i made a post about this in a thread about a specific lens in the sony forum, but i figured i would share this here if anyone else would get value from it. i am a tinkerer and started using forums in the early 2000's to figure out how to work on my car. ever since then i have viewed enthusiast groups as a place to play around with gear to get the exact results for your situation by fixing up stuff from off the shelf. i was responding to someone who found a 600g lens too heavy to walk around with all day, so instead of telling someone to hit the gym, i wanted to show why 1kg lenses don't bother me at all for a day out covering miles upon miles. and even a 1.5kg lens can be managed without too much discomfort. obviously you 600 f4 birding lens guys have chosen your own path, and using that lens will forever be your identity moving forward. but this thread is for simple diy solutions to carrying "normal" heavy lenses (or 2!) all day. anyways, copy and pasted from the other thread...
carrying setup makes a huge difference to perceived weight. i use an l-bracket with a peak design clutch, but instead of using the peak design anchors i unstitched the quick connect clip (where the anchor clips in) and sewed the loose end directly onto the L-bracket. in my experience this adds significantly improved fit and i can carry up to a 1kg lens for hours because i am not actually holding it most of the time. it is just snuggly hanging from my hand and i am not actually gripping it almost at all. combined with capture clips (peak design, pgytech, ulanzi) you can hold your camera very little and rest your hand 90% of the time.
for heavier lenses like a 100-400/70-200/50-150 i rely heavily on the QD (quick disconnects) built into my L-bracket and tripod feet (RRS, leofoto, kirk). i can rig up a neck strap with a QD clip and i have a QD clip sewn onto the shoulder strap of my hiking bag that hangs from a nylon strap about waist level. with these i can quickly throw my camera/lens on there and let it hang. a light hand on it prevents swinging around during my active hiking.
most recently i have favored a hip pack (a glorified fanny pack) with a proper hiking hip belt to carry my camera and up to 2 lenses at the ready. it is so much faster and easier than a backpack if you can limit yourself to two lenses and so much more capable than a sling bag. i can have the pack on my butt for extended hiking with no weight on my shoulders. i can grab the bag and swing it around in front and comfortably access my camera and two lenses for shooting and lens swaps. i recently moved away from 3 lens to 2 lens kit and it is the only way this works for me. i am using shimoda's top loader (large and medium sizes). they are designed to be used this way with shimoda's own hip belts, but since i don't have a shimoda backpack i use a lowepro protactic utility belt. a few pieces of adhesive velcro added and they fit together perfectly and securely.
it didn't work for my setup but if you use really small lenses i like the look of thinktank's speedtop crossbody. it is also designed as a sling bag that can also be used as a hip bag with a belt threaded through it. if it fit my lenses i would cut off the neck strap completely and thread a belt (like think tank's own speedbelt... there's no velcro so a few carabiners can attach the bag to the belt) and rock it permanently as a hip bag with a quick access magnetic lid. these fanny pack solutions work so well if you actually swap lenses because it literally gives you a stable lens change station right in front of you. i can fit a 50-150 with hood on in shooting position and attached to the camera (just barely) in the large shimoda top loader. a 70-200 or 100-400 would work without lens hood (or in reversed position). any normal midrange or wide angle lens fits easily with miles of room to spare).
The QD sockets have been known to sometimes release spontaneously. I would not trust them for anything heavy. For a Z8 + 600/4 I use a Magpul MS4 strap with two QD sockets - one into the foot of the lens, one into the body L bracket. I then tie them off with a black guyline. That way if one of them releases by accident the strap remains around your neck. I use something similar even for lighter setups such as a Z6iii with the 100-400. For example an Optech sling, which comes with two uniloops. I tie off each of the uniloops to a QD swivel, and again clip one into the lens foot and the other into the body L bracket. Since the strap is already a complete loop you don't need the guyline.
yeah i was initially nervous about QD sockets, but i wonder how much of that was due to partial seating of the QD into the socket and how much was spontaneous releasing of the mechanism. i have gotten into the habit of giving it a test wiggle and tug once i think i have it seated and thankfully have been ok thus far. with the truly big glass like a 600 f4 i am aware different methods are required. thankfully a second tether is pretty easy to set up with the QD system though. other than reading QD reviews where a few people claim their equipment fell off (usually a gun and not camera gear), i basically just assumed it was user error by not seating it correctly (or possibly overloading the mechanism with weight). i also avoided magpul's QDM side button opening attachment because i could imagine scenarios where it maaybe got accidentally opened. i do stick to brand name/well rated end button QD's and have habitually given it a test tug each time, so hopefully this treats me well
Hi, thanks for posting and sharing your tweaks. I've got a few questions for you given that I have some of the same gear and am always looking for more comfortable carry solutions. Similar to you, I use the 70-200 f2.8 and 100-400 with the Leofoto feet with QD and also the Atlas pack. My L brackets (Kirk & Leofoto) have QD sockets. On the 4th photo down in the OP post, what's the gizmo that you are using to stow the QD clip to the shoulder strap? Why do you find your PD Clutch setup more comfortable to carry, that isn't quite clear to me? I occasionally clip the small PD cuff strap to the right corner of the L bracket (using the PD anchors) for security if I'm moving the camera on/off my tripod frequently, but don't use that to carry the camera for distances. With the Shimoda fanny pack, do you think an Atlas hip belt would work (I have an extra)?
GroovyGeek wrote:
The QD sockets have been known to sometimes release spontaneously. I would not trust them for anything heavy. For a Z8 + 600/4 I use a Magpul MS4 strap with two QD sockets - one into the foot of the lens, one into the body L bracket. I then tie them off with a black guyline. That way if one of them releases by accident the strap remains around your neck. I use something similar even for lighter setups such as a Z6iii with the 100-400. For example an Optech sling, which comes with two uniloops. I tie off each of the uniloops to a QD swivel, and again clip one into the lens foot and the other into the body L bracket. Since the strap is already a complete loop you don't need the guyline....Show more →
QD failures tend to fall into one of these categories:
Incomplete socket engagement due to user negligence.
Dirty components due to user negligence.
Worn components due to user negligence.
Poor parts tolerances due to using low quality parts.
Poor parts tolerances due to mixing parts from different manufacturers.
jeffbuzz wrote:
QD failures tend to fall into one of these categories:
Incomplete socket engagement due to user negligence.
Dirty components due to user negligence.
Worn components due to user negligence.
Poor parts tolerances due to using low quality parts.
Poor parts tolerances due to mixing parts from different manufacturers.
Notice a theme here?
if i had a super tele prime that cost as much as some motor vehicles i would definitely double tether, but yeah i am currently satisfied with quality brand parts and a habitual test swivel/tug every time. but for me the 50-150 is the most expensive lens i have ever used by far so maybe i will test yank twice
amv8 wrote:
Hi, thanks for posting and sharing your tweaks. I've got a few questions for you given that I have some of the same gear and am always looking for more comfortable carry solutions. Similar to you, I use the 70-200 f2.8 and 100-400 with the Leofoto feet with QD and also the Atlas pack. My L brackets (Kirk & Leofoto) have QD sockets. On the 4th photo down in the OP post, what's the gizmo that you are using to stow the QD clip to the shoulder strap? Why do you find your PD Clutch setup more comfortable to carry, that isn't quite clear to me? I occasionally clip the small PD cuff strap to the right corner of the L bracket (using the PD anchors) for security if I'm moving the camera on/off my tripod frequently, but don't use that to carry the camera for distances. With the Shimoda fanny pack, do you think an Atlas hip belt would work (I have an extra)?
1.) this is magpul's very expensive version of what i basically use as a dock for the qd when not in use. since it is not a load bearing anything in my system find a cheap one. the generic i bought years ago is not offered anymore but i sewed it onto the strap just for keeping the strap from swinging around when not in use. please notice i actually did tie a backup paracord loop around the sony alpha strap up top. this is a failsafe if the plastic d ring breaks the sony strap is tied off separately to the shoulder strap
2.) sewing the clutch directly to the L-bracket eliminates a ton of slop and excess length and the uncomfortable plastic disconnects from your hand. having used it the original way and the modified way it is night and day better for MY hand. it also greatly improves the geometry (angle the strap crosses over my hand)
3.) the atlas hip belt almost certainly would work. the belt just has to be the right width (the pass through on the shimoda top loader is very wide so most belts fit). a lot of belts secure to bags with velcro i think atlas might as well and i can check when i am home, but even if the velcro isn't there or is the wrong type of velcro just use adhesive backed velcro and it will be solid (my lowepro belt and shimoda top loader both used loop side velcro so i used hook side adhesive backed velcro folded over to connect them. super secure). one issue i had was with too stiff if a belt. i tried shimoda's HD waist belt and it was too beefy to feel right. it actually fit fine but the belt is meant for hold 50+ lb loads and it is so thick and stiff it bends the top loader. most medium to light duty hiking belts should work though
3 legged thing (perhaps you consider this lower quality)
Luballs wrote:
if i had a super tele prime that cost as much as some motor vehicles i would definitely double tether, but yeah i am currently satisfied with quality brand parts and a habitual test swivel/tug every time. but for me the 50-150 is the most expensive lens i have ever used by far so maybe i will test yank twice
GroovyGeek wrote:
Every example has counter examples
Kirk QD failure
3 legged thing (perhaps you consider this lower quality)
in the spirit of this diy thread i present to you my belt-and-suspenders solution! a few inches of paracord, an s-biner, and a few self-tightening knots should be ample backup. it seems to take about 10 extra seconds to loop together, adds virtually no weight and minimal bulk
edit: i am all for doing what you feel is best and therefore tried to offer a constructive solution, but from watching the videos it appears to be a combination or poorly compatible and worn parts that likely would fail my wiggle/tug test as well
mrjangear definitely falls into that super telephoto category and i fully admit that is a category or lens carrying lifestyle i just don't understand or have any experience with. i can't imagine holding a lens under 1.5kg like that though. i'm sure there are solutions for the long lens guys that are a godsend, though.
as for cotton carrier, i am well ware of their system. it seems like an excellent working photographer's solution. i could imagine it being possibly the best event/sports photographer solution imaginable (like a spider holster or holdfast moneymaker, but even better). my problems with using this system are multiple for my application:
1.) it offers no transport protection/function whatsoever and requires separate transport/gearing up for use phases. you are either getting your gear to where you will use it some other way or strapped up and ready to shoot. super appropriate for events, but less-so for every day photography
2.) i see no solution to use this with an L-bracket and that matters to me
3.) i simply do not own the required amount of underarmour or "tactical" anything else to rock this in public, lol. i am saying this last one in jest, but it's certainly a... "choice" to walk around with a cotton carrier in a crowd if you aren't being paid to photograph there
these are both carry solutions that seem extremely focused on a specific type of photography and i can tell why they would excel at their respective use cases. neither are viable general use, landscape or travel photography solutions for my personal needs though. the ways i carry gear prioritize quick swaps between shooting, carrying my gear while walking around, and storing my gear away completely. i also am dealing exclusively with lenses in the 1.5kg and less category
i just wanted to clarify that all of my comments are based on "know thyself." specifically know your gear, know your tendencies, know your abilities and be realistic about what you need and how you use it. i don't want to trash on anyone else's solutions, but to be clear, my camera needs have always evolved secondarily to my other activities. i have gotten pretty far in my photographic journey with just a camera cube insert in a backpack, a holster pouch looped through the hipbelt of my backpacking pack, and a capture clip on my shoulder strap.
pardon the overly boosted shadows of screenshots with red circles to illustrate my point, but here are some examples of modifying my gear to the needs of the situation at hand. when i shot apsc gear i had a tiny lowepro holster run through my backpacks hip belt and a small lens case strapped to one shoulder and a tiny tripod to the other and i could cover 15-20 miles a day over 10-14k' mountains. then i started snow shoeing and mountaineering and would still use that basic photo setup while carrying dozens of pounds of vital snow equipment. i then made the switch to full frame and rocked a capture clip and a single lens. then i had a baby, strapped a baby to my chest, carried all my backpacking gear and made due with a capture clip. that's an almost 12k' mountains pass in the photo of the baby. then i started photographing my ski trips with buddies. i would use collapsible poles and a pack with a camera cube. when it was time to shoot i could strap away my poles, hold my camera and ski like a bat out of hell taking shots of my friends on the fly (my buddy crashing spectacularly in red and blue) or hand the camera off to friend to snap a few shots of me (black and brown). at the lift i would throw the whole rig on a capture clip.
long story short is i am always open to new gear carrying options and i certainly don't know it all, but i definitely have some experience with bringing my camera places other people would think is crazy, but i found ways to do it fairly conveniently for me. i actually could not juggle my activities, the birth of a second child, and photography and used an iPhone exclusively for 3 years (see the last photo). this most recent round of renewed activity on FM from me is my resurgence back into real photography for the first time since i had 2 young kids. i like nice gear. i like quality photography. and i try to live a big, full life. these are just some of the ways i can take a camera along
