I’ve always wondered how it is I can pay several thousand dollars for a camera with precision engineering and the strap that’s included with it is about as useful as a box of rocks. The oem camera strap is too short, uncomfortable to wear around your neck, cumbersome to remove, and they make me feel like a walking billboard for Canon. They’re only long enough to wear around your neck like a tourist, and they’re not short enough to be used as a hand strap. The funny thing is, it never really occurred to me that there were aftermarket options to fix the shortcomings of the stock strap.
Then, I stumbled onto a message forum were someone was showing off their new strap. That’s when I discovered the wonderful world of OP/Tech camera straps. I’m not affiliated with OP/Tech in any way, so, buy one or don’t buy one, I get no kickbacks either way. If you prefer the stock camera strap, by all means continue using it. Since installing my new OP/Tech strap I’ve decided that this is how my Canon strap should have come out of the box.
The system I purchased was the Super Classic Strap with the Pro Loop side straps and an extra set of Pro Loop XL side straps for when I want to wear the camera diagonally across my chest.
If you’re shooting with a tripod on a windy evening, you can unclip the main pad from the side straps. The side straps are light enough to let dangle without having to worry about camera shake. If you must remove the side straps, just unthread them from the eyelets. Doing so will not cause you to miss the sunset, such would be the case if you were using the oem Canon or Nikon strap that you get with the camera.
After having played with mine for awhile, the strap feels very well constructed and comfortable to wear. I did not expect such a strap to cost as little as it did. The main pad is made of neoprene and feels slightly stretchy when you pull on it, which I’ve noticed provides added comfort when wearing it for a long duration. The main pad is not too stretchy that it makes the camera feels less secure. The material on the main pad is soft and squishy, unlike stock camera straps that are very rigid and irritating against your skin for prolonged amounts of time. The thing I like best about the OP/Tech strap is that it does not say “Hey I’m a Canon 5D Mark III, come steal me!” across my body when I’m wearing it. Best thirty bucks I’ve spent on my camera to date.
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