larryepage Loc: North Texas area

One needs only to read the replies that your topic generated during its two rounds to completely understand why people drop their cameras.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

I can’t agree more. It seems the more expensive the camera the greater gravity will pull in down, not in soft dirt but hard concrete. Sort of when you drop a piece of buttered bread the buttered side falls on the ground first. Don’t eat food in the street!
If I use a strap around my neck, it is at least 2 inches wide. I don’t like the proprietary name brands because if Canon wants me to advertise they should pay me. Often times I will use a wrist strap attached to an Argo plate. That way, I can use a tripod.

bikinkawboy Loc: north central Missouri

It’s amazing how large things can squeeze through small holes. When my dad was a kid, he was watching his neighbor try to start his car, using the standard hand crank. After much cranking but no running, the neighbor cussed loudly and threw the crank square at the windshield, no doubt thinking that busting the windshield would somehow make the car start. Or at least give him a bit of satisfaction. The car had hole in the glass approximately 6inches in diameter. My dad said the airborne crank somehow wiggled itself through the much smaller hole, never touching the glass. As for the neighbor, his cussing stopped and he was speechless for what seemed to be a very long time.

bikinkawboy Loc: north central Missouri

Touching story, but I just gotta know, did your wife follow the camera down? If not, are you still married? If so, have you reminded her of it or are you keeping it in reserve for diffusing that really big screw up all husbands manage to make?

awesome14 Loc: UK

I went all through NYC, on foot, carrying the camera by the lens barrel. As I've gotten older, I've started using a strap. But I've never dropped a camera. I'll pull the camera off the tripod before I let my hand off the tripod with the camera attached. Yes, it can be a pain, but I've got a perfect record so far. Also, setting up in the menu is much better with a strap than just holding the camera so you can see the screen.

Bill_de Loc: US

Twelve pages and 6 months after it started we are still being told how not to drop our cameras.



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Its great fun to imagine just how many have been damaged in that time span ;-)

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I think you can blame the added weight of the butter - maybe.

RonDavis Loc: Chicago, IL

This shoulder strap holder works in the field.....https://www.ebay.com/itm/381635464631?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20200818143230%26meid%3Daabba59aab584451a5f432ea9dd00dc2%26pid%3D101224%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D225115981768%26itm%3D381635464631%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DDefaultOrganicWeb&_trksid=p2047675.c101224.m-1

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(Download)

Urnst Loc: Brownsville, Texas

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

Not really! If I didn’t have bad luck I would have no luck at all.

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I can see the gravity of the situation.

gwilliams6

Use what works for you and be happy.

And I will use and recommend what choices have worked for my award-winning career and for most of my fellow pros. And from decades of experience, not all award-winning shots and/or decisive moments will wait for you to get that camera out of your bag and in shooting position. Your "five seconds" getting your gear out of your bag can be too late when important shots can happen in a split second. The prepared and ready shooter gets those shots, the others don't. I have seen many a good photographer miss a key shot while fumbling to get their gear out of their camera bag. I have made my successful career on being the photographer that gets the shots the other photographers miss.

No camera straps around the neck for years now and never again, but yes straps wrapped around hands, hand grips, belt mounts and clips, chest straps, over the shoulder straps , on a monopod or tripod, resting on a steady mount, sandbag, and more, and yes working out of my camera bag, but not inside my camera bag when I am on scene. Cameras are always out of my camera bag and ready to shoot instantly when on scene. And I often shoot with two cameras with different lenses on them, so I cant have them both in my hands at the same time, but they can always be on my body and ready to shoot in much less time than your "five seconds".

Examples: Cover an NFL game with one camera with a long lens getting the shot of the QB getting sacked , but then the QB eludes the sack and fires a pass to his speedy receiver coming towards you in the endzone; or covering the action at the far basket in an NBA game and suddenly there is a fast outlet pass to a shooter under the near basket going up for a spectacular dunk of the ball ; or there is a dramatic double play at second base in an MLB game and then a quick throw to try to get the runner out at the plate. In all these scenarios you have to be able to instantly change camera/lens setups in far less time than your "five seconds" and get both action shots far and near of the same plays. Not possible with both your cameras in hands or in a camera bag, but possible with both cameras on your body.

I am not risking cameras and lenses in hand alone during active shooting without the added security of some safety to prevent dropping my valuable gear. Just the way I roll.

Cheers and best to you.

foathog Loc: Greensboro, NC

Exactly. Advertising your camera to thieves isn't a real good idea. Maybe an old Minolta strap would be nice.