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.

 

[BarkingBeans Coffee]

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/