One of the products I recently got turned onto (again) at a seminar I attended was the "R Strap". I had first seen it on the Nikon D-Town Podcast but never got around to ordering one. I saw it again at the David Ziser seminar and actually got a chance to try it out. The first thing I liked was that it doesn't just go on the shoulder or around the neck, it actually goes over your head and hangs under your arm. This way there's no way that you're going to drop your camera AND it's not going to create neck strain from carrying a heavy DSLR around.
How does it work?
It's a simple concept actually. One end has a standard tripod screw on it that goes in the bottom of your camera or L-bracket. It has a thumb screw, which means that you don't have to carry any tools around to put it on or take it off. Once you have it screwed in you can then just slide your camera up and down the strap as needed.
Here's a Video:
What could be better?
Although I like the thumb screw attachment to put it on or take it off the camera. I have to put it on and take it off when switching on and off my tripod. I don't know what they could do to make this faster other than some kind of quick release. Again, I don't know how that would work, but it would be nice. There's no way that I could leave it on AND put the camera on my BH-1 ballhead.
The Bottom Line
If you have a DSLR and you're on a photowalk or need to quickly grab your camera and shoot and then put your camera down (without actually putting it down) to free up your hands, this is a great solution. You can get the R Strap here.
Here's a humorous look at a shoot out between the R strap and a regular strap:
Hey Terry:
I have the original one and to solve the issue of leaving the attachment on the camera and being able to mount it on a tripod was to put the tripod [i have a Manfrotto one] quick release plate onto the camera’s body and then just hooking the strap onto that directly.
You still have to unhook the strap but at least you don’t have to unscrew and rescrew the attachment from Black Rapid everytime.
Hope this helps!
JJ
Man… why didn’t I think of that!! Thanks for that tip JJ…
JJ Casas Cool trick! Thanks for sharing… That solved my problem.
I agree with you Terry. A friend recently gave me an RStrap for my birthday when he was over in the States last week. Having spent the last four days touring around the Lake District National Park here in England I love the strap but putting it on a tripod can be a small issue.
My strap is connected to the Manfrotto quick release plate that I leave attached to my camera but when it was very cold or I was wearing gloves it was quite difficult at times to turn the lock on the carabiner to unhook the strap and mount the camera on my tripod.
Overall the strap rocks and I will definitely continue using it as my new camera strap as the comfort level is great, I wore the thing all day without any neck or shoulder issues.
I recently upgraded to the new version and like it really well.
My one suggestion for improvement is a change in the long zippered pouch. I’d rather see a series of pockets with flaps or zippers that have openings facing up instead of to the side. That way, my goodies (I keep CF cards in there) don’t come tumbling out when I unzip.
Another helpful hint that I’m sure most have thought of already; I use the cell phone compartment for an extra battery.
I love the strap but it has been a bit annoying to detach and attach to my tripod.. But I don’t use my tripod that much so it doesn’t really need to come off much. The strap is really comfortable to carry a camera around all day. It’s so nice to not have neck pain at the end of the day.
I think they are up to the RS-5 now, arent they? I use a dual RS-5 setup for weddings….love it
I also clip my R-Strap to the d-ring on the Manfrotto tripod plate. I called Manfrotto and asked about this, they told me the d-ring was not designed to carry the weight of the camera and they “wouldn’t recommend doing that”. I’ve seen quite a few shooters carry their camera this way and they all say they trust it. I still do it but I just don’t take my hand off the camera anymore.
Have any of you ever had any problems or noticed any damage to the d-ring?
BlackRapid is working on a replacement screw for the Manfrotto plates. The prototype was stainless steel and ready to take the weight of the gear. It would just replace the screw in the plate transferring the weight back to the camera’s socket.
What timing Terry!! I just got my new R-Strap yesterday and I love it! I had gone “strapless” for a while because I couldn’t stand the Nikon strap that came with my camera. This strap is super quick and easy to use IMO. Thanks for providing a great blog and keep up the great work!
I bought this and really like the concept. That said, it’s not without some caveats. First, there was a recall on the connector. It seems a pin would come loose and the result was watching your camera fall to the ground. Fortunately, that never happened to me and the vendor was first-class about providing a free replacement with a better engineered connector. This shouldn’t be a concern for new purchases, but you may want to inquire about older ones.
Second was another kind of release on the shoulder strap. This happened to me last week, but the shoulder strap came loose from the plastic connector by the pad. It could’ve been bad, but it just unwrapped as I was holding the camera.
Last issue is a minor nit. The shoulder pad doesn’t stay by your shoulder. It slides up and down the strap while you’re moving around.
I just bought one last week and shot a wedding with it and it was an absolute God-send! Amazing piece of equipment and a must for any wedding/portrait/event shooter. Well worth the money!
In addition to the tripod issue (with which I agree 100%), one more comment: it doesn’t work wuite as well if you’re walking with a backback. I use a Lowepro Computrekker and found the R-strap to be quite uncomfortable when wearing it with the backpack. Anyway, I’m a huge fan of the R-strap – great young product sure to evolve rapidly over the next years. Cheers!
I’ve tried a bunch of straps (base Nikon strap, neoprene Optech, etc) and have stopped looking after picking up the RS4. It’s easy to use, keeps my camera secure, and works just as well as they said it would. Whether photowalking or doing any regular shooting, it makes it convenient to carry the camera without it getting in the way (around your neck) or slipping off your shoulder if you carry it that way.
Like the others, if I’m on tripod I connect the carabiner to the quick release plate, otherwise I use the regular round connector it came with. Small tip, wet the bottom of your camera/grip a bit (ie lick your finger and wipe it across the mount) when screwing the connector in — it’ll get a really good seal and WON’T twist.
robert
Just got the new RS-7 from Black Rapid at the PhotoPlus Expo in NYC for $50. This one is slightly curved to contour the neck, but the system is the same as the others. It doesn’t come with pockets. I was shown a supplemental strap that will be available in the future for $10-15. It connects to the RS-7 under your arm and links the front and back parts of the strap to make it even more snug and secure. So far the RS-7 is extremely comfortable, I plan to put it through the paces this weekend.
I have been using this strap for about 6 months. I love it!