Optech straps secure enough?

[Matt. K]

Anyone else starting to wonder if their Optech straps are really secure....at the loop-over end that attaches to the camera? That cord looks awful thin and I'm wondering if some some drughead grabs my camera and tugs...will I be left holding only the strap?

[Greg B]

It is a fair question Matt, maybe you should leave your camera at home when you go to rave parties.

Alternatively, I wonder whether Optech has any specs available on skinny cord strength.

[Onyx]

Time to stop visiting Maroubra and other "fully sik" neighbourhoods methinks.

[Killakoala]

I too was thinking that but then i thought that if i carry my heavy Manfrotto monopod in my other hand, then any druggy that comes near me will have second thoughts.

Then again, they are more likely to seek easier targets than me anyway such as an unsuspecting Japanese tourist.

[Matt. K]

Greg
I kinda remember seeing this question asked on other forums but I can't recall seeing an answer. I think I'd like to be reassured that it could hold the weight of ...say....a Volvo?

[MattC]

My concern is not with the end loops, but with those quick release clips. They make me real nervous.
The loops are one of those things that just need to be watched. When they show signs of wear they get tossed. Simple really.

If the strap were tested under the weight of say... a Volvo, I would bet that the loops would not be the point of failure.

Cheers

Matt

[Greg B]

I do not disagree, however I can't help but think that if there were any issues with the loops or the quick release clips, we would have heard about it.

I would assume that only enthusiasts would buy these straps and replace what came with the camera, so if anybody's beloved gear had plummeted groundwards due to a strap failure, the word would be out there.

[Raydar]

Good point mate

There using those clips on everything these day’s including Para shoots & climbing gear so I don’t think the wait of a cam will force them open.

But there’s always exceptions to the rules so if one fails it will be mine

Cheers
Ray

[MattC]

My concern about the clips stems partly from the manner in which I destroyed my last camera. In that case I caught the strap on something as I was walking and the camera was ripped out of my hands. That strap acted as a bungee cord, propelling it into a solid object.
Now my number one rule is that the strap remains around my neck. I do not much like the idea of losing my camera because I caught the camera or strap on something forcing the clips, having the clips interfered with somehow, or inadvertently not locking the clips properly. It is not the weight of the camera, but other influences that would concern me.
While I agree that the probability of those clips giving up is low, I think that there is more of a chance of losing the camera to those clips than the loops - providing that the loops are maintained in good condition and are binned when they show wear.
When it comes to my electronics, I live by Murphey's Law. If it can happen, it will, and it will happen to me.

Cheers

Matt

[Greg B]

My concern about the clips stems partly from the manner in which I destroyed my last camera. In that case I caught the strap on something as I was walking and the camera was ripped out of my hands. That strap acted as a bungee cord, propelling it into a solid object.

If it wasn't for the critical fact that this resulted in the destruction of your camera, it would be a very funny story. Or maybe its the way you tell it.

[MattC]

Definitely not funny at the time - it almost had me in tears. That little incident left me with no camera for a couple of months until my tax return arrived. That is when I bought the D70. In some ways I am thankful that it did happen, because I ended up with a much better camera. It is a pity that it cost me a $2400 camera.

It would be a very funny (funny now) to see a sequence of shots showing what happened and my expression. BTW, the culprit was a tow ball, and the solid object was the inside of the right rear wheel of a.... Volvo 240!

Cheers

Matt

[Onyx]

Murphy is a b4stard sometimes...

[MattC]

Or at least has one very sick sense of humour

Cheers

Matt

[Matt. K]

If it were any other type of car your camera would have survived and the car would have come off second best....but a Volvo 240! You had no hope there.

[MattC]

After spending 5000+ hours in a tractor seat I feel right at home in a 240!


Cheers

Matt

[Glen]

Mattco, have you accustomed yourself to the slower speed of the 240 yet?

[MattC]

In comparison to what??? A '68 Masey Ferguson perhaps!

Seriously, it does cruise comfortably at 140km/hr between Tennant and Alice Springs, doing the 500km in less than 4 hours.

Cheers

Matt