advertisement


How do you carry your camera?

cctaylor

cctaylor

pfm Member
Just wondering how folks carry their cameras?

Walking round the Royal Highland Show and Edinburgh today I noticed a few people walking around casually with full-size DSLRs just holding them by the grip. No wrist strap or any other way of securing the camera.

As I'm a M43 guy my camera is equivalent to a small full frame camera with of course much smaller and lighter lenses.
I have my G9ii on a Peak Design Slide Lite strap. There is no way I would walk around simply holding on to my camera. Perhaps my arthritis is a factor despite being considered by my consultant to be in remission.

I find the PD Slide very convenient, I normally have 3 connectors on my camera, the top lugs and a tripod screw one. Normally it's on the tripod and the right lug and I wear it long and across the body. The camera hangs comfortably at my side and it so easy to swing into action. However it's also a matter of seconds to switch to both lugs and shorten it for use round the neck.

In my SLR days I used Op Tech and tried it on my Lumix but find the PD Slide Lite much more comfortable design the load relieving claims made by Op Tech.
 
PD slide strap for the Fujis, fancy pants leather strap for the Q2, and the Mamiya gets transported either in a little Hama rucksack (to/from location) or on top of the tripod (secured) between shots. Don't like wrist straps and too clumsy to go without some sort of a strap.
 
Since my go-to for the last decade is a compact Fuji X100 - I bought this wrist-strap, and I find it both very, very comfortable , and close, handy:superb.
It, with a cheap thumb-rest that lives in the flash hotshoe I've zero interest in using: the combo, is superb for security - all in close retention, but also importantly - quick use for street/& sim photography.

 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
I used to hand-hold my camera when I was out and about photographing but I'm slowly changing to a neck strap.
 
PD slide lite or cuff on X100V, PD slide on GFX, both Fuji’s top camera fixtures, and PD slide on z9 fixed on lens and top left of camera and worn across body, either on 600 f6.3 vr s, or 100-400 vr s, if fitted to the monopod on mini gimbal head then a pd cuff cinched around the gimbal base and the other end attached to the pd fitting lug on the arca lens foot as a secondary fail safe.
 
IMG-1210.jpg

Strap and camera half case from Mr.Lu…
Lowepro case is around 30 y.o. Still mint, well padded interior with two padded Velcro straps to keep every thing cost inside. Have around four camera bags which came with (secondhand gear).
 
IMG-1212.jpg

This terrific wee bag came with 2 lenses I bought, again around 30 years ago. Guy put a note in the parcel, saying he was now housebound but he knew the bag had plenty years left in it….unlike him…:cool:
 
PD Slide with me R3 and 100-500, lugs on each tripod mount. PD Cuff with small lenses.
I’d read about PD straps over the years and dismissed it all as hype, but when I went from my old 5D3 with 70-200 to R3, I found the whole lot pendulumed because of the single attachment point with the BlackRapid.
 
@Tony L your comments on the Black Rapid are interesting. I had considered it but wasn't happy putting all the load through the tripod bush, especially as I had read of problems with some of the Olympus OM range where the bush had pulled out of the body.
 
cctaylor said:
@Tony L your comments on the Black Rapid are interesting. I had considered it but wasn't happy putting all the load through the tripod bush, especially as I had read of problems with some of the Olympus OM range where the bush had pulled out of the body.
Click to expand...
I’ve no experience outside Canon in the last 20 years, so can’t comment past: a camera that’s designed to have multiple kilos of large lens on it for all the world’s sports, wildlife and news photographers is probably designed to hang by those fittings. My 100-500 is 1.5kg, but I’d have no worries dangling a 200-400 with an additional 1.4x fitted, of my PD Slide. The camera just laughs at that idea.
Small and light, as with big and heavy, comes with compromises, I suppose.
 
Last edited:
martin clark said:
Since my go-to for the last decade is a compact Fuji X100 - I bought this wrist-strap, and I find it both very, very comfortable , and close, handy:superb.
It, with a cheap thumb-rest that lives in the flash hotshoe I've zero interest in using: the combo, is superb for security - all in close retention, but also importantly - quick use for street/& sim photography.

Click to expand...
Looks identical to the one I use on My little Sony A7C. I got sick of a big DSLR hanging off my neck.

Perfect for family stuff - to capture those brief moments that you'd otherwise miss by the time you got your phone out of your pocket.
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
DSLRs on standard neck straps. Both cameras are used so little that I don't feel it's worth me buying better ones. I can, & usually do, carry one or the other in my handbag.
 
What I will add is that with fast moving action, I’ll usually just carry it in my hand, even with the 100-500 & 1.4x, as it’s just much easier when swapping from horizontal to vertical, using at ground level with the screen folded out as the viewfinder.
 
Last edited:
cctaylor said:
@Tony L your comments on the Black Rapid are interesting. I had considered it but wasn't happy putting all the load through the tripod bush, especially as I had read of problems with some of the Olympus OM range where the bush had pulled out of the body.
Click to expand...

black rapid harness for the last 7 odd years for my EOS 5Dmk3, with 100-400 zoom, and grip - it is a heavy beast, no issue with the tripod fixing
 
I don’t carry it any longer. I use my Apple thingy.
The Nikons with their lenses are too heavy for my neck and back 😣
They make nice ornaments.
 
I'm ok carrying 2Kg of Nikon D850 and Zeiss 50mm lens by the grip. If i were trotting around a city then a shoulder strap would make the long walks a bit easier.

If i was a mountain climber i'd go a rucksack for the tough/long bits and just carry the cam 'when i got there'.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top