Black Rapid Strap - FastenR-T1 - Manfrotto 200PL-14 RC2 QR Plate

I'm looking at replacing my kit strap with something a bit longer.

I know many here like the Optech Pro strap and I'll consider it, but I've been looking at the Black Rapid range, specifically the RS-7 strap.

Has anybody here used the combination as per the topic title?

I have Manfrotto 200PL-14 RC2 QR plates fitted to all my cameras and lenses that have a tripod foot. The standard Black Rapid FastenR-3 that the strap is supplied with means that you can't have the QR plate and the strap fitted to the camera at the same time.

As I understand it, the FastenR-T1 replaces the bolt and D-Ring used to mount the QR plate to the camera/lens.

I'd like to hear from anybody who has used this system and any positive/negative comments you might have.

If anybody knows, and/or has experience, of other strap systems that allow the use of the strap and a Manfrotto RC2 QR plate on the camera together, I'd like to hear from you.

I thought I'd answered this - but my reply seems to have got lost .

I have an Arca-Swiss QR so don't have personal experience of them, but I saw these connectors at Photokina last year and they seemed very popular there.
Black Rapid did promise me there was an A-S connector coming - but still no sign of it.

As far as I know they are the only sling type system offering these. SunSniper told be to take the QR plate off and then take the strap and connector off and replace the QR plate as I needed it .

I looked into it a while ago so it may have changed.

I have tried the OPTech sling but am not happy with the full weight of the camera on a single strap connector.

If I liked wearing a belt I'd consider a Black Widow/Spider Pro holster. The B-Grip is compatible with Manfrotto I believe but not with Arca Swiss. B-Grip use Pentax in their photos, and videos btw

I shall probably by extension straps for my OpTech and sling it that way until Black Rapid come up with the connector I need.

I've got all three...
Took the Rapid Strap connector off the strap, and put my OpTech strap through that.
Combo with the RT1 with my Manfrotto plate.

I like the Rapid Strap a lot, but I often think it would be handy to not have to remove the strap connector in order to put the camera on the tripod. It becomes second nature to just let the camera drop, so many times I make a mental note "when I remove the camera from the tripod, do NOT just let it drop to the ground before re-attaching the strap".

Thanks for the feedback, most helpful.

I think I'll just get the strap for now and see how I get on with that. I can't actually think of too many situations I've found myself in where I might need the sling and the option to rapidly mount it on a tripod.

I've looked at some of the Chinese copies available too, much cheaper than the BR strap and they look OK, but I just can't bring myself to trust them when I have a substantial investment, literaly hanging from a thread.

Now all I have to decide is, which model? I was originally thinking about the RS-7, but I might go for a RS-4 instead, it has a small pocket for memory cards.

i have the rs4 and feel the camera attachment is very secure i have a k7, i also bought the strap that goes across the chest and around the back as it stops the main strap from sliding if you need to bend down , which it does with the weight of the camera i found in that situation

Do mention it if you find an A-S QR plate with strap mount as I'd like one too. My Redsnapper ballhead uses the same fitting and I've had the same thoughts about sling-type straps and QR plates.

The only ideas I can think of involve getting a cheap QR plate and drilling it for a strap lug, although looking at the only one I have which would be suitable for this I'm not sure there would be enough metal left to reliably take the weight of camera plus lens. You might manage it with a small U-bolt, nuts and spreader plates put through the end of the plate, but we're talking model engineering here.

Is this any good for you A-S QR plate users. It's expensive, but looks very well made?

It looks interesting Peter, though I'm not so happy with the camera being so off centre on the ball head. Still it is in the develop phase still so maybe it will improve before hitting the market. The price is painful though . I'd like to see them make it an L-plate for that money.
Preferably an L-plate to fit the K-5 as well as the usual suspects of course.

I was trying to work out whether you could attach a sling strap (other than their own) to a Camdapter
plate, but it isn't clear. Not sure if their L-plate would fit a K-5 either.

There are a few A-S type plates on ebay with a similar fitting but I'm not convinced the metal would be strong enough to take the weight. This sort of thing looks right but I wouldn't trust that little lug to handle all the weight of £1k worth of camera gear. I know the Pentax strap lugs are thinner but I'm more confident in the quality of Pentax metalworking than I am in HK ebay special castings!

I saw that one the other day and thought of Gwyn, but then I had something else to do and couldn't find it again.

Whether it's man (or should that be person :lol enough will depend on the grade of aluminium used and whether any threads designed to hold screws have been helicoiled.

Similarly, as per my OP, I'm looking at straps and I just don't feel comfortable hanging around £2K worth of equipment from a £12 chinese strap.

I don't use E-bay.
I can't see how you could attach a BR strap (other slings are available :wink to that QR plate. You could attach a hand strap to it, but not a sling. The trouble is I think you'd still need to unscrew the BR from it to use it on the tripod. OK you wouldn't then have to put the QR plate on too but it would soon get to be a pain I think.
Besides I'm no sure I'd trust it either - I don't trust a single Pentax strap loop so I'm not sure I'd trust that .

They claim it's machined from T-6 aluminium. Obviously I've no way of confirming or disproving this.

Cheap straps are one thing, as webbing doesn't tend to snap without warning. They may wear prematurely and fray but they don't tend to just let go and dump your camera down a rocky hillside. It looks as though a similar sling strap to that provided with the Bigma would fit, as this uses a lug on the back end of the tripod mount foot. Sigma evidently think such an arrangement is perfectly acceptable for up to £2k worth of gear, if it wasn't then they'd be deluged with warranty claims and change it in short order.

I may buy one of those plates and give it a go, I'm sure I can come up with a non-destructive test with the camera dangling at a low height over something soft (folded-up thick quilt would do). I don't already own a Blackrapid strap so I can just look for a sling strap which will fit that lug.

Edit, I'm thinking I may be using my QR plates differently - I would have the lugs on that plate facing fore and aft rather than side to side, as that way I can shift the camera fore and aft on the ballhead to balance the weight. I say this after seeing some photos above where the plate was set up with the lugs placed side to side.

Well I sent of a mail to Camdapter to ask if their L-plate would fit the K-5 and also if you could attach a BR strap - answer yes to both, though you would have to unscrew the strap to use the tripod.

Very tempted to order their L-plate and a hand strap now. I could even try the opTech sling on it before investing in a Black Rapid.

Now to check the bank balance...

Matt, I use my QR plate as they show the ones with lugs would be used. Of course if I get the L-plate there is no choice in that. I have long plates on the Bigma and 60-250 to play with the balance, but generally the camera is pretty well balanced with the 17-70 on it.

I've made an offer on an identical plate to the one I posted earlier, no response yet. I thought £10 a fair opening offer for an £11.49 item.

I'm thinking it would work well with a sling strap attached to the rear lug, leaving the camera on your right hip with the lens pointing backwards.

I mostly use the longer plates for things like the 50-135mm which makes the camera a bit nose heavy and doesn't have a tripod mount. The ballhead can handle it when you've tightened all the bolts but the balance isn't wonderful when you're trying to get it lined up.