My previous response was based on the fact that in my experience most photographers are not engineers and when they refer to "balance" they're really talking about the intuitive "feel" of the camera/lens when shooting handheld. So anything that forces them to alter hand holding technique/position is uncomfortable. That said, just as with using a gimbal true balance is what matters for carrying on a black rapid type strap. If the attachment point is too far off even a hand placed on it while walking will tire after hours of walking. But a properly chosen lens foot for use on a gimbal will typically also work well for carrying with a strap as well. After all COG is the same whether the lens is top side up or down.I hear what you're saying. To me, as an engineer, if you were to put 1 finger under the lens foot, and the system as a whole stayed perfectly level (horizontal) that would be "balanced". I have to use my hand/finger/thumb to resist the setup from wanting to rotate downward all the time. That is very stressful on my hand over time. I am hiking for periods of 4+ hours several times a week, which is probably way more than most people. I bought a BlackRapid strap recently, and will need to just try it out more - keeping my hand on the foot while hiking with the strap sounds like it might be a very good alternative for me.
Back to the main topic. Sorry for getting the thread side-tracked.