Camera hanging techniques

wiedo said:
Wow what a amazing set of fast responses you guys.. amazing community 😀

The Y-strap is a great idea.. And that Stephen is a funny guy.. i would almost buy it because of him 😀.

This brings me to the idea to just buy two (small) keychain rings, attach them to my Leica CL, so it could slide over my (no too thick) nylon strap. The Y-strap is a little bit too thick for me, i like a smaller band (ofcourse you will need this thickness for a heaver camera). So i will have my own mini-Y-strap 😎.

I never wear my camera just on a shoulder, i'm just not feeling free enough and continuously worried about my camera.

@ruby.monkey that's also how i wear my cam.. you are a daredevil (cam+water) 😱.

@denmark.yuzon your link isn't working (not allowed to see the picture on facebook)
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I almost always carry at least three bodies on the street and so carry at least two cameras hanging off my shoulders. The trick is to have Velcro on the camera straps that mates with Velcro on the epaulettes of my photovest, giving me positive, non-slip attacments for the cameras. They are still easy to get off a shoulder, but secure enough that I never worry about them slipping off, even if one end of the strap detaches from the camera body.
 
radi(c)al_cam said:
😕
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Im sorry, its just like the pic above, only, i wear it in front instead of dangling at the back.. and the length of the strap is about right when i put my hands on it ready to put it up in front of my face..

EDIT:

here.

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jarski said:
its perfectly fine to look like a tourist. people in general tolerate your camera better, when they think you come from far-away-land 😉
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True. If they notice at all. Which most don't.

Cheers,

R. (40+ years with my camera around my neck, usually 1, sometimes 2, and only 3 when I'm working for whoever I'm photographing).

Cheers,

R.
 
1) Poor Man's wrist strap: When actively shooting, hang the camera over wrist to create a loop on the other side, camera through that loop to create a sort of 'cradle knot.' Can be held easily in the hand (with less pressure, especially with a grip in front, because you're not worried about dropping it), when you need that hand free, you can drop the camera safely. Disadvantages: not comfortable with heavy cameras, your free hand is not so very free (there's a camera hanging off it), and depending on the strap, not easy to take off and e.g. hand to someone else (which only happens with my wife).
2) Pocket and cradle in hand. Only works with smaller cameras.
3) Shoulder and over the neck as per pictures above. Disadvantage: not always so easy to get up to eye level, depends on strap.
4) One shoulder, no neck. Prone to falling off and breaking your lens. Works well under a light jacket or a loose unbuttoned shirt (with added advantage of being mostly invisible when not at eye level).

I find I prefer either the wrist loop or one shoulder when wearing a jacket or loose shirt. Well, I prefer the pocket/one-hander, but not so many cameras are comfortable this way - a CL or a Zorki 3 is about the biggest I find works.
 
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wiedo said:
So what's you technique?
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It looks like you already made your solution! Nevertheless...

If I'm wearing a coat or an open jumper I'll hang it over one shoulder, underneath. That way, when it slips off my shirt, it gets caught on my upper arm and I can place it back on my shoulder again. The advantages are actually manyfold: No one can actually see that I have a camera until I pull it up to take a photo, the camera gets protected from moisture and hard bumps, it doesn't get in the way of doing other things and it's quick to grab and shoot.

The disadvantages are that you have to often pull the camera strap back up onto your shoulder, the offset weight on your upper torso causes pressure and muscle aches and the front of your lenses will get abrasions by coming into contact with the inside of your coat.

There is also the somewhat pricey SpiderHolster belt clip system but that looks a bit western to me. If I used one I would still have a wrist strap attached to my rangefinder camera.
 
I second Armoured's suggestion #1: There's probably no faster way to get your camera ready to shoot. I think, sailors would call this way of fastening a ring hitch.

This carrying technique also allows me to adjust the strap length to the lug next to the shutter release button. In this way, I can hold the camera in portrait orientation hanging down from my wrist in such a way that my index finger is directly over the shutter while the remaining fingers plus thumb hold the camera. The strap then stabilizes and secures the camera in vertical orientation.

This is very handy for Ignore Your Viewfinder shooting ('from the hip') for stealth pictures. Nobody will even notice you are taking pictures. With a little practice, this works well with 28mm or 35mm wideangle lenses.
 
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Many great posts here. I once looked at the Y strap, but I am not convinced using it on my M5. Then, I followed the Gordy link...HE has his version with is MUCH better designed with a few different type of connectors... The String or Tripod type will work with the M5 "special design" lugs 🙂

Although I did email him about the "Split-Ring" working or not for the M5 lugs.

No, back to the original Q.
I carry my camera around my neck, resting on my ample belly 🙄
I, hover my right hand with my thumb over the shutter ready to take an image at waist level, sometimes I actually raise the camera to my eye (left of course), I think I may like the idea of using the sling type also.

@wiedo: What camera is in your post. The lugs look like M5 style.
 
I never hang a camera from my shoulder crossed. If one camera, one shoulder, if two, two shoulders, if three, the lighter one from my neck. That when I can be seen with cameras...

If a camera isn't hanging from my neck, it's not easy to take it up and shoot real fast, but if it's hanging from my neck all the time before getting into the scene, people are worried about my shooting, so most of the times I end up with the camera hidden, hanging from my shoulder behind my arm, and in the last moment I take it up without placing the strap around my neck: it just slips down my arm, so the strap hangs with no use while shooting. I use very thin black straps: they are less notorious than brown leather ones before and while shooting. And black cameras because silver, as light, attracts eyes, Wrist straps tend to make you show a busy hand... The best option could be the camera alone inside a pocket or small bag, but I tend to feel I'd drop the camera easily... With the strap hanging in the air I feel I could catch it in the air if I drop my camera... It's never happened to me, but I've feared it always. Even knowing I could buy again exactly the same camera, I suffer with that vision...

Cheers,

Juan
 
I wear a lot of black clothing. If I have say a black t-shirt on I can have My cam on the shoulder behind my hip. It does not look like I have a cam. I am able to swing it up when I want to. Very inconspicuous. The Y strap would work this way as well.
 
Mostly on a Y-strap or the LeicaGoodies equivalent. Sometimes a wrist strap, but only when I'm able to put it down or into a bag at will. Once I used 2 cameras, one with each: wrist strap with 28mm in my right hand, cross strap with 50mm on my left hip. When I needed to use the 50mm, I brought it up to eye level with my left hand, and dropped the camera with the 28mm to dangle from my right wrist. Worked fine as long as I didn't pivot rapidly and set the dangling camera to swingng wildly... 🙂

::Ari
 
Ah, ring hitch, thanks

Ah, ring hitch, thanks

Arjay said:
I second Armoured's suggestion #1: There's probably no faster way to get your camera ready to shoot. I think, sailors would call this way of fastening a ring hitch.
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Thanks, I was wondering what that knot was called (and thanks in particular for understanding my poor description of it).
 
Kevin said:
It looks like you already made your solution! Nevertheless...

If I'm wearing a coat or an open jumper I'll hang it over one shoulder, underneath. That way, when it slips off my shirt, it gets caught on my upper arm and I can place it back on my shoulder again.
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My solution doesn't have to be final, it was an easy option to try (had two keyrings at home). Your suggestion is great too, but you need to have a coat on and doesn't work in the summer. But it can be a great winter/autumn style 😀.

@DNG it's a leica CL, and it has the vertical lugstyle. That's why the y-strap wasn't enought for me.. wanted to use both lugs.
 
Just a late thought. Back-in-the-day (read: in more formal times)
I had color matching buttons sewn onto the right shoulder
seams of mu jackets to 'catch' the camera strap. (small button)

Worried about the one-lug problem with the Y strap or equiv., try this DIY solution.
 

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Most of the time I hold my camera in my right hand, with the strap wrap around my wrist, I have a grip on the camera which makes hand holding comfortable. But when I need my hand, I hang the camera on my shoulder. bob
 
Y-Strap is really a great strap to get quick access to the camera while it frees up both hands when the camera is not needed. Y-Strap allows me to DE-HUNCH my shoulder to prevent the camera from sliding down my shoulder.

I tried so many straps it's almost embarasing: Domke gripper (I tried various width), Up Strap, Op-Tech, Y-Strap.
I even removed Y-Strap last week and went back to using Up Strap for a week, but for ease of use (freeing both hands) and quick access to camera Y-Strap is way ahead.

The only quirk with Y-Strap is that when the flash is mounted on the camera, due to the extra weight of the flash that makes the camera top heavy the Y-Strap will hang the camera awkwardly in this case.

As far as the strength of Y-Strap and its split ring, I tested it for a month to carry Canon 1dMarkIII and it passed the test. The only reason I took it off my 1dMarkIII is due to the weight of the flash since Canon is my work camera and I often have to mount on camera flash and I just hated the way Y-Strap hangs the camera with the flash mounted....super awkward.

-d
 
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Looking touristy is the best ! No one notices you, especially if you're snapping with a small Leica next to some beefy looking SLRs 😀
I usually shove it in my coat pocket and walk around looking casual, now there are a few months a year where that looks more suspicious than usual, fortunately I live in a pretty cold place 🙂
 
button

button

newspaperguy said:
Just a late thought. Back-in-the-day (read: in more formal times)
I had color matching buttons sewn onto the right shoulder
seams of mu jackets to 'catch' the camera strap. (small button)

Worried about the one-lug problem with the Y strap or equiv., try this DIY solution.
Click to expand...
thanks i will use the button,hope you havent patented it😀
 
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