I always seem to struggle with camera straps. Whether hanging around the neck, slung over the shoulder or twisted around my wrist, it’s either rubbing, pinching or getting in the way. It just never feels right and I expect I am not alone here. So the purchase of a 70-200mm f2.8 lens (large and weighty) and the recent similarity between the Aussie and $USD found me searching on-line for something better than what I had, which is how I found BlackRapid (www.blackrapid.com).
For those that don’t know the BlackRapid products, these camera straps (or slings) sit over the shoulder and across the body allowing the camera to hang at your hip. When the moment takes you, the camera is raised to your eye - the connector gliding along the strap, and once you have captured the image the camera is lowered back to the hip. BlackRapid sells a range of products including straps specifically designed for women and setups that allow you to carry two cameras - one at each hip.
In the end I settled on the RS-5
The order was placed on-line and the arrived here in Australia a little over a week later. The first thing I noticed on arrival was the packaging. A fancy mesh drawstring bag which I’ll have to find a use for, as I can’t see that I'll need to pack the strap back into it. The second thing I noticed was the quality of materials and construction.
Using the Strap
The supplied fastener is screwed into the tripod socket of either the camera or lens. The carabiner style connector is then hooked onto the fastener and the screw lock is tightened ensuring the fastener and connector won’t part company.
The BlackRapid site has a bunch of videos providing advice and tips and having checked out a couple of these I was able to get myself setup, adjusted and ready to go in no time.
Over several days walking around the city using the RS-5, the improved comfort was immediately noticeable however an unexpected benefit was a sense of security felt when working my way through the Christmas shopping crowds - the strap securely in place with one hand resting on the camera at the hip.
Initially when lifting the camera to the eye I found the shoulder strap sliding back, however the tip is to keep tension on the strap as you raise the camera. (This tip was picked up from one of those videos I mentioned earlier).
The RS-5’s built in storage has room for my iPhone, spare memory cards and some business cards with room to spare. The RS-5 uses magnets rather than velcro on the closures (providing silent opening) and the BlackRapid website confirms that the neodymium magnets won’t affect your phone or storage cards. The only issue encountered was on a recent trip on public transport - while leaning against the safety railings the magnets took a liking to the metal rails.
Recommendation
The strap provides comfort and security and with the built in storage I can see that on most future photo walks there’ll be no need to take along a camera bag.
I highly recommend the BlackRapid RS-5 strap.
The Black Rapid RS-5 Camera Strap
This is not a sponsored review. This blog does run some adverts and uses affiliate links (to Amazon) on occasions.
