Shoulder Strap and Comfortable Bag

[Jedimike]

Can anyone recommend a comfortable shoulder strap and/or backpack/bag for a Canon T3i to carry around the parks all day long?

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

Can anyone recommend a comfortable shoulder strap and/or backpack/bag for a Canon T3i to carry around the parks all day long?

I use and recommend one of the Black Rapid straps. Its a cross body strap and attaches to the tripod mount on your camera or lens. Because I use a vertical grip and have an external flash mounted most of the time, the camera is too heavy to carry around my neck for any length of time. With the BR its balanced on my side and I can carry it all day without the neck strain. It is a little pricey compared to some others and has the drawback of using the tripod mount, but, for me, it was definitely worth the expense. I also developed a work around for the tripod mounting that works for me. As far as a bag, there are so many to choose from. I would recommend taking your equipment to a camera store and trying the different bags. My preference is Lowepro and I have used an online vendor www.avidmaxoutfitters.com with great success. They have a bag finder tool that I like. We currently use a Lowepro Fastpack 200 and a Lowepro Slingshot 200 AW. I have a plethora of bags that I have used over the years. When I say we, I am referring to the DW and I. She has her own DSLR kit. I may be looking for another bag since I just recently purchased another camera body to carry all the equipment while traveling.

 

[Jedimike]

Thanks for the detailed response Gianna'spapa! I appreciate you taking the time to reply. I'm a dSLR newbie and am wondering why the tripod mount for the strap is a negative -- is it just because it makes using a tripod difficult? Or is it less secure than the traditional strap locations on the side of the camera?

Regarding the bag you use, I assume it protects against "incidental" water exposure such as on the AK water ride, or maybe Splash Mountain? Or should I look into other water-proofing methods for the camera?

 

[mom2rtk]

Thanks for the detailed response Gianna'spapa! I appreciate you taking the time to reply. I'm a dSLR newbie and am wondering why the tripod mount for the strap is a negative -- is it just because it makes using a tripod difficult? Or is it less secure than the traditional strap locations on the side of the camera?

Regarding the bag you use, I assume it protects against "incidental" water exposure such as on the AK water ride, or maybe Splash Mountain? Or should I look into other water-proofing methods for the camera?

The tripod thing is actually holding me back or I would have purchased the BR strap already. I use my camera more at Disney than anywhere else. That's also about the only place I use my tripod. But when I set up my tripod at Disney there are loads of people in a very small area. I always count on holding the strap on the camera as back-up security in case someone bumps the tripod and it goes down.

From what I understand I will have to remove the BR strap from the camera to mount it on the tripod at all.

 

[Bstanley]

I always count on holding the strap on the camera as back-up security in case someone bumps the tripod and it goes down.

I had this happen, a small child bumped into the tripod during the fireworks (sheer excitement on their part). If it hadn't been for the neck strap it could have been ugly.

I bought an extra long neoprene neck strap and use it ala' Black Rapid style - across my body I mean. Using it with my Canon XS and my 17-55 f2.8 (a relatively large heavy lens) it hangs at my side with the lens pointing down even with the strap attached to the normal mounting hardware.

Even a generic neoprene strap is a huge improvement over the Canon strap. Their stretch-iness seems to distribute weight with a much gentler touch.

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

Thanks for the detailed response Gianna'spapa! I appreciate you taking the time to reply. I'm a dSLR newbie and am wondering why the tripod mount for the strap is a negative -- is it just because it makes using a tripod difficult? Or is it less secure than the traditional strap locations on the side of the camera?

Regarding the bag you use, I assume it protects against "incidental" water exposure such as on the AK water ride, or maybe Splash Mountain? Or should I look into other water-proofing methods for the camera?

I use a tripod on a semi-regular basis and quite a bit at WDW. Because it uses the tripod mount and I like to have the added security of the strap while mounted on the tripod, it can become a nuisance. My workaround is this: The first thing is, I purchased additional mounting hardware for all my long lenses that have tripod collars. I use that connection for the strap when using those lenses (its better balanced). I also use a vertical battery grip which also has a connector. When I'm using a shorter lens (one without a tripod collar) and the tripod, I remove the battery grip, mount the camera directly to the tripod and then I connect the strap to a split ring that I added to the normal strap connection point on the side of the camera. When using a long lens with the tripod collar, I will remove the connector and mount the tripod to the collar, then connect the strap to the battery grip connector or the split ring. It may sound complicated, but it really isn't. It becomes only a minor inconvenience. While setting up for a tripod shot, it only takes a few extra seconds, which normally is not a problem. Normally, I take my time setting up a tripod shot, so it really does not affect anything. Here's a photo with the connection points (hopefully a picture is worth a thousand words ).


K10 Connections by Gianna'sPapa, on Flickr

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

Regarding the bag you use, I assume it protects against "incidental" water exposure such as on the AK water ride, or maybe Splash Mountain? Or should I look into other water-proofing methods for the camera?

Yes the bags do protect against the "incidental" wet for my equipment (the Slingshot is all-weather and has a protective rain cover), but normally my camera is out and ready to shoot. I carry a Dry Sack to place my camera in, in those situations where I think it may get 'real' wet. Otherwise, I just protect it best I can by putting it under my shirt or something similar. Many carry a large zip lock back to protect their cameras. Here's my Dry Sack that I bought at Cabelas. It is an 8 litre made by Sea to Summit and can hold my camera with the grip and a 70-200 lens.


Dry Sack by Gianna'sPapa, on Flickr

 

[Porktitioner]

I'll second the Lowepro Slingshot if you like a sling type bag. I also like the Portare backpack if you had rather have a true backpack. I find the Portare a little more comfortable for all day outings.

As far as a neckstrap, I like the Crumpler Industry Disgrace. It is probably the most comfortable neck strap I have tried, even with a Canon 70-200 attached.

Hope this helps.

 

[krb2g]

I have the Lowepro Slingshot 100AW and love it (of course, I wish I had the version with the tripod holder, but what can you do?). I trust the weather cover for most situations (rain, Splash). I do use additional protection for Kali River Rapids.

 

[photo_chick]

For straps I love the Crumpler Industry Disgrace. It breathes well and distributes the weight nicely. I wear it across my body or around my neck, my husband wears it over his shoulder.

 

[TracyL1991]

I agree on the Crumpler Industry Disgrace. Thanks to you guys I went ahead and got that one....and I don't regret it at all! It's so nice and cushy.

 

[zetachi]

I use the Optech sling strap works great, does not attach to tripod mount and its inexpensive.

 

[njtree]

I use the custom slr glisde strap and c-loop.

 

[MICKEY88]

I use optech straps, I like the fact that they are a modular system, and you can interchange parts to make the strap you like, since I carry 2 dslr's most of the time I have the optech harness, I prefer to have my camera supported by the built in strap connectors rather than the tripod mount