Wrist/ hand straps; who uses them?

[Mancanon]

Do any of you use the wrist strap or hand strap instead of the neck strap? Do you find it more or less practical?

[Shadowman]

I use the neck strap as a wrist strap, I just wrap it around my hand and it serves me well.

[William W]

I find a wrist-strap is useful when I am using more that one camera. My wrist-straps are NOT of the 'noose' type: I had two made by a leather craftsman (quite a while ago, they were made for my SLRs) and they fit snug but not tight on my RIGHT wrist. This allows me to be able to drop the DSLR attached to the wrist strap, so I can use another camera which slung by the neck strap.

If only using one camera, then, as John described I can always opt use the neck strap around my wrist.

The main benefit of using a wrist strap for me, is that when I use the neck strap to secure the camera to my wrist, I usually use a wrapping technique that locks the camera into a snug fit. This snug fit around my wrist is not very practical to allow dropping the camera quickly out of the way, to allow the use of a second camera which is slung by a neck strap.

If I didn't ever have to carry and use two or three cameras, I don't think that I would have never have bothered with wrist straps.

WW

[dennybeall]

I've preferred a wrist strap ever since the Speed Graphic 4X5 and my Nikon "F" but my newer cameras just have connections for a neck strap so that's what I use. Most of the time the strap is just dangling and I'm holding the camera itself.

[Donald]

Another vote for wrist straps. Hate neck straps. When not in its bag, I carry my camera in a Spider Holster, The combination of that and the wrist strap works perfectly for me.

[Chris]

Just purchased a wrist strap and much prefer it to neck strap

[MrB]

Neck straps don't bother me, but I prefer to use a wrist strap so I made my own, using 2cm wide webbing cut from an unused bag strap, plus a key ring. I also wear a neck strap with the clips linked together. If both hands are needed, e.g. to change a lens or to clamber over a stile, I temporarily clip the camera to the neck strap:



Cheers.
philip

[davidedric]

Interesting thread.

I have some balance issues, and need to be able to grab hold of something quickly, so I want to keep my hands free and use a (neoprene) neck strap. Same neck strap if I'm using a walking pole, always have a hand free.

Dave

[tbob]

Another vote for hand/wrist strap. The same as Donald; a Spider Holster with the wrist strap. Probably 99 percent of the time my camera is on a tripod when shooting, when it is not it is lashed to my hand and wrist. If I am moving very far it goes back in the modular waist belt system.

Nothing I shoot (landscapes) is going very far or fast so I have the luxury of time to set up. The handstrap comes into play on rare occasions I am forced to shoot people at family events

[rpcrowe]

I use two cameras with a telephoto zoom and a medium zoom. I carry those cameras in different ways, depending on the type of shooting I expect to do.

One way I carry the cameras is with the medium zoom around my neck and the telephoto zoom with a hand strap in a holster case at my left hip. I cross draw this camera/lens from the holster (just like in the days of the Wild West) and it is ready to shoot. When carrying the camera in this fashion, I use a screw-in lens hood which is smaller than the OEM bayonet hood and easier to carry in the case and withdraw.

The strap that I like is the Herringbone

http://www.amazon.com/Herringbone-He...46DD3F4E6DB231

I have a RRS L Bracket on the camera which gives me a second attachment point at the bottom-right of the camera (looking at the camera from behind). So I attach the hand strap at the normal strap attachment point at the top of the camera and the also at the bottom of the camera using the attachment point that the RRS L Bracket supplies.

Most hand straps are attached via a top attachment point and an attachment point that screws into the tripod socket. This makes using a tripod a bit difficult.

The Herringbone strap at about $40 U.S. Dollars is more expensive than most other straps. However, I had a problem with the fit of the cheaper straps and decided to splurge on the Herringbone. That strap also looks quite nice but, that is totally secondary to the way it fits my hand. IMO considering the money I have spent on my photo gear over the years, $40 is not really a great cash outlay.

[russellsnr]

I used the Canon wrist straps but found they where to tight with a battery grip attached so I changed over to a strap from Peak Design.
Russ

[loosecanon]

I use a neoprene wrist strap on all cameras, stops me dropping the camera whilst not getting in the way as neck strap does. Means I can carry the camera with just my fingers in a light hold, without risk if I stumble. Otherwise I usually use a holster style bag slung from the shoulder which protects the camera and lens from light knocks and dirt, otherwise I use a sling bag most of the time, except on lng walks when a small backpack carries the weight more easily.

[Andrew1]

Been using this for years. Liked it so much I bought two.

http://camdapter.com/gallery.html

[Kaye Leggett]

Like Loosecanon I have neoprene wrist strap and love it. I also have the Joby one which can convert into a neckstrap - I convert it 5% of the time. So if we're voting, it's the wrist strap for me

[Max von MeiselMaus]

I also use a (neoprene) wrist strap with my 60D, as I can't stand the camera bouncing about on my stomach if I am moving about. It also feels more discreet to hold a camera down low by my side than parade it around on my front. However, I currently have my Fujifilm X-E1 on a neck strap and haven't felt compelled to change. It is handy when I need it and is small and light enough not to keep kicking me in the stomach.

The caution on wrist straps is don't forget that you have your camera dangling from your wrist and stoop to tie a shoelace. Oops. Good job it was only a Canon 50mm f/1.8.

[Nate]

I have two cameras I mainly use and like different strap styles for each. I use a BlackRapid sport (an over the should strap - http://www.blackrapid.com/products/sport) for my Canon 7D with usually has a med to long range telephoto zoom on it and a wrist strap for my Sony NEX 6.

As I often shoot with a 6 year old in tow, her Mother frequently sees fit to kick us both out of the house, I need the ability to be hands free at a moments notice. The BlackRapid strap handles this beautifully being that it hangs a little lower and at the hip I've drastically cut down on (accidentally) whacking her in the head with the camera. When I'm shooting with the NEX camera, I bring along a s carabiner that I hang on my pack or belt. That way when I need both hands I can just slap the wrist strap into it and I'm good to go.

[Venser]

I use Gordy's Lug Mount Wrist Straps. Since they're made with real leather, for the first couple of days they're really stiff and hard. After some age they're become really comfortable. I use them for all my cameras. I have some neck straps by them as well, but found the wrist straps more practical and less intrusive.