Black Rapid camera strap when using a flash: how convenient is it?

Question

For all you camera users who use a Black Rapid brand (or knockoff brand) camera strap, do you use it when there is an external flash on the camera's hot shoe?  If so, how well does that work to have the flash on?  Is it easy and convenient or is it awkward and annoying?  I'm trying to decide whether or not to buy a Black Rapid strap, but whenever I'm at an event with my camera the external flash is almost always on.  With a regular neck strap it can be kind of annoying because the flash makes it top heavy so the camera wants to flip forward, a problem I remedy by using a small cat collar to make a cross strap on the neck strap which I can tuck under the flash and hold it up.  I just want to know if a Black Rapid will make things easy by having the camera held off to my side and dangling upside down.

selina_555 · Accepted Answer

I LOVE my Black Rapid strap, but it still isn't a miracle solution for the flash problem.
Yes, it CAN hang upside down, but it always makes me very uncomfortable ( I don't mean physically, I mean because I worry about the camera and the flash).
I rarely relax enough to simply let it hang there because I feel that with every step I take, I could bump it the wrong way.

Perhaps if I made the strap as short as possible, that could help a little.

Sorry..... no magic solution here, either  :-(

keerok · Answer

I use a guitar strap (Ernie Ball) customized to fit my dSLR. The extra length allows me to wear it across my body so the weight of the camera (and flash) falls on one shoulder. When I'm not shooting, the camera is at my back or below my hip just like a bag. This was my solution to the very short standard camera straps that kept the camera lens poking the top of my huge belly.

Black Rapid camera strap when using a flash: how convenient is it?

2 Answers