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Pimping the R-Strap
December 29th, 2008
I’ve carried my cameras like this for years, and no doubt this’ll strike terror in a few of you, and prompt crazed cautionary emails from others. Whatever. Since putting R-Straps on all my cameras and telling the world how much I love them I’ve had emails telling me others love them too but just don’t like the current FastnR that Blackrapid makes. For anyone using a vertical grip this FastnR makes life difficult, and some people worry about them un-threading. So I don’t use it. I just do what I’ve always done – clip the strap to a piece of cord I’ve tied with a figure-8 knot and hitched to the lash point on the bottom of the camera. Nikon users, I think you’re out of luck on this one, sorry (update: check the comments, there’s a couple good ideas in there from Nikon shooters. Ron Carroll’s solution is particularily elegant, if not expensive). Anyways, this is how I carry my cameras. All three of my bodies are rigged like this, and to date I’ve carried 6 DSLR bodies like this all over the world and never had a problem. The knot’s not coming undone, I spent years as a climber and old habits die hard. I’ll eventually replace the cording, but I’ve not yet had one break or wear-down enough to cause me worry.
I love my R-Straps, but this small mod makes them even easier to use. You may now (a) do something similar, (b) totally ignore this, or (c) leave comments about how horribly irresponsible this is. A fourth option would be leaving a comment about how you’ve modified your camera strap to suit your own particular style. Remember back in the film days when we all taped film canisters to our straps? Sigh. Good times.
Update: Check the comments, there’s some good stuff in there. One person did ask why I even bother with this in the first place. First, I’ve always done this and I like where it places the camera – hung from an angle I can grab it for a vertical or horizontal shot easily. Secondly, I shoot vertically a lot and the FastnR on a vertical grip makes it almost physically impossible for me to hold the camera vertically, and if I force myself to it’s stinkin’ uncomfortable for me. Two birds, one stone – so to speak.
Jeroen asked why I switched to the RStraps from UpStraps. I like UpStrap but in the end I found myself using their bandolier – what can I say, old habits die hard. So since I was using the bandolier there’s no real advantage of using the UpStrap and the RStrap’s just a way better bandolier. UpStraps are great straps, but the one-shoulder thing just doesn’t work for me.
Thank you for the info.
I have used R-Straps for some time now and I really hate the Fasten-R. They really have to fix this soon.
Since I am a Nikon user I am unable to use your solution. Anyone have a solution that works with Nikon? The real problem for me is not the use with batterygrip (since I don’t use any) but the fact that it is so bulky.
/Johannes
This looks – and sounds – like a perfect solution!
Now if only I knew what a ‘figure-8 knot’ is…
@ daniela,
Google on it, it’s easy to make and used for climbing: a double figure 8 knot is one of the most secure knots around.
David: you used UpStraps before, right? Why did you switch to these R-straps? I’ve got an UpStrap right now and love it, so I wonder why these R-straps are even better
i purchased 3 UPstraps too. I use them now, they are great, they keep your camera stuck to your shoulder and you don’t hunch to the side to keep it up..this strap though is a totally different design…it is like a gun sling, you simply grab your camera, bring it up and shoot and then put it back down…I’m going to order two right now.
I love these straps, but I must admit that I have tried every possible way of attaching them to my cameras without being completely happy with any of the solutions. This looks like a very good option for Canon shooters. Despite looking a bit precarious, if I were a Canon shooter I think I’d adopt this solution. That bit of cord looks a lot more comfortable than the Fastnr.
Without the Fasten-R, the rest of the R-strap’s components are easily found in any DIY outdoor gear store, along with the cord David uses. With a little imagination one can come up with his own (Your initial here)-strap built to one’s requirements. Think of the choices in webbing, fastening hardware, and strap pads.
ATTN: Nikon Users — if you put an L-bracket on your camera, you can use this technique. I do, and it works well. I use a split ring in place of David’s cord, just so I can attach the clip with one hand. David’s cord approach has its own advantages, so it comes down to personal preference.
@arkipetago:
Sure, you can make your own strap, but I’m not sure the materials cost saves you all that much over the price of the R-strap in the first place, and R-strap is a nicely designed product.
@Nikon users:
The Fastn-R is quite a pain to use with the camera held vertically – it does get in the way of gripping the camera, especially if you have either a D1/2/3/3x or a D200/300/700 with grip and try to use the vertical shutter release.
What I have done is to use the RRS L-plate, and attach a keyring (they have a fancy name, which I cannot recall, but it’s basically the keyring that is three loops of metal in a circle and you pry apart the loops to insert the keys) to the corner of the L-bracket and then the R-strap clips onto that. Seems to work well. I covered the keyring with black gaffers tape to prevent abrasion of the bracket or camera body when they come into contact.
I might have to consider a loop of rope instead; may be a more flexible solution and I stiill remember how to tie my boyscout knots …
PS — I dropped my camera once while still using the Fasten-R. That hasn’t happened since switching to this method.
I’ve got an R Strap on each of my camera bodies and I wouldn’t give them up for anything. I bought 2 of the most basic one since I didn’t need the “convenience” of storage the more expensive ones offered. Whenever I am on an assignment my R Straps always draw comments from fellow freelancers and staff shooters. The R has made juggling multiple bodies and lenses a snap (no pun intended).
I am still trying to figure out why a mod was necessary in the first place. You put it on, tighten them down and forget about it. I do check to make sure its secure before each shoot but other than that its no worries.
Thanks Jeroen – how did we get an answer to our questions before Google?
And I never used the UpStrap, but the R-Strap is a great alternative to the old ’standard’ strap I used before. If you’re interested: there is a video on their website showing how it works…
I have recently acquired my R-strap for my D2x and I absolutely love it. I am a big vertical grip user and so far the R-Strap bracket is an acceptable obstruction. Maybe after I use it more, it will become a nuisance. In the mean time, its a vast improvement on the other options.
@Neal Lippman:
I attached a spare RRS Quick Release to the end of the R Strap so I can switch from landscape to portrait and then to tripod without having to fiddle with anything. Also works really well when the 70-200 is on since it attaches to the tripod foot. A bit bulky, but flexible and it allows the camera to sit securely on a flat surface.
That clip does concern me. Does the gate lock? If not, you could get “roll out”. You should consider getting a caribiner that has a locking gate such as this little cheap one <a href=”http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDERfolder_id=2534374302697507&PRODUCTprd_id=845524442619340″ target=”_blank”>here. A climbing store will have all sorts of solutions for “attachment needs”. I use caribiners for many things.
oops. bad link. Try this:
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDERfolder_id=2534374302697507&PRODUCTprd_id=845524442619340
Great Tip!
Chris – The gate, though you can’t see it in the image, is held shut by a piece of plastic tubing. It’s actually a pretty good solution, but the R-Strap folks have a new clip made and it’s got a screw-lock on it. I’ve never had a problem but the new clips, once they’re out, should be just the solution. I couldn’t use any of the links you connected to for some reason, but unless it’s a proper climbing ‘biner I’d be nervous. I’ve used their smaller screw-lock novelty ‘biners and they’re pretty junky. There’s no way I’d use them to support my camera.
Thanks, as always, for being part of the conversation.
A keyring attached to an L-plate is a great idea. I’ll have to grab a keyring and try that. I just hope that it doesn’t put too much torque on the L-plate.
A thought for Nikon users.
I have an R-strap (that I won from David- thank you very much!) on my D300. If you are looking at the camera back I have it attached to the strap ring on the left side. The camera hangs at my hip in a way that I can grab either the vertical grip or horizontal without looking, and when I bring it up the strap falls out of the way. I leave it this way even when my 80-200/2.8 is on the camera. It was a little funky to get it attached the first time, and I thought about adding a split ring to the rig, but now that it is on there it has been great. And I have never had a moment of worry about the clip falling off.
I love this thing- It is by far the best strap ever for me.
Love my R-strap, except for the fastener. Ended up caught totally by surprise one day when it unthreaded. Luckily, I happened to have the camera in my hand at the time! I was in a football stadium with concrete floors. Could have been a disaster if I’d not happened to have a tight grip on the camera at just that moment.
Might try this set up instead. Thanks David!
Just re-registering, David.
Thank you Jay for the tip.
It seems to be working ok. It is not as comfortable as with the fasten-r because of the direction but it feels safer and a much more compact setup.
I always use a quick disconnect plate on my D300 to be ready for my tripod. I attach the r-strap to that. For added security I cut a standard strap down and used the klips that came with it to secure to the usual camera eyes. The strap is just long enough to reach the bottom of the camera where I run that also thru the r-strap. This way if the plate unscrews the strap will hold it.
I’m sure that my method of hanging onto a camera is rather novel. With both of my arms permanently fixed at right angles and only about 3 inches or maybe 5° of play in each elbow, and only partial use of one hand, a hand that cannot pronate or supinate any longer, I had something of an engineering challenge to begin with.
So far I’ve made do with standard Canon straps augmented with 10 inch long hair ties, the kind you can pick up at any Walgreens. All my lenses have five to seven of these stretchy ties wrapped around them, just in front of the lens mount. I have to get the camera strap length just right, then coil the strap over three times. Feed my hand in the first loop going downwards, then up through the second loop, then down again to meet the camera so that the camera base and lens are laying in my right palm. Then worked the last loop up over my elbow so that the strap crisscrosses around my forearm twice. Then pull the double looped hair ties wrapped around the lens over two or three or my fingers, pinning it to my hand and creating three leverage points of attachment on the camera. I use a leather motorcycle racing glove to protect my hand, which has no function or feeling in the fingers, but I do have a bit of wrist function and I can still pronate and supinate this nonfunctional hand, which becomes a camera stand in this way.
It works pretty well, and I never have to worry about dropping my camera. It’s a bit difficult to get the viewfinder up to my eye with the camera in the horizontal position, but the vertical is pretty easier to accomplish and feels most natural.
It’s a bit of a process, but I can accomplish it in about 2 to 7 minutes, depending upon how I’m dressed. It is of course a bit more work in the wintertime. I’m always looking for jackets with large or expandable sleeves that make it easier to hunch them up over the elbow. I’ve got a nice vintage Army coat that works beautifully
I’m currently looking into getting a leather worker to build me some kind of more permanent straps or perhaps a harness that will make it easier to get on and off.
The advantage of having the camera strapped to my hand in this manner is that I’m always ready to shoot. So I often go around everywhere with the camera strapped to my hand like some kind of transformer guy or something.
I’ve gotten some funny looks from the photographers in pools at events, who don’t quite know what the hell to make of me. Some kind of hideously unnatural convergence of man and camera I imagine.
I suppose I am something of a cyborg in this configuration actually. And admittedly I’ve had fantasies of traveling to Japan and having the Canon engineers attach quick release mounts directly to my skeletal structure and implanting a shutter release into my brain case. 
Of course I get no sympathy from the photo vultures, who have on occasion ridiculed me and actually done things like reached over and turned off my flash while I’m shooting. Typical fucking photojournalists, desperately scrambling to get an increasing share of a shrinking market. Is there a lower form of life in the universe? Just kidding guys… OK not really.
Actually I’m to the point now where I use my malformation to psych out the competition. You know how photographers are, they see somebody with the latest toy and immediately they begin to feel inferior. And that’s how I play it, like some kind of fancy new harness, and the next thing you know the weasels lose heart and realize that they’re nothing but paid hacks in comparison to the mighty Cameraman. 
I’m sure that my method of hanging onto a camera is rather novel. With both of my arms permanently fixed at right angles and only about 3 inches or maybe 5° of play in each elbow, and only partial use of one hand, a hand that cannot pronate or supinate any longer, I had something of an engineering challenge to begin with.
So far I’ve made do with standard Canon straps augmented with 10 inch long hair ties, the kind you can pick up at any Walgreens. All my lenses have five to seven of these stretchy ties wrapped around them, just in front of the lens mount. I have to get the camera strap length just right, then coil the strap over three times. Feed my hand in the first loop going downwards, then up through the second loop, then down again to meet the camera so that the camera base and lens are laying in my right palm. Then worked the last loop up over my elbow so that the strap crisscrosses around my forearm twice. Then pull the double looped hair ties wrapped around the lens over two or three or my fingers, pinning it to my hand and creating three leverage points of attachment on the camera. I use a leather motorcycle racing glove to protect my hand, which has no function or feeling in the fingers, but I do have a bit of wrist function and I can still pronate and supinate this nonfunctional hand, which becomes a camera stand in this way.
It works pretty well, and I never have to worry about dropping my camera. It’s a bit difficult to get the viewfinder up to my eye with the camera in the horizontal position, but the vertical is pretty easier to accomplish and feels most natural.
It’s a bit of a process, but I can accomplish it in about 2 to 7 minutes, depending upon how I’m dressed. It is of course a bit more work in the wintertime. I’m always looking for jackets with large or expandable sleeves that make it easier to hunch them up over the elbow. I’ve got a nice vintage Army coat that works beautifully
I’m currently looking into getting a leather worker to build me some kind of more permanent straps or perhaps a harness that will make it easier to get on and off.
The advantage of having the camera strapped to my hand in this manner is that I’m always ready to shoot. So I often go around everywhere with the camera strapped to my hand like some kind of transformer guy or something.
I’ve gotten some funny looks from the photographers in pools at events, who don’t quite know what the hell to make of me. Some kind of hideously unnatural convergence of man and camera I imagine.
I suppose I am something of a cyborg in this configuration actually. And admittedly I’ve had fantasies of traveling to Japan and having the Canon engineers attach quick release mounts directly to my skeletal structure and implanting a shutter release into my brain pan, à la Johnny Mnemonic. 
sorry that last comment was screwed up, please edit accordingly.
I’ve outfitted by L-bracket with a keyring. (I wrapped both in gaffer tape to both protect and to prevent annoying rattling). It works brilliantly.
[...] that BR make to fasten the camera to the strap called the FastenR. So as you can see from his blog HERE we used some cord (actually from the R-Strap’s net bag that the strap is packaged in) and [...]