When you see the title of this post, you may wonder why is there a need to buy a camera strap for you digital camera when the manufacturer has already provided one in the package? I am an amateur digital photography enthusiast. I own a Canon 5D Mark II and a Leica M7. I have also use at least 10 other semi-professional cameras in the past. However, I never used the camera straps that came with the cameras. They are cheap, ugly, uncomfortable, insecure, you name it. There is no benefit at all to use them.
I don’t know about you, but after I’ve spent so much money buying the camera, I don’t want to do free advertisement for the manufacturers by wearing the straps with “NIKON” or “CANON” printed all over them. These standard camera straps are not really designed for photographing, they are just there to hold the camera on your neck. It make my neck hurt if I wear a standard strap for a length of time. Quite often when you need to grab your camera for a shoot, it can be quite hard to slide the camera into position. If I were you, I will not open the packaging of the camera strap that come with you camera and keep it for future resale.
How to choose camera straps
Believe it or not, although you often see people wear those “NIKON” “CANON” straps everywhere, there are actually thousands of different camera straps out there for you to purchase. You just need to pick the one that is most suitable for you and your camera. Let put aside personal preferences, such as colors and styles, to simplify the selection. You should always pick straps that match the weight of your camera.
Lightweight Cameras
I tend to divide cameras into 3 different groups according to their weights. Lightweight cameras include the majority of point-and-shoots and some lighter four third compact systems. Basically anything less than 2 pounds. These cameras often have a short string (strap) attached for wearing around the wrist while being carried or used for shooting pictures. Because of their light in weight, and compact in size, a camera strap is not so necessary, you can wear it on your wrist all day without feeling tired. However, having a camera strap will free up your both hands. Straps for these cameras are easy to come by. Anything that is small and have the proper connection to be secured to the camera will be good enough.
Medium Size Cameras
The popular Nikon D5100, D3100, D7100 and Canon 1000D, 60D, 600D cameras belong to the medium weight category. Most of the straps in the market are designed for cameras within this bracket. A good strap will allow you to wear the camera over you neck or shoulder without feeling too heavy and also have the maximum flexibility for shooting. Black Rapid is a company specialized in making camera straps and they do have some amazing designs. I own a few of them for different needs but I like the Black Rapid RS-7 strap the most. The weight distribution is so well when I wore my Mark II with small lens, I could hardly feel anything even when I was walking fast.
It’s made of ballistic nylon (material to make flak jackets) and appears to be extremely durable. There is hardly any signs of wear and tear after having it for over a year. I also love its “MODS” feature, whatever it stands for, which allows you to attach extra storage on the strap. Ideal for carrying a few more SD cards or even a spare battery. I bought it from Amazon for $75 last year. I believe it is under $60 now. If you don’t know which camera strap to buy, you won’t regret buying this one.
Heavy Professional Cameras
Heavy weight cameras are mostly professional cameras. The cameras themselves are pretty heavy (3 pounds and above). If there is a zoom lens attached, the weight can be almost doubled. A camera strap here need to be strong enough to hold the camera, as well as having mechanisms to distribute the weight on your body instead of putting all the burden on just your neck or one shoulder. Ideal straps for heavy cameras should have thicker paddings, double shoulder straps, and mechanisms to detach the camera or slide it quickly to shooting position. As I am not a professional photographer, I cannot recommend any products in this category, but you may want to checkout Black Rapid to see what they have in stock for you. Amazon is also a good place to go if you know what you look for.
Written by Michael Chandeller from the Techcouncil.