Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/11/19

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: Re: [Leica] Strapless survey?????
From: Mike Quinn <mlquinn@san.rr.com>
Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2001 03:14:12 -0800

Duane,
Good points and a fair question..

My usual kit these days is 2-3 bodies and 4-6 lenses (they keep increasing
and I periodically prune the numbers down again).

I carry a strap, but use it only when I (think I) need more bodies than I
can access quickly from my bag. That's maybe 5% of the time.

It IS easier to change film and lenses with a strap to help hold the camera,
but it's balanced by the fact that pendulums hanging around the neck
(bodies, bags etc.) tend to attract attention, get in the way, hit each
other, and swing into doorways etc.

I was using a strap the only time I had a nasty fall. I ended up wedged in a
crevasse upside down. The camera on the strap managed to swing into just
about everything (including my head) multiple times on the way down. The
stuff in the bag was unharmed - except for one lens that came out during the
fall and landed on a granite slab about 30 feet below me.

Straps limit how you can hold the camera and are particularly menacing when
the camera is NOT around your neck. They get tangled up in the bag, snag
other things and flip them out of the bag, get in front of the lens, and sit
on tables waiting for someone to pull the camera and lens onto the floor.

So...  I vote for strapless whenever possible.

Mike Quinn

Duane Birkey wrote:

> UH.... How many bodies do you shoot with????
> 
> I normally shoot with at least two bodies, sometimes 3 with different lenses
> and or film so I don't have to change lenses as often.... having straps
> makes it easier to shoot and faster too in my opinion as I don't have to
> stick my hand in the bag to get it out and I don't have to put one away...
> (and if you have a strap, you can also put the camera in the bag on the
> floor without bending over)
> 
> More importantly, it would seem to be a whole lot easier to change film and
> lenses with the body on a strap....  and if you start to fall..... You don't
> want a camera in your hand...

- --
To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html