How to carry camera with super telephoto lens attached & Peak Design slide strap use with this setup

[thott]

Looking for advice on best way to carry a camera with attached super telephoto lens. I have a Nikon Z7 with 24-70 and use the Peak Design Slide strap. I've recently purchased the Nikon 100-400 mirrorless lens. Should I be attaching my strap to the lens foot? (I'm currently waiting for the RRS LCF-21 arca swiss lens foot which is temporarily out of stock). Can I still use the Peak Design strap with this setup (is it secure enough)? Has anyone attached a RRS QD strap swivel to their Peak Design Slide strap? What are you using?

The thread is already old, but I want to share my experiences carrying heavy lenses.

I use the PeakDesign Slide together with the CaptureClip.
Connected either to the camera base plate or with heavy lenses direkt
at the tripod collar of the lens.
The advantage is, the camera is quick disconnected from the Slite....no Anchors in the way.

Greetings
Thomas

 

[Steve W]

One note about the QR socket setup. In the firearms world (where I believe they originated), these things ideally attach into steel vs aluminum sockets for wear resistance. People found out the hard way.

The QR male part itself is steel and the little ball bearings that pop in/out of the shaft are stainless steel.

Through walking about, the QR’s system’s part that actually holds the system together, the tiny hard stainless ball bearings, will eventually spin around enough in an aluminum socket to wear it out.

And then BOOM goes your setup onto the rocks.

SOOO make sure your lens foot/plate has a stainless steel QR insert in the aluminum.

Some will mock me about this, but it’s a well-known problem. If you carry your setup this way a lot, it’s a no-brainer to use what I suggest. With a heavy setup, stainless steel wears right through aluminum.

Edit: here’s a Kirk foot with a stainless insert. I have no affiliation with them or anyone else. I think ProMedia Gear also uses this setup, as do others, I’m sure.
View attachment 60131

There is still one weak link in the whole QD connector thing..... well two actually.
The first is that the connector and balls need to be kept clean and operating smoothly to ensure they engage every time.
The second is you / us who fail to do the maintenance required.

 

[Hooligans Imagery]

I just use the Peak Plate. I sometimes use one side on the foot and sometimes on the body. The other side on the body. This is for the 100-400. I used the wider Peak with the Z9. Works fine to me with this size set up. As others said I hold the foot or provide other support when moving around.

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[MatthewK]

Here’s the thing: if Nikon intended for us to carry a lens by the foot or lens barrel, they’d provide a means to attach a strap to those points. My 800PF has strap lugs on the barrel, so that’s how I carry that lens, whereas my 100-400 doesn’t have a means to directly attach a strap to the foot, In that case, I would think that Nikon is fine with users carrying that camera/lens setup using the camera strap lugs, right? I recently inquired with Nikon support on what they recommend for lenses of that sort (100-400, 70-200 f/2.8, etc), but have yet to hear a response.

Despite that logic, I carry the 100-400 with a Peak Design Slide strap attached to one of their plates screwed into the foot. It’s not ideal, I don’t like the 1 point attachment, but better safe than sorry.

 

[carbon]

There is still one weak link in the whole QD connector thing..... well two actually.
The first is that the connector and balls need to be kept clean and operating smoothly to ensure they engage every time.
The second is you / us who fail to do the maintenance required.

Well, keeping a system clean, whether on a camera or a firearm, is pretty much a given.

The main things to be concerned about with the QD firearms-style connectors that have become popular in photo circles are:

1. Do NOT buy cheap QD connectors
2. The female socket should be steel or stainless steel (not aluminum) so the hard SS balls of the QD won’t wear through
3. Triple check the connection each time you pop the QD in. Tug hard, very hard, each time you connect. Sometimes you don’t fully seat the QD.
4. Personally, I would have a backup retaining system when using very expensive gear. What exactly to “back up” is an interesting thought (just the connection, or the strap too? etc).

Edit: in #4, not concerned with the actual strap breaking, but the bits between the strap end and the QD can be weak points.

 

[carbon]

If you want to forgo the QD connectors we just discussed, you guys might be interested in some of the other sling attachment methods from the firearms industry as well.

They have differing levels of convenience and “QD-ness”.

The link below is from a US manufacturer. Do NOT go cheap to save a couple bucks.

Blue Force Gear - Sling Hardware

Sling hardware expands the mounting options of your Vickers Sling or other weapon sling and allows the attachment to any weapon system in existence.

www.blueforcegear.com

I have no experience with mash hooks or “HK-style” snap hooks. Of note are the Universal Wire Loop (pretty bombproof but not QD) and the Uloop (which is QD-ish) and Uloop-related Belt-Fed Loop. The coated wires of these last three loop products should protect the aluminum lens foot.

These attachments have been proven through military use, I gather.

Anyway, there you go. Food for thought.

 

[RichF]

I am bit concerned about using a QD connection. Having heard few stories about the QD failing I have decided to use a small Arca Swiss clamp from acra-tech. Very pricy, but the QR level requires a double action to open.

In the end I figure the extra cost is worth protecting my equipment, especially when traveling where I could not get replacement or repair quickly.

 

[carbon]

I am bit concerned about using a QD connection. Having heard few stories about the QD failing I have decided to use a small Arca Swiss clamp from acra-tech. Very pricy, but the QR level requires a double action to open.

In the end I figure the extra cost is worth protecting my equipment, especially when traveling where I could not get replacement or repair quickly.

I think that is a nice solution, provided you use those little anti-drop bolts in the Arca plate (in case the clamp slips).

An alternative for the Acra-Tech clamp is the RRS Arc-LR. I have one for a different application and it is solid and ingenious. There’s a little hard-to-see secondary lever that one presses to unlock the main lever. Coupled with the little anti-drop bolts, either clamps are a valid solution to the typical QD, albeit at a significant price difference.

https://reallyrightstuff.com/arc-lr/

 

[Michael_Rothman]

I'm really coming in late on this discussion but hopefully not last of it.
I have been using a Black Rapid shoulder strap with a Pro Media Gear QD that attaches to their L bracket now on my Zed 9.
When I started using the Sigma 60-600 Sport, I was very concerned about hanging all that weight off the FTZ and camera lens mount even with the QD now on the lens shoe.
I realized that if the camera and lens were attached together by another way, all the forces would be zero. I came up with a system that I now use on the Nikon 100-400.
I needed to use a lighter system do to health issues so the 60-600 was sold.

The attached pictures show what I use to reduce torque at the lens mount while still attaching the QD at the balance point.

Shown is a Neewer arca nodal rail, a Ulanzi quick release and a PMG ARCA clamp with their QD hole. Luckily the height of the Ulanzi QR was exactly the same height as the mounted nodal rail to the lens shoe.

The concept is to attach the camera to the lens by a second ridgid mount.

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[AlanB313]

I'm really coming in late on this discussion but hopefully not last of it.
I have been using a Black Rapid shoulder strap with a Pro Media Gear QD that attaches to their L bracket now on my Zed 9.
When I started using the Sigma 60-600 Sport, I was very concerned about hanging all that weight off the FTZ and camera lens mount even with the QD now on the lens shoe.
I realized that if the camera and lens were attached together by another way, all the forces would be zero. I came up with a system that I now use on the Nikon 100-400.
I needed to use a lighter system do to health issues so the 60-600 was sold.

The attached pictures show what I use to reduce torque at the lens mount while still attaching the QD at the balance point.

Shown is a Neewer arca nodal rail, a Ulanzi quick release and a PMG ARCA clamp with their QD hole. Luckily the height of the Ulanzi QR was exactly the same height as the mounted nodal rail to the lens shoe.

The concept is to attach the camera to the lens by a second ridgid mount.
View attachment 94157View attachment 94158View attachment 94159

Pretty smart idea to connect the lens and camera, and then hang from that. It could also be a good solution for someone who is hiking with a FTZ with an F-mount lens, and especially if they have a TC.
Maybe it's less of an issue with a z8 than a z9 due to lighter camera body.
The only drawback is the weight of the rail. Maybe there's a lighter way to do it.

 

[Patrick M]

I'm really coming in late on this discussion but hopefully not last of it.
I have been using a Black Rapid shoulder strap with a Pro Media Gear QD that attaches to their L bracket now on my Zed 9.
When I started using the Sigma 60-600 Sport, I was very concerned about hanging all that weight off the FTZ and camera lens mount even with the QD now on the lens shoe.
I realized that if the camera and lens were attached together by another way, all the forces would be zero. I came up with a system that I now use on the Nikon 100-400.
I needed to use a lighter system do to health issues so the 60-600 was sold.

The attached pictures show what I use to reduce torque at the lens mount while still attaching the QD at the balance point.

Shown is a Neewer arca nodal rail, a Ulanzi quick release and a PMG ARCA clamp with their QD hole. Luckily the height of the Ulanzi QR was exactly the same height as the mounted nodal rail to the lens shoe.

The concept is to attach the camera to the lens by a second ridgid mount.

it’s fantastic. It wouldn’t work for me though, because I use a monopod which allows me to really swing the camera/lens in any direction….and as a result, the camera will always be rotating in the collar. I love the idea though and it’s the first time that I’ve seen it.

 

[Michael_Rothman]

Pretty smart idea to connect the lens and camera, and then hang from that. It could also be a good solution for someone who is hiking with a FTZ with an F-mount lens, and especially if they have a TC.
Maybe it's less of an issue with a z8 than a z9 due to lighter camera body.
The only drawback is the weight of the rail. Maybe there's a lighter way to do it.THANK YOUI

Thank you. I initially thought of it because I was using a Sigma 60-600 Sport on an FTZ mount. The Z9 and that lens weigh in at 13 pounds. Adding the rail, the QD and the Ulanzi QR only adds a few ounces. The 100-400 Z mount is lighter that the Sigma by a couple of pounds even with the TC1.4

 

[Michael_Rothman]

Patrick, I too like to use a monopod . Still haven't worked out the bugs with any setup so far as I use the monopod as a walking stick. What I have tried is attaching an inexpensive gun / rifle rest from Amazon that has a 1/4 20 mounting hole in the base. This is attached to the top of the monopod and the lens flipped onto the rest when needed.
You are correct though, this system does not allow one to change between portrait and landscape orientation. Because of the Z's outstanding resolution I just crop to portrait view in post.