Have you ever wondered why the humble camera strap is the way it is?

Black Rapid RS-5 camera strap

Landscape photography was not so bad. I’d put my kit in a photographer’s rucksack, the weight was evenly distributed, and those hills stayed still long enough for me to get my gear out and set up without missing the shot.

But photography while sightseeing, or walking about an urban environment didn’t work so well. My manufacturer-supplied camera strap would pull on my neck and back if used in the traditional position (which also left the view screen banging onto coat fasteners – and led to a scratched screen), or if I slung it ‘bandolier-style’ across my body, that left the lens sticking out from my hip for passers-by to jostle.

Presumably Ron Henry, the founder of Black Rapid and an experienced music and wedding photographer had the same problems, because he invented a range of camera straps to make carrying cameras more comfortable and easier and quicker to handle.

Pay money for a camera strap? My camera came with one included!

Black Rapid FastenR connected

The Black Rapid RS-5 is well made, with strong stitching, a padded area and a breathable mesh underside where the weight rests on your shoulder. It attaches to your camera using the tripod mount, using Rapid’s FastenR (a connector made from solid stainless steel, with a D-ring and a high-grade rubber compression washer that ensures a good, tight fit). One advantage of this is that if you have a large lens with a tripod mount, you can attach the strap to that, helping the balance when you carry it. The length of the strap is adjustable, so you can get your camera hanging in a convenient position so that your hand falls on the camera grip. When you grip your camera and move it up to eye level, the connector slides up the strap, ensuring it doesn’t ride up. The strap also has useful pockets big enough for a battery, memory card and mobile ‘phone.

I’ve taken my Black Rapid RS-5 strap on a few trips, where I knew that I didn’t want to carry a hefty camera bag around, and wanted quick access to my camera for street photography. Five days in Paris was great, and I got plenty of shots that I’d have missed if my camera was in a bag, and had no difficulties with the weight of the camera. I also felt more comfortable with the way the camera rests by your side, with the lens perpendicular to your body – no more jostling against passers-by or worries about banging the lens.

Conclusion

It seems ridiculous that I spent a small fortune on camera bodies and lenses, yet all this time a $65 camera strap could have made using them much more comfortable and convenient. My Canon strap is now at the back of a drawer, never to see the light of day again. Highly recommended.

Here’s a video that shows the ergonomics of the strap.

The Panasonic Lumix GF1 is available from Amazon.com in the following configurations:-

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 with 20mm f/1.7 Aspherical Lens

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 with 14-45mm Lens

“Do you want a compact 12mp system that almost rivals a 5D, fits in your pocket and produces knockout results? A landscape camera capable of truly remarkable images, with RAW output that will literally make you double take? A hiking companion without compromise? Bridging the gap at last, the GF-1 has me spellbound.”

Read about his experience in his article Panasonic GF-1 Review in the Landscape.

If you are interested in how David manages to achieve such an impressive depth of focus on this camera, read the comments below the article, where he explains how to focus the lens hyperfocally when you have no lens markings.

Reviews

Click links for full reviews.

DPReview – Highly Recommended

“with the excellent low-profile 20mm F1.7 lens attached the GF1 becomes a sublime thing that (if you can live without a zoom) genuinely fills the yawning gap twixt the worlds of compact cameras and SLRs. It’s fast, fun, capable of stunning results in raw mode (and competitive results in JPEG mode), offers decent HD movie capture, and has enough features to satisfy even the most enthusiastic tweaker.”

The Luminous Landscape

“In the final analysis what we come down to is that the GF1 is likely the best of breed at the moment, but not a panacea for someone looking for a semi-pocketable large sensor camera.”

Camera Labs – 85%

“So our review of the fourth Micro Four Thirds body is another glowing one, and in many respects the GF1 is the best model yet. It’s a lot less physically compelling when fitted with the 14-45mm zoom, but mount the 20mm and you’ll have one of the most satisfying combinations we’ve used for a long time – and one which easily comes Highly Recommended. Of course, fit this lens on the E-P1 instead and you’ll enjoy the benefit of stabilisation too – but as we said a moment ago, regardless of how many times we cover the pros and cons, you’ll already have your favourite body and are unlikely to be swayed.”

Imaging Resource

“Overall, the Panasonic GF1 is an extremely good camera for such a small package, recording impressive detail thanks to its quality sensor, image processor, and fine optics.”

MacWorld – 4 out of 5

“The DMC-GF1 provides a very satisfying shooting experience. Responsive and easy to work with, the camera has a sound and feel that is very similar to a 35mm rangefinder camera.”

ByThom compares the GF1 to the Olympus E-P1, particularly with respect to jpeg quality, and scores it 3/5.

Software Support

The GF1 RAW file format is recognised by Adobe Camera Raw and Apple’s Aperture version 3.

Eye-Fi Support

I was interested in whether the Eye-Fi range of cards would work on the GF1, as it could provide an easy way to geotag. I asked the following in the Eye-Fi forums:-

Panasonic Lumix GF1 + EyeFi Geo + Aperture 3?

I’m wondering if this combination would work?

I think the tricky thing would be that I use RAW format instead of jpeg. What would happen to the geotagging information?

Maybe if the GF1 can shoot RAW+jpeg, the geo data would be embedded in the jpeg, and I could marry the info up with the RAW in Aperture?

The Eye-Fi guys replied:-

The Geo card does not transfer RAW images only the Pro Cards can do that, and only JPGs can be geo-tagged by the Eye-Fi Cards.

So to answer your question if you used a Pro Card with your Lumix and shoot in RAW+Jpeg you can then use the geo-data from the Jpegs to add it into the RAW files using Aperture. Also please keep in mind that the Eye-Fi Cards do not import directly into Aperture, only to a folder on the Mac (or into iPhoto) so you will have to import them yourself.

Since I have an iPhone, I decided to use that to geoteg my photos within Aperture 3.