Hmm, I never had this happen to me while using BR.
Sometimes, I'd think I have the camera clipped in when it's actually not just nanoseconds before letting go of the camera tho...I think my luck will run out one of these days and I'll forget and it'll drop to the ground
it has happened to me 3 times .. but all of it was totally my fault! when I removed the camera from the carabiner, i forgot to screw lock it and so when i bend down, the eye-hook came out of the carabiner and on to the floor it went! but luckily it wasn't a long drop or any damages was done.
EVO088 wrote:
it has happened to me 3 times .. but all of it was totally my fault! when I removed the camera from the carabiner, i forgot to screw lock it and so when i bend down, the eye-hook came out of the carabiner and on to the floor it went! but luckily it wasn't a long drop or any damages was done.
Been using the BR Sport Pro for a while and I have never noticed the screw loosening. The rubber washer design seems to do the trick of keeping it tight very well.
Love my strap
I just got back from Paris a couple of weeks ago and totaled my 60d and 10-22mm from the same thing. I was using the RS-7, and somehow the exact same thing happened. I was standing on the steps overlooking the gardens in the Palace of Versailles, I was walking down the concrete stairs when the camera and lens came crashing down on the concrete, and then down 3 or 4 stairs where it came to rest. Everyone around me just stopped what they were doing and just starred at me like I was the biggest fool they had ever seen. My wife came rushing to see what happened, and I told her everything looked like it was ok. She kindly pointed out that the LCD was cracked and the screen didn't work any more, also my 10-22 was coming apart at the focus ring and would not autofocus.
Thank God for CPS, they took care of me. I was honest with them and told them what happened. They only charged my the $120 for LCD screen, and fixed the 10-22 for free and charged me no labor for any of it.
I don't trust the RS-7 any more after that. I think I am going back to the old camera strap. Come to think of it, I think I have some type of gel filled camera strap that I got when I signed up for CPS gold.
I'm not a wedding photog, but I use the BlackRapid straps.
I've never had my camera mount unscrew or have the carabiner loop unlatch.
Like others, I find it quite difficult to unscrew the carabiner latch if it's tight, so I wouldn't think that it's even a possibility of that happening.
I used to be very diligent about checking the screw mount for tightness, but it's never been loose, so after a couple of years of use, I learned not to check it.
My ultimate test was my recent 3Day Walk for the Cure - a Susan G Komen Breast Cancer fundraiser.
3 days, 60 miles, Canon 5Dmk2 with BlackRapid strap at my side and lots of photos. Never had any issue, except for a couple bruises on my hip. Worked perfectly for what amounts to about 24 hours of shooting over the 3 days.
Blackrapid strap user for 2 1/2 years here. Not one drop, ever. I put my $5300 200/2 on it all day any day.
I used both the older style and newer style cabener clip (single then upgraded to double R strap). The older style cabener clip lockdown-screw was more prone to coming somewhat loose, but never popped off. The new one is rock solid.
I only have 2 "bugs" with the dual R-strap:
1. Since the hood on my 85/1.8 doesn't stay on, I am constantly getting my fingers on the glass when reaching for it when attached to the R strap.
2. My Demb flip-its occasionally fall off the flashes. If I squat down- and I'm a tall guy so I do it often- the Flip-it bumps into the ground.
The advantages far outweigh those bugs so I am happy
You had a freak accident- I'd check with black rapid to make sure you have the most recent version clip.
I have the earliest version of the R strap and a newer version of the R strap and just contacted Black Rapid to ask for more information about the new DR2 (Slim). While at it, I also asked to see if they could do something about replacing the original clip style carabiner (with plastic sleeve).
To my pleasant surprise, BR offered me a full replacement to a new R strap!!! How about that for customer service!
I've had no issues with my R straps (regular setup is gripped 40D and gripped 50D with 24-70L and 70-200L 2.8 is w/ 580exii) shooting all day. The new low profile screw mount with rubber washer holds it secure and I fail to see how the new caribiner with the locking sleeve would work its way loose.
In either case, I just wanted to voice my support and thanks to Terry @ Black Rapid for reminding us why we pay good money for quality merchandise.
Back to the OP's point though, it unscrewed. This happened to me on a photo walk in London UK last year. I had been walking all day, just about to get back to my hotel and my 40D and 24-70L fell to the ground. I was pissed. Body and lens seemed fine. This was a year ago October. In the spring I had to send my 24-70 in for re-calibrating. I can't prove it was from the fall, but over the winter my images from my 24-70 were never reliable. One set would be sharp, the next not so, it was very intermittent. Canon fixed the lens for $360+ as it was outside of warranty. The lens was unusable.
I contacted BR about it when it happened. They claimed they had never heard of that. I spoke to a customer service rep and then finally the owner. He ended up sending me their new connector for my older RS-4. The newer connecter exerts less torque on connection so a far better connection. Secondly, and this may not have anything to do with reality, the tech told me to ensure that you moisten the rubber gasket when you attach it to your camera, the moisture help make it stick. Notice to anyone who borrows my battery grips or my BR, I have spit on that connector for an entire year.
I'm super sorry you had this happen. Contact BlackRapid, get a hold of the owner, chew him out. Tell him that you know of another photographer that it happened to. If you PM me, I'll send you the transcript of the email I had with him/them (if I can find it). Use it as proof. I've since also created a leash for my BR. I took a small strip of an old camera strap and made a leash that loops through one of the strap loops on the body or battery grip, that leash then is clipped through the caribiner. A final word, since I started spitting, I haven't been slipping.
Is this why they went from the textured lock sleeve to the smooth? I've also hear of people using optech straps to the neck strap mount as a redundant backup.
The textured lock sleeve gets stuck, i've had to use pliers to loosen it. This isn't what causes the problem. What happens is that the caribiner (no matter the type) can use the edges of the eye in the mount (whether D ring or eyelet), as a moment of force. Just like using a 'helper' bar when dislodging stuck nuts and bolts, your lens will act like a helper bar. The the natural cadence of walking and using your camera is enough force to loosen a 1/4 nut and bolt combo. The rubber gasket is there to provide what nylon does in ny-lock nuts. The moisture/spit, allows the gasket and body of of the camera to 'fuse' together. Again, this is not a caribiner issue, it's 100% design issue. Any thing with that much weight (any long-ish L lens), at a distance from the point where the friction is happening (tripod mount), is going to come un-done if you don't provide a way to 'lock' it.
My carabiner locking sleeve unscrews to loose often enough that every time I pick up the camera I check it. Hardly a great solution, but apart from that I love the strap. Leash might not be a bad idea, but if if is attached to the carabiner that's not going to helpl my fear of the carabiner working its way loose and opening, but it would solve the problem if I attached it to the strap mount. I'll have to check this out to see if its practical. Thanks for the photos.
I've heard about the Black Rapid issue while back when I was researching to buy the dual harness.
There are a few other brands that use the same mechanisms, and that said, the tripod screw and hole was never meant by manufactures to hold the weight of the camera especially when dangling for hours and hitting your waist and swinging around. Many people have incurred this same issue or other issue where the bolt one day breaks and bang your camera hits the floor like a brick.
I've been using a dual harness from Op Tech. The harness holds the camera where it's meant to be held. and it's cheaper than most of these other brands out there at $39.99. Plus it's way faster to unhook and hook than screwing in that bolt at the bottom, and it keeps the bottom clear for rapid tripod use.
I've had this for 2 years and never do an event with-out it. At the end of the day I don't feel the weight of the guns slow me down or even have any aches the next day, even after a 16 hr day. I carry two Nikon D300 one with a 17-55 2.8 and 70-200 VR plus speed lights on both all day.
I could never understand why everyone would buy these 3 x the cost harness that lock the camera from the bottom especially when that hole was not designed to hold the weight of the camera in that position.
I've got the dual strap, and I have had the carabiner come partially or fully unscrewed and open a few times. Never had a drop, though -- I've always noticed the unscrewed latch in time. I'm now in the habit of checking both the carabiner and the camera tripod-mount element occasionally, when I use the straps (I use them less than I used to).
Taping the carabiner with gaffer tape is an interesting idea -- might help mitigate some of the walking-motion friction.
But yes, this is a problem that is not unique to you.
This popped up on the gear forum, and I thought some of you might find what I did useful. I'm a big fan of my RS-7, and I just adapted it for use with my new RRS L-plate setup.
I hate fiddling and worrying, so I also added a safety strap. I think this improves it since the carbiner safety screw will get opened/closed much less frequently, and thus less worn. I might even wrap it with Gaffer tape to reduce contact with the plate and the risk of it loosening as it appears has happened to a few folks here.
The camera-mounted part of the safety strap is pretty non-intrusive when I'm not using the Black Rapid, so it will stay on pretty much all the time.
(obviously the Arca mount is irrelevant to the safety setup, though it is the main reason for it )
Notice I put the safety strap on the highly-unlikely-to-fail base ring on the strap itself - fastening it to the carbiner doesn't eliminate the likeliest point of failure. Just a thought for the folks who've attached safety straps there.
The strap was $6 from B&H (I think) and could probably go to the standard strap mount on the side - might require a slightly longer version - Op/Tech has a variety of them.
I have been using the Black Rapid sling for one camera. 5DMk2 + 28~300L. A heavy combination. Had it now for two years. Never had the carabier come unscrewed not the screw into the camera. I think the BR straps are very well thoght out and well made. I give 'em 9.5 outa 10
Personally, I would tend to think of it as a freak accident. However, only you knows all the circumstances.
veej wrote:
I've heard about the Black Rapid issue while back when I was researching to buy the dual harness.
There are a few other brands that use the same mechanisms, and that said, the tripod screw and hole was never meant by manufactures to hold the weight of the camera especially when dangling for hours and hitting your waist and swinging around. Many people have incurred this same issue or other issue where the bolt one day breaks and bang your camera hits the floor like a brick.
I've been using a dual harness from Op Tech. The harness holds the camera where it's meant to be held. and it's cheaper than most of these other brands out there at $39.99. Plus it's way faster to unhook and hook than screwing in that bolt at the bottom, and it keeps the bottom clear for rapid tripod use.
I've had this for 2 years and never do an event with-out it. At the end of the day I don't feel the weight of the guns slow me down or even have any aches the next day, even after a 16 hr day. I carry two Nikon D300 one with a 17-55 2.8 and 70-200 VR plus speed lights on both all day.
I could never understand why everyone would buy these 3 x the cost harness that lock the camera from the bottom especially when that hole was not designed to hold the weight of the camera in that position.
I'm not convinced by the argument that the camera on a sling is a bigger concern/risk to the mounting plate than when it is locked in a tripod with a big lens. I'd think the standard kind of load creates a "moment" and leverage/load that isn't when you're just hanging with a 70-200 2.8 or lighter. In other words, the BlackRapid isn't stressing the mount for as much of a load as the mount is designed for.
If it was, I'd expect Canon and Nikon to state a limitation very explicitly in their owner's manuals and website. I did a series of Google searches and came up with nothing but speculation and half-information - nothing definitive. Wish there was, but in the meantime, I'm enjoying the BR.
