Check your Straps!

jdryan3jdryan3 Registered Users Posts: 1,353 Major grins
edited July 9, 2007 in Cameras
So I spent the morning shooting the local July 4th parade. Went with my son to my parents for a visit and was standing there (not bent over) as he was climbing into the back seat of the car.

And my 5D with 24-70 attached, hanging from my shoulder, went crashing to the asphalt! :bash Oh, the sound that came from my mouth! :yikes
As I felt it going I grabbed the strap as it slipped away, but it was too late. Lens cover popped off, as did the reversed hood. 5D scratched on the corner by the left dial, hood scratched, lens barrel scratched, and the lens rim/filter holder bent. Lens glass? Seems OK. All systems go on the body and the lens focuses. Took some test shots and onboard review seems alright. Lens cover is a little snug and I do need to review again on my PC for accuracy, but...
:whew

What happened? :scratch My strap came undone completely. :huh I use the LowePro strap, and have for several years. This strap has been on this body for 1.5 years. Threaded thru the body eyehook, into the rubber grommet, and again up thru the buckle. The other end hasn't budged.

Lesson learned? Canon makes tuff stuff and always check straps as if I was rappelling from them. Oh, and for those who care, no UV filter on the front of the lens.
"Don't ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to. Oh well."
-Fleetwood Mac

Comments

  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,131 moderator
    edited July 4, 2007
    That could have been much worse, but it sounds like it was bad enough as it was.

    Did the buckle become undone/unbuckled?
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • jdryan3jdryan3 Registered Users Posts: 1,353 Major grins
    edited July 4, 2007
    ziggy53 wrote:
    That could have been much worse, but it sounds like it was bad enough as it was.

    Did the buckle become undone/unbuckled?

    The strap did not break. It is your typical strap buckle where there is a cleat that bites in on the strap material at the entry point and the exit. It is as if all tension went out and it backfed itself. Just weird.
    "Don't ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to. Oh well."
    -Fleetwood Mac
  • Art ScottArt Scott Registered Users Posts: 8,959 Major grins
    edited July 4, 2007
    I have had almost the same accident and now every strap I own has a dog chain snap on it now....not the type with the little pull down clip but the spring clip that you have to push against to get the ring thru it...Oh also i add a larger key ring type ring to the camera for easier attachment. Sometimes it looks funky if I can't get the smaller size of dog snaps but safety of camera is more important than looks to me.......
    "Genuine Fractals was, is and will always be the best solution for enlarging digital photos." ....Vincent Versace ... ... COPYRIGHT YOUR WORK ONLINE ... ... My Website

  • Glenn NKGlenn NK Registered Users Posts: 268 Major grins
    edited July 5, 2007
    jdryan3 wrote:
    So I spent the morning shooting the local July 4th parade. Went with my son to my parents for a visit and was standing there (not bent over) as he was climbing into the back seat of the car.

    And my 5D with 24-70 attached, hanging from my shoulder, went crashing to the asphalt! :bash Oh, the sound that came from my mouth! :yikes
    As I felt it going I grabbed the strap as it slipped away, but it was too late. Lens cover popped off, as did the reversed hood. 5D scratched on the corner by the left dial, hood scratched, lens barrel scratched, and the lens rim/filter holder bent. Lens glass? Seems OK. All systems go on the body and the lens focuses. Took some test shots and onboard review seems alright. Lens cover is a little snug and I do need to review again on my PC for accuracy, but...
    :whew

    What happened? headscratch.gif My strap came undone completely. eek7.gif I use the LowePro strap, and have for several years. This strap has been on this body for 1.5 years. Threaded thru the body eyehook, into the rubber grommet, and again up thru the buckle. The other end hasn't budged.

    Lesson learned? Canon makes tuff stuff and always check straps as if I was rappelling from them. Oh, and for those who care, no UV filter on the front of the lens.

    Sorry to hear of your accident, and I hope the damage is limited to the mark on the body.

    I have been thinking of getting one of those quick release plastic buckle equipped neck straps, but always wondered how safe they were. In fact early this week, I was in my dealer looking at the Lowepro straps!

    Several people on another forum kept saying that they've used them for years - even with big zooms, but I had this feeling that they could fail.

    Your misfortune has convinced me that they are not 100% safe - maybe 99.99%, but still not enough for me.

    Then Art Scott's comments cemented it for me - I'd like a swivel snap, and wondered what to do, but the mention of the dog snaps rang the bell - that's where I'm headed.

    Grateful to both of you, but would rather that you didn't have the misfortune.
    "There is nothing that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and he who considers price only is that man’s lawful prey". John Ruskin 1819 - 1900
  • jdryan3jdryan3 Registered Users Posts: 1,353 Major grins
    edited July 5, 2007
    Glenn NK wrote:
    I have been thinking of getting one of those quick release plastic buckle equipped neck straps, but always wondered how safe they were. In fact early this week, I was in my dealer looking at the Lowepro straps!

    Several people on another forum kept saying that they've used them for years - even with big zooms, but I had this feeling that they could fail.

    Your misfortune has convinced me that they are not 100% safe - maybe 99.99%, but still not enough for me.

    Actually, mine is not the currently available plastic quick release. It is the older metal 'dog leash' snap that Art refers to. And that did not fail - the web strap unthreaded itself. I am thinking that I will melt the end of the strap so it can't physically go back thru the cleat, or have my local shoe repair guy run a stitch thru the two. He has done that kind of work for me in the past at a really nominal price (like $3). And he does it while I wait.
    "Don't ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to. Oh well."
    -Fleetwood Mac
  • claudermilkclaudermilk Registered Users Posts: 2,756 Major grins
    edited July 5, 2007
    That sucks; I always hate to hear of these misfortunes--though usually the gear pulls through.

    I use the Op/Tech Pro Loop strap, and this is part of why. It's a permantly-sewn loop that is looped through itself on the camera. There is no possibility of anything threaded through a buckle backing out.
    Chris
    http://www.chrislaudermilkphoto.com/
  • UP N MTNSUP N MTNS Registered Users Posts: 94 Big grins
    edited July 5, 2007
    Sorry to hear about your accident, but glad your stuff still works fine.. Scratches add character:D


    I've always sewn the strap back onto it's self after it passes through the buckle....No way of coming loose and if I do want to remove the strap it just takes a second with my pocket knife to cut the stiching....
    Tug at a single thing in nature, and you will find it connected to the universe.
    John Muir
  • VizhonVizhon Registered Users Posts: 38 Big grins
    edited July 5, 2007
    Last time my S5Pro took a spill it was onto asphalt from about 3 feet. Scuffed up the battery grip and my lens cap but otherwise did not do anything noticible - didn't even knock the lens cap off. No strap failure in my case, but user error.

    I can't say I've ever had a strap fail on anything. If a strap's buckle has no teeth on the center post in it, I will tack or tie the endpiece off to keep it from slipping, and if the center post in the buckle has serration/teeth on it I just feed the end piece under the other pass of the strap in the buckle instead of over, and once snugged down that strap is so not moving in the buckle that it adds to the time it takes to remove the camera strap. I also use a dog chain clip too, but I only use it at one end of the strap, for easy unfastenning to feed the camera into a weather sleeve or looping the strap through something to secure it.
  • Manfr3dManfr3d Registered Users Posts: 2,008 Major grins
    edited July 5, 2007
    jdryan3 wrote:
    So I spent the morning shooting the local July 4th parade. Went with my son to my parents for a visit and was standing there (not bent over) as he was climbing into the back seat of the car.

    And my 5D with 24-70 attached, hanging from my shoulder, went crashing to the asphalt! :bash Oh, the sound that came from my mouth! :yikes
    As I felt it going I grabbed the strap as it slipped away, but it was too late. Lens cover popped off, as did the reversed hood. 5D scratched on the corner by the left dial, hood scratched, lens barrel scratched, and the lens rim/filter holder bent. Lens glass? Seems OK. All systems go on the body and the lens focuses. Took some test shots and onboard review seems alright. Lens cover is a little snug and I do need to review again on my PC for accuracy, but...
    :whew

    What happened? headscratch.gif My strap came undone completely. eek7.gif I use the LowePro strap, and have for several years. This strap has been on this body for 1.5 years. Threaded thru the body eyehook, into the rubber grommet, and again up thru the buckle. The other end hasn't budged.

    Lesson learned? Canon makes tuff stuff and always check straps as if I was rappelling from them. Oh, and for those who care, no UV filter on the front of the lens.

    Ouch, that is horribe!

    Now that you said it I noticed my TamRac neck strap is spiceing
    up too - at the metal joints on the camera. The Canon ones may
    be tougher but they are awful to wear with a heavy camera.
    “To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk.”
    ― Edward Weston
  • sirsloopsirsloop Registered Users Posts: 866 Major grins
    edited July 5, 2007
    I have nightmares about those plastic buckles on my canon-pro strap failing... rolleyes1.gif
    http://www.tallmanphoto.com
  • wyndhamwyndham Registered Users Posts: 61 Big grins
    edited July 5, 2007
    I've been using a strap with metal dog-clip swivels that sit about four inches from where the more conventional part attaches to the body on my 20D for a couple of years. The webbing part seems to be quite secure (although I check it often) but you need to be careful that they don't damage the camera or lens when they're packed in a case. Not serious damage but scratches and the like.

    Glad your 5D survived...
    www.wyndhamhollis.com
  • BriggieBriggie Registered Users Posts: 303 Major grins
    edited July 5, 2007
    Poltergeist activity, maybe :D?? glad to hear your gear survived!

    B
    "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away..."

    My Smug Gallery
  • DianneDianne Registered Users Posts: 29 Big grins
    edited July 9, 2007
    Check your Straps!
    Ouch! I just finished posting in another thread about this same subject. I advised a new D200 owner to get a "good" strap for her new camera.

    I replaced the Nikon neck straps (and another well-known brand) after one worked itself loose and the camera rolled down the steps of an airplane onto the tarmac. The filter on the front of the lens was busted all to heck, but the camera and lens survived. Now I only use Op/Tech USA straps -- one less thing to worry about. They have straps for all uses and tastes (and hand grips):

    http://optechusa.com/category/second/?CATEGORY_ID=4

    This is the particular strap I like:
    http://optechusa.com/product/detail/...PRODUCT_SUB_ID=

    Comfort + security!
    Dianne


    jdryan3 wrote:
    So I spent the morning shooting the local July 4th parade. Went with my son to my parents for a visit and was standing there (not bent over) as he was climbing into the back seat of the car.

    And my 5D with 24-70 attached, hanging from my shoulder, went crashing to the asphalt! :bash Oh, the sound that came from my mouth! :yikes
    As I felt it going I grabbed the strap as it slipped away, but it was too late. Lens cover popped off, as did the reversed hood. 5D scratched on the corner by the left dial, hood scratched, lens barrel scratched, and the lens rim/filter holder bent. Lens glass? Seems OK. All systems go on the body and the lens focuses. Took some test shots and onboard review seems alright. Lens cover is a little snug and I do need to review again on my PC for accuracy, but...
    :whew

    What happened? headscratch.gif My strap came undone completely. eek7.gif I use the LowePro strap, and have for several years. This strap has been on this body for 1.5 years. Threaded thru the body eyehook, into the rubber grommet, and again up thru the buckle. The other end hasn't budged.

    Lesson learned? Canon makes tuff stuff and always check straps as if I was rappelling from them. Oh, and for those who care, no UV filter on the front of the lens.
    Dianne
    http://www.djea.smugmug.com
  • mpmcleodmpmcleod Registered Users Posts: 288 Major grins
    edited July 9, 2007
    Dianne wrote:
    This is the particular strap I like:
    http://optechusa.com/product/detail/...PRODUCT_SUB_ID=

    Comfort + security!
    Dianne
    That is the one I use. Of course it only works when it is around your neck...
    http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=35150
    http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=65872

    Glad your drop had a better outcome than mine.
    -- Mike

    smugmug nickname: mpmcleod
    http://www.michaelmcleod.com/
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