Hi guys,

I just want to drop a note here that may help someone now or in the future. I started photography many, many years ago (wow, how time flies). I started out with a Rebel kit and then added a macro lens and the 300mm f/4, a few filters and a good sturdy tripod. As time went on, I bought more and sold some. Then the camera got a tad heavier, the lenses a lot bigger and heavier as my passion grew. I gained more skill and more gear ... and I got older.

I thought I had everything I needed when I went on long hikes ... my tripod, my camera around my neck and my backpack full of lenses. I would bring a macro in case some pretty flowers were seen on the trail or butterflies, etc., a wide-angle for landscape and of course either my 300mm, 100-400mm or 150-600mm (whichever I owned at the time), a flash, etc. I'm not a large woman (only 5' 4" with a few added pounds now) but I carried the gear for long periods with no real struggle. Problem was, I ended up never, ever using my tripod and I have always only used the strap that came with my camera.

Years later, I now suffer in extreme pain. I am nowhere near retirement age but I cannot stand for long periods of time due to lower back pain and have minimal use of my right hand due to severe wrist pain (Quervain's Tendinitis (or Tenosynovitis). Would I have these problems even if I never took up photography? Maybe, but I do believe photography played a huge role in it coming on this early and this severe.

So, take my advice please! Use a tripod and use the correct strap on your camera! I truly believe that is the most important gear you can own! You may not think it is that big a deal now but years down the road your body will thank you for making this important investment!

Just my 2 cents worth!

Denise