Photography is a hobby where the littlest things can have a profound impact. A poor-quality camera strap, for instance, can ruin a nice calm day of shooting pictures. The majority of people give little thought to a camera strap; it’s just a piece of cloth that you attach to your camera and forget about.
The problem with that line of thinking is that oftentimes, at the other end of that five-dollar sling rests an expensive camera and lens that can weigh up to six pounds—depending on brand and style of the lenses and camera body. Several pounds of weight hanging from your neck can quickly cause pain and discomfort, which is why a well-designed camera sling is important.
BlackRapid is an American company founded in Seattle, Washington by professional photographer Ron Henry in 2008. Today, they offer 11 different models of camera slings. Here, we’ll take a quick look at the BlackRapid Sport R-Strap.
Colors available: Black and camouflage
Variations available: Sport model (black), left-handed version, left-handed version with slimmer strap, and camouflage.
Length: 65 inches long /167 cm
Width: 3.7″ wide / 9.5cm
Weight: Approximately 7.1 ounces
Material: Polyester with ballistic nylon
MSRP: $73.95
Unique features:
- Extra-wide shoulder pad and unique second strap wrapping under the shoulder keeps weight evenly distributed across the width of the shoulder.
- 1/4″ sling mount screws into any standard tripod mount.
- Available in left-handed models.
- Locking clamp prevents accidental disconnection of strap from camera.
Pros: Well built and easy to use, with an emphasis on functionality over style, this is a working photographer’s strap.
Cons: Only two color choices available.
Bottom line: The BlackRapid Sport strap seems like a very well-made strap for the money. First impressions of this are favorable, but I will be testing it with a fairly heavy camera-and-lens combination in the field in the coming weeks. The BlackRapid Sport R Strap will be evaluated under the same conditions as the recently reviewed Mountainsmith Endeavor camera bag.
The BlackRapid Sport R-Strap is available at amazon.com.
(Featured image courtesy of digitalcamerawarehouse.com)
