If you see me with my camera, you will see me with one of two "modes". Either I wrap the strap that came with the camera on my hand when I'm shooting, or with the strap extended as far as it could so that I could diagonally hang the camera across my chest. This can present a couple of problems: wrapping the strap on one's arm isn't really convenient; extending the strap to the furthest it could go can be dangerous - the strap can slip...
So when Joby announced the 3-way strap, i quickly jumped on the opportunity to try it out.
This strap is made up, primarily, of three parts:
- the thick, short strap that you wrap around your hand;
- the thick part that attaches to your camera via the tripod screw mount;
- and the hidden cord that makes this strap extra special.
Using the strap can't be any simpler: just use it as you would the strap that came with a point-and-shoot - run your hand through the strap and grip the camera with your fingers. This strap is useful because, as opposed to going commando (my term for strapless - I don't know if other photographers use it in this sense), you have no fear of your camera dropping to the ground in case it slips your fingers. The thick strap has you covered. You can even increase the security of the camera by tightening it with the red ring that is conveniently placed on the tripod screw mount.
Now, you could be wondering why the screw mount is as thick as that. Well, it is because of the hidden cord that's wounded inside that same mount. You see, with the flip of a switch, you can extend the hand strap and convert it to a full-length strap. You can now put the camera on your shoulder, what I like, or on your neck, which i really don't like. You are then free to use your shooting hand.
And when the time comes that you need to shoot again? Well, you can shoot with the cord extended or, with the flick of a switch, you can retract the cord and convert the "shoulder" strap back to a "hand" strap.
But what am I saying? The best way to show how this wonderful strap works is with a video...
Some thoughts...
Joby stated on their website that the cord is really strong and can carry a 90-pound weight. If they say so, then I will entrust my precious to it. Secondly, I wish that this strap can be combined to the GorillaPod Focus (my review). That would be the best set up. However, this does not diminish, in any way, how good this 3-Way Strap is.
The Shy Photographer rates it Highly Recommended!
Special thanks to Emily Voigtlander and Jen Goykhman of Joby Inc.
Music in the video: "Fat Caps" by Jason Shaw.
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Gear used to make this post:
-- Canon 5D Mark II (article)
-- Lowepro Urban Photo Sling 150 (My reviews here and here)
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