i got my rainsleeves

[jann1033]

they are about as heavy weight as a freezer bag but angled( maybe about 60 degree?) so you can put a long lens in with no problem( i mean long, like a foot!), then have room for your hand( up to my elbow) or tripod. not sure how they would hold up if you lived by salt water and used them often but for my vacation they should be ok. they stay on by the draw string at the lens and the eyepiece so you can change lens and leave the bag in place....probably better than a freezer bag with a hole and rubberband but then again you could buy 50 freezer bags for the same price


the optech strap while it won't win any fashion awards( wish i had bought the black, the wine is pretty ugly) actually makes my xt with the 28-135 barely noticeable around my neck...so i think the 50 % lighter stuff is pretty close..but this one is to short for me to wear across my chest unless i want my camera in my armpit...but then the rain sleeve would come in handier i guess ( ewwww)

 

[mikamah]

I've heard good things about the optech strap and was considering getting it. I have the xti and just got the 28-135 which is so much heavier than the kit lens. It sounds like it really lightens the load. Was it the Optech pro strap that you got? I definitely need a better strap. Thanks.

 

[jann1033]

I've heard good things about the optech strap and was considering getting it. I have the xti and just got the 28-135 which is so much heavier than the kit lens. It sounds like it really lightens the load. Was it the Optech pro strap that you got? I definitely need a better strap. Thanks.

mine is the optech pro loop, the site i got it from recommended that for my xt due to the way it connects...there was one other one you could use with the xt but forget which it was now. i thought the pro was the longest but thinking not...however the way the strap is made it looks like you could replace the actual part that holds the camera so i might check and see if they sell longer connectors if this is to short..my new bag is also for over the shoulder so i may end up just using the camera around my neck any way if it is light enough..maybe later today i'll go try it out. i do like the fact it has a really good grippy part on the shoulder/neck area cause for some odd reason i can never keep stuff actually on my shoulder. it always slips down, and i think this would stay there without having to cross it across my chest ( if you understand what i am babbling about) if so it would be plenty long enough then either on my neck or my shoulder

 

[senecabeach]

Could you post a picture of the bag & strap or web site??

sorry...just found a rainsleeve site.. Too late for me, leaving Friday for the World and the weather forcast for the week is daily showers/rain. Guess that plastic bag will have to do!!

 

[AndrewWG]

Jan,

What has the "really good grippy part"? The strap or the bag or both? I like it too when the items don't slide down your arm freely. I was hoping to find a nice bag with that feature.

 

[jann1033]

Jan,

What has the "really good grippy part"? The strap or the bag or both? I like it too when the items don't slide down your arm freely. I was hoping to find a nice bag with that feature.

actually so far both stay on my shoulder but i haven't really used the bag( keep getting sick and i feel stupid carrying it around inside the house )the bag doesn't have the rubbery bumps but it has more like the inside of the canon eos strap( black one that came with my rebel) but more textured..the camera strap has big bumps...and when i wore it around the house and yard( desperation to try my toys) it felt really comfortable
strap inside, connected to camera and to close to be in focus but you can get the idea

bag strap inside

i also notice both are kind of crescent shaped on the shoulder area instead of straight so not sure if that helps keep them from slipping or not

 

[Groucho]

You find the Op/Tech too short? I'm surprised. I have the same one (in Beautiful Black ) and am 6'2" and it's more than long enough for me. I assume you did adjust it, right? (On the part that attached to the camera, before the quick-release buckles.)

BTW, Op/Tech's SOS straps are good replacements for built-in camera bag straps, I use one on my camera bag and am pretty happy with it. But the wife's suggested that she get me a newer camera bag for Christmas, so maybe that one'll go to the side in favor of a sling bag... we'll see.

 

[jann1033]

You find the Op/Tech too short? I'm surprised. I have the same one (in Beautiful Black ) and am 6'2" and it's more than long enough for me. I assume you did adjust it, right? (On the part that attached to the camera, before the quick-release buckles.)

BTW, Op/Tech's SOS straps are good replacements for built-in camera bag straps, I use one on my camera bag and am pretty happy with it. But the wife's suggested that she get me a newer camera bag for Christmas, so maybe that one'll go to the side in favor of a sling bag... we'll see.

now groucho, since you went on to explain how to adjust it i am thinking you think i really didn't think to adjust it i did, i wondered if there are more than one length since this one barely comes below my elbow when it's on my shoulder???? which is ok as long as it doesn 't slip. i just thought it would be longer...hmm i got it on ebay, maybe the guy cut the strap short and is selling the leftovers as bookmarks

actually i found that the pro loop strap i got is of course one of the shortest they makerolleyes: ) but i can get 2 that are 17" each for $7 so that would add 10" total ...which would be long enough i'm pretty sure to hold the camera with my knees if i want to

 

[Lizziejane]

Jann...I keep hearing about these straps but can't for the life of me figure out what the deal is. To look at a picture of one on a website, they look like any other strap. Any way you could take a picture of the whole thing on the camera, so I can see what it's all about?!

 

[jann1033]

only having one camera, i tried but it didn't work very well..to close to focus...the difference i think might be the strap that goes on your shoulder is probably at least twice as wide as the strap that comes with the rebel and it's made out of sponge stuff like really thin foam rubber plus the grippy things in my other stellar photolmao: ) kind of raise it up off your shoulder or neck...i am guessing this all distributes the weight over a larger area than a normal strap would...but not being an engineer i am purely guessing. the ugly wine colored part is the foamy part. plus it's washable so any neck sweat doesn't stick around( which germophobe that i am always kind of creeped me out with my other strap)

the clip on the far end of the whole strap shot is where the webbing that actually attaches to the camera clips on...the pro loop one has a fabric loop that goes through the metal strap attachment place on the rebel body...

the close up shows the foam which is probably maybe an 1/8 of an inch thick. if you can tell the actual webbing on the foam part is loose and just sewn( tightly ) in the middle and on the ends. it really does seem lighter though on your neck..i can barely feel my rebel and 28-135 when i first put in on and with my old it was a noticable "weight" even when i first put it on.

 

[barrie]

Jan - I got a couple rainsleeves this week too. I used one on Wednesday to take photos in the Columbia Gorge. It was raining pretty much the whole day and I was able to carry my camera hiking with me and take photos the whole time. It worked really great.

The only problem I had is that because it is a one-size-fits-most there seemed to be a lot of extra plastic getting in my way. Quite often my viewfinder fogged up too. But for under ten bucks it was a really good buy I thought.

 

[jann1033]

Jan - I got a couple rainsleeves this week too. I used one on Wednesday to take photos in the Columbia Gorge. It was raining pretty much the whole day and I was able to carry my camera hiking with me and take photos the whole time. It worked really great.

The only problem I had is that because it is a one-size-fits-most there seemed to be a lot of extra plastic getting in my way. Quite often my viewfinder fogged up too. But for under ten bucks it was a really good buy I thought.

great! did it seem to fit snuggly around the lens?...that was my main concern although with a hood maybe that would keep more spray off the lens itself..i haven't tried putting it on since i have a tendency to poke holes in things but i was trying to figure out the most weather resistant place to attach it to the lens barrel since it doesn't look like the pull cord would fit with the hood attached in the hood attachment place( clear as mud)

 

[barrie]

I used the hood attachment to keep water drops off the lens glass and was careful to keep it facing down when not taking photos. I still had a few water spots on my photos that I had to PS out, but not as much as I expected. The hood did a good job of keeping the glass dry. I tightened the string right behind the lens hood. It stayed pretty well, even when I extended the lens.

When I am walking with my lens partially extended (when it's just hanging on my neck) it will creep down the rest of the way on it's own (it's an 18-200VR). I try to remember not to leave it that way but sometimes I forget. That happened a couple of times and when it did it extended beyond the rainsleeve. Probably because it was touching my belly the sleeve just stayed in place as gravity pulled the lens down.

I was really pleased with it. When it rained hard I just tucked my camera into my raincoat and zipped it up. I did carry a garbage bag with me though just in case (I left my camera bag in the car).

I didn't use it on my tripod though - that seemed like too much to negotiate. Luckily I didn't need it when I needed the tripod.

 

[Lizziejane]

Thanks Jann, I might just have to get me one of those. By the way, I don't think the wine color is too bad at all!

Barrie - thanks for the report on the rainsleeve. I have some on order to use at the beach, sounds like they'll hold up ok.

 

[jann1033]

just an update with the strap.. i used it for a few hrs Sunday and it was great...it didn't slip at all on my shoulder and even my 70-200 was much lighter. now as soon as i get the longer connectors( columbus day is holding up all the toys i ordered ) i should love it.

 

[Lizziejane]

I'm going to have to get me one of those straps - the XTi didn't bother me too much, but I'm finding the 40D a wee bit heavier.

 

[Groucho]

only having one camera, i tried but it didn't work very well..to close to focus...the difference i think might be the strap that goes on your shoulder is probably at least twice as wide as the strap that comes with the rebel and it's made out of sponge stuff like really thin foam rubber plus the grippy things in my other stellar photolmao: ) kind of raise it up off your shoulder or neck...i am guessing this all distributes the weight over a larger area than a normal strap would...but not being an engineer i am purely guessing. the ugly wine colored part is the foamy part. plus it's washable so any neck sweat doesn't stick around( which germophobe that i am always kind of creeped me out with my other strap)

I think the benefits of the strap are partly that it's larger (more contact area) but the foam is fairly stretchy, and the elastic strap sewn to it keeps it from stretching far enough to tear - so as you walk around, the bouncing motion is absorbed by the foam stretching out, unlike a traditional strap that doesn't stretch, where the bouncing as you walk translates into it hammering into the back of your neck. Ouch!