Waist belts, any good?

[bigsarg7]

Hi, i've been looking around for a waist belt to put all my gear on for this wedding, but they all look really chunky and well, i only need the strap to go through current bags etc and i also need another lens bag. Is it worth spending money on a belt and a lens bag or not? i currently own a lowepro backpack, which can hold onto my laptop and all the camera gear, its just a big lug of a thing to carry around, and in all honesty the bottom section which holds all the camera gear is quite hard to get into quickly. So the reason for this post is to know whether waist belts to hold camera gear on is worth while or if it will be easy to acess or just a nuisance in the way of me moving around to shoot the wedding? i don't tend to use the back pack i own unless i am at home and i want it somewhere safe away from the kids, which its perfect for, it's well padded and protected for that, but it is just so big to carry around all the time. My ultimate goal is freefom of movement, any suggestions apart from the waist idea? sorry to be a nuisance, its just a wealth of experience and knowledge here on the forum and I may as well learn as much as I can.

[Wink]

What gear do you plan on using?
eg. Not much point getting something to hold ALL your gear when you'll only use 1 or 2 lens.

[bigsarg7]

ok, gear i intend to have on me is as follows:

d200 body
2 lenses
1 x sb800 flash (in bag)
1X External Battery pack for SB800 (in bag)
lots of batteries!
4 CF Memory cards
Also my tripod but i intend on just lugging it around the hard way!!

So nothing huge but it all adds up when its laid out in front of you!! lol

[muzz]

Hi there,

I'm not sure about waist belts as I can't stand the idea of stuff getting caught on things or banged on things and, frankly my waist is a kind of notional idea and could be in a different place from day to day.

What I decided on was a vest and in particular a ScotteVest. I bought a male version and it's quite incredible - someone on the forum here managed even to fit a 70-200mm zoom in one of the pockets. I only received mine 2 days ago so haven't put it through it's paces yet as I ordered the wrong size initially and had to wait for the re-ordered size to arrive. Consequently I will sson be posting in the for sale section a XXL black mens if anyone is interested.

It may be overkill for your needs but if it catches your interest, have a look at the video and Xray sections on the web page to see what it can hide. There are other more traditional fishing/hunting/photo vests around but these were what I went for.

[Wink]

ok, gear i intend to have on me is as follows:

d200 body
2 lenses
1 x sb800 flash (in bag)
1X External Battery pack for SB800 (in bag)
lots of batteries!
4 CF Memory cards
Also my tripod but i intend on just lugging it around the hard way!!

So nothing huge but it all adds up when its laid out in front of you!! lol

So basically the only stuff in the bag would be:
1 lens.
1 x sb800 flash (in bag)
1X External Battery pack for SB800 (in bag)
lots of batteries!
3 CF Memory cards.

That wouldn't weigh that much. I'd be using the backpack. I wouldn't be constantly wearing it though. Just carry it around with you and put it down at each location.
None of the wedding photographers i know use tripods. They say the day moves to quickly for tripods to be used.

[Raskill]

Have a look at http://www.griffgear.com '

In particular the bags/harnesses. I have a 'rock wallaby' and it will be more than sufficient for your purposes. I know others who have a 'sugar glider' and they are fantastic pieces of kit. Will comfortably fit a 70-200, speedlights and others bits of kit.

Funny names, but great gear. Pretty low key and inconspicuous, which is important at a wedding.

EDIT:

Forgot to add, Rob is a staff photographer for Daily Telegraph, and supplied this gear to Channel 7 for the last Olympics. He knows what photographers need and designs everything to suit. He can also custom make if you have a special request.

I get nothing from this post, I just like good gear!

[bigsarg7]

Thanks guys, its hard as i dont want to buy something that i wont use regularly. I appreciate those links, when i make a decision i will let you know. Thanks.

[Mr Darcy]

Not to do with your bag, but for a wedding, if you are the offficial 'tog (even if unpaid), I would recommend another body and another flash. Even a PHD would do if you are unable to lay your hands on another SLR
1. It is easier to swap bodies than lenses
2. The last thing you want is equipment failure

[Raskill]

Not to do with your bag, but for a wedding, if you are the offficial 'tog (even if unpaid), I would recommend another body and another flash. Even a PHD would do if you are unable to lay your hands on another SLR
1. It is easier to swap bodies than lenses
2. The last thing you want is equipment failure

+1 - Redundancy is the key. I have 4 pro bodies, and carry two with me, leaving 2 somewhere convenient.

[gstark]

Not to do with your bag, but for a wedding, if you are the offficial 'tog (even if unpaid), I would recommend another body and another flash. Even a PHD would do if you are unable to lay your hands on another SLR
1. It is easier to swap bodies than lenses
2. The last thing you want is equipment failure

+1 - Redundancy is the key. I have 4 pro bodies, and carry two with me, leaving 2 somewhere convenient.

Absolutely.

As to the belt, for a wedding, and with the gear you're saying you're carrying, I wouldn't bother.

I used to shoot weddings with two bodies wearing probably the 43-86mm tank and a 35mm or 50mm on a home made dual rack, a Metz 60-CT1 and several rolls of filum in my pockets. My bags would be somewhere close by, and they contained a second battery for the Metz (batteries on the FE style bodies were a non-issue), more filum, a second flash, a MF body, extra glass, matt box and other effects toys, and anything else I felt was relevant.

The tripod might have been used at the bride's home before the event, and might have been used with the MF body in the church. Beyond that, it rested its weary legs in the boot of the car.

[ozimax]

Definitely echo the other comments here Sarg, beg, borrow or steal another body and carry the two combos around your shoulder/neck and keep the other gear nearby.

I am shooting a wedding this afternoon as a 2nd shooter but I will still carry a spare camera, just in case.

Ozi.

[wendellt]

i can see the use for a waiste belt if you use one body
but if you have 2 you don't really need a waiste belt

i find a backpack fine for this sort of thing

but the grift gear shoulder strap product is really good

[bigsarg7]

Yeah the suggestion for the second body is a great one, which i had taken into account, i have arranged for another Nikon DSLR a friend of mine owns one, so i'd arranged to take it and keep in the car for an emergency only eg if my gear decided to go bung on me.....which i desperately don't want to think of it doing!! lol I mean its only a d5000 or d3000 so nothing spectacular but in an emergency it will be suffise i hope! Also my assistant is bring her canon gear along to take a few shots as well if i need another angle etc. So all up there will be 3 bodies, but mine is the main gear unless something drastic happens.

Yeah i've decided its best just to keep my gear in my bag, but i am going to buy a memory card holder i can put on my belt or something, i would love one of those vests but i figure i might just go for the card holder instead. But its getting pretty exciting at the moment i am so looking forward to it, the second wedding i am getting paid for but the first and last i am not, either way a busy time, but be a very educational experience!

[photomarcs]

Just as a rough note i guess, have you ever considered a Lowepro Inverse? Just out of curiousity.. I plan to get one myself for wedding purposes =D any opinions on that particular bag? I know Aim54x has one, of course i'd know.. I've been eyeballing it for a while.

[aim54x]

Just as a rough note i guess, have you ever considered a Lowepro Inverse? Just out of curiousity.. I plan to get one myself for wedding purposes =D any opinions on that particular bag? I know Aim54x has one, of course i'd know.. I've been eyeballing it for a while.

Marcus..You have seen mine in action, great for lens changes, but it does get a bit squishy if you want to put a few decent sized lenses in there as well as a body. I can carry:
-Nikon D300 + MB-D10 + AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8
-Sigma APO EX DG 180mm f/3.5 macro
-SB-800 flash (or another small lens)
-extra batteries

HOWEVER, I cant get the AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR in this bag vertically. It does fit mounted on camera but nothing else will go in.

[Murray Foote]

I think the first question is what tasks do you want it for and why? I have a LowePro beltbag (don't remember the model), mainly for Blues Festivals where I can move around in a crowd and still have my lenses easily accessible. The other thing they're good for is weight distribution because all the weight is on your hips. I also have a separate lens case sometimes for my 300mm f4 that goes over my shoulder and I can attach to a belt.

But if you don't need to have your lenses physically on you, it may not matter and a shoulder bag you can cache and return to may be just as effective.