Carying two camera bodies

Howdy Everyone!
I hope you all had a fantastic and wonderful Easter! Lots of chocolate!! I am sure this question has been brought up on many a forum and debated a lot, but it is a question I could use some advice on.I would like to know, what is the best way to carry two cameras and two lenses? The reason I ask are specific, because I was born three months premature weighing one pound 12 1/2 oz. with cerebral palsy on my left side. My left side is 3.25 shorter than my right side. After many years of going through PT, OT, and Speech Therapy I can say that no matter what, I adapt. I recently met up with a fellow photographer whom had a black rapid strap attached to his Canon Mark III and Tamron 70-200mm F2.8 lens and he let me try it on, wow! amazing!I have also looked at the Hold Fast Gear, Money Maker which sells for $200 and is like a shoulder holster minus the Beretta. I would be interested in all suggestions and recommendations. I currently have the following setup:1 Nikon D610 with battery grip1 Nikon 17-35mm F 41 Nikon 24-70mm F 2.81 Nikon 80-200mm F2.81 Nikon SB 910 flashAll carried in a Domke J-2 bag

I can vouch for the Black Rapid. I've toted a pair of D600s, one with the 24-120/4 and the other with a 70-200/2.8 with no problems.

I carry two cameras most of the time. One in a smallish shoulder bag with extra batteries and memory cards. The other I have over my neck, which I know is not comfortable for most people, but I'm used to it. This is the camera with the huge telephoto on it, so I'm pretty much carrying it by the tripod collar a large part of the time anyway.

There is also the spider holsters. The spider pro holsters work very well. I tend to use a black Rapid shoulder strap on one camera and the other camera goes on the spider pro holster on the holster belt.

Black rapids. I have 2 D4's strapped to me for each and every wedding I shoot. I would be totally lost without them. For me, they are as comfortable as you are ever likely to get for 2 camera's.

This is what I use: BlackRapid Double & Double Slim Straps

Another vote for the Black Rapid. I have the Yeti. Last time i was out with it, i had a Siggy 500mm f4.5 with one body and Nikon 70-200 f2.8 on another. Some weight, but never uncomfortable

I only have the Black rapid for one camera but i hardly notice the D7100 and Tamron 150-600 on it.

it says you are a pro, so curious, dont you carry 2 cameras all the time? whats your current setup?

tried the BR for two weddings. never again. as bill noted ive recently looked into the spiderpro clip because I want to get the second camera off my right shoulder for when the guests arrive at weddings. other than that im an old school AN-6Y strap user. and I like to keep them shortish for rapid gunning. have no issue with weight around the my neck but I am not the norm. not the most comfortable but fast as hell. again, im not the norm.

BR/carryspeed are comfortable because the weight is spread to a wider area on the body but they are not efficient at all.
if you like the BR/carryspeed straps just make sure to always keep a hand on the cameras when you walk around because you will ding them and people will knee them and it will be a problem to walk in between a crowd of people. oh, and watch when you kneel to shoot low. the gear will hit the floor. so you have to cradle and put it on the floor gently if you shoot kids. and also the BR/CS straps are not fast and in fact slower than a regular strap to grab and bring up to your eye because there is one attachment point and the camera turns any which way so it could be you come to grab it and the grip is completely 180º. so the strong point is comfort but not efficiency/convenience.

there is no perfect solution actually.

rocketman122 said:

it says you are a pro, so curious, dont you carry 2 cameras all the time? whats your current setup?

tried the BR for two weddings. never again. as bill noted ive recently looked into the spiderpro clip because I want to get the second camera off my right shoulder for when the guests arrive at weddings. other than that im an old school AN-6Y strap user. and I like to keep them shortish for rapid gunning. have no issue with weight around the my neck but I am not the norm. not the most comfortable but fast as hell. again, im not the norm.

BR/carryspeed are comfortable because the weight is spread to a wider area on the body but they are not efficient at all.
if you like the BR/carryspeed straps just make sure to always keep a hand on the cameras when you walk around because you will ding them and people will knee them and it will be a problem to walk in between a crowd of people. oh, and watch when you kneel to shoot low. the gear will hit the floor. so you have to cradle and put it on the floor gently if you shoot kids. and also the BR/CS straps are not fast and in fact slower than a regular strap to grab and bring up to your eye because there is one attachment point and the camera turns any which way so it could be you come to grab it and the grip is completely 180º. so the strong point is comfort but not efficiency/convenience.

there is no perfect solution actually.

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That bit isnt correct in all situations/camera lens set ups,reaching down with my left hand i grab the tripod mount where i want to hold it any way and bring it straight to my eye,horses for courses,its comfortable to have my left hand on the mount most of the time any way,saw a guy the other day with a 150-600 plus camera on a neck strap,thats got to risk stressing the mount on lens and camera.

I just use two independant straps. A Black rapid metro on one. And a Boss Strap on the other. Works fine for me. And I don't need to bother buying a special rig that carries two bodies. Maybe I'll get one someday.

mikew said:

That bit isnt correct in all situations/camera lens set ups,reaching down with my left hand i grab the tripod mount where i want to hold it any way and bring it straight to my eye,horses for courses,its comfortable to have my left hand on the mount most of the time any way,saw a guy the other day with a 150-600 plus camera on a neck strap,thats got to risk stressing the mount on lens and camera.

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im not saying one is better than the other. there is no perfect solution. there is a compromise no matter what one uses. I now have to use two different systems to have convenience.

u use the connector on the BR strap with the tamron tripod mount, correct? because a D7100 tripod mount on the grip coudnt handle the load of that tamron for long. people have been walking around with supertele hanging off their shoulders downwards for years. what were people doing till BR/CS came along? exactly that. they connect it to the tripod mount on the lens and have it off their should and go. most usually have it in a bag and then take it out when they get to the location so they dont walk around with it but if you have the strap connected to the tripod mount of the lens, there is no issue here.

but ive used the BR strap and that thing just goes all over the place. its turning and swinging and I dinged my camera into people many times in those two weddings and I know from using it that its not even close to being as fast a setup that hangs off your neck for shooting quick. the camera with a BR is at your thigh side. so you have to grab it (and the camera is not always with the grip where you want) and you have it low and to the side. with a neck strap its 10" straight up to my eye. there is no comparison with speed. its also constabtly swinging and that puts tons of stress on the mount. my gear around my neck hardly moves. shoulder camera, more so, but not much because my bicep is always touching/resting on it. I keep it short and tucked close to my body. I also can shoot with two cameras in both hands. its not possible with the BR double. ive mentioned it before that its kind of like a race car driver using both feet to drive at the same time. I can have my prime (85/50) on the camera around my neck, and the other camera in my left hand with the 28-70/17-35/70-200, shoot an image with the prime with my right hand, drop it down as the strap is aorund my neck, continue with the other camera thats held with my left hand.

I stay fit so really have no issue with heavy weight around my neck all day long. but I am the extreme. not many people have their gear on them for 8 hours in a day. for most the BR/carryspeed is a good solution.its comfortable because it took weight off around the neck, yes, but not efficient or fast and the dinging youll get is not worth it. and everyone dings their gear when they least expect it. either knocking into something or someone walking by and hitting it.

dont understand me wrong. I think every system has its strength and weaknesses. BR/CS have comfort. conveniecne and speed, no. not even close. and I work very fast so I gave up on comfort. because I must get the shot. its just too slow for my needs.

mikew said:

I only have the Black rapid for one camera but i hardly notice the D7100 and Tamron 150-600 on it.

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Mike, do you attach your Black Rapid to the camera or the lens? I currently use the camera mount and hold the camera with my hand so there is no strain on the threaded mount but wonder if it would be better the other way. I wonder if less weight on the lens mount of the camera would be better, which would happen if I screwed the strap to the lens tripod mount.

Vixen said:

Mike, do you attach your Black Rapid to the camera or the lens? I currently use the camera mount and hold the camera with my hand so there is no strain on the threaded mount but wonder if it would be better the other way. I wonder if less weight on the lens mount of the camera would be better, which would happen if I screwed the strap to the lens tripod mount.

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I hang mine attached to the lens tripod mount i find it lays level no matter what focal length i have it on,although i normaly have it on about 400mm ready to go either way for the next picture.

Rocketman makes a great point about getting low and possibly banging your other camera into the floor while wearing Black Rapid straps. That had not occurred to me. I'm usually carrying just one body.

That said, I do like Black Rapid straps, and you get a much more stable carry with them if you lock in the rear strap under your belt. In other words, put on the strap, then put your belt on, locking the rear strap under your belt right behind the belt loop at 3 o'clock on your hip (above right hand pocket). That way the camera can still slide straight up the front strap to your eye with no obstacle, but it's not swinging around loosely.

Blade Canyon said:

Rocketman makes a great point about getting low and possibly banging your other camera into the floor while wearing Black Rapid straps. That had not occurred to me. I'm usually carrying just one body.

That said, I do like Black Rapid straps, and you get a much more stable carry with them if you lock in the rear strap under your belt. In other words, put on the strap, then put your belt on, locking the rear strap under your belt right behind the belt loop at 3 o'clock on your hip (above right hand pocket). That way the camera can still slide straight up the front strap to your eye with no obstacle, but it's not swinging around loosely.

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I borrowed a BR strap from a friend for 2 weddings. I wanted one because it looked appealing to me. in your mind its different than in the real world. you think youre going to stand there like a cowboy and grab your camera from the thigh and bring it up to shoot but it simply isnt the case. im saying this all from experience. I was psyched and ready to buy one.

-the strap is long down so turns much more. often when you come to grab it the grip is not where youd like it to be. I dont even look at my gear when I grab my gear with the AN-6Y straps because they simply dont sway.

-the camera sits low and if you use the two camera strap and want to kneel to shoot children you either have to get down lower so you can rest one camera on the floor because if you do a lunge kneel, one camera will scrape the floor but not be down to the floor. so in order to place it on the floor you have to get down lower. its neither here nor there. and you will lose shots because you need both hands to hold both cameras coming down as both will hit the floor. so you hold both cameras (one in each hand) and gently put one lying on the floor. if its wet a litte or the floor is dusty, you wont out your gear down on the floor. with neck straps im on my knees Buddha style and my 70-200 can hand from my right shoulder and still not touch the great. forget catching and immediate shot if you have to kneel with a double BR. not going to happen.

it is far from being convenient and fast. it looks cool (thats why I wanted oneHAHA) but its cumbersome. its comfortable as SH*T! but screw comfort, I need speed and to get the shot. im not shooting still life or landscapes. I shoot people. and I work fast. the BR/CS are not.

-the camera is low and to the sides. you WILL ding it. and you WILL get your gear kneed. thats a promise. people walk buy and dont even notice your camera because its so low and will come at 90º to you and hit it. be aware of that. if ou dont cup your hand around your gear and make easy walks it will sway and rotate in place and you will smack the camera into things. why? because it has one pivot point. not only because of that single pivot point but because the mount can spin nonstop. its just nonstop spinning when you move around. neck straps have two. it doesnt turn freely. they sway, sure, but they dont turn and the grip is the same place everytime. the BR doesnt turn 360º in place because you have bulging sides from lenses but it will do a good 120º nonstop. so the grip could be a certain way one time and another a different time.


I tried it for 2 whole weddings and I returned it with frustration because I had to go back to my straps and I was looking for a different solution. I didnt try it for an hour or two like most would use it so for others it may be great but its not for me. my best friend who I work with swears by it and many use it so it works for many. I just want others who are considering it to know real world use experience.

again im not putting BR straps down. I tried them. wanted to buy it. the An-6y are no picnic either. theyre stiff, have little padding, they will bite into your neck. and youll feel it at the end of the day because they have no stretchy material in them to absorb weight. but ive used them for years. to me, for now, theyre the best solution for speed and convenience. neck straps are still the number one used products. and Ill get the shot faster than anyone can with a BR strap.