# Camera strap question



## Santa Gertrudis (Mar 25, 2010)

I searched but I couldn't find what I was looking for.

I have seen people somehow wrap their strap around their hand. How do you go about this? It looks like they just stick their hand in, do some sort of funky twist, and its tight. Can anybody help? Sorry if it's a newb question.


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## PhotoXopher (Mar 25, 2010)

I've never figured this out either.


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## fokker (Mar 25, 2010)

I'm in the same boat too - somebody please shed some light! I've tried and it always ends of uncomfortable or not feeling secure, or both. I'm baffled.


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## UUilliam (Mar 25, 2010)

y'all serious?
just put it in your hand, twist, wrasp over your hand again and repeat until you have no strap left....
or buy a hand strap.
it is better to do it around your wrist though


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## sinjans (Mar 25, 2010)

Introduction to R-Strap  BlackRapid.com

I will be heading in this direction.


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## UUilliam (Mar 25, 2010)

i use the black rapid, great strap however, since the camera is on your side, you forget about it, I ended up loosing my viewfinder eyepiece as it rubbed off (fell off) against my leg when I was walking, and I lost my lens cap on the bus too.
if you do use a black rapid, I recommend using a snap cap and tie it onto the camera too so that, if it does fall off, you don't lose it.


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## fokker (Mar 25, 2010)

I found this:

"I undo the neck strap and twist it three times then re-attach. I hold the camera in left hand and let the strap hang down in front of me and insert right hand thru the middle of the loop and draw it around to the right in a circular motion counterclockwise so the strap is rolled around my wrist. Do that once, twice and a third time. If the strap is properly lengthend the last twist gets my hand on the grip with the last bit of strap coming over my knuckles to attach to the camera. next to the shutter button. If you have twirled the neck strap properly there are no twists in the strap. Tighten/lengthen to suit your taste. Sometimes I like to leave enough slack to be able to put left hand thru the remaining loop so i can pull the strap taut while using the left hand on the lens. I carry the camera this way all the time unless it is in my bag. It never ever hangs around my neck."

And this

"
i use one of those old fashioned hippy tapestry straps. the real deal, not those ugly ones made for dSLRs recently. i know a lot of people here swear by their fancy slings with lots of gel padding and cool features but... there's something very straightforward and honest about these old things. screams "i'm old skool." plus, the red ones look downright mean on nikon cameras. 
anyways, i have it done up pretty tightly, and on a set of leather strap extenders. like locking the rotating clips onto those rings more than the little triangular gromits. when at all possible, i ditch the strap all together, but obviously not if i'm out and about. i carry my camera on my right shoulder, and the strap is short enough that my camera rides just above my belt. it's faster and easier and less touristy than around the neck. and chafes less. with the grip, my camera generally hangs in a nice vertical position, and not that silly lens-down position. 
my technique is as follows:
1. grip the camera in my left hand by the lens.
2. push my right out a fair distance, between the strap and the camera body 
3. rotate my right hand counter-clockwise once, maybe twice depending on the lens.
4. gripping the camera again. 
when done right, all of the strap is now out of the way, and the leather extender falls just under my index finger, or is draped across the back of my hand with the rest of the metal bits of the strap. the strap isn't tangled, because the clips rotate. none of this unclip and re-clip stuff, i don't have time. with only one loop, and feed the other arm through and use it to help stabilize long lenses. but i'm rocking a d200 with grip, and it's farily stable as it is, and i typically use short lenses. so i generally don't. 
i tend to wrap my arm in the strap mostly in situations where i really don't want to drop my camera. i know i won't, but... well, sometimes you just gotta lean out over balconies and whatnot to get the shot. you know how it is. i'm a little less likely to do it if i know i'm gonna be switching to vertical, because it kind of messes up my ability to use my vertical grip."


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## UUilliam (Mar 25, 2010)

seriously, Easiest way is:

1. Put strap over your "camera hand" (hand you press shutter with, most likely right.)
2. put your thumb on the outside of the left strap and forefinger or hand on the inside of the right strap.
3. twist.
4. repeat 2 + 3 until strap is tight.
5. twist your wrist till your hand fits onto the grip.
6. if needed, for any strap remaining (covering viewfinder) just pull it down using your left hand and hold it down with the thumb of your right hand.

if I had a video camera, I would show it.


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## gsgary (Mar 25, 2010)

One of these ?
Nikon AH-4 Handstrap (FWE51801) - Warehouse Express


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## Overread (Mar 25, 2010)

I use a canon wrist strap like that (shame on you for linking the nikon garry!). The canon you do need to have a battery grip (or a 1D camera body) on the camera in order to attach the strap and whilst there are some 3rd party options that connect on without the grip they do tend to use up your tripod mount. 

I use that in combination with an OPtech neckstrap (soooo sooo much more comfortable than the canon strap you won't belive how much difference it makes!). The OPtech strap also comes with a removable main section and the leftovers on the camera can be clipped together into a short strap and then wrapped around the wrist (Big Mike does this) if you don't have a dedicated wrist strap.


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## DRoberts (Mar 25, 2010)

If your strap is off your neck/shoulder however you wear it, you can use your elbow.


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## gsgary (Mar 25, 2010)

Overread said:


> I use a canon wrist strap like that (shame on you for linking the nikon garry!). The canon you do need to have a battery grip (or a 1D camera body) on the camera in order to attach the strap and whilst there are some 3rd party options that connect on without the grip they do tend to use up your tripod mount.
> 
> I use that in combination with an OPtech neckstrap (soooo sooo much more comfortable than the canon strap you won't belive how much difference it makes!). The OPtech strap also comes with a removable main section and the leftovers on the camera can be clipped together into a short strap and then wrapped around the wrist (Big Mike does this) if you don't have a dedicated wrist strap.




Because he shoots Nikon
Got a 1D hand strap free to good home (UK) should be ok with battery grip


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## Santa Gertrudis (Mar 27, 2010)

See, I told yall it was a stupid question. 

I've got the Rapid strap and I really like it, but I've just seen people do the little wrist wrap lately and it got me interested. I finally figured it out, and I think Ill just stick with the Rapid strap.

Thanks for the help!


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