Black Rapid R-Straps
Written by Eric on March 8th, 2009 | 15 Comments
Black Rapid, Inc.’s R-Straps were one of the more innovative and practical products that I saw at PMA 2009. Prior to PMA, I had never heard of Black Rapid’s R-Straps; however, once I tried out an R-Strap, I instantly fell in love.
The R-Strap is very different from the traditional camera strap, which I hate – really hate. I hate wearing a camera strap that rubs my neck raw and makes the camera bounce against my chest while I walk. I hate trying to carry a camera with a traditional strap over one shoulder and having to hunch my shoulder up a bit just to keep the strap from sliding off or just constantly adjusting it. I hate this kind of discomfort and inconvenience even more when I’m shooting all day long. Any wedding, event, or sports shooters out there with me?
R-Straps pretty much do away with everything I hate about camera straps. Black Rapid really delivers on comfort, security and convenience. When you’re wearing an R-Strap, it feels a lot like a messenger bag strap slung across your shoulder. You just sling the strap across your left shoulder and the camera hangs upside down on your right hip.
No more worrying about your strap slipping off your shoulder and you camera falling to the ground. Long lenses can finally be slung with comfort. Plus, access to your camera is quick and easy – with no straps fastened to the top of the camera dangling in your way. Everything about the R-Strap feels right.
The strap is secured to the camera by a mounting stud that attaches to the tripod mount of your lens collar or camera. It will handle a full-size DSLR and a 70-200 f/2.8 from the collar just fine. It’s been tested by the Black Rapid folks up to 200lbs.
The strap also contains a zippered pocket for storing small items like memory cards. The current version of the R-Strap, the RS-4, is available to order directly from Black Rapid for $48. A new version with more storage should be coming very soon.
Get a quick overview from R-Strap inventor Ron Henry in the video below.
New version with extra storage:
March 8th, 2009 at 7:20 am
I have the rapid strap for about 2 months already and abosolutely love it!
Consider it only $49, it’s a must have accessories for those who carry around their camera a lot, especially for those who has some extra “stored energy” in the front that make the usual strap unconfortable to use ;))
March 8th, 2009 at 10:57 am
I have it also & really like it. The only thing that i dont like about it is that my camera doesnt sit flat anymore. But it looks, from the pictures, that the connector to the bottom of the camera is different than the one i got. Makes me slightly jealous….
March 8th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
This is indeed the best camera strap I’ve every tried.
Just like you, I really hate the normal straps that come with the camera and I’ve never used them. I’ve currently got a second Rapidstrap on order for carrying two camera’s on an assignment. Tried it recently with a friends Rapidstrap and that works fine!
March 9th, 2009 at 5:44 am
Picked one up at PMA. Works great! It was definitely worth the trip.
March 9th, 2009 at 11:14 am
Very cool. Thanks for the info!
March 11th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Hey! I just ordered one. I hope it works for me as well as it is shown in that impressive vid! I carry a second body around with me at weddings and having two camera neck straps that are the same can get a bit of a nuisance. This looks slick as a$$.
March 12th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
This strap looks to be a great idea. I use a Canon 40D with Canon battery grip, and wonder if the tripod adaptor socket on the grip is strong enough to support the weight of camera, grip and a zoom lens.
Does anyone have info on this?
March 13th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
It’s a new version of the R-Strap ? because it’s look different than the RS-4
March 14th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
What about cameras where attaching it through the tripod socket disables the autofocus and/or stabilization?
March 17th, 2009 at 3:08 am
@Bill I don’t know your camera but with Nikon the tripod socket does not disable the autofocus or stabilization. I think your camera is very special !
March 18th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
i really hope black rapid either offers the new connector and mounting hardware to current owners free or at a discount
March 31st, 2009 at 5:21 pm
I just saw some information on your camera strap and it looks very interesting. How does it work if you have L Plates on the camera? Will that not interfer with mounting on the tripod?????
July 26th, 2009 at 12:36 am
That’s one of the design flaws I see with this system, if you screw the lug into the camera, you can not have a QR plate installed. Great if you like changing them out, or if you don’t use a tripod. My camera is on and off the tripod a lot, so that’s just not going to work for me.
July 26th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
I like
I want.
Anybody know if they’re on sale in Europe anywhere?
Regarding the QR tripod plate, from what I can see you can just clip the strap to the D-Ring used to attach the plate to the camera.
July 27th, 2009 at 7:39 am
@ Doug, you can buy online at http://www.blackrapid.com/dealers
or ofline http://www.calumetphoto.com/locations