This device is an absolute must-have for any photographer--amateur or professional. I've been shooting professionally for over 30 years and I never take it off my camera except for in-studio tripod work. The strap attaches to the right shoulder strap loop on your camera, and has an attachment plate that screws into the tripod mount on the underside of the camera. Even with the wrist strap connected, there is an additional loop provided on the plate so that you can also attach a shoulder strap if desired. Your hand slides between the padded area of the grip and the camera, and you can adjust the tightness to fit your hand size. Your fingers will naturally curl around the grip of your camera and the Opteka grip holds your hand in place. Even with your hand completely relaxed, your camera will fall out of your hand. I use it on my Canon 5D Mark II with the large 24-105 L lens and it's comfortable enough to carry the camera without a shoulder strap all day without tiring. This is not an exaggeration. When I travel I carry my heavy camera for 6-8 hours this way and I barely notice it. I would never use a professional camera without one of these wrist straps. It's very secure and prevents accidentally dropping the camera while at the same time easing the amount of force necessary to hold or steady the camera while shooting.
Opteka also provides a threaded tripod mount to the bottom of the plate so you don't even have to take it off for tripod work, although I use this feature sparingly because it's not all that robust. If I'm shooting with a tripod a lot, I simply unscrew the bottom plate and let the Opteka grip hang at the side of the camera, then re-screw it when I remove the tripod. Easy, fast and secure.
Speaking of security, if I have my camera in my hand with the grip connected, it's impossible for a thief to snatch it away from me. The physics of my hand and the grip won't allow it. When touring a new city or potentially dangerous urban area, it's much more secure than a shoulder strap that can be cut or grabbed off your shoulder.
Unlike Canon's wrist strap, this unit can be used without the battery pack. A friend recently dropped her camera and did severe damage to it as she wasn't using one of these wrist straps. It's a very inexpensive bit of comfort and insurance that you'll come to love.
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June 2011 update: I've been using this same Opteka wrist grip for over 3 years. It's worked beautifully and is as durable and good looking today as it was when I bought it. I am absolutely delighted with it and have nothing but raves for this product from Opteka. Please note that this product is designed for normal-sized digital and film cameras with interchangeable lenses and should work properly with most brands including Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, Sigma, etc. It may not fit comfortably on some of the more compact or smaller cameras such as Nikon's D40 unless you have tiny hands. It's also not recommended for point and shoot cameras. Use the manufacturer's included wrist strap for these tiny cameras instead. Opteka Professional Wrist Grip Strap for Digital & Film SLR Cameras
As a pro with more than 30 years in the business, I have never used this type of camera strap - I always wiped it away as a "Micey Mouse Thing".
Now, after all these years I finally purchased one and I can't believe the difference...
Okay, much safer than hand carrying - but this is the secondary part - the important difference is the feel, and the sensitivity in the trigger-finger. While normally the fingers merely occupied holding the camera, you have now the weight different distributed and your fingers free for the actual important and sensitive task to push buttons, turn the wheel etc. A must-feel-experience!
I can't believe the difference! I just ordered the second one for another camera....
To go more in detail - my cameras are quite heavy and most of them have a battery grip. This makes the distance between tripod mount and upper strap attachment perfect for this hand strap. On most of my cameras I have about 4+ inches, adequate to have the strap snug around my hand - firm and comfortable at the right length. If I try the strap on a smaller camera with only about 2+ inches height, or without battery grip, the handling appears rather odd.
Therefore, if you have a larger camera, or use a battery grip, the opteka strap does amazing things for you. If your camera does not have a battery grip, you might not absolutely share my exhitement for it.
Either way, it is definitelly worth trying, considering the relative low price.
The quality appears okay and the looks is good. The leather part is actually some type of nylon or artificial leather - let's see how long this is holding up under heavy pro use.
Highly recommendable! Great price!
It takes a lot of hand shaking out of shooting and will definitelly help to get sharper pictures.'
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