Opteka Carrier Harness Holster Cameras
Okay, i've been going back and forth about whether or not to spend the 180+ bucks on the cotton carrier or on a good alternative. Don't get me wrong, in life you truly get what you pay for. HOWEVER... My decision to get the Opteka was the best investment yet. I just recently bought it and I immediately put it through the wringer! Put my large body Mk IV 1D with a heavy 70-200 lens on the chest harness, and went about my day. Removing it, placing it back... then repeating that process for hours. ROCK SOLID. No back fatigue, no slippage. Sturdy, and comfortable. Then I took it out for an evening of shooting an event. I was able to were a blazer over top of it without bulky clogs of vest showing through (huge plus). The netted mesh type design kept my back and sides cool. The front part did cause me to sweat more than normal but c'mon... i'm toting about 7-9 pounds of equipment strapped to my chest AND i'm working so no complaints there!
Because of the slight turn to secure the camera on the inner tab lock mechanism, I was able to bend over to tie my shoes, pick up and set up my lighting equipment hands free of the camera, without having to remove my camera from my person.
One thing i'm keeping my eye on however is the little plastic tab that locks the camera in place. It looks as though that could potentially wear sooner than later causing a premature ejection of a camera. PLEASE DON'T MISTAKE THAT FOR FLIMSY! It's solid! Normal wear will happen. With practice and perfecting the removal and placement of camera, It will withstand several seasons of intense work. And for the price... even if I had to replace it within a year, it would have paid for itself many times over. So even two $40 Opteka carriers are less expensive than one cotton carrier and performs just the same.
So I conclude... This carrier is sturdy, well built, will allow you to shoot with some level of swag without looking like a total camera geek and it is well worth the money! And I rarely write reviews so to get me speaking on a product is big! Don't hesitate! GET IT! It's a very good investment!
Don't believe the review from "tinknave", I think this guy works for that expensive $180 Cotton Carrier company. I've received this Opteka Camera Carrier and the quality is great, yes it is plastic but looks like it was made from good quality material.
BalasHapusI got my Opteka MCH-25 carrier today and I am just out of words to be able to tell what a fantastic buy this is! I am 5'8 and 270Lbs and was worried this thing would not fit. Rest your minds... it has room to spare! I love it! Thank you Opteka for saving me almost $150! My unit came assembled, all I had to do was adjust the straps to my size and voila! PERFECT! It does not look and does not feel like a $40 product, well made, no broken seams, connectors in place. I mean this is one of the best bargains I have ever bought! My 7D and T2i are happy in their new holster.
BalasHapusI don't know the Cotton Carrier so I cannot compare, but functionally-wise, this is going to help my neck a lot.
BalasHapusThe knobs to be attached to the cameras are metal and seem to be just fine. I don't know if this is expected but I got 4 with my harness, together with four rings and two keys.
The rails in which these knobs are supposed to slide are made of hard plastic and seem to be resistant enough. I am somewhat weary of hanging much weight from a battery-grip-equipped camera, though; if the lens does not rest on your body, the weight and motion might induce lots of torque and wear the rails faster.
I still find it convenient even with my grip-equipped 7D when using a long lens: I attach a knob to the lens tripod ring and hang it from there. It is very convenient, whether attached on the chest or on the side.
I found that the angle at which the knob is best positioned on the camera depends on whether you wear the camera on the front or on the side. Don't forget either the provided key or some screwdriver if you want to change it.
The security strap that attaches to the camera I find marginally too short and the attachments proper are plastic. I am not absolutely sure how efficient they would be at stopping a free-falling 5lbs camera+lens (but I do not intend to try).
Now the good surprise is that the side attachment can be used on its own on any belt. Choose a comfortably broad belt and velcro the thing around it, and you can carry a camera right there without any weight on the shoulders.
While this is not convenient in all situations, I find it very efficient when only using a shoulder strap: the camera does not bounce around and the shoulder strap only provides the security. It works perfectly when attaching the knob to the lens and the shoulder strap to the battery grip.
Suggestion to Opteka: sell as a separate product the side mount and a thin, light shoulder strap for the security and I will be advertising it.
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Updated after a two-days shoot in NYC - I used the full harness on one day and just the side on the other day and I confirm my impression: the safety lines are somewhat light but the ensemble is fully functional.
Only thing to think about when using only the side (not the full harness, i.e. not the way it was intended in the first place) is where to attach the safety line - I had a backpack so it was not a problem except you want to make sure that you untie the camera from the backpack before you drop the latter.
I still change my rating to 5 stars.