I need a recommendation for a sturdy camera strap please

tkamiya

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I am looking for a very sturdy camera strap. The camera will be F-100 with a grip and lens can be up to 70-200 f/2.8 VRII. It needs to be able to handle this and potentially more. I do NOT want those quick disconnect thing on the strap.

Anyone have recommendations?

I just got (and returned) a Lowepro model as quick-disconnect was amazingly flimsy and disconnected at some lightest touch!

Thanks!
 

2F/2F

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http://www.freestylephoto.biz/74167-Domke-Gripper-Strap-Navy?cat_id=907

Best non-QR strap made IMHO...and cheap (though about $3 cheaper in the retail store). What more does one need?

FWIW, I use QRs on far heavier cameras than an F100 (like my Technika at nearly 7 lbs., and all of my medium format cameras except my RZ and M645, for reason of the dedicated Mamiya lugs), and they are absolutely fine.

However, I don't ever have a desire for QRs on small cameras, so I use the ones I linked to.
 

TSSPro

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I'm an Op/Tech lover and fan for many years. They are practically indestructible and and the F100, or heavier cameras will feel like nothing is on your shoulder or around your neck when I use them.

All the best in your decision...
 

flash26c

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I also use Op/tech strap systems; very comfortable on my F100.
 

heespharm

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i use optech as well doing a wedding for 8 hours and I hardly feel any fatigue even with my heavy 70-200 canon ef L glass with 5d body
 

heespharm

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i have both the black rapid and optech... still prefer the optech.. the black rapid ok
 

agphotography

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I'm quite fond of the Domke straps personally. I have used it with a 1DmkIII and a 70-200 f/2.8 and It held up fine. Though it wasn't the most comfortable on my shoulder with that much weight.
 

blockend

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Traditional narrow leather straps are best. They don't slip and are better balanced with 35mm cameras than the wide, over-designed modern style.
 

Luseboy

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domke all the way. My dad used them for the 30+years of newspaper photography. he put those things through some tight situations (at the top of the golden gate bridge, in riots, running to catch a photo, etc.), and i don't think he ever had one break. Not that i know of anyways. I've still got one on one of my cameras thats got to be almost as old as me now, it looks good as new. These are the favorite of all the newspaper photographers that i ever met, and lets be honest, they need a stronger strap than the average photographer...
 

blockend

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I was pondering this issue a few weeks ago and concluded that what I really needed was not a neck strap, but a hand one similar to camcorders. A wide band that screwed into the tripod socket on the bottom and clipped into the right hand strap hole and was snug enough to put a hand through, would be perfect.
 

Ottrdaemmerung

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I do love the OpTech strap I just bought for my 35mm. For heavier lenses or for medium format, "The Industry Disgrace" from Crumpler is the stuff! It's well padded enough that I shot a 3-hour charity walk and didn't feel any fatigue... at least not around my neck!
 

benjiboy

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Both Op Tech and Domke gripper straps have quick releases which the O.P. said he didn't want.
 

David A. Goldfarb

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Not a fan of OpTech straps myself. They're too springy and let the camera bounce too much for my taste, and I don't really like neoprene in a strap for the way it feels and the way it deteriorates over time.

Up-straps are great on your shoulder, not so much on the neck. I use a large Up-strap on my 4x5 Tech V.
 

David R Munson

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I'll add my n+1 to the votes for Domke. Despite being involved in the creation, development, and sale of a new kind of camera strap, I still use my Domke straps on a regular basis. If I keep using my own competition, you know it's got to be good. They're simple, have a nice tactile quality, and they last forever. They're not spongy, springy and annoying like the Op Tech straps (though Know some people really like them). They're available with a quick-connect option, but you can also get it without. Please note, too, that the quick-connect that Domke uses consists of a metal clip that clips to a metal d-ring. Not a plastic side-release buckle like others use (see photo).
 

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Tim Gray

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I know you said no quick release but I've used the Op-Tech straps on a Canon 1V with a 200/2.8+1.4 extender and battery grip, as well as on a Hasselblad SWC. If you don't mind the slight give that neoprene has, it works great. There was no chance in hell that the quick release was going to come undone accidentally. They do come in handy though; you can remove the bulk of the strap and hook the two short ends attached to the camera together to make a sort of a wrist strap when that configuration is convenient.

Other than that, I don't have any suggestions.
 

flatulent1

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I have the Crumpler Industry Disgrace on my 1N-RS and my walkaround Mamiya 645. Sturdy, no QR, nice wide comfortable neck piece.
 

tristan!

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The LowePro ones are terrible at keeping my camera secure. I loved the length and the padding, perfect for when I want to sling it over my chest. But the slightest bump into that side buckle can make your camera drop.

I'm going to have to put my vote into the Domke Gripper straps. They're functional and have minimal frills. On my FM2, they scream classy with the contrasty leather patches.
 

tristan!

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On another note, can anyone recommend a strap with the small cable loops at each end for premium compact cameras, ones with small strap lugs on each side? Namely, my Klasse S. The one it came with is a bit bungy in my opinion.
 
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