Survival of the fittest/luckiest

[keithfullermusic]

for a $600 flashlight, it better withstand a few bangs.  it drives me nuts that these things are all snappable plastic.  for as much money as they charge for these flashes, why not charge a little more and just make the bodies aluminum or something that can take a beating.  the problem with strobes is that they are going to be dropped during their lives, so make them able to withstand it consistently.  many times people are lucky - as in your case - but most of the time they aren't.

True, but I'd imagine it boils down to weight. the 580 is not heavy, but it's none too light either. a 7d with grip and 85L is heavy without the flash.
Also, the most vulnerable part isn't the plastic body- that's replaceable easily enough. From what I can gather the tube would be the weakest link

I agree that weight is an issue, but most people using big boy flashes have them on stands and not on their camera, so weight isn't an issue in most applications.

[Ewinter]

for a $600 flashlight, it better withstand a few bangs.  it drives me nuts that these things are all snappable plastic.  for as much money as they charge for these flashes, why not charge a little more and just make the bodies aluminum or something that can take a beating.  the problem with strobes is that they are going to be dropped during their lives, so make them able to withstand it consistently.  many times people are lucky - as in your case - but most of the time they aren't.

True, but I'd imagine it boils down to weight. the 580 is not heavy, but it's none too light either. a 7d with grip and 85L is heavy without the flash.
Also, the most vulnerable part isn't the plastic body- that's replaceable easily enough. From what I can gather the tube would be the weakest link

I agree that weight is an issue, but most people using big boy flashes have them on stands and not on their camera, so weight isn't an issue in most applications.

I'd have to disagree with that one, in all fairness. My 580s spend about 90% of their time on camera, the bounce features alone make it better for on camera use than the 430.
They're great on stands, but if they made them heavier I wouldn't appreciate it.

[MKIIIphotographer]

Loading the kids in the car... Blackrapid strapped 7D with 50L came apart at the swivel. I here an odd rattle/metal clink and look down to see my whole rig bouncing on the concrete driveway. I immediatley reached down to pick it up like that would prevent any damage. Test, test, test... fortunatley no damage to either the lens or camera. Only a bit of paint scuff

[zim]

In the 1980’s I was whamming down a windy country road in Lanarkshire Scotland and this guy whacked his camera against my blue car, huge dent in the car, boy they knew how to make cameras in those days! 

[Bosman]

I was out walking with my 1DIV and 100mm macro, and I heard the "ker-thunk" and saw the camera and lens roll on the pavement next to me. Camera fell about 3'.

No marks on the lens, a mark on the eyecup and top of camera in front of the hot shoe.

Picked it up, muttered some colored words and it all seemed to be working OK.

I don't think the strap was at fault (so I won't name names), but somehow it became unscrewed and the rest is history.

Either I didn't screw it on tight enough, or body contact loosened it. Either way, it will be receiving a bit more attention in the future.

Rapid strap. Happened to me, never used it once i got the spiderpro holster.

[Bosman]

Loading the kids in the car... Blackrapid strapped 7D with 50L came apart at the swivel. I here an odd rattle/metal clink and look down to see my whole rig bouncing on the concrete driveway. I immediatley reached down to pick it up like that would prevent any damage. Test, test, test... fortunatley no damage to either the lens or camera. Only a bit of paint scuff

As i said in the post above this, never again did i use the black rapid. It fell 2x on diff occasions because it spun itself loose. My 580ex was the first to hit the ground so it shattered with the 1dm3 and 50L on it. I couldn't shriek off obscenities because i was shooting a wedding in a nice park and we happened to be on a concrete path at the time...

[danski0224]

Rapid strap. Happened to me, never used it once i got the spiderpro holster.

For what it's worth, mine isn't a Rapid Strap.

[donjensen]

Was in Rome last week with the misses, and was in bed relaxing. My wife wanted to take a blanket from the top shelf in the closet, where I have layed my 24-105L, and I just got to say "careful I have a lens up there", and then she pulled the blanket. Out came the lens from 2 meters height, but I caught it half a meter before it hit the marble floor.
Complete reflex lucky catch!

[moonwell]

I've snapped the 10-22mm lens in half 3 times now.  First time was right after I got the spider holster and didn't lock the cam in... knelt down, it popped out and slid across the floor in two pieces during a couple's first dance!  

I shoot with 580EXII's outdoors a lot... They've taken several falls atop tipping lightstands.  They break about 1/3 of the time!

50D and 7D and 70-200 have survived falls from waist height... but I just cracked open the 1D X on Friday

Guess I should be more careful...

[Peter Dawson]

5DII, 70-200 2.8MKII and 580EXII.  Was taking photos at an outdoor bachelors out on a farm late one night.  Flash batteries ran flat so headed to the car to fetch more.  On the way back from the car I tripped over a big log and in trying to get my hands down to brace the fall, I sort of flung the whole camera off my shoulder and down onto the dirt road.  Camera and lens were full of dust but otherwise fine.  The flash snapped clean in half at the hotshoe.   The bride (a real farm girl) was so upset that I had broken my flash on her very drunk soon to be hubby, that the next morning I was presented my repaired flash.  She had soldered the wires back together and then superglued the foot back to the body.  I was not sure whether to be grateful or really mad, but tried it none the less.  The shoe lock was toast, but the flash functioned fine. 

About the cheap plastic Canon uses:  I sent the flash to CPS and $100 later, they had replaced the foot and the flash was good as new.  Turns out the whole hotshoe assemble is essentially plug and play and designed to be easily replaced.  Makes sense I guess.

[insanitybeard]

7D with 17-40L: I bought a Lowepro slingshot bag and for whatever reason didn't zip up the main compartment
flap, nor did I notice it was undone when I picked the bag up out of the car. Swung it onto my back and thud- camera falls about a metre and a half onto a ballast drive. A metre further back and it would have landed on grass. No real damage, a few small paint marks, small mark on the lens filter and a mark on the lens hood mount, and some marks on the CF card door. Could have been worse, but I was pissed off because the camera was pristine until that, and not very old 

Also, some years ago when I was still a youngster I had an old Pentax MX film camera my Dad let me use..... One frosty night in a disused railway station whilst trying some bulb shots I slid on the frosty rail whilst crossing the track and the tripod and camera went over, whacking the front of the lens barrel on the rail and making a nice dent. I had to replace the lens and hope my dad didn't notice the different serial number, which was very prominent on the Pentax M series lenses!

[Rat]

but I just cracked open the 1D X on Friday

That is just painful to look at

[scotty512]

i was outside taking pictures of the ISS recently with the 5D mk3 on a tripod, spun around too quickly knocked the tripod and watched in slow motion as the lens ploughed into the concrete floor - £200 repair bill form canon :0)

[Chewy734]

Rapid strap. Happened to me, never used it once i got the spiderpro holster.

How much weight can it hold comfortably and safely?  How does it work if you have a longer lens attached and that lens has its own tripod collar for mounting?

[itsnotmeyouknow]

Rapid strap. Happened to me, never used it once i got the spiderpro holster.

I won't buy a single spider pro item again.  I had my Pentax 645D on a spider pro sling - the most expensive one, and twice it detached from my camera once into my hands on the edge of a 200 foot cliff and the other time not into my hands but a very hard floor in Brussels airport.  That spider pro sling cost me a repair of £875 (about $1400).  Pentax originally wanted to replace the whole outside of the camera which would have cost £1600 ($2600) including fixing buttons and the cable release socket. 

I have used the Black Rapid with absolutely no issues whatsoever.