looking for suspender type harness

[Matt K.]

Hi All,

as I age more and more the freaking neck strap I have for my camera really is starting to put pressure on my already stressed out neck. So I am wondering if there is someone out there who has experience with suspender type harnesses/straps that take the weight off the neck and put it more on the shoulders. I remember Marko saying something once about having a belt with attached bags for lenses being more suitable than a backpack ... so ideally there should be something like a suspender type strap out there, which you can attach a belt to. Souerd the net and found a couple of things, cotton carrier and kgear seem to fit the bill. Now: is anyone using that stuff and is it worth investing in it?

[theantiquetiger]

I have this Blackrapid harness. It doesn't attach to the belt, but it takes the weight off of your neck. It is around $70. They also make a two camera harness. I bought a Chinese knock-off on Ebay for about $20.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8615/15266141544_9133a81956_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/pg1Y1Y)animal kingdom1 (https://flic.kr/p/pg1Y1Y) by Chris Campbell (https://www.flickr.com/photos/theantiquetiger/), on Flickr

[JAS_Photo]

I have the black Rapids on one camera and the Carry Speed on another.

CARRY SPEED FS PRO PRIME SLING STRAP 110-002 (http://www.henrys.com/85651-CARRY-SPEED-FS-PRO-PRIME-SLING-STRAP.aspx)

[Andrew]

CAMERA VEST for 1 Camera (http://buy.cottoncarrier.com/camera-carrier-vest-system-p/635rtl-s.htm)

Lots of sling type around as well that go over one shoulder and hanging at the side.(like the black rapid) The wider the strap the more displaced the weight is and lighter it feels.

[Matt K.]

CAMERA VEST for 1 Camera (http://buy.cottoncarrier.com/camera-carrier-vest-system-p/635rtl-s.htm)

Lots of sling type around as well that go over one shoulder and hanging at the side.(like the black rapid) The wider the strap the more displaced the weight is and lighter it feels.

This is the best of them all. Cotton Carrier makes one like it as well .. also expensive, so I bought the Chinese knock off (http://www.amazon.ca/Opteka-Carrier-Harness-Holster-Cameras/dp/B00746O3X8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441079645&sr=8-1&keywords=opteka+harness) , tried it out last weekend and wow, all the pressure gone from my neck and onto the shoulders. Cannot recommend this enough, what a pleasure to carry a camera even with a long lens. Can use the side holster to add another lens or camera. Have not tried this yet. Apart from the Chinese Industrial smell this thing is great.

[Runmonty]

thanks for that Matt. I have been thinking about something like this for a while, so on your recommendation I now have one on order.

At $40 AUD ($36ish CAD) it is hard to go too wrong

[Matt K.]

thanks for that Matt. I have been thinking about something like this for a while, so on your recommendation I now have one on order.

At $40 AUD ($36ish CAD) it is hard to go too wrong

As long as you can stand the industrial smell. I had to air mine out for quite a while :shrug: ... and I have not used the second 'holster' yet.

[Marko]

Just curious - for normal just walking around photo shoots, why is this even necessary....it looks restrictive to me. and what if you want to carry a second lens or some other equipment? You have to wear or carry a bag over the harness, right? It seems bulky to me.

So is this marketing?
(I wear a 25 dollar well padded Crumpler strap and it works well for me 95% of the time - I can see for sure that riding a bike or mountain climbing with the harness would be far far superior...but very few people that I see wearing these contraptions use them for those purposes.)


If it's not marketing - for those that use these harnesses, what are the cons?

Won't any good quality padded strap worn DIAGONALLY like in AT's picture work?

Thx!

[Matt K.]

Just curious - for normal just walking around photo shoots, why is this even necessary....it looks restrictive to me. and what if you want to carry a second lens or some other equipment? You have to wear or carry a bag over the harness, right? It seems bulky to me.

Main thing for me is to get the weight off the neck and onto the shoulders. This thing does that. The attachment that comes with it allows you to put a second body (or a lens with a foot) onto it as well. I have not done son, but carried just one extra lens case. I can wear this with my backpack, no problem; so all the weight is on shoulders. Given the weight of my backpack (~25 pounds give or take) it makes a heck of a difference to me. And don't forget, I am an old fart, so the neck muscles are not as strong as they used to be - mind you, I have been told I have a pretty stiff neck).


If it's not marketing - for those that use these harnesses, what are the cons? Won't any good quality padded strap worn DIAGONALLY like in AT's picture work?

I found that with the make up of my shoulders this diagonal arranged unit still could put some pressure on the neck, sideways. I prefer to have my neck unencumbered. Besides, getting the camera into shooting position might be a bit inconvenient - then again, I have not tried it. With the carrier it is right there in front of you, and it does not bang against any obstacles on your side (gates and such). The con is that it is a bit wierd getting the cam out of the holster, since you have to turn it 90° in order for it to release. It is a safety feature that ensures you cam does not accidentally come free. If I am not mistaken, cotton carrier has a neat video showing a guy running with the setup, and clearly the cam does not impede that - i'd not think this could be done with AT's setup as easily.

[Runmonty]

Personally, I am a runner and like trail running in particular. I have on occasion taken my backpack with me but it is very cumbersome if jogging or clambering over things. Having the camera on a neck strap it just flaps and bounces around.

Like I said at $40 I thought I would give it a try without much to lose. Time will tell I guess

[theantiquetiger]

I found that with the make up of my shoulders this diagonal arranged unit still could put some pressure on the neck, sideways. I prefer to have my neck unencumbered. Besides, getting the camera into shooting position might be a bit inconvenient - then again, I have not tried it. With the carrier it is right there in front of you, and it does not bang against any obstacles on your side (gates and such). The con is that it is a bit wierd getting the cam out of the holster, since you have to turn it 90° in order for it to release. It is a safety feature that ensures you cam does not accidentally come free. If I am not mistaken, cotton carrier has a neat video showing a guy running with the setup, and clearly the cam does not impede that - i'd not think this could be done with AT's setup as easily.

What I like about the BlackRapid strap is the camera hangs right at my right hand and quickly goes to the eye, plus it hangs out of the way (on my side). It can get bumped, so I just always have my hand on it. It cannot come free unless the ring that screws into the bottom of the camera comes unscrewed. It will not fall out of the D-ring because it is a locking D-ring.