OpTech Pro Loop Strap - I don't get it...

[alexg]

So I purchased two straps to compare, OpTech Pro Loop Strap and Crumpler Industry Disgrace.

Now that I have both of them in hands, I have to say it boggles my mind that people hang thousands of dollars on the OpTech Pro Loop Strap. Each of the two straps has 4 places where catastrophic failure can occur. And by catastrophic I mean all your **** hitting the ground.

There are three joints and one plastic connector and either of them failing means that unless you have good reaction you are in trouble. In total, that makes 8 places where things can go wrong in terms of plastic.

Comparing this to Crumpler which has just two plastic stress points in total. If you attach it correctly, breakage of either wont cause a catastrophic failure.

So why do people put so much trust in this strap? I'm not even going to try putting my insured 40D on it, let alone ever consider to even hang anything more expensive like a 1ds. It just doesn't look reliable to me.

What do you think?

[Jon]

Well, I hang a 1D3 with 70-200 2.8 IS, 100-400 Is or 28-300 IS off it (the POTN version)and haven't seen problems. It's quite reliable and comfortable. I trust it as much as any of the rest of my gear.

[homersapien]

Lotta drama over nothing. It's not going to break. Most of us probably refresh our straps every couple of years anyway, I know I do. My OpTech Pro has probably spent 20 hours in 0-15* temps, and the buckles held up fine; if they won't break under those conditions, I think most of us (trips to the zoo, chasing kids around) will be just fine.

[Sparky98]

The plastic connectors should be no problem. Similar snaps/buckles/connectors have been used on backpacks for years and they support heavier loads and are used in rougher conditions than most camera packs. I suspect that those plastic connectors have been used on Mt. Everest and all the other mountains around the world and I think they have proven themselves to be reliable.

[Diesel_Dog]

Besides the failing points, have you compared anything else between the two straps? Function, Bulk, Strain on neck/shoulder after 1-2 hours of use?

I have the Crumpler and am curious if the OpTech would have been a better choice.

[zeva]

I think i only remember 1 person complainign of the strap breaking... but if its on your neck i can imagine you will be able to feel if it starts to slip...

[alexg]

Besides the failing points, have you compared anything else between the two straps? Function, Bulk, Strain on neck/shoulder after 1-2 hours of use?

I have the Crumpler and am curious if the OpTech would have been a better choice.

Personally, if I don't feel safe hanging my gear on it, there's no point in getting comfy with it. I sold it on CL a few hours ago.

However, I have spent about 3 hours shooting with crumpler and so far only positive impressions. Obviously, not anywhere near enough time to form solid experience, but beats the heck out of the stock strap, that's for sure.

[Rellik]

Sorry you feel that way. I have no issues with the optech straps and feel very safe in knowing that my gear is held up by it.

I have complete trust in optech as they produce and manufacture their own products in their own factory. QC is high. Majority of their products are made from webbing and nylon materials. High percentage of them being straps for camera and other optics. That is what they specialize in and they are proud of their quality. Also they stand behind their products with a lifetime warranty.

I also have experience with military gear and can tell their work is top notch. The stitching on them is great and the use of paracord for attaching to the camera is very comforting. Plastic clips can be surprisingly strong and can hold up in extreme weather. It all come down to quality of materials and manufacturing.

[TeamSpeed]

The optechs do fail, but probably in very isolated cases, here is a recent thread about the ring breaking (not the snaps).
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=553812&highlight=optech+broke

[argyle]

So why do people put so much trust in this strap? I'm not even going to try putting my insured 40D on it, let alone ever consider to even hang anything more expensive like a 1ds. It just doesn't look reliable to me.

What do you think?

Ummm....because it works? Much ado about nothing, to be honest. Just give your gear and straps an occasional inspection, and everything will be fine. Don't get all worked up over it...

[tin.risky]

I just got mine a few weeks ago and it's been pretty sturdy so far with my 40D and your pick of the lenses in my sig. I've taken it hiking, ran around with the camera/lens combo bouncing around on the strap, and never have I felt that it was anything less than dependable. Plus it's comfortable and I got the POTN version to support the site.

[bonnybank]

I bought an OpTech strap 16 years ago when I first went to Florida to carry around my massive video camera. It worked a treat and I bought another for my old film Pentax. The straps have been used well over the years on various cameras with no problems and am currently using for my 400d. I wouldn't buy anything else (that is if I have to buy anything else)

[bohdank]

I bought the Classic. Less complicated, less bulky and padded only where it counts. Fits easier, attached to the camera, into my Fastpac and comes out easier.

[b.d.bop]

If you want security and a non-slip pad, go get the UP Strap today. It'll take about an hour to figure how how to loop the straps to the incredibly strong buckle parts correctly, but after that you could hang an elephant from this strap and not worry one iota. The strap has its webbing wrapped around a Kevlar skeleton and the fasteners make Op-Tech's look like kid stuff.
And those pads will never slip off the shoulder.

[Mork350D]

I don't think I would completely trust any strap not to slip etc and always try to have one hand holding my camera just in case.

[lefturn99]

I have two (one is a POTN) with no problems. The only complaint is that it absorbs sweat a little.

[b.d.bop]

I don't think I would completely trust any strap not to slip etc and always try to have one hand holding my camera just in case. I agree in 90% of instances but sometimes you've got both hands full with tripod, paraphernalia of some sort, etc., while a camera with lens, a bag and whatever else you're hauling around mandates that there'll be a couple of straps up on your shoulder which you think you're carefully balancing. Nobody can tell me they haven't been there. That's when the slippage thing comes into play - because the calamity always happens just when you think you've got it all covered. Well Up Strap covers it. That's all I'm saying. Aside from the fact that there's far less neck fatigue when your camera and lens are on your shoulder rather than around your neck.

[ben_r_]

I don't think I would completely trust any strap not to slip etc and always try to have one hand holding my camera just in case.
Same here.

[b.d.bop]

Same here.
Right, I used to feel the same way. Then I was introduced to UpStrap. Live and learn. :D

But everyone needs to do what they personally feel comfortable with, I'd be the first to advocate that policy. Carry on!

[johnboy00]

According to Op-Tech, their Pro Loop strap is rated to support in excess of 35 pounds. I've had mine for 4 years--no problems.

[jcothron]

It seems that many give "plastic" a bad rep here. This is not the first time I've seen people question something because it's "plastic". While it can fail, it's not likely to fail at all in the applications it is designed for. I've also worked in the plastics industry my entire career, so I've seen many different applications and polymers used...even things like lugnuts believe it or not. Optech has a very good quick release design...it's not going to fail unless you do something really out of the norm with it. Read that as in use it for something it's not intende for.

I've got two Optech straps...one I've had for more years than I can count.. got it with the original film Rebel. It still works fine although it's not nearly as nice as the pro loops strap I currently use.

I also have a PacSafe, a Lowepro, as well as the supplied Canon straps. The Optech is more comfortable than any of them in my opinion (and packs better).

To each their own, but I wouldn't let the potential failure of plastic be my guide.

[Wilt]

So I purchased two straps to compare, OpTech Pro Loop Strap and Crumpler Industry Disgrace.

Now that I have both of them in hands, I have to say it boggles my mind that people hang thousands of dollars on the OpTech Pro Loop Strap. Each of the two straps has 4 places where catastrophic failure can occur. And by catastrophic I mean all your **** hitting the ground.

There are three joints and one plastic connector and either of them failing means that unless you have good reaction you are in trouble. In total, that makes 8 places where things can go wrong in terms of plastic.

Comparing this to Crumpler which has just two plastic stress points in total. If you attach it correctly, breakage of either wont cause a catastrophic failure.

So why do people put so much trust in this strap? I'm not even going to try putting my insured 40D on it, let alone ever consider to even hang anything more expensive like a 1ds. It just doesn't look reliable to me.

What do you think?


Alex, inside the engine of cars is a distributor that sends tens of thousands of volts to your spark plug. Up to about 6000rpm for an average engine. The gear from the cranshaft turns a gear that rotates the distributor rotor. That gear is PLASTIC! The only time I have seen that gear break is when I was in college over 30 years ago, when my drunk roomate put his car into 1st gear and tried to see how fast he could go in 1st gear. The engine did not explode, the plastic gear broke, saving the engine from self destruction...only because my drunk roomate overstressed the gear. Point: plastic is darned strong!

[Jim Robinson]

OpTech has a great reputation. Well deserved IMHO. Their reputation would not be what it is if there were failures of any significance. That being said, we live in the physical universe and anything can fail. It's way down on my list of things to worry about.

[MR do little]

Insured 40D...-) seriously if your so afraid of neckstrap failing you cant really trust any strap. Optech/USA has great reputation and you can be sure its not because their straps has a high failure rate...







Crumpler is good, but

[Michael_Lambert]

I have been using my strap with the plastic buckles now for a year using my 1Dmark3 / 70-200 2.8 L with 1.4 TC... Moving quick at the arena up and down stairs and over chairs avoiding other people trying to get the shots... never had the buckle break and never had a thought of concern.

Now if you are that concerned insure your gear!

[JWright]

I've used similar straps from Tamrac for years and never had any failures in the plastic. I kept moving the straps from camera to camera as my gear changed. They just didn't wear out...

[eelnoraa]

I don't think plastic is necessary bad. Plastic has come a long way. Most of the straps today, backpack, should bag, ... use plastic parts. However, I do NOT like OpTech myself, for 2 reasons. 1) is the quick release buckle. It has come loose on me more than once, but luckly, the camera was in my hand. 2)too short

[Kasrielle]

All I know is that my OpTech PTON strap arrived in the mail the other day, and it's the most comfortable strap I've ever used in 30+ years of using SLRs and now DSLRs.

[sittingbackrelaxed]

I have an OpTech pro strap on a 5D MkII with a 70-200mm f2.8 lens and another OpTech pro strap on a 50D with a 100-400mm lens. I use both cameras to shoot at events where I'm constantly moving and I have never had any problem. Both straps are over 2 years old and I've just kept switching them from one camera to another. I plan to keep using them as they're extremely comfortable and do the job that they're built for.

[RobertZ]

:(
I just received my Op-Tech strap and I have to admit that I'm pretty disappointed. Though it is without a doubt comfortable compared to the Canon strap, it is scary to think about hanging a gripped 5D and 70-200 on it.

Anyone who has little ones has likely had multiple restaurant high chair experiences where the plastic connectors are broken off and the safety belt is unusable. I must have run into at least 10 of these this year alone. The connectors on the Op-Tech look remind me of all of the broken connectors. They look flimsy. I had the strap sitting next to my Tenba bag with it's excellent hardware and top notch build (wish there was a Tenba Black Label camera strap!). The Op-Tech strap looked like it would be fine with an Xsi and kit lens but not a heavier setup.

I watched a couple of the cheeesy Blackrapid Youtube videos and think that the R4 may be a better solution. After reading some of the stuff on the D ring connectors on these (prior to fix) I'm again questioning another strap.

OK, I'm done with the rant but I thought I'd give my thoughts on the Op-Tech.

[jcothron]

:(

Anyone who has little ones has likely had multiple restaurant high chair experiences where the plastic connectors are broken off and the safety belt is unusable. I must have run into at least 10 of these this year alone. The connectors on the Op-Tech look remind me of all of the broken connectors. They look flimsy.

Interesting observation, I'll have to follow-up on that one from a business perspective.

Addressing your concern however, the fact that they look similar may have very little to do with their performance. Part design as well as polymer design matter a LOT in applications like this.

Most of the time these buckles are colored black, both as a neutral color choice and also because of the inherent UV stability of specific carbon blacks. This has to be balanced with whatever additional stability may be needed beyond that.

The strength of the polymer compound as well as the connection itself will be due to part design and polymer engineering. While the base polymer can be the same, certain re-enforcing additives can drastically change the inherent strengths/weaknesses of the base polymer. Some as simple as a .015" thickness change can make the design of the part itself inproportionally stronger (or weaker).

Thanks for bearing with me while I thought this through out loud. :rolleyes:

[NYPhotog]

:(
I just received my Op-Tech strap and I have to admit that I'm pretty disappointed. Though it is without a doubt comfortable compared to the Canon strap, it is scary to think about hanging a gripped 5D and 70-200 on it.


I have been using Optech Pro Loops for years and never had a failure or even heard of these straps failing (unlike the R-Straps).

[bohdank]

I'm not 100% confident in those plastic types of buckes but since I rarely if ever connect/disconnect the strap, I don't worry about them at all.

[MR do little]

Robert the Op-tech strap isnt likley to break simple as that, if it where do you think people would recomend them ?

How many reports have you read of optech connectors failing ?

Iv used them for 4 years without a single problem.

[ed rader]

Robert the Op-tech strap isnt likley to break simple as that, if it where do you think people would recomend them ?

How many reports have you read of optech connectors failing ?

Iv used them for 4 years without a single problem.


i think in the years i've been here one person has reported a failure. i love optech straps but i don't like the pro loops .... i prefer the traditional attachment and that's what i use on both of my cameras.

if i could get an optech strap without the QRs that's what i would be using but that's only because i don't use the QRs :D.

ed rader

[Hogloff]

There are two problems with op tech straps ( in fact any strap made from neoprene). Firstly, they get hot and sticky in warm weather or if you are hot yourself from trekking. Secondly, they make the camera bounce, causing it to sway more than other straps. I personally like the Domke Gripper which is comfortable both around the neck and across the shoulders.

[ben_r_]

I worried a lot about that too when I was researching straps. Then one day at work a rep for Fluke came in and showed us a $35,000 network analyzer and I happened to notice it was hung over the shoulder off of an Op/Tech strap. That kind of confidence from a company like Fluke and all the testimonials from real life users here sold me! I have never had a problem with either of the two Op/Tech Pro Loop Straps I own.

[bohdank]

There are two problems with op tech straps ( in fact any strap made from neoprene). Firstly, they get hot and sticky in warm weather or if you are hot yourself from trekking. Secondly, they make the camera bounce, causing it to sway more than other straps. I personally like the Domke Gripper which is comfortable both around the neck and across the shoulders.

I always have a hand on the camera unless it is on cross shoulder (never noticed any concern with bounce cross shoulder). The neopryne stretch is what makes them so comfortable, absorbing the shock of a bouncing camera.

[maxblack]

I 've have two Op/Tech Pro Loop Straps for a couple of years now.
When I first got them, the QR's worried me.
A few minutes later, I 've never worried about them again.
Great straps. Just check them before you hang them. You would do that with any brand.
It's the same with a parachute. :D

[RobertZ]

Wow. Lots of confidence in them here. Also, very good points on the lack of negative posts on them. There is no doubt that they are very comfortable.

[MR do little]

“The actual quick release will break or pull apart at about 130 pounds or 59 Kg. This is per side so for a strap with two connection points that breaking point doubles.”

Think that will take care of any doubt regarding the rigidity of the connectors.

Now of course if you use the connectors alot you always check that you'v secured them properly.