Need some insight here ....been thinking about buying a hand strap for my 50d any ideas,what anyone thinks and whats a good one to buy......ROD
Printable View
Need some insight here ....been thinking about buying a hand strap for my 50d any ideas,what anyone thinks and whats a good one to buy......ROD
Hi Rod,
Personally I like the Canon E1 hand strap. I do not like neck straps; for me they get in the way and are too motion limiting. I do not even put on the adapter that comes with the E-1 for the neck strap. I do use -- and like a lot -- the BlackRapid RS-4 with the E-1. I do not experience the "rolly" feeling Bryan does, or not enough of it to bother me.
You do need to have a battery grip on your 50D or get an adapter. Here is the link to Bryan's review of the E-1 and it contains a link for the CamAdapter, if you do not have a battery grip.
http://the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-Hand-Strap-E1-Review.aspx
Hope this helps,
Chris
Chris ,thanks for the reply.... i have a battery grip on my 50d and have read bryans review as well as a few others.....im concerned a little about the fit of a strap since i have big hands but ive noticed that im carrying my cam in my right hand at my side most of the time so thats why im looking at a strap....i noticed that after i bought my battery grip it helped a lot just because of the extra width for my hand but when i have my 100-400 l lens on it does tire out my hand after a while lol so i was hopeing with the right strap it would help my hand a bit.......thanks again ROD
Rod,
My hands are probability a little over average size. I love the grips for the same reason, they just make the cameras feel like they fit my hand better. I have the 70-200 f/2.8 IS and I know what you mean with just a hand strap, it is front heavy and a little off balance. That is one of the reasons I got a BlackRapid RS-4. I liked the first one so much I purchased a second one for my second bag so I never forget to take one with me. One of the nice things is it can be attached to tripod mount. It balances very well with my gripped bodies, one of which is a 50D. I also purchased an extra FasteneR-3 that I leave on the tripod mount.
That way I can switch lenses a little quicker, I just move the strap
connector to the fastener on the body as part of the switch.The only caution I have is that once you start using a strap as often as I do, you need to remember when you just grab your camera for a quick picture. I get so used to being able to just rest my camera by my side on the strap when not shooting.
I do not think Bryan has any links to the BlackRapid, so here they are at Adorama. I think if you click through TDP and then search for blackrapid, Bryan gets credit if you do purchase. That is how I usually do it if there is not a direct link from a review.
http://www.adorama.com/SearchSite/Default.aspx?searchinfo=blackrapid
I really like the combination of the RS-4 and the E-1.
Chris
Hi banman,
I have 2 Canon E1 Hand straps; one on my 7D with battery grip and one on my Mk IV. I like the hand straps and I would recommend them. It does reduce hand fatigue, especially if you are shooting for a few hours, like at an air show or an event. It also adds a sense of security when shooting over water, sand or mud. It also helps stabilize the camera when I'm shooting one handed with my right hand while holdingthe monopod with another camera body and lens attached in my left hand.
The hand strap also folds flat against the camera body when you don't want to use it and it doesn't take up much room in the camera bag.
I would also like to point out that if you have your hand in the hand strap and then you would like to switch the camera from landscape to portrait orientation then you have to take your hand out of the strap, before switching camera orientation if you would like to use the buttons on the vertical grip, but you don't have to put your hand in the hand strap in those situations and you could always use theregualr shutter button.Otherwise it can take a few seconds longer, to remove your hand from the strap, which can sometimes make a difference with fast sports action, however I still like the security of the strap for the other reasons mentioned above; such as the more secure feel and less hand fatigue.
Another vote for the Rapid straps with the the R-3 fastener which is more secure then the R-2 pin type fastener (this pin has been known to fail). The only negative with the rapid straps is that you have to take them off completely in order to attach a monopod or tripod, since they both use the same connection point.So, if I would like to switch camera bodies to my monopod, then I have to remove the rapid strap from the body hanging around my shoulder and then attach it to the body that is on the monopod (luckily it's not a common occurrence), as opposed to having the neck straps which can be used with the the monopod and tripod without removing it. It scares me a little if I have to do this at the beach over the sand while shooting surfing, or on the sidelines if it is muddy, because I don't want to drop the camera while making the switch. However, I still like the the rapid strap on the second body when shooting with 2 bodies, because it lies securely at my right hip and out of the way. I would also like to point out that the neck strap gets in the way while holding the monopod, so that has its own problems as well.
Rich
Chris and Richard,
Thank you both for some very good ideas here,this may sound dumb lol but i just need to confirm. Both of you are useing the e-1 hand srtap with the r-3 is that correct? If im seeing this rite the r-3 is a over your shoulder strap rite,so you recommend both straps correct.Im not so sure about the r-3 but really would like something like the e-1 hand strap,just havent found anything that looks like it will fit my hand the rite way. I guess there are not a lot of options,might have to look into haveing something made lol.There was one i saw when i did a google search called brandos 3 point strap that i like the looks of since it wraps arround your wrist to. http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/20/brandos-ultimate-3-point-hand-strap-will-help-you-get-attached/One of my other hobbies is power lifting, soim a littlemore comfortable with something arround my wrist to since i use wrist wraps a lot during heavy lifts.Well guys thanks again for some good ides here now i just have to make a decision here lol and like everthing with photography im sure it will take a while lol.......
Hey Richard, what setup do you like for airshows i went to 3 last year and enjoy shooting them very much as i do most any sports..... thanks Rod
I also hate neck straps and love a hand strap. I have a canon E-1 on my backup camera. I have found I prefer the Olympus AS-GS3. It feels like it is more secure in my hand and more comfortable.
You do have to be careful when attaching it to ensure it can not come loose. Canon now had the E-2 which will also work without a grip but the price is way too high.
Mark
Quote:
Originally Posted by banman1
Yes, we're talking about 2 separate straps. The Black Rapid Strap with the R3 connector, connects to the tripod mount on the camera body and you could put it over your shoulder. This is good to have because sometimes you need to have your hands free when your not shooting. This strap can also connect to the lens tripod collar mount (to better support and balance the weight of heavier super-telephoto lenses), as well as the camera body tripod mount.
The Canon E1 hand strap is only $25 so it's certainly worth it. You have to make it tight enough to give you support to handhold the camera, but loose enough to reach all of the camera buttons. This strap also comes with an attachment to connect the canon neck strap simultaneously.
I use a 7D with a 300mm f/2.8L IS with or without the 1.4X extender. I also use a monopod with a Really Right Stuff Monopod Head. If I need to handhold the camera then I just lift the entire apparatus off the ground, and the monopod just hangs straight down. To do this I have to keep the monopod head loose enough so the monopod just hangs down vertically.
The 3-point wrist strap that you pointed out looks very sturdy, but just be aware that it connects to the tripod socket so you would have to take that off to use a monopod or tripod, whereas the Canon E1 hand strap connects to the eyelet in the bottom of the battery grip attachment and not the tripod socket. The 3-point wrist strap also looks like it would take a little longer to get your hand out if you wanted to use the vertical grip shutter button for a sustained amount of shooting. Just like the Canon strap you would be able to turn the camera in portrait orientation and use the regular shutter button.
Rich
not a fan of hand straps as it renders your battery grip useless for portrait shots as you can
+1 for Canon E1.
However, I do find it restricts my index finger but now I
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Lane
Good news Rich, if you use a Manfrotto with a RC2 plate, BlackRapid came out with a replacement bolt which will hold the camera with out the fear of the ring opening and you gear going for a bounce. On one of the threads here someone showed the regular Manfrotto bolt at it's breaking point. Here is the BlackRapid product page:
http://www.blackrapid.com/product/hardware/fr-t1/
Quote:
Originally Posted by alexsommers
Although that is true Alex, for me that is not a negative since my 35mm film cameras even though I had winders -- grips-- did not have vertical buttons. I am so used to using the main controls, the only time I use the vertical grip controls is when I consciously push myself to do so. If you do a lot of vertical shooting with the grip than the E-1 is not as desirable for you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul McSweeney
You do not have it to tight Paul, mine is the same way. Again it is something I have become used to so I forgot to mention it. It does make moving the Main Dial interesting at times, but it is a trade off I am willing to accept form the secure feeling the E-1 otherwise gives me.
Chris