A little background : I've never liked neck straps since the camera just gets in the way and with large DSLR's and lenses it puts a lot of weight onto your neck. One thing I don't like about the Black Rapid or similar sling style straps is the connection point - the tripod mount. Personally, it would get in the way when shooting in a portrait orientation and hinder tripod usage. It also worries me a bit that there's so much weight put onto the tripod mount on the camera/grip when it wasn't really designed to hold weight in that fashion. I created my own sling style utilizing the OEM strap mounts on the body and it has served me well so I never bothered looking for another sling style strap. I happened to come across this Optech strap and it seemed like a perfect strap (which I explain below.) Since my custom sling strap doesn't have padding and the connection points are a bit bulky I decided to give this strap a try.
The Optech strap is very well built. The padding is great, helping to cushion and distributes the weight wonderfully across the shoulder. The quick-release connectors are a sturdy plastic and the engage/disengage clips require quite a bit of force which eases the worry of accidentally releasing them. (I don't use the quick-release too much though and was thinking of chopping off the quick-release connectors and replacing them with metal carabiners with locks.) The length of the strap is perfect as well. Personally, at 5' 9" and a big build it rests comfortably near waist level.
The main part of this strap which made me buy it were the "system-connectors". These connectors, which have a nylon loop on one end and a quick-release clip on the other, utilizes the OEM mounting points on the camera. This makes me feel a lot more comfortable than using only one point at the tripod mount like other sling straps. These system-connectors connect to one (or two) matching free-floating connectors on the main strap. Movement of the camera from waist-level to your eye is very smooth with the connectors. As mentioned, the actual connection to the camera is nylon, through the OEM mounting points. Like with OEM neck straps, it'll eventually eat through the nylon after extended amount of use. The beauty of the Optech strap is that you can buy just the system-connectors for under $10 if you ever need to replace them.
My heaviest setup (and one I use very frequently) is the Canon 7D with grip and the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II. The strap feels very solid and I don't have to worry about the integrity of the strap. The padding on the strap definitely does help in distributing the weight. It really does feel lighter when using this strap (at least compared to my custom one.)
If you're looking at this product and wondering if this is a good sling strap I would definitely say yes. It is well designed and solidly built. The mobility that a sling strap gives you is a wonderful feeling and with most lenses you won't even feel it over your shoulder. OP/TECH USA 3501242 Utility Strap-Sling Connector for Fast Access to Cameras and Binoculars - Neoprene (Black)
I don't find over-the-neck straps all that comfortable, and I'm constantly annoyed by the strap getting in the way when I'm trying to take a photo (especially potrait orientation). Now that I'm frequently carrying two bodies, I decided to give a Sling style a shot. Since the Op/Tech was quite a bit less than the Black Rapid I orderd one.
As far as the padded part goes, it is amazingly comfortable and super light weight. The stitching is solid and the op/tech logo is nice and subdued.
The connectors have a super cheap feel to them. I have a sense these will get brittle and snap over time ... and the thought of $3,500 of camera gear hitting the ground is unnerving. I hate the fact that they have 2 quick connectors on the strap with no way of removing them ... not sure what I was thinking here ... it should have dawned on me when reading the item description. Since I use only 1 connector attached to a swivel in the tripod mount, I now have this extra piece of plastic poking me in the side ... I may just cut it off with a pair of bolt cutters. On the plus side, the cord and leather part attached to the quick connector is very nicely constructed.
The strap itself is adjsutable and extremely long. My guess is that it will fit on anybody up to Sumo Wrester sized. A trick I learned while being in the US Army when I was younger ... disconnect the rear connector, give it a full twist and then put it back on. This will make the strap fold over at the 'bottom', and lay flat against your body in the area under your arm.
The connector attached to my camera moves very smooth and completely eliminates that 'dangling in my way' nusance I get with a normal style strap.
Overall however, I don't find the configuration all that comfortable and that extra connector MUST go. Maybe over time I'll get used to it.
I had a optech strap already and thought this should be a great complement because I notice I wear my camera over the neck strap sometimes as a sling.
I wish I could have tried this at a store, but there were no stores that had this in my area.
My faults are with the connectors. The mounting points at the camera and the sling are cumbersome when you are trying to shoot in a portrait orientation. I feel like I have to adjust the strap a few times before I feel like it is comfortable to take a shot. The attachment point is not fluid for me personally. For me, that is fine when there is time to compose a shot, but lately I've been taking pictures of kids and this makes me feel like I missed some opportunities. It's only been a few weeks, but maybe I can find the right setting that works.
Pluses though is that if I wanted too I can swap back really quick to over the neck. You might need extra connectors though.'
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