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How I dropped my new Canon 5D MarkIII and wont do it again

bobbykbobbyk Registered Users Posts: 45 Big grins
edited December 4, 2012 in Accessories
About a couple weeks after I bought this great camera I dropped it. Oh and I also had a new Tamrom 24-70 f2.8 VC lens on it. The camera still worked but had a big ding on it.


ding-closeup.jpg

The lens Auto focus got messed up and had to be repaired. A hood saved the glass.

How did I drop it and how I wont do it again can be found in detail on my blog here.

But essentially is was operator error. I used an arca plate on the camera with no safety stops.... I have them now.

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    ZerodogZerodog Registered Users Posts: 1,480 Major grins
    edited November 30, 2012
    You need this! Looking at your setup you have many points of possible failure. Here is my setup with a kirk camera plate. All 3 of my bodies are setup this way.
    IMG_1563-L.jpg
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    bobbykbobbyk Registered Users Posts: 45 Big grins
    edited November 30, 2012
    Store bought or homemade?
    Zerodog wrote: »
    You need this! Looking at your setup you have many points of possible failure. Here is my setup with a kirk camera plate. All 3 of my bodies are setup this way.
    IMG_1563-L.jpg

    So did you make and sew these on your own? I am guessing yes as the kirk plate side is permanent. Also when you put the camera on a tripod do you undo the loop from the BR strap or do you leave the strap dangling. This looks like a good setup.
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    ZerodogZerodog Registered Users Posts: 1,480 Major grins
    edited November 30, 2012
    It is 1/2 tubular climbing webbing bar tacked at a local outdoor place. You could probably hang a Volkswagen from it. I use the black rapid clip thing and I use 1" tubular climbing webbing. I find it is much more comfortable for me than the BR strap. The pad on the BR always ended up in the wrong place and was a pain. This stuff is soft and packs into bags easy.

    No I do not need to unclip strap to attach to tripod. And when using a gorillapod I use the strap as a safety leash. I also use the BR coupleR straps to make a double strap for when I need to use 2 bodies.

    I feel I could swing my D3s in circles over my head with my 70-200 mounted and feel good about it with this setup. Nothing to come unscrewed. Nothing to slip. It is rock solid.
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    lifeinfocuslifeinfocus Registered Users Posts: 1,461 Major grins
    edited November 30, 2012
    Zerodog wrote: »
    It is 1/2 tubular climbing webbing bar tacked at a local outdoor place.

    So, that is in addition to the Kirk plate?

    The Kirk plate on your D3s is "http://www.kirkphoto.com/Camera_Plate_for_Nikon_D3s.html or the L Bracket http://www.kirkphoto.com/L-Bracket_For_Nikon_D3s.html?

    I have a tripod plate on the bottom of my D700 from another manufacturer that takes up too much space on the bottom of the camera and because it screws on it is often in the way. This is why I am asking.

    Thanks
    Phil
    http://www.PhilsImaging.com
    "You don't take a photograph, you make it." ~Ansel Adams
    Phil
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    ZerodogZerodog Registered Users Posts: 1,480 Major grins
    edited December 1, 2012
    The d3s has an L bracket. The 300s & 700 just have Kirk camera plates. All of the Kirk plates have a little place for a strap machined right into it. The mounting screw is recessed into the plate.

    The L bracket is cool because it doubles as a roll cage!
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    lifeinfocuslifeinfocus Registered Users Posts: 1,461 Major grins
    edited December 1, 2012
    Zerodog wrote: »
    The d3s has an L bracket. The 300s & 700 just have Kirk camera plates. All of the Kirk plates have a little place for a strap machined right into it. The mounting screw is recessed into the plate.

    The L bracket is cool because it doubles as a roll cage!

    Thank you. One more Christmas Photo wishlist item. Gotta finish that list soon!

    Phil
    http://www.PhilsImaging.com
    "You don't take a photograph, you make it." ~Ansel Adams
    Phil
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    bobbykbobbyk Registered Users Posts: 45 Big grins
    edited December 1, 2012
    Zerodog wrote: »
    It is 1/2 tubular climbing webbing bar tacked at a local outdoor place. You could probably hang a Volkswagen from it. I use the black rapid clip thing and I use 1" tubular climbing webbing. I find it is much more comfortable for me than the BR strap. The pad on the BR always ended up in the wrong place and was a pain. This stuff is soft and packs into bags easy.

    No I do not need to unclip strap to attach to tripod. And when using a gorillapod I use the strap as a safety leash. I also use the BR coupleR straps to make a double strap for when I need to use 2 bodies.

    I feel I could swing my D3s in circles over my head with my 70-200 mounted and feel good about it with this setup. Nothing to come unscrewed. Nothing to slip. It is rock solid.

    I thought your solution was brilliant. After a quick stop at REI and some stiching....not as good as yours... and done. This is much better and eliminates one of the fault points.

    I am keeping the whole BR strap with the little pocket. I always have a batter, a couple cards, and a rain cover (aka plastic bag) in it ready to go. It gets a lot of use. It does slip regularly out of position I will have to think about a fix to that.

    So thanks for sharing your idea.
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    Matthew SavilleMatthew Saville Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,352 Major grins
    edited December 2, 2012
    I like your solution, but personally I'm in love with the Spider holster system. I use an arca swiss plate system as well, but all I do is screw the Spider holster knob into one of the screw ports on the plate, so I have easy access to both tripod use and hip holstering.

    (Can't stand neck straps...)

    =Matt=
    “My first thought is always of light.” – Galen Rowell
    My SmugMug Portfolio • My Astro-Landscape Photo Blog • Dgrin Weddings Forum
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    bobbykbobbyk Registered Users Posts: 45 Big grins
    edited December 2, 2012
    Matthew Saville wrote: »
    I like your solution, but personally I'm in love with the Spider holster system. I use an arca swiss plate system as well, but all I do is screw the Spider holster knob into one of the screw ports on the plate, so I have easy access to both tripod use and hip holstering.

    (Can't stand neck straps...)

    =Matt=
    I am sure that works great. I tried the spider for a while but I could not stand something around my waist pulling my pants down..... So it's all a preference thing.
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    ZerodogZerodog Registered Users Posts: 1,480 Major grins
    edited December 3, 2012
    So glad this info helped you bobbyk! May your straps be secure!
    Yes Matt. I hate regular neck straps. But the diagonal slung strap doesn't bother my neck like a conventional strap. The spider thing is pretty cool, but I like to be able to drop my camera to my side and not think about a target. I think it would pull my pants off unless I wore suspenders. And I am a pretty skinny dude too.

    The moral of this whole story is finding or building a solution that makes sense for you and your shooting. Don't compromise for anything. This stuff is more important than it seems on the surface. If you are uncomfortable or your gear is not secure, you will eventually drop something.
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    Matthew SavilleMatthew Saville Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,352 Major grins
    edited December 4, 2012
    bobbyk wrote: »
    I am sure that works great. I tried the spider for a while but I could not stand something around my waist pulling my pants down..... So it's all a preference thing.
    Zerodog wrote: »
    Yes Matt. I hate regular neck straps. But the diagonal slung strap doesn't bother my neck like a conventional strap. The spider thing is pretty cool, but I like to be able to drop my camera to my side and not think about a target. I think it would pull my pants off unless I wore suspenders. And I am a pretty skinny dude too.

    I seem to do fine as far as the pants thing goes, I just wear perfect-fitting pants that don't require a belt, and then slap the Spider belt around my waist and everything is good to go. I have to re-adjust my pants and tuck in my shirt maybe twice throughout a whole entire wedding day, so it's not a huge deal.

    But, I do like to roll with smaller gear. I use a Nikon SB700 instead of an SB900. I use tiny little radio triggers insteadf of pocket wizards. I never shoot with vertical grips or battery packs. I use 70-200 f/2.8's and 24-70 f/2.8's, but that is about as heavy as I go and much of the time I try and just use primes.

    I agree that "sling" style straps do help to distribute weight much better than a regular neck strap, but I found that I crouch / lean far too much and my cameras were slamming into walls or the ground. (I frequently shoot with two cameras.) ALSO, I cannot live without my Undfind waist bag that goes on the Spider belt. Carrying a camera slung over your shoulder is bearable, but slinging a weighty camera bag over your OTHER shoulder is too much; things just start tangling and weighing me down.

    It takes a little extra concentration to lock the camera in the holster, but the rest of the time I'm so much more flexible without my cameras and bags flailing around like some carnival swing.

    Just my experience, for those who are interested or un-decided...
    =Matt=
    “My first thought is always of light.” – Galen Rowell
    My SmugMug Portfolio • My Astro-Landscape Photo Blog • Dgrin Weddings Forum
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