Upon my re-entry into photography (beyond family P&S snapshots) a month or two ago, I quickly realized I didn't like the traditional hang it around your neck strap - the camera moves around too much while walking. I saw some comments about Black Rapid straps, loved the "sling" concept (where you wear the camera kind of like a messenger bag and it rests by your hip or side, rather than on your belly, and the strap doesn't really ever move - the camera slides up and down the strap, always at the ready by your hand), and bought one to try it. It was awesome, perfect, hard to imagine improving upon it. BUT..... its really overkill for an m4/3 camera with any m4/3 lens. So I also, being the thorough type, bought the other two, more minimalist, products that are out there in this sling strap market - Gordys and the Y-Strap. I've used 'em all for a while now and can now offer this review. Which is guaranteed to include FAR more information than you ever needed, wanted, hoped for, or dreaded about sling straps. Here's how they break down, in my occasionally humble opinion:
Black Rapid - The Taj Majal of commercially available sling straps. So well thought out and implemented it hurts. I think there are four basic models, plus a two shoulder option for folks carrying two cameras at once. All of them contain a large and well-padded shoulder strap, the basic strap, a "brake" to keep everything in place, and the best fastener system for connecting the camera to the strap of any of them. It attaches through the tripod mount (I think they're working on some sort of accommodation for people who use tripods a lot and need a permanent way to allow both - I don't so its a non-issue for me) and has a swivel that assures that the camera can always be gotten into the right shooting position without twisting the strap or rubbing in ways that makes it harder to get the camera quickly to eye level. The fastener is easy to get in or out, but is very secure - your camera isn't coming off of this thing. The strap itself is basic nylon/synthetic strap, about an inch wide. The length is fully adjustable so you can place the camera exactly where you want regardless of how tall or short or wide you are. I like it right at the hip, where I can grab it and get it to my eye pretty much instantly and that length gives plenty of slack to hold the camera some distance away from your eye if you like.
The differences in models basically has to do with the shoulder strap. The most basic one has a little zipper with room to store a couple of memory cards and maybe a small spare battery. The bigger one has room for all kinds of stuff, including cell phones, batteries, you name it. There's yet another modular system that allows you to hang additional stuff off of it for yet more storage. And there's a women's model that routes the strap such to let it avoid the protuberances found upon the chests of women (I guess some men could probably benefit from this as well).
These shoulder pads are a great thing, but also the only weakness as these straps pertain to m4/3 use. As noted above, they're overkill. If you're carrying a big-ass DSLR with a big-ass lens, I suspect this would be a god-send. But you really don't need it for any m4/3 camera with even a Pany 45-200 lens, which I think is as big as any of the m4/3 lenses. They're just not that heavy. And all of that extra bulk on the strap makes it a real pain in the posterior to stuff into a camera bag that's otherwise sized appropriately for m4/3 use (ie, small). I used it for a couple of weeks and liked it, but found it a bit much to deal with when stowing the camera - and I have the smallest, most basic, shoulder pad option. So I checked out the other straps to see if either was as useful.
Gordys - Gordy's is perhaps the Mona Lisa of the available sling straps, beautiful in its simplicity. Gordy makes leather camera straps of all sorts, including a sling strap option, which he professes to prefer himself. His straps are really quite attractive with that great leather feel that improves with age. Aesthetically, these are the best of the bunch and its not even close - really quite good looking. And to suit your specific aesthetic preferences, there are options for leather color, the color of the thread he uses to sew the whole thing together, options for the (optional) neck pads, and options for various types of tripod or lug mounts to connect the camera to the strap.
Ahh yes, where to attach the strap to the camera?? A big issue with a sling style strap. Having tried both, I STRONGLY prefer a tripod mount than a lug mount. The camera will hang very easily and can be grabbed very easily with either a tripod or lug mount, but with a lug mount, the strap is always in the way of something when you raise the camera to your eye. If you mount the strap to the right lug, the strap will interfere with the various buttons, wheels, and other controls on the right side of the back of your camera. If you mount it on the left, its bound to cover part of the LCD viewing screen. Mount it to the tripod socket and its completely out of the way when you raise the camera to your eye. Some folks probably prefer a lug mount, particularly if they like to leave the tripod socket free. To me, the tripod socket is the far better way to go.
As noted, the strengths of Gordy's straps are the aesthetic beauty and the simplicity. So what are the weaknesses? First, they're not adjustable - they're made to order in the length you specify and sewn in such a way that you're not gonna change that length. Ever! So you need to KNOW how long you want the strap to be when you order it. Gordy has some recommendations on the web site. But, based on my experience with the Black Rapid, I knew that the length he was recommending for someone my size would be too long for my liking. Since Gordy's was not my first strap, I could order the right length with a good bit of confidence. If it had been my first strap, I'd have probably taken his advice and would not have been nearly as satisfied with the finished product. The other disadvantage is that the fastener that connects the camera to the strap and allows the camera to slide along the strap as you raise it to your eye and drop it back down again, does not have a true swivel like the Black Rapid does. The practical effect of this is that there's a right way and a wrong way to put the strap on. Put it on correctly and the camera will slide up and down the strap without any real friction or twisting or binding and all is good with the world. But if you put it on backwards you'll feel like you're fighting the camera and the strap as you try to use it. The strap will twist as the camera slides up it, there will be notably more friction, and the whole process of getting the camera up to your eye and correctly positioned is a small burden. Not a horrible experience, but not nearly as good as when your put it with the right side forward. You could put a little mark on the strap so you'd always know which way to put it on and this would quickly become a non-issue. Its just something you do have to think about and take into account, so be aware of it before you order one of these. The strap itself, at least with the optional neck-pad (which is about an inch wide) is perfectly comfortable and appropriate for an m4/3 camera and lens. I'm not sure how it would feel without the neck pad as the strap itself is only about a quarter of an inch wide and might be less comfortable.
The downsides can be overcome. If you manage to order the right size and figure out how to put it on with the right side facing forward each time, it is functionally just about as good as the Black Rapid. The camera doesn't slide up the strap QUITE as smoothly as with the Black Rapid because its a leather cord on metal rather than a nylon strap on metal, which slides a noticeable bit more easily. Overall, there's not much to dislike about this strap. And it should last at least as long as the camera.
The "Y" Strap - If the Black Rapid is the Taj Majal and Gordys the Mona Lisa of these straps, the "Y" strap may be the K-Mart special. Any of these are arguably over-priced, but the other two do add some real value beyond what you could rig up yourself with common, everyday, stuff. This one arguably doesn't and after paying for it, I wondered why I'd bothered. I think I could have put the equivalent together for a couple of dollars in parts and they're not complicated parts either. This strap consists of a 1" nylon/synthetic strap (very similar to the Black Rapid strap), sewn together into a loop (for absolutely no reason than I can figure out), with a plastic adjusting buckle toward the sewn end of the loop, and a one and a quarter inch keyring to attach the camera to the strap and which slides up and down the strap. It also comes with a smaller keyring to attach the "slider" ring to the camera lug. That's it. Nothing to it. It all works quite well except for the problems noted above with attaching the strap to the camera lug - its gonna be in the way of SOMEthing. It also lacks any sort of swivel, so its easy to get the whole contraption twisted up and have it grab and bind if you don't keep things straight. The strap itself, at about an inch wide with NO shoulder pad, is just about perfect for an m4/3 setupIf you like this sort of lug attachment, there's no downside to this strap except the price. But you can go down to the local supply shop and probably buy everything you need for a do-it-yourself version for a couple of dollars and it would take about a minute to put it all together. I paid full price so you won't have to!!!
The Verdict? - So after all of this, what is my personal favorite working setup? I cut the sewn end of the "Y" strap apart so I could use the Black Rapid fastener (which, as I noted, is the BOMB) with the much simpler strap and with no bulky shoulder pad. I had to cut the sewn end because there would be no way to get the Black Rapid hardware onto a closed loop. But since there was absolutely no useful reason to have sewn the two ends together in the first place, this was no problem. I have the best attachment of the bunch paired with a good basic, workman-like, strap that I can easily wrap around the camera or lens when I stow the whole thing in a case. Since Black Rapid sells the two parts of the fastener individually on its web-site, you could easily do the same thing. Go find about 5' of basic one inch strap, get a buckle to thread the two ends together so you can adjust the length to your liking, order the fastener pieces from Black Rapid, and you're good to go for about the same price as the "Y" strap but with far greater function. The Gordys strap is so pretty I'll probably use it sometimes if I'm shooting someplace where looks matter and I'll probably use it sometimes just because I bought the damn thing and I feel obligated to use it! But if I knew then what I know now, I'd buy the fastener hardware from Black Rapid, a strap and buckle from my local hardware / sewing / outdoor shop, put 'em together, and be done with it.
I didn't know then what I know now, so I didn't know that would be the best option (and the one I'd end up using the most). So I spent a lot of money and trial and error to come to this conclusion. But now you DO know what I know (and didn't know then), so you can save yourself a bunch of time and money and do a quick do it yourself version.
-Ray
Black Rapid - The Taj Majal of commercially available sling straps. So well thought out and implemented it hurts. I think there are four basic models, plus a two shoulder option for folks carrying two cameras at once. All of them contain a large and well-padded shoulder strap, the basic strap, a "brake" to keep everything in place, and the best fastener system for connecting the camera to the strap of any of them. It attaches through the tripod mount (I think they're working on some sort of accommodation for people who use tripods a lot and need a permanent way to allow both - I don't so its a non-issue for me) and has a swivel that assures that the camera can always be gotten into the right shooting position without twisting the strap or rubbing in ways that makes it harder to get the camera quickly to eye level. The fastener is easy to get in or out, but is very secure - your camera isn't coming off of this thing. The strap itself is basic nylon/synthetic strap, about an inch wide. The length is fully adjustable so you can place the camera exactly where you want regardless of how tall or short or wide you are. I like it right at the hip, where I can grab it and get it to my eye pretty much instantly and that length gives plenty of slack to hold the camera some distance away from your eye if you like.
The differences in models basically has to do with the shoulder strap. The most basic one has a little zipper with room to store a couple of memory cards and maybe a small spare battery. The bigger one has room for all kinds of stuff, including cell phones, batteries, you name it. There's yet another modular system that allows you to hang additional stuff off of it for yet more storage. And there's a women's model that routes the strap such to let it avoid the protuberances found upon the chests of women (I guess some men could probably benefit from this as well).
These shoulder pads are a great thing, but also the only weakness as these straps pertain to m4/3 use. As noted above, they're overkill. If you're carrying a big-ass DSLR with a big-ass lens, I suspect this would be a god-send. But you really don't need it for any m4/3 camera with even a Pany 45-200 lens, which I think is as big as any of the m4/3 lenses. They're just not that heavy. And all of that extra bulk on the strap makes it a real pain in the posterior to stuff into a camera bag that's otherwise sized appropriately for m4/3 use (ie, small). I used it for a couple of weeks and liked it, but found it a bit much to deal with when stowing the camera - and I have the smallest, most basic, shoulder pad option. So I checked out the other straps to see if either was as useful.
Gordys - Gordy's is perhaps the Mona Lisa of the available sling straps, beautiful in its simplicity. Gordy makes leather camera straps of all sorts, including a sling strap option, which he professes to prefer himself. His straps are really quite attractive with that great leather feel that improves with age. Aesthetically, these are the best of the bunch and its not even close - really quite good looking. And to suit your specific aesthetic preferences, there are options for leather color, the color of the thread he uses to sew the whole thing together, options for the (optional) neck pads, and options for various types of tripod or lug mounts to connect the camera to the strap.
Ahh yes, where to attach the strap to the camera?? A big issue with a sling style strap. Having tried both, I STRONGLY prefer a tripod mount than a lug mount. The camera will hang very easily and can be grabbed very easily with either a tripod or lug mount, but with a lug mount, the strap is always in the way of something when you raise the camera to your eye. If you mount the strap to the right lug, the strap will interfere with the various buttons, wheels, and other controls on the right side of the back of your camera. If you mount it on the left, its bound to cover part of the LCD viewing screen. Mount it to the tripod socket and its completely out of the way when you raise the camera to your eye. Some folks probably prefer a lug mount, particularly if they like to leave the tripod socket free. To me, the tripod socket is the far better way to go.
As noted, the strengths of Gordy's straps are the aesthetic beauty and the simplicity. So what are the weaknesses? First, they're not adjustable - they're made to order in the length you specify and sewn in such a way that you're not gonna change that length. Ever! So you need to KNOW how long you want the strap to be when you order it. Gordy has some recommendations on the web site. But, based on my experience with the Black Rapid, I knew that the length he was recommending for someone my size would be too long for my liking. Since Gordy's was not my first strap, I could order the right length with a good bit of confidence. If it had been my first strap, I'd have probably taken his advice and would not have been nearly as satisfied with the finished product. The other disadvantage is that the fastener that connects the camera to the strap and allows the camera to slide along the strap as you raise it to your eye and drop it back down again, does not have a true swivel like the Black Rapid does. The practical effect of this is that there's a right way and a wrong way to put the strap on. Put it on correctly and the camera will slide up and down the strap without any real friction or twisting or binding and all is good with the world. But if you put it on backwards you'll feel like you're fighting the camera and the strap as you try to use it. The strap will twist as the camera slides up it, there will be notably more friction, and the whole process of getting the camera up to your eye and correctly positioned is a small burden. Not a horrible experience, but not nearly as good as when your put it with the right side forward. You could put a little mark on the strap so you'd always know which way to put it on and this would quickly become a non-issue. Its just something you do have to think about and take into account, so be aware of it before you order one of these. The strap itself, at least with the optional neck-pad (which is about an inch wide) is perfectly comfortable and appropriate for an m4/3 camera and lens. I'm not sure how it would feel without the neck pad as the strap itself is only about a quarter of an inch wide and might be less comfortable.
The downsides can be overcome. If you manage to order the right size and figure out how to put it on with the right side facing forward each time, it is functionally just about as good as the Black Rapid. The camera doesn't slide up the strap QUITE as smoothly as with the Black Rapid because its a leather cord on metal rather than a nylon strap on metal, which slides a noticeable bit more easily. Overall, there's not much to dislike about this strap. And it should last at least as long as the camera.
The "Y" Strap - If the Black Rapid is the Taj Majal and Gordys the Mona Lisa of these straps, the "Y" strap may be the K-Mart special. Any of these are arguably over-priced, but the other two do add some real value beyond what you could rig up yourself with common, everyday, stuff. This one arguably doesn't and after paying for it, I wondered why I'd bothered. I think I could have put the equivalent together for a couple of dollars in parts and they're not complicated parts either. This strap consists of a 1" nylon/synthetic strap (very similar to the Black Rapid strap), sewn together into a loop (for absolutely no reason than I can figure out), with a plastic adjusting buckle toward the sewn end of the loop, and a one and a quarter inch keyring to attach the camera to the strap and which slides up and down the strap. It also comes with a smaller keyring to attach the "slider" ring to the camera lug. That's it. Nothing to it. It all works quite well except for the problems noted above with attaching the strap to the camera lug - its gonna be in the way of SOMEthing. It also lacks any sort of swivel, so its easy to get the whole contraption twisted up and have it grab and bind if you don't keep things straight. The strap itself, at about an inch wide with NO shoulder pad, is just about perfect for an m4/3 setupIf you like this sort of lug attachment, there's no downside to this strap except the price. But you can go down to the local supply shop and probably buy everything you need for a do-it-yourself version for a couple of dollars and it would take about a minute to put it all together. I paid full price so you won't have to!!!
The Verdict? - So after all of this, what is my personal favorite working setup? I cut the sewn end of the "Y" strap apart so I could use the Black Rapid fastener (which, as I noted, is the BOMB) with the much simpler strap and with no bulky shoulder pad. I had to cut the sewn end because there would be no way to get the Black Rapid hardware onto a closed loop. But since there was absolutely no useful reason to have sewn the two ends together in the first place, this was no problem. I have the best attachment of the bunch paired with a good basic, workman-like, strap that I can easily wrap around the camera or lens when I stow the whole thing in a case. Since Black Rapid sells the two parts of the fastener individually on its web-site, you could easily do the same thing. Go find about 5' of basic one inch strap, get a buckle to thread the two ends together so you can adjust the length to your liking, order the fastener pieces from Black Rapid, and you're good to go for about the same price as the "Y" strap but with far greater function. The Gordys strap is so pretty I'll probably use it sometimes if I'm shooting someplace where looks matter and I'll probably use it sometimes just because I bought the damn thing and I feel obligated to use it! But if I knew then what I know now, I'd buy the fastener hardware from Black Rapid, a strap and buckle from my local hardware / sewing / outdoor shop, put 'em together, and be done with it.
I didn't know then what I know now, so I didn't know that would be the best option (and the one I'd end up using the most). So I spent a lot of money and trial and error to come to this conclusion. But now you DO know what I know (and didn't know then), so you can save yourself a bunch of time and money and do a quick do it yourself version.
-Ray
