Strap or Strapless: Oi vey, wonder how many of you are wondering the same thing? And I mean camera straps. :) I use a strap on my 7D and have since I started using DSLR's but sometimes...

PhotoStar Loc: Calgary, Alberta

Oi vey, wonder how many of you are wondering the same thing? And I mean camera straps. :)

I use a strap on my 7D and have since I started using DSLR's but sometimes its just a plain nuisance. Many times the camera is on tripod. Perhaps its a personal preference, as I've read many times that some photographers don't use them. Still I've never dropped my camera.

What are others thoughts on this? Am I being over cautious or am just too chicken to try something different?

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

PhotoStar wrote:

Oi vey, wonder how many of you are wondering the same thing? And I mean camera straps. :)

I use a strap on my 7D and have since I started using DSLR's but sometimes its just a plain nuisance. Many times the camera is on tripod. Perhaps its a personal preference, as I've read many times that some photographers don't use them. Still I've never dropped my camera.

What are others thoughts on this? Am I being over cautious or am just too chicken to try something different?

I always use a strap on my 50D; I have a Domke with clips ordered so I can remove the strap when using the tripod. I use a handstrap with a separate wrist safety strap for my 20D. Since I use the larger wide-angle zoom on the 50, I have mounted the 50mm f/1.8 on the 20. It makes a fairly small light package.

Goldwinger Loc: Boynton Beach Florida

I use a sling strap that has two connection that have quick releases so the strap comes off when I use my tripod .You can search e bay for it .

PhotoStar Loc: Calgary, Alberta

I should find something so disconnecting the strap quickly is not a problem. I wondered about sling straps, but haven't seen a setup for 2 or more camera bodies and wondered what to do. I'm wondering if having a camera body per lens is a simpler system than carrying and switching lens outside.

Tina

I have several cameras including a 7D. No one usually drops a camera on purpose. I keep the strap on my camera regardless. For me, the inconvenience is not worth the cost of dropping the camera and damaging my equipment. I respect everyone's chose of doing what works for them. Besides, if my tripod accidentally falls the camera strap may be the last thing I can grab to reduce or avoid the impact. I like my Op-Tech camera strap because it has the quick release buckle.

PhotoArtsLA Loc: Boynton Beach

I have not used a camera strap in the last three decades. Only when I was a photojournalist, back in my youth, did I find a camera strap of use. Since then, I have been a cinematographer as well as photographer. In the movies, there are no straps, and the same applies to my cameras.

The fact is, the ONLY time I EVER dropped a camera was due to a camera strap failure. I did not catch it in time. A big Nikon F2 with MD2 Motor and MB1 battery pack tumbled down a flight of metal edged concrete steps, about fifteen steps, and survived. I doubt any current DSLR would survive such punishment. For this, and mere ergonomics, there has never been a strap on any of my cameras since I stopped doing photojournalism.

PhotoStar Loc: Calgary, Alberta

Ouch ! Worse than finger nails on a chalk board, the sound or imagined sound of a camera landing on any surface multiple times makes me cringe. Most from empathy, as the horror in the eyes of the one witnessing their camera escape their grasp starts to register. Worse than most any ticket one might get. Glad to hear the camera made it.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

I always keep straps on my camera bodies as I hate to drop one when mounting or dismounting to a tripod. I use the OpTech Pro straps which have quick releases fairly near the body. When I remove the strap it takes less than a second, and then I clip the two OpTech connectors together and this creats a very handy carrying handle on the body. I have 3 of these straps and also a Double Sling for carrying two bodies at once and all components are fully interchangeable. OpTech has clearly thought out the strap situation and has not changed their design in the 30 years they have been making them. (One of my straps is from their original manufacturing run from 1982 and its still as nice as the third one I bought this past summer for my D800E.)

Harvey Loc: Pioneer, CA

I was taught to always use a camera strap-and when moving the tripod with the camera mounted to intertwine my hand in the strap first thing before before closing the legs. - even more thoughtful now with quick release plates.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

PhotoStar wrote:

Oi vey, wonder how many of you are wondering the same thing? And I mean camera straps. :)

I use a strap on my 7D and have since I started using DSLR's but sometimes its just a plain nuisance. Many times the camera is on tripod. Perhaps its a personal preference, as I've read many times that some photographers don't use them. Still I've never dropped my camera.

What are others thoughts on this? Am I being over cautious or am just too chicken to try something different?

I always hated those large "advertising" straps that Nikon and Canon use. I got Optech straps for my cameras - blue, black, and red (for the infrared). It's so much easier dealing with the cameras when they don't have three feet of heavy strap attached to them.

photosarah Loc: East Sussex, UK

I use a nice leather hand-strap on my Canon camera, and I also have a Blackrapid RW1 over-the-shoulder-and-across-the-chest strap. I keep the hand strap on the camera at all times: tuck your hand in, tuch camera under your arm, very easy, camera not on display. But I add the RW1 made especially for women, on whole days out to help take the strain. I HIGHLY recommend the hand strap, I wouldn't dream of going back to a round-the-neck strap.

madcapmagishion

Goldwinger wrote:

I use a sling strap that has two connection that have quick releases so the strap comes off when I use my tripod .You can search e bay for it .

I also use a sling strap (an OP/TECH USA double sling for 2 cameras) that has two connection that have quick releases so the strap comes off when I use my tripod. And I also have never dropped my camera but who's to say that the first time I tried to go strapless it wouldn't happen. Better safe than sorry!
Here's OP/TECH's link ... http://optechusa.com/straps.html

Deejay Loc: Norwich, UK

I have used a wrist strap on every camera since I dropped a Super 8 Cine camera in the Thames. Paranoia? Maybe, but I only wish I had been paranoid before going on the Thames!

mlj Loc: Anderson, SC

I use the OpTech straps with a quick release. I cannot imagine having my cameras without a strap.

Hando Rei Loc: Long Island New York

Each of us uses what works for them ! To me straps are an extra measure of security. It is not a question if one will drop a camera but ...When!