OP/TECH 3501242 Utility Strap Sling - Black

Great strap. Allows you to slide your camera up to eye.

Why do some companies insist on branding their products so prominently? This is a great strap, but it loses a star as a penalty for me having to tolerate carrying a large and very obvious Op/Tech USA advertisement on my shoulder. It can give people the impression that I'm from the other side of the pond - which, in places like India, means the price of everything I want to buy immediately doubles! Their name's silkscreen-printed in bright white, but I'll figure out a way to make it a bit more discreet!The strap gets its remaining four stars for being comfortable, stretchy and non-slip - totally fit for purpose. It's so much better to carry a camera at waist height than have it hanging around your neck or over a shoulder. The elasticated padded section takes off so much weight when you're carrying a long lens (or even a short one for a long time).Like many others, I ignored the instruction to fit it to the right-hand side of my camera - which made it almost impossible to use the camera in portrait mode. It works just as well, although the camera does hang slightly more awkwardly, when fitted to the left-hand side. I've fitted another connector to the right-hand side so, if need be, I can use my Op/Tech wrist strap (which doesn't have an obvious advert on it!) instead.Unlike other reviewers, I'm not unduly concerned about the clips or fabric connectors breaking and allowing my hugely expensive kit to crash to the floor. They seem to be made of tough stuff and I'm sure that, given the Americans' love of litigation, Op/Tech will have tested them to destruction. My only concession to added security has been to tailor-fit a Velcro cable tie around the quick-release buckle.I have previously been a fan of the over-priced Blackrapid R-Strap system, but I'm pleased to recover use of the tripod mount on my camera with the Op/Tech system. I also find this strap significantly more comfortable - on my shoulder and on my wallet.

I purchased one of these after nearly losing my lens to an unbranded copy of a popular strap. I did consider getting the BR but I already use the Op Tech wrist straps and love them so figured I'd give this one a try, especially given it's much cheaper. Also the idea of it being modular so I can adapt it later to use on a dual harness if needed was appealing.Firstly what others have said about portrait problems is true. The strap does get in the way. Actually more specifically it's the connector which pulls the strap up. However I've found a couple of simple workarounds. Firstly you can swap the connector to the other side. So instead of the right hand side of the camera, I attached it to the left. This means the camera hangs the other way around but I can now take a portrait shot without the strap getting in the way.Secondly you can connect the uniloop connector to a BR type fastener and mount it on the tripod screw like a BR strap would. This instantly makes it just as easy to use as a BR strap but with all the advantages of the modular OP-Tech system.There are two attachments on the strap itself. One is male, the other female. What I've done is attached one to my camera, the other to my 70-200 lens. This means I am now supporting both items and if heaven forbid one fails, the remaining connector can hold the weight. In effect I have a backup.Ultimately the biggest factor in deciding if I wanted to keep this strap was for me to have total confidence that the plastic connectors will be able to take the weight of my heaviest camera/lens combination. According to the Op Tech website that each uniloop can take up to 146lb (10st/66Kg). So I tied the strap around a 6Kg weight and lifted it up using a single uni-loop. I then shook it around a bit to ensure the plastic clips wouldn't give way. It passed with flying colours.The Black Rapid is like the BMW of camera straps. It's well known, well made and very popular albeit a bit pricey. The Op-tech strap sling is more like a MPV. It's not as stylish but you can do so much more with it and ultimately it does the same job.