Attach the RS-1 to the bottom of your camera and sling the strap over your shoulder.

Let me let you in on a little secret: We have a definite soft spot at PDN for photographers who invent gear that makes photography easier and more enjoyable. In fact, in this issue alone you'll find no fewer than three photographers who have done just that, including the man behind the new RS-1 camera strap, Ron Henry.

I first heard about the RS-1 when I was griping to a friend about how much I hate camera straps. They're uncomfortable, there's no good way to wear them, and they're not safe. Put the strap around your neck and the camera flops around awkwardly on your chest as your move. (Not to mention, you look like a tourist.) Wear it over your shoulder and it's hard to quickly and securely bring the camera to your face. (Not to mention, your long lenses stick out and bump into things and your camera can easily be stolen off your shoulder.) Seems like the eternal dilemma, right?

Ron thought so, and that's why he came up with the R-Strap. Instead of looping around your neck, the R-Strap operates like a sling, sliding across your body, messenger-bag style. (The RS-1 is the basic strap while the RS-2 model offers room to store memory cards and a small cell phone. The RS-3 features a camouflaged look if you fancy yourself a photographer warrior. I know I do.)

The front of the strap has mesh padding so that it doesn't cut into your shoulder blade, while the bottom includes a clip that hooks into the tripod socket of either your camera body or your lens. You can connect the clip to a screw-in fastener that comes with RS-1 or attach a quick-release-plate from a tripod to the bottom of your camera, and hook the clip into the D-ring. The quick-release-plate method has the advantage of letting you easily mount your camera onto a tripod in a pinch: though attaching the strap to the lens, in my experience, offered better balance.

The one area in which Ron may want to invest some money is in getting a graphic designer to create a simple illustration showing how to wear and use the RS-1. Though it is not that complicated once you get the hang of it, it took me several tries to get it right. The BlackRapid Web site (www.blackrapid.com) offers a decent how-to video but I felt the demonstration went by a little too quickly.

Once the strap is slung across your chest and the camera is locked in, your digital SLR should rest against your hip, with the LCD screen facing forward. If you see something you want to shoot, just grab the camera and pull it to your face. The clip on the RS-1 will then smoothly glide the strap upward—as if it were riding a zip line—and the camera will come to your face. The key to getting the proper fit is to make sure the strap is tight enough so that only a small space remains between the camera and your nose when you pull it up.

The only hiccup I saw with the RS-1 is that if you are using a large DSLR with a battery booster on the bottom, the camera juts out from your hip and can bump into people in crowds. (I consider that, however, less of a problem than having the lens point outward as with a traditional strap). Also, as my colleague David Schloss pointed out, it is hard to set the camera down on a table when you use the fastener attachment. These are relatively minor quibbles, however.

THE BOTTOM LINE

We love it when photographer-inventors prove the old axiom that necessity is the mother of invention. With the RS-1, Ron Henry took one of the most annoying pieces of equipment in photography—the lowly camera strap—and made it work better. Bravo.

Black Rapid RS-1
www.blackrapid.com

Pros: A safer, faster and more effective way for carrying your digital SLR

Cons: Should include simple illustration or graphic on how to properly wear the strap; camera is hard to set down on a table with the strap fastener attached.

Price: $44