BlackRapid R-Strap
Friday, May 28, 2010 at 2:46AM The R-Strap from BlackRapid is a new take on the traditional strap that ships as standard with most cameras. Instead of being worn around the neck or shoulder, the R-Strap sits diagonally across the body. The camera is attached to the strap by a tripod screw and rests upside down near the hip when not in use. Although it sounds strange, this configuration provides better access to the camera and distributes weight in a far more comfortable manner.
Compared to conventional designs, it's much easier to bring the camera into shooting position. This means that you're able to acquire your subject, compose and shoot in the time it may take to remove a standard strap from your shoulder - important if you don't want to "miss the shot." Also, the fact that the camera rests with the lens pointing backwards makes it less likely to be damaged by impacts as you walk around.
Unlike a standard strap, the R-Strap can also store a cell phone, memory cards and other accessories in compartments built into shoulder area. These compartments use magnetic closures, which in addition to being almost silent, are easy to operate without looking. The build quality and overall attention to detail is very impressive.
The only thing that I would cite as a negative is the fact that if any part of the strap fails your gear is probably toast. While this is also true with traditional designs, the single point anchoring mechanism on the R-Strap seems a little more precarious. It is more than able to securely hold my Nikon D300 and 70-200 VRII but it's certainly on your mind the first couple of times you use it. That said, I haven’t experienced or heard of any problems with the current design.
BlackRapid offers the R-Strap in a number of different configurations that are mainly distinguished by storage capacity. There is a model specifically for women, as well as accessories that allow you to combine R-Straps to carry multiple camera bodies.
The R-Strap is comfortable, secure and offers offers quick access to your camera. Highly recommended.
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