Can camera straps attached to the lens foot be trusted?

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James C.

James C.

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Can camera straps that attach by screwing into the lens' foot be really trusted to reliably hold a heavy lens like a Nikon 200-500 or 180-600?

I have a Black Rapid "Curve" strap that I got about 3 years ago and have never used because the attaching screw seems pretty short. I am afraid that with regular use, over time (and maybe a SHORT amount of time) that screw will become more and more "unscrewed" and drop my camera.

Have any of you here had problems or concerns using straps that attach to the lens foot, especially heavy lenses? What things do you watch out for?

Thanks for your insights.
 
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I have the same black rapid curve, and when I screw that baby into a lens foot - it takes significant effort to remove on my own. no way it's going to fail or unscrew over any time period less than decades of use.

something something, the first 3 threads carry the majority of the weight

if you're afraid, and use the setup semi regularly - slap some loctite on all of the components and you'll know they're not going anywhere

when I first started shooting, I had similar worries - but then I looked and saw that over 50 years of this stuff being used, I couldn't find a single incident of a lens foot, strap, or mounting lug failing outside of user error. gives plenty of peace of mind.

in addition, I always carry full insurance so if something does happen - it's not a massive deal
 
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Perfectly safe. I've used them for years with the 200-500 on a D500 and now the 100-500 on an R7. If properly tightened, they're not going to back off. If you're nervous about it, check to be sure the screw is still tight before you head out in the field. There is a rubber washer on the screw and loop attachment that serves the same purpose as a lock washer and a shock buffer.

I would say screw it on, be sure it's tight. Follow their instructions here and all will be good:
Black Rapid Attachment Instructions

Jeff
 
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James C. said:
I have a Black Rapid "Curve" strap that I got about 3 years ago and have never used because the attaching screw seems pretty short. I am afraid that with regular use, over time (and maybe a SHORT amount of time) that screw will become more and more "unscrewed" and drop my camera.

Have any of you here had problems or concerns using straps that attach to the lens foot, especially heavy lenses? What things do you watch out for?
Click to expand...

No problem here since 2015 with my Curve and Double Slim Breathe. .. more often I find that the screw gets tightened and is harder to remove after a few hours, especially if you use the rubber washer as well.

One thing I read about in early days was that people would forget to properly secure the carabiner that connects the strap to the screw and that would come loose...
 
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I use tis setup all the time with lenses up to 800mm pf.

My biggest problem with the Blackrapid original straps was that the ring on the camera or lens is large and interferes with the use of an Arca Swiss connection for a tripod or monopod.

The QD connectors are nice because they insert into a socket in the foot or plate. The QD connectors appear to be solid and I have not had any problems.

Just yesterday I was out shooting with two Z9 bodies and two lenses, 70-200mm f2.8 and 400mm f4.5. One camera/;ens on each shoulder, four hour shoot, everything is fine.
 
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It looks like on the Hejnar foot for the 800mm, you can use both at the same time.
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James C. said:
Can camera straps that attach by screwing into the lens' foot be really trusted to reliably hold a heavy lens like a Nikon 200-500 or 180-600?
Click to expand...

Well, the question is "What is heavy ?" :D No, just joking !

I do this on a regular basis and never had an issue with it until now. I use Peak Design straps (the ones with the little knobs), because quick an d single handed removing the strap is important to me. The strings on the connector knobs are rated 90 kg PER KNOB by the manufacturer, so that should be enough headroom mechanically.:)
On the "heavy and long" walkaround lenses I use a little adapter that comes with the straps. they fit to a 1/4 " thread that you normally find on any lens foot. In my case these threads go through the entire foot and I have two knobs on it reaching out at each side of the lens foot. When carrying the camera lens combo on the strap it's hanging off my hip with the tripod foot pointing upwards and the camera handing upside down, so that I can easliy take it.

I like it this solution because the elements that remain on the camera / lens are really small, light and don't make any noise on their own.

That said, after having a few nightmares with detachable feet, both of my lenses - Z 100-400 and Z 180-600 - have fixed tripod feet and thus to me this is a safe solution.

Sorry, picture would have better, but I am not at home :rolleyes: .
 
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I have used a BlackRapid or similar for many years. I did use a safety tether for a while, but I don't now. As I carry the rig, I check the screw tightness from time to time. I mainly use a QD system with a Magpie strap now. Not quite as comfortable but seems very strong.
 
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I don't trust QD sockets all that much due to the potential wear over time from steel on aluminum, or the chance of QD release via accidental button press. Remote chance of both, I know, but it's still nagging me at the back of my mind whenever I'm out walking/hiking. So, after some searching, I came up with a solution that may appeal to those who still want to be able to remove the strap but are ok with losing some tripod-mounting functionality: Magpul QD Paraclip Adapter. This little loop mounts into the QD slot, but then is tightened down and can no longer be removed, thereby giving a permanent point to attach PD anchors or other strap solutions of your choice. The drawback, obviously, is that you can't fully use the Arca-swiss foot if you are trying to use a tripod; personally, my lens will never see a tripod, so not a concern, and if I ever needed to, takes two seconds to remove.

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MatthewK said:
I don't trust QD sockets all that much due to the potential wear over time from steel on aluminum, or the chance of QD release via accidental button press.
Click to expand...

Yup, perfectly agree. First thing I do is replacing the detachable feet with a fixed one. I use the same setup with the exception that I have the little adapters coming with the Peak Design straps sitting on top of the foot rather than underneath.
IMHO for my mid size lenses it works great. I have my Z 100-400 and Z 180-600 hanging off me like that quite regularly and never had an issue so far.
 
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To my mind the setup that comes with the Blackrapid strap is secure enough. When you screw in their provided ring into the camera or lens foot, it has a rubber gasket that secures tightly.

The only problem with this setup is you can't use the tripod foot on an Arca Swiss mount when that ring is mounted., I use a tripod or monopod quite regularly and it is annoying to have to remove the blackrapid hoop every time.

The QD connector solves that problem. I also like the RRS rings because they are well-made. Releasing them is very convoluted, the release button is recessed and also requires a substantial push to release. Highly unlikely it will cut loose on its own.

I have less information on the potential risk that the socket may wear out with time. I try to buy only quality stuff and I am very careful to make sure the QD connector is well-connected.

I think the simple solution to security for me is going to be to have a security strap. Right now I think the thing that makes most sense would be to have a security strap with some slack that can hook to the base of the camera. if the lens strap ever came completely loose the second strap will prevent it from falling very far. You are not going to be applying force to both the lens and the camera body at the same time, because the camera strap only kicks in when the lens strap completely fails.

In fact there is probably a simpler solution. All of my cameras have those peak design buttons attached. Would be a simple matter to rig a safety strap on my Blackrapid strap that connects into one of those buttons.

Need to play around with this and find something that dpesn't create a tangle of straps that get in the way all the time.

I always walk with my hand close by to steady the camera/lens. IF I sensed something breaking loose I have a little time to grab it before it falls too far. The security strap will help there.
 
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