1D cameras for walk-around and traveling

[Shawn L]

I use a Black Rapid strap with my T1I, and I love it Makes carrying a camera and keeping it always ready very easy.

Thanks again, everyone, for all the wonderful insight. Much appreciated.

Shawn L.

 

[David KM]

I sometimes use it with a 70-200 2.8 attached.

As do I, or one of the two other similarly-sized zooms I have (28-300, 100-400). But...I never do that with the strap attached to the body, but rather to the tripod foot - the balance is much better, IMO. Actually, I have Wimberley plates on cameras and lenses, and a Kirk 1" clamp on the BR strap, so moving the connection point is easy.

Reading this thread and I just want to caution anyone using a black rapid strap. I own a few and use them with a 5DmkII and 7D both griped. Last week with my 5DmkII and a 50L attached, the whole rig took a dump to the ground ( with minor damage fortunately). It’s really scary to hear your camera bouncing around on pavement!!! BR is not quite as strong as you'd think. The metal carabineer attached to the strap came apart in two pieces at the swivel point. Apparently with heavy rigs the pin can work open the hole it is in... it widens it, and eventually opens enough to come free. It is made of malleable metal. Absolutely ridiculous that this is not made of SS or something more reliable considering you could be hanging upwards of 5-8k of Canon off it. If you were going to be carrying a 1D anything... YIKES!!!! I did trust this set up for years... now not too sure anymore. . After further research, I am not the only one to have this happen. I have made a kludge that I can rely on because I love carrying my camera off my shoulder not my neck (basically a safety ring ensuring even if the carabineer works free again it will hold together). As for cheap knock offs... good luck with that, I wouldn't trust them with my cameras at all. 5DmkIII + 70-200 2.8 = 6k plus... I'm not even interested in a "bargain" 20$ strap.

5D mkIII, 5D mkII, 7D, 14mmL, 24mmL, 35mmL, 50mmL, 100mmL, 300mmL, 17-40mmL, 24-70L mkI, 70-200L 2.8 mkII

 

[scottkinfw]

Wow, that is scary. Glad to hear only minor damage. I am always paranoid about it unscrewing from my tripod mount, as a few times it got loose. Subsequently, I check tightness frequently. Now I will have something else to check.

I do love that the weight is distributed off my neck however.

sek

I sometimes use it with a 70-200 2.8 attached.

As do I, or one of the two other similarly-sized zooms I have (28-300, 100-400). But...I never do that with the strap attached to the body, but rather to the tripod foot - the balance is much better, IMO. Actually, I have Wimberley plates on cameras and lenses, and a Kirk 1" clamp on the BR strap, so moving the connection point is easy.

Reading this thread and I just want to caution anyone using a black rapid strap. I own a few and use them with a 5DmkII and 7D both griped. Last week with my 5DmkII and a 50L attached took a dump to the ground with minor damage fortunately. Trust me, it’s really scary to hear your camera bouncing around on pavement!!! The metal carabineer attached to the strap came apart in two pieces. Apparently with heavy rigs the pin can work open the hole it is in... it widens it, and eventually opens enough to come free. It is made of malleable metal. Absolutely ridiculous that this is not made of SS or something more reliable considering you could be hanging upwards of 5-8k of Canon off it. If you were going to be carrying a 1D anything... YIKES!!!! I did trust this set up for years... now not too sure anymore. . After further research, I am not the only one to have this happen. I have made a kludge that I can rely on because I love carrying my camera off my shoulder not my neck (basically a safety ring ensuring even if the carabineer works free again it will hold together).

5D mkIII, 5D mkII, 7D, 14mmL, 24mmL, 35mmL, 50mmL, 100mmL, 300mmL, 17-40mmL, 24-70L mkI, 70-200L 2.8 mkII

 

[wickidwombat]

If the screw gate on the carabina is tight this is extremely unlikely to happen and perhaps makes the ebay ones even better because the screws are much tighter and open and close less easily than the genuine

If you are REALLY worried about it you could always replace the carabina with a load rated absailing one however you NEED the swivel part otherwise if there is no swivel the carabina can rotate againsted the screw thread direction and potentially release the mount from the tripod point in the base of the camera.

I would be more worried about the carabina pin into the swivel part failing due to metal fatigue than the carabina itself failing, to my mind this is probably the single weakest point on the whole setup (basically it's the thinnest piece of metaland is under constant varied stresses and loads)

You are correct a stainless steel swivel and carabina arangment would really help to set the genuine BR apart from the copies but as it stands the copies are basically every bit as good as the genuine at a sixth of the price

I am actually in the process of changing out my 2 year old ones for new ones just because i fear a metal fatigue failure which will give no warning and its not possible to inspect inside the swivel to check for signs of fatigue.
an additional $13 every year or 2 is cheap to reduce possible risk IMO.

 

[David KM]

Not the screw gate... the pin holding the carabineer to the metal loop that the strap goes through. This allows the 2 piece unit to swivel. The point you consider the weakest point, really is the weakest point. That pin head and it's hole, can and will widen over time. Trust me, it happens and I am not the first to report this. I wish it didn't because I love that strap.

 

[wickidwombat]

woah ok i get you now! the exact same part i was talking about?
I was more worried about potential shearing failure in the shaft but you are saying the knob on the shaft (yeah that sounds really bad) that holds the carabina to the rectagular loop that is over the strap has actually pulled through the cast metal loop!.

Damn. I hope your camera is ok

I use this
http://peakdesignltd.com/
to also clip my camer too while it is attached to the strap to avoid the swinging around and provide more of a backup too, i have made a modified really right stuff l-bracket setup to allow me to keep the strap attached while still fitting into this clip

 

[David KM]

Thanks for the link. I've made a mod that I trust... some rock climbing gear to the rescue. Camera and lens ok... pants not so much

 

[wickidwombat]

Thanks for the link. I've made a mod that I trust... some rock climbing gear to the rescue. Camera and lens ok... pants not so much

LOL at least you can still have a sense of humour about it!

 

[aldvan]

I travel with my 1Ds MkIII, most of the time with the 100-400, suspended to my neck and the 5D MkII on the shoulder, without any trouble. When I hike and climb I have the 1Ds ready and the 5D in the backpack. The trick is to lock the 100-400 by the waist strap of the back pack, since the problem is not the static weight, but having it jumping around. The big problem with a big and heavy kit as a 1Ds+100-400 is that its inertia is considerable a nd you have to worry also about small impacts against hard object like walls, rocks or poles. Although the body is sturdy, its inertia can be very effective to produce small damages, fortunately usually just aesthetic. Before becoming aware about that, walking in town I let the 1Ds to get in touch with a car rear mirror that produced a small dent in the bottom of the body. No nasty scratches, but it was quite disappointing...

 

[ronderick]

I was wondering if anyone used their 1D as their walk-around or traveling camera. If so, any concerns with 1) weight and/or 2) its size/shape making you a target for theft?

I travel with the 1D4, and yes, the bulky pro body is very obvious. Frankly, it's not your ideal choice for the carrying-all-over-the-place camera. My suggestion is to have a smaller camera (m43, P&S, RF, etc.) with you for that purpose. By the way, there are places where guards/security will stop you from taking pictures if you have a DSLR (I was stopped once at some high class resort in Singapore for this reason).

As for being less conspicuous with the 1D, the only thing I can say is use some smaller lenses when you're walking around with it (any white-tele's will make you stand out). I usually just slap the 24-105 on it if I carry it outside the bag when traveling between shooting points.

Regarding security, I'd suggest you pick a backpack with back entry features, so no one can just unzip your backpack when you're walking through crowded place. I usually try to keep my camera in the bag until I get to my destination and start shooting. Of course, do a little homework beforehand and try to avoid places that might have security concerns.

 

[BaconBets]

To me, the obvious question is - 'why do you want to buy a 1Dx for walking around and traveling?'
You've already stated that money is a concern. Unless you already have all the flagship lenses why buy a flagship body?
The main difference between the 1Dx and the 5d3 is crazy fps and metering, and weather sealing.
Unless you work for Sports Illustrated or National Geographic, the 5d3 will be plenty...and the form factor would actually be better for traveling and walking around.
Then you'll have some extra cash for a pocket cam, lenses, and plane tickets.

 

[briansquibb]

I took my 1D4 on my motorcycle holiday in September with just the 70-300 and 24-105. Was small enough to go in the box on the back plus gave some tremendous action pictures.

 

[CanineCandidsByL]

As a plus, if it does attract unwanted attention, that much easily grip-able mass should do some excellent damage...make sure to get the warranty ;D.

 

[neuroanatomist]

The main difference between the 1Dx and the 5d3 is crazy fps and metering, and weather sealing.

Plus two stops of ISO (although time will tell if that's really just two stops of noise), interchangeable focusing screens, more customization, more than double the shutter life, faster X-sync speed, bigger viewfinder, AF point-linked spot metering, and a much deeper buffer for continuous shooting.

 

[briansquibb]

The main difference between the 1Dx and the 5d3 is crazy fps and metering, and weather sealing.

Plus two stops of ISO (although time will tell if that's really just two stops of noise), interchangeable focusing screens, more customization, more than double the shutter life, faster X-sync speed, bigger viewfinder, AF point-linked spot metering, and a much deeper buffer for continuous shooting.

5DIII has point linked metering

 

[neuroanatomist]

The main difference between the 1Dx and the 5d3 is crazy fps and metering, and weather sealing.

Plus ... AF point-linked spot metering...

5DIII has point linked metering

Really? Care to provide a reference for that? Because the Canon USA 5D Mark III specs page states:

Metering Modes
Max. aperture TTL metering with 63-zone SPC with the following selectable modes:
(1) Evaluative metering (linked to all AF points)
(2) Partial metering (center, approx. 7.2% of viewfinder)
(3) Spot metering (center, approx. 1.5% of viewfinder)
·AF point-linked spot metering not provided.

 

[wickidwombat]

The main difference between the 1Dx and the 5d3 is crazy fps and metering, and weather sealing.

Plus ... AF point-linked spot metering...

5DIII has point linked metering

Really? Care to provide a reference for that? Because the Canon USA 5D Mark III specs page states:

Metering Modes
Max. aperture TTL metering with 63-zone SPC with the following selectable modes:
(1) Evaluative metering (linked to all AF points)
(2) Partial metering (center, approx. 7.2% of viewfinder)
(3) Spot metering (center, approx. 1.5% of viewfinder)
·AF point-linked spot metering not provided.

:'(
damn got my hopes up that it might have spot metering AF linked

oh well

 

[briansquibb]

The main difference between the 1Dx and the 5d3 is crazy fps and metering, and weather sealing.

Plus ... AF point-linked spot metering...

5DIII has point linked metering

Really? Care to provide a reference for that? Because the Canon USA 5D Mark III specs page states:

Metering Modes
Max. aperture TTL metering with 63-zone SPC with the following selectable modes:
(1) Evaluative metering (linked to all AF points)
(2) Partial metering (center, approx. 7.2% of viewfinder)
(3) Spot metering (center, approx. 1.5% of viewfinder)
·AF point-linked spot metering not provided.

mmmm - interesting because at the Focus on Imaging show we asked that very specific question from the Canon tech rep and got a yes it does. My friend bought a 5DIII on that basis as he is heavily into macro shooting. He will be very disappointed if that is not the case

Another good reason to keep the series 1 then

 

[BaconBets]

The main difference between the 1Dx and the 5d3 is crazy fps and metering, and weather sealing.

Plus two stops of ISO (although time will tell if that's really just two stops of noise), interchangeable focusing screens, more customization, more than double the shutter life, faster X-sync speed, bigger viewfinder, AF point-linked spot metering, and a much deeper buffer for continuous shooting.

Neuro, I wouldn't call any of that critical for "walk-around and traveling"
There will not be 2 stops advantage in RAW...not even close.
And for his purposes, by the time he burns up that shutter, the 5DV will be out anyways.
Would you really advise him that this is this best choice when he has specifically said that he will not have any money left to spend on photography gear? (And he is concerned about the size/weight)