Safe ways to carry a large lens with a strap? (Where to attach strap.)

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Hi if you are asking about Steve Perry then best to put in @Steve so he will see your inquiry. From what I found with the Nikon comment it was not related to a specific camera body and lens set up with the 500PF. An old rule of thumb was if the lens had a tripod foot then a strap should be attached to the foot.

Black Rapids straps are designed to hang and balance horizontal when attached to the tripod foot and then it is fast and easy to lift up by the foot and place in your left hand as your right supports the camera in shooting position.

The 500pf is a bit of a quandry depending on what camera body it is mounted on. With a D6 or a D850 with grip and a big D6 battery in the grip or a Z9 the camera body is heavier than the lens. In those cases I mounted the strap to bottom of the camera or grip. Now the heaviest component was supported. If my wife put it on her Z50 then she attached her Black Rapids strap to the lens foot on the 500pf.

As noted earlier it is a moment of inertia thing and the heaviest component of a lens and body combo is what will put the most stress on the lens mount.

Even with the BR strap on I still baby cradle carry camera and long lenses the majority of the time which supports both the body and lens and is even faster to shoot.
Thank you Ken
 
Hello everyone! I'm new to the forum and to wildlife photography in general however as an avid hiker and trout fisherman of over 20 years I'm no stranger to wildlife and nature in general. I recently got a Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens(~2kg) for my D7100 and I'm trying to figure out where to attach my Peak Slide Lite anchors so there isn't any risk of damaging the camera mount. I assume having both attachment points on the foot of the lens is the absolute safest however that leaves the lens/camera hanging horizontally which seems kind of awkward. I have seen some people attach one end to the foot of the lens and the other to the side or base of the camera and it appears to keep things pretty vertical, my question is: Is it safe? If you have a preferred way to attach your strap to your gear while using heavier lenses please share, I'm always open to new ideas.
A dedicated case like the ape case can hold the lens and camera safely...🦘
 
Hello everyone! I'm new to the forum and to wildlife photography in general however as an avid hiker and trout fisherman of over 20 years I'm no stranger to wildlife and nature in general. I recently got a Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens(~2kg) for my D7100 and I'm trying to figure out where to attach my Peak Slide Lite anchors so there isn't any risk of damaging the camera mount. I assume having both attachment points on the foot of the lens is the absolute safest however that leaves the lens/camera hanging horizontally which seems kind of awkward. I have seen some people attach one end to the foot of the lens and the other to the side or base of the camera and it appears to keep things pretty vertical, my question is: Is it safe? If you have a preferred way to attach your strap to your gear while using heavier lenses please share, I'm always open to new ideas.
My husband uses basically this same setup, D7100 and Tamron 150-600, his is not the G2, but the original one. I think these days his purpose is to keep me company when we go out. He pretty much keeps his camera/lens on a monopod that he throws over his shoulder on walks. We don't go on long hikes much anymore, we're in our early 70s (ok I gave away my age here) and he recently had a full knee replacement. Hey, the bodies may be old to you young guys, but the brains are still 25! 😁 I have a Peak Slide, not the light, which I've been using with a Z9 and 500pf lens. I'm currently carrying with one end of the Slide on the foot, the other on one of the camera strap connectors. At this point in time, I prefer the horizontal carry. I carry cross body. I can't offer much help, I'm also looking for other suggestions. Welcome to the forum. There are great people here who are really knowledgeable about everything.
 
Never had a Magpul QD failure in either the intended use or on a camera/lens:cool:

Quite easy to swap out a Magpul MS4 onto a BlackRapid strap:

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EDIT: Meant to add that I've been using this rig with the D5 plus 300mm f/2.8 and 500mm f/4 with no issues whatsoever.

GC
Graham, does the Magpul QD connector come apart to go on to the Black Rapid strap? I wondered about that.
 
I am kind of weary with only one point of connector. This is how I carry:

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Then again, I ride bicycles a lot for wild life & bird photos.

Oliver
 
Graham, does the Magpul QD connector come apart to go on to the Black Rapid strap? I wondered about that.

I unpick the seam on the BR strap, thread it through the Magpul then sew up again with a box stitch.

Did this modification years ago to both the single and dual BR straps, way before BR launched their QD version. It works really well for me and not had any problems.
 
I have one of these attached to the foot of my 200-500. I have a Black Rapid strap and just hook the carabiner to the flip up ring.
One problem with the 200-500 foot is it only has one attachment point which allows the whole thing to turn when shooting vertical. I did put a 1/4X20 rivet nut in the lens foot to provide a second attachment point but if you rarely shoot vertical it probably is overkill. I just feel safer with 2 attachment points than one.
I've carried it this way for 4 or so years with no problems.


Jeff
 
I unpick the seam on the BR strap, thread it through the Magpul then sew up again with a box stitch.

Did this modification years ago to both the single and dual BR straps, way before BR launched their QD version. It works really well for me and not had any problems.
BlackRapid does sell their straps with QR connectors.

I like Black Rock Art’s setup pictured a couple posts above. Hanging multiple thousands of dollars of equipment from ONE QR (or any other) connector seems dangerous. Good reason to own the Magpul with 2 fixation points.
 
BlackRapid does sell their straps with QR connectors.

I like Black Rock Art’s setup pictured a couple posts above. Hanging multiple thousands of dollars of equipment from ONE QR (or any other) connector seems dangerous. Good reason to own the Magpul with 2 fixation points.

Correct, BR now sell straps with QD fixings but they didn't when I first did the modification:)

Guess its a personal preference regarding the number of attachment points, I always preferred the Gen 3 Magpul single point sling on AR platforms and modded AK-74's, just carried that preference over to cameras and lenses.
 
I use a Kirk plate - this has two bolts for the lens foot which os quite reassuring ,, and a great fit and has a QD socket too. Great quality as you'd expect

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I use a Kirk plate - this has two bolts for the lens foot which os quite reassuring ,, and a great fit and has a QD socket too. Great quality as you'd expect

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I also have this Kirk foot, but I don't like it as its very squared off and I find it uncomfortable to hold, However, it does enable the lens to balance well on a tripod.
 
I ordered this foot for my Z9 500pf combo. Two reasons, it has the QR openings and the foot is more T-shaped than L-shaped. I noticed that due to the fact that the 500pf is F-mount and needs to be used with the FTZ adapter thus making it further away from the camera, and the Z9 is much heavier than the lens so when I use it on my Wimberly mono-head, I have to connect it much further out on the mount. I'm hoping this Hejnar foot will work better and fit into the Wimberly arca mount better.
 
For those who use the Henjar foot, do you retain the lens collar with it or does it mount directly onto the lens body? Not very clear in the pictures I've seen but I suspect you loose the collar.
 
For those who use the Henjar foot, do you retain the lens collar with it or does it mount directly onto the lens body? Not very clear in the pictures I've seen but I suspect you loose the collar.
I've never seen any foot mount directly to the lens body, but my experiences are limited. From what I can tell with the one I just ordered, the foot comes off the collar and the new foot mounts to the foot bracket on the collar. That's how my replacement Wimberly foot worked.
 
I've never seen any foot mount directly to the lens body, but my experiences are limited. From what I can tell with the one I just ordered, the foot comes off the collar and the new foot mounts to the foot bracket on the collar. That's how my replacement Wimberly foot worked.

Thanks Patty (y)
 
BlackRapid does sell their straps with QR connectors.

I like Black Rock Art’s setup pictured a couple posts above. Hanging multiple thousands of dollars of equipment from ONE QR (or any other) connector seems dangerous. Good reason to own the Magpul with 2 fixation points.
Wouldn't this put a lot of stress on the flange?
 
For those who use the Henjar foot, do you retain the lens collar with it or does it mount directly onto the lens body? Not very clear in the pictures I've seen but I suspect you loose the collar.
I use the Henjar foot on my z600 and it is mounted on the lens collar. It is really well made and whst I like the most about it, it is long so make it easy to carry the lens with the foot. On tripod or monopod, it balances well. Steve recommended it to me and I am very happy with it
 
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I'm really paranoid about always having redundancy, so I modified my BlackRapid strap a bit. I swapped the tripod-style screw mount for a QD connector. And then I made a heavy-duty, adjustable nylon safety strap (nylon webbing, box stitched, QD connector, and a 50lb rated locking carabiner).

The main connector gets QD-connected to the lens foot (either an RRS foot or a Hejnar foot, depending on the lens). And the safety strap gets QD-connected to the RRS L-bracket on the camera body. I can unclip the safety strap if using a short lens without a foot and connect direct to the L-bracket. And I can adjust the length so there's no tension on the body, depending on which lens is attached. Also, for feet that don't have enough space to leave the QD connector in when mounted on a tripod, I can still keep the safety on the body if I think I need extra security.

The only downside to this is that sometimes I get the safety strap wrapped around the main strap, if I'm not paying attention when lifting up the camera to shoot. But that's a quick fix. Either just turning it around or unclipping and reclipping the safety.

Overall, I love this system. Works great and I have peace of mind, knowing that in the extremely unlikely event that one fails, the other will still hold.
 
I use the Henjar foot on my z600 and it is mounted on the lens collar. It is really well made and whst I like the most about it, it is long so make it easy to carry the lens with the foot. On tripod or monopod, it balances well. Steve recommended it to me and I am very happy with it

Thanks for this.
 
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I'm really paranoid about always having redundancy, so I modified my BlackRapid strap a bit. I swapped the tripod-style screw mount for a QD connector. And then I made a heavy-duty, adjustable nylon safety strap (nylon webbing, box stitched, QD connector, and a 50lb rated locking carabiner).

The main connector gets QD-connected to the lens foot (either an RRS foot or a Hejnar foot, depending on the lens). And the safety strap gets QD-connected to the RRS L-bracket on the camera body. I can unclip the safety strap if using a short lens without a foot and connect direct to the L-bracket. And I can adjust the length so there's no tension on the body, depending on which lens is attached. Also, for feet that don't have enough space to leave the QD connector in when mounted on a tripod, I can still keep the safety on the body if I think I need extra security.

The only downside to this is that sometimes I get the safety strap wrapped around the main strap, if I'm not paying attention when lifting up the camera to shoot. But that's a quick fix. Either just turning it around or unclipping and reclipping the safety.

Overall, I love this system. Works great and I have peace of mind, knowing that in the extremely unlikely event that one fails, the other will still hold.

Laurel, neat set up. Many years ago when I had a handcrafted strap given to me as a gift, I loved it very much; unfortunately the hook ring came off one day when I was carrying it; luckily it was a small camera.

Nowadays I am very paranoid on checking the straps, connectors, carabinars, screws, clamps with my photography gear every weekend.

Oliver
 
I just ordered the Kirk QD plate for my camera, and the Black Rapid strap with the QD attachment arrived this morning. I’ve the older style as jadewolf shows in #69, but I don’t have the sewing skills needed for converting it. Lol.

my end game is two straps. One on camera and another for any lens with a foot.
 
I just ordered the Kirk QD plate for my camera, and the Black Rapid strap with the QD attachment arrived this morning. I’ve the older style as jadewolf shows in #69, but I don’t have the sewing skills needed for converting it. Lol.

my end game is two straps. One on camera and another for any lens with a foot.
Patrick, you might check some nearby cleaners as they are often set up to also do alterations and repairs. Most have commercial grade sewing machines that could handle re-sewing the strapping for you.
 
I’ve the older style as jadewolf shows in #69, but I don’t have the sewing skills needed for converting it. Lol.
Just don't look too closely at my horribly crooked stitching, ha! My mother bought me a sewing machine as a kid, tried to domesticate me. It didn't take. 🤣 I figured as long as there were LOTS of stitches, they would hold whether or not they were straight. ;)

I actually didn't have to modify the original strap, either. I just clipped a d-ring QD connector onto the standard carabiner. I kept the tripod screw piece, too. Just in case I have a body or lens without an QD compatible bracket for whatever reason and need to swap it out. Only handmade thing on this was the black safety strap, because I was disappointed with the flimsy quality of store-bought 'safety straps.'
 
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