# BlackRapids RS-7 + Battery Grip



## MonteGraham (Oct 25, 2013)

BlackRapids RS-7 on 5DIII/70-200 2.8IS with or without battery grip? Pros and Cons?


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## neuroanatomist (Oct 25, 2013)

No cons... Just attach the strap lug to the tripod collar for good balance. Personally, I use Arca-Swiss plates (Wimberley/RRS) on bodies and lens colors, and a small Arca-type clamp (Kirk 1") attached to my Blackrapid straps, with a little Loctite on the lug threads.


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## MonteGraham (Oct 25, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> No cons... Just attach the strap lug to the tripod collar for good balance. Personally, I use Arca-Swiss plates (Wimberley/RRS) on bodies and lens colors, and a small Arca-type clamp (Kirk 1") attached to my Blackrapid straps, with a little Loctite on the lug threads.



Thanks. What about with 24-70mm or 50mm, 85mm prime??


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## neuroanatomist (Oct 25, 2013)

MonteGraham said:


> neuroanatomist said:
> 
> 
> > No cons... Just attach the strap lug to the tripod collar for good balance. Personally, I use Arca-Swiss plates (Wimberley/RRS) on bodies and lens colors, and a small Arca-type clamp (Kirk 1") attached to my Blackrapid straps, with a little Loctite on the lug threads.
> ...



Body plate or L-bracket, just move the clamp to the body...


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## Jim Saunders (Oct 26, 2013)

I went around on foot for a day with a gripped 5D2 and a 24-70 hanging from my Carryspeed FS-Pro; I'd do it again with the strap attached to a collared lens but for lenses without collars I'd leave the grip at home. The load path from the socket on the grip to the body doesn't fill me with confidence.

Jim


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## MonteGraham (Oct 26, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> MonteGraham said:
> 
> 
> > neuroanatomist said:
> ...



The OP is actually worded wrong as to what i want to know. Sorry for that. But what i want to know is with the BR attached to camera with grip when i shoot portrait orientation will the connection be "in the way"? I will be using a lens without tripod foot attached i.e. 24-70, 50mm, 85mm as well as 70-200mm with foot. How does it feel in hand? Is it comfortable?


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## elharo (Oct 26, 2013)

The con is that it breaks cameras. Black Rapid straps disconnect and drop cameras on the pavement. Not every time, not every trip, but if you use one frequently it's going to happen eventually. It may be more likely to happen with heavier lenses and cameras. 

It may well be that Canon cameras and lenses (likely other brands too) just aren't designed to be hung from the bottom like a Black Rapid, Carryspeed, or similar strap are designed to do. I've yet to find one that doesn't break and/or drop cameras. By contrast I've yet to see a strap attached to the strap eyelets at the top of the camera or side of a lens detach or break. The ergonomics aren't great, especially for larger lenses slung over a shoulder, but at least this doesn't break cameras.


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## neuroanatomist (Oct 26, 2013)

MonteGraham said:


> The OP is actually worded wrong as to what i want to know. Sorry for that. But what i want to know is with the BR attached to camera with grip when i shoot portrait orientation will the connection be "in the way"? I will be using a lens without tripod foot attached i.e. 24-70, 50mm, 85mm as well as 70-200mm with foot. How does it feel in hand? Is it comfortable?



Ahh, I see. The connection does get in the way, in that your palm can't rest flat on the bottom surface of the camera. If you use an L-bracket, you can attach the BR (via clamp) to the upright part of the L, then it's not in the way. 

Still, I attach it to the bottom and it's not bad. But I don't shoot constantly in portrait orientation...



elharo said:


> The con is that it breaks cameras. Black Rapid straps disconnect and drop cameras on the pavement. Not every time, not every trip, but if you use one frequently it's going to happen eventually. It may be more likely to happen with heavier lenses and cameras.



3+ years of use, hundreds of hours carrying gripped bodies with heavy lenses (70-200/2.8, 100-400, 28-300, 600 II), nothing broken. I've seen anecdotal reports of damage, and those seem mostly due to the lug becoming unscrewed during use, as the camera swings. I will say that when I screwed a lug in directly (either the FastenR-2 or -T1), I got in the habit of frequently checking the tightness – and a couple of times, I found it a bit loose. Left unchecked, that could have eventually resulted in a drop. There is no chance of that with my current solution, because the load is attached with Loctite, and the clamp will not come unscrewed on it's own (particularly because there is no torsional stress on it whatsoever).


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## Harv (Oct 26, 2013)

elharo said:


> The con is that it breaks cameras. Black Rapid straps disconnect and drop cameras on the pavement. Not every time, not every trip, but if you use one frequently it's going to happen eventually. It may be more likely to happen with heavier lenses and cameras.
> 
> It may well be that Canon cameras and lenses (likely other brands too) just aren't designed to be hung from the bottom like a Black Rapid, Carryspeed, or similar strap are designed to do. I've yet to find one that doesn't break and/or drop cameras. By contrast I've yet to see a strap attached to the strap eyelets at the top of the camera or side of a lens detach or break. The ergonomics aren't great, especially for larger lenses slung over a shoulder, but at least this doesn't break cameras.



What you are referring to is the original design which included a 'D-ring' style of attachment fitting that screwed to the camera body or lens. There were some reports of the fitting coming loose but once the issue became known, Black Rapid changed the design to a one-piece machined part which I believe corrected the problem.

From April to October, I spend almost every weekend shooting motocross. I'm on the track 6-8 hours per day, shooting with my 70-200 f/2.8L IS II mounted to either my 1D4 or gripped 5DIII. As mentioned above, it balances nicely when the strap is secured to the tripod collar. However, in that environment, when I am not actually shooting I prefer to have my gear hung with the front element of the lens facing down.

I have used the RS-7 mounted to the bottom of my 1D4 or gripped 5DIII with the 70-200/2.8 attached. I have had absolutely NO ISSUES or PROBLEMS with either.


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## neuroanatomist (Oct 26, 2013)

Harv said:


> What you are referring to is the original design which included a 'D-ring' style of attachment fitting that screwed to the camera body or lens. There were some reports of the fitting coming loose but once the issue became known, Black Rapid changed the design to a one-piece machined part which I believe corrected the problem.



I wasn't aware of such issues with the Blackrapid FastenR-2 design, and they still use a similar design for their FastenR-T1 and Hitch products. The only issue I had with the FastenR-2 was the relatively loud clicking sound it made while walking. I solved that by dipping the D-ring into Plasti Dip (the stuff used to coat tool handles).

However, I've seen lots of posts about people using the D-ring on the Manfrotto plates, claiming to have no issues. I did some investigating of that issue (see pics in this TDP thread) showing why that's likely to lead to a failure and dropped gear.


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## Quasimodo (Oct 26, 2013)

MonteGraham said:


> BlackRapids RS-7 on 5DIII/70-200 2.8IS with or without battery grip? Pros and Cons?



No problem what so ever! I have been walking with the 5D II gripped or with my 1Ds III with a 200/2L without any concern. Just today I was taking shots with the 5DII and the 70-200L II. The RS-7 is very strong.


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