I used a camera & lens holster from LowePro for one wedding and since that day it has sat on a shelf. Primary problem was that it got in the way and made it harder to move around the church quietly and during the reception where it there is always tight spacing between the backs of people's chairs at the tables I had a hard time moving around at all.
Much better for me to have the second camera on an elastic camera strap and hanging off my shoulder where even with the 70-200 mounted there is nothing hanging below my belt. To minimize weight during the reception I switch to using a APS-C camera with the Sigma 50-150mm f2.8 lens for my tele shots and have the full frame camera with the 24-70 mounted on a Custom Bracket with my flash and or RF transmitter.
For wildlife shooters who will often have a 500mm or 600mm lens mounted on a heavy tripod and then sling another camera with a 100-400 or 70-200 lens off their shoulder, a camera holster may make sense. In this case they are not moving around much and not worried about tight quarters as a rule.
i'll admit it. i got the cotton carrier. no, not the stupid looking
chest mount. I got the belt with dual holsters. It distributes the
weight pretty well, though it does feel kind off lop-sided when you
have the 70-200 mounted on one side, and nothing on the other.
I might as well review it really quickly:
Pros:
one handed operation - unlike the spider (I think) to take the
camera out of the holster, you just have to rotate it 90 degrees. It's
really easy and natural to do. I think that the spider has a latch that
has to be depressed to remove the body(?).
lightweight - the belt and holsters are really really lightweight
and seem to be built pretty well. the buckle has a 3 pt. locking system
which is a nice added feeling of security that its not going to unhook
itself.
adjustability the holsters can be slid forward or backwards to
move the camera position.
Cons:
girth- no I'm not talking about how you look after you hit the
buffet for the 3rd time. When you holster both cameras (which you
probably wont do frequently) you are about the width of a blue whale.
It makes getting through doors and navigating through masses of
people more difficult. And when you have speedlights mounted as
well... forget it. you ain't goin' nowhere.
Cross post from another photo forum.
Ed Pingols' method as long as I discovered it here. My neck & back thank Ed every time I'm done shooting. Plus the added bonus of my little girl can use my cameras' bottoms as a stepping stool/foot-rest
I've just finished my 2010 wedding season, using the Spider Holster for 22 weddings. I carry two bodies, one with an 85 (sometimes a 150) at my side in the Spider Holster, and one with a 35 (sometimes 24) on a Domke 1" gripper strap. It's the perfect combo for me. I can't stand 2 cameras on straps, and I can't stand 2 cameras on my waist, but one of each is perfect.
brett maxwell wrote:
I've just finished my 2010 wedding season, using the Spider Holster for 22 weddings. I carry two bodies, one with an 85 (sometimes a 150) at my side in the Spider Holster, and one with a 35 (sometimes 24) on a Domke 1" gripper strap. It's the perfect combo for me. I can't stand 2 cameras on straps, and I can't stand 2 cameras on my waist, but one of each is perfect.
How do you carry your other stuff? (lenses, flash, etc.)
I use the vest. If you don't mind looking like a twat then it's absolutely amazing. Makes so much sense. I use x2 5dIIs one with a 35 and the other mounted on the chest has the 85. I have a 17-40 in a thinktank lens bag attached to the straps. It has a safety harness mounted on each camera which I sometimes use to let the cameras dangle so I can traverse between the two.
For those who have not tried this system, it works very well. The camera is very secure. The vest is nice to wear and distributes the weight evenly. You can add another camera also to the system. check it out
