p.1 #1 · My Blackrapid strap failed, camera dropped, lens won't autofocus now
Ergh... Yesterday while shooting a wedding, my Blackrapid strap failed and my camera fell onto soft carpet flat on the rear LCD with the lens pointing up. The camera looks and works fine.. My 50 f1.4G however does not.. The autofocus seems to be jarred. I tested it just a tad, but not a ton because I did not want to damage my AF on camera.. The lens seems to be "trying" to move to focus but doesn't.. In some case, depending on where the subject is, the lenses autofocus does seem to slap on and everything works decent.. I did briefly try the lens on two different bodies and had the same issues.. Has anyone had anything like this happen? Suggestions? I will probably just have to send it Nikon to be repaired >
p.1 #2 · My Blackrapid strap failed, camera dropped, lens won't autofocus now
As a fellow Blackrapid strap user (I like how it has been working and the ergonomics) I am very curious to hear any details on what part or parts failed? Sometimes I think the camera terminal hardware (swivel end) should be a bit beefier...
p.1 #3 · My Blackrapid strap failed, camera dropped, lens won't autofocus now
Somehow, our BlackRapid straps failed us this past month as well.
We always lock the carabiners, but on separate occasions, our cameras just jumped off the strap and one happened to be still in my hand, dangling from my curled fingers, and my wife's spontaneously dashed into the ground.
We ended up wrapping the carabiners with electrical tape. Cameras have stayed put since.
p.1 #5 · My Blackrapid strap failed, camera dropped, lens won't autofocus now
Sorry to hear this. The one thing I like about my Carry Speed strap is that it has an additional little safety strap that attaches to one of the camera strap lugs. So if the main strap fails you have a back-up.
p.1 #7 · My Blackrapid strap failed, camera dropped, lens won't autofocus now
Was yours the New type with the locking type? I've often hung 80-200/300 with camera and walked very far without incident. I do check my BR's before and during a shoot. On mine you'd have to break the carabiner for the camera to jump off. I guess you could take a small pair of pliers and really tighten the lock.
When your cameras fell did you find the lock lose? Perhaps some "breakable" locktight might be a safeguard.
p.1 #8 · My Blackrapid strap failed, camera dropped, lens won't autofocus now
I tried using my Luma Loop on a walk yesterday but I still end up holding it, I don't trust straps. These BR's seem to have alot of drops, can't see myself trusting it at all.
I honestly think most of the drops occur because people don't dog down the carbiner -they think they do, or they forget that one time. The fact that is possible leads me to question the design, but since they beefed up the the swivel and introduced the new nub a couple years ago I haven't heard very many stories of mechanical failure at all.
For me, I'm using the BR strap with an Arca-Swiss clamp so I can keep my l-bracket on the camera. I put an op-tech safety tether in the setup and since my nub is semi-permanently (never removed, installed w/ blue Loctite) screwed into my clamp I went ahead and wrapped the carbiner with gaffer tape.
The tether is pretty much invisible, and using A/S is faster than screwing/unscrewing the nub. I don't worry about drops/unhooks at all, and I've carried this setup all over the place.
p.1 #12 · My Blackrapid strap failed, camera dropped, lens won't autofocus now
I think I dislike having my camera & lens swaying & bashing into me or things I pass by. I didn't really give the spider holster a real shot but I just bought a TT holster bag & chest strap mainly to hold a 2nd camera but will try it out hiking.
p.1 #14 · My Blackrapid strap failed, camera dropped, lens won't autofocus now
Im sorry.... That always makes us cringe when we drop our cameras....
This is one of the reasons I think the black rapid harness is a BAD choice. That camera strap is an accident waiting to happen. I would never use one because it fails when you least expect it... Hope you get your 50mm fixed.
p.1 #15 · My Blackrapid strap failed, camera dropped, lens won't autofocus now
I have probably been more trusting than I should be, but as long as the lock ring is tight on the carabiner, I don't see how the camera can come off. I agree with M635_Guy, I think the straps mainly fail because either the lock nuts loosen over time or don't get tightened when attached to the camera. On mine, even one turn of the lock nut stops the carabiner from opening.
Please do post any more details you may have of the failure. Maybe it's something I haven't thought of before like what if the carabiner falls off the D ring like Mdoc9523 is concerned about.
p.1 #16 · My Blackrapid strap failed, camera dropped, lens won't autofocus now
The "failures" never seem to be accompanied by photos of anything breaking on the strap - it is "It came loose" or "suddenly dropped from the strap", which generally means either the nub or cabiner weren't firmly fixed.
I love my BR strap, and I've carried it all over the world. Because I'm aware that I'm an airhead, I have pretty much eliminated the risks to my own failures as well as mechanical ones.
p.1 #19 · My Blackrapid strap failed, camera dropped, lens won't autofocus now
I'm addicted to sling style straps. Very comfortable, especially the ones with the neoprene shoulder pads. But the biggest advantage is stealth. I can walk around with a D800 and a big honking lens and people don't realize I have a camera until I bring it up to shoot. I don't think I would ever use anything else.
I never worry about my strap failing. Biggest equipment risk seems to me to be stumbling or falling on my ass with the camera hanging at my hip. A bit dicey for serious hiking.
Like everyone else, I am interested to know what was the point of failure of the BR straps.
p.1 #20 · My Blackrapid strap failed, camera dropped, lens won't autofocus now
Hey everyone, so to answer the question. The "L" shaped hook that holds the "door" of the carabiner is what actually broke. I am pretty positive it had to be from some sort of previous damage. I am always checking my tripod mount and the carabiner for tightness as they always seem to work their way loose.
I have read about this happening to a few other people. I do not suspect it to be an issue from the manufacturing phase, especially with the advancements in metallurgy in today's age. I thinks somewhere from prior use the carabiner was overloaded with some type of force beyond its elastic limit which may have caused a slight strain or elongation and thus resulting in an eventual total failure.
