QD failed, one off or has this happened to others

[Terry]

How is this different from the QD? They both swivel, as far as I can see, and leave the release button exposed, rather than "protected" as claimed, at least with the QD.

What got me was a clip to the bail on the connector. With it guarded there's no way for that to happen regardless of the amount of swivel. The button requires a hard push to let go. If you get something inside the bail and it can cause a prying action you've got a problem.

I do believe in a safety strap because anything can fail and better safe than sorry. It would have saved me on that one failure.

There was a mention of speed and a safety strap. As a photojournalist chasing breaking news I'm aways in a hurry. Even with a safety strap it's quick.

If I'm shooting stills only I run with 3 cameras. I use the Moneymaker harness.

I can throw on the harness, hang a Z8 and 180-600 on one side, a Z8 and 24-20 on the other and a D850 with a 15-30 from the chest straps (Peak Design clips there) in less than a minute.

At the end of the day nothing is 100% but I love the speed and feel safe with the setup.

 

[Copernicron]

I have a friend who had a QD fail (camera slipped off the connector and fell the ground, broken Z 9 screen).

Has anyone else had this happen or have heard about this?

I've never heard of it before but I'm not a fan of quick disconnect stuff like this for a reason. I use Peak Design straps myself and while it's easy to switch them from camera to camera I find they're resistant to this sort of thing. I even use blue thread locker in some cases to make sure the camera plate or lens foot isn't coming off by accident. I also use screw type arca clamps instead of lever type and check the knob frequently to make sure it's still tight. Screw type take longer to open and close but if they loosen a bit your gear isn't going to immediately hit the ground.

 

[Roy]

Peek design anchors are very safe - except for the fake ones from china ...

 

[RichF]

I've never heard of it before but I'm not a fan of quick disconnect stuff like this for a reason. I use Peak Design straps myself and while it's easy to switch them from camera to camera I find they're resistant to this sort of thing. I even use blue thread locker in some cases to make sure the camera plate or lens foot isn't coming off by accident. I also use screw type arca clamps instead of lever type and check the knob frequently to make sure it's still tight. Screw type take longer to open and close but if they loosen a bit your gear isn't going to immediately hit the ground.

I have seen level clamps that have a safety lock. Half open and then require release of safety lock to open fully.

Seen screw clamps that required positive action (push or pull) to engage to prevent accidental opening. Lots of great stuff to prevent accidental opening, all require an extra step which is why most people don't like them.

 

[Calson]

I make it a practice not to put myself or my gear at risk when there are alternatives. That is why I would never trust a QD connection with an expensive camera and lens. Instead I use a Kirk Security Strap that clamps onto the Arca-Swiss bracket on a camera or lens foot. It make 10 seconds to loosen the clamp but that is not a problem.