that carrying the camera around your neck or over your shoulder for a day of shooting is made easy. I found that the non-slip suede leather inside pad didn't slip off of the shoulder, even with a windbreaker. The quality of the stitching and the quick-release buckles show that Tamrac has put some pride into this product, which was designed with the photographer in mind.
It should be noted that I also have an OEM version of the OP/TECH Pro Loop Strap, a gift from a photo software company, that has also proven to be a good one. It's a different design altogether, but does a great job with a fairly heavy bridge camera that I own as a backup. Either choice would be very good if you want to get away from the lightweight original straps supplied by the camera manufacturers.
As noted originally, this strap does its job and does it well. It's a 5-star product, one that doesn't disappoint, and that should last for years. - Digital Slr - Neckstrap - Tamrac - Photography'
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