I was excited to try the new BlackRapid strap because the first few versions caught my attention and the new RS-5 has a lot of storage built in. After few photowalks, gigs and various photo-ops using the RS-5 strap I decided to go back to my regular Think Tank camera strap. This is not to say the RS-5 isn’t built well because it is. The strap is strong and very impressive. My major concern is with the FastenR-2 slowly loosening.
Pros
- Very padded for comfort
- A lot of storage
- Camera off to the side
- No neck stress or pain
- Extremely well built
Cons
- FastenR-2 slowly loosens
- The thickness of the strap causes big sweat stains when it’s hot out
- I get too nervous using the tripod mount to support all of the weight although I know it’s very strong
- With a pro lens (example: Nikon 24-70 f/2.8) the camera doesn’t hang upside down, it hangs with the lens down.
So as I stated above, the strap kicks butt, however it is not for me. I do recommend this for people who don’t mind my gripes with the strap. Give it a shot!
Leave a Reply