NEED ADVICE- Cotton Carry

Getting ready to Lay out $120 on a carry system for my 5D MKII... I use this in the field quite a bit in overseas areas, so mobility is needed with very quick access. It will be attached 90% of the time to a 70-200mm 2.8L......Camera is non-gripped


Have narrowed it down to a Cotton Carry Vest System or a Cotton Carry-Lite holster system....

I am leaning toward the vest. Seems like a better center of gravity, and concerned the 70-200mm will bounce around on my leg when I walk if I use the holster.

Also interested in a Sun Sniper Strap system from sunbounce.com, anyone used this?

Does anyone have ANY experience with any of these THREE systems?? or have another system that works good while mobile with a heavy L Telephoto? I need to leave for SouthEast Asia in 10 days, so gotta pull the trigger on something soon.... Any input would be helpfull.

I use the CC vest when I am using a big lens. It balances the load nice and the strap across can secure your "pricey" load. When I am doing an indoor shoot with a shorter lens, I really like the CC lite side holster system. It is easy to use an keeps the camera out of the way, yet ready for action. Long story short - get the entire system and you'll find times when you want to use both ways!

I use the CC vest system myself. I find that if I use it with my 70-200mm lens I need to have the lens hood removed or I can't lean over very far. It kind of gets in the way when I am hiking up a 30˚ hill. I think it will be all right if I were a little taller, but I'm only 5'7". I never tried the CC holster yet as I only have one body.

Take Care,
Cheers, Patrick

I have the CC vest and holster. I'm happy with the vest with gear as big and heavy as a 1D3 and 70-200/2.8 or 100-400. I'm not as comfortable with the holster worn at the hip. It's fine when attached to the vest.

The problem is the swing. I've had a 5D2 and 24-70 drop onto a concrete road because the CC hub thingy unscrewed itself as I was walking along. It cost me a Hoya Pro-1 CPL and a trip to Canon for the camera and lens. CC recommend to use a threadlocker, which up till that time I did not. Now I do, but I am always nervous about wearing the holster at the hip. I do not think that the holster at the hip would be a good choice for a lens larger/heavier than the 24-70. I've actually stopped using the holster at the hip completely.

The vest is great, if geeky, but if you can slip a jacket over it, and wear a black top underneath, then it barely notices. I've been contemplating an R-strap or similar as an alternative to the CC vest, when I want to blend in with normal folk, but haven't gone ahead yet.

p.s. Wearing the camera at the hip I also find it has the potential to get knocked by things like table corners, chair backs, edges of door frames, other people etc.. I find myself being very conscious of having to avoid damage to the camera (or anything else) when moving about. It is not relaxing always having to be on guard against bumps. If you want to leave a flash mounted to it then forget it. The vest solution avoids both those problems.

I agree you have to be careful. You should use the included teather that now comes standard. If the CC button fails, your camera would not hit the ground. I actually loctited the hubs to a kirk clamp, so I never have to take on/off the button. I use the arca swiss plate system.

The tether was not supplied when I bought my CC (December 2009) and, being based in the UK, I have a feeling it would cost an unreasonable amount of money and take bleedin' ages to get them. My angled inserts took around 2 months to get to me. Pricey little buggers too. TBH I think CC should be sending out tethers FOC to all who purchased the product before they became a standard feature. Not going to happen though, is it.

There customer service has been fantastic for me. So why don't you try to contact them and explain your situation.

You have a point. But I don't want a tether flapping about and getting in the way. I want a product that is strap/cord free and will not get caught up, just like the one I purchased in the first place. I also want a product that will not release the camera until I want it released. The solution to that (I hope) is to use threadlocker, not an irritating cord.

In any event, I think the tether solution only works if you use the vest. If you wear the camera at the hip then what do you attach the tether to? If it's the belt then for the tether to be long enough to get the camera to your eye it would also be long enough to let the camera hit the ground. Not a useful solution, I think.

I have the CC lite, so there is a built in place for the clip. Any belt, such as a Think Tank, would have places for you to put it on. You might have to insert a small metal ring, but that's no big deal. I started out not using the teather, but have since gone to it as extra insurance. It doesn't flap around and get in the way of anything, that I've noticed.

Well the Lite holster illustrates my point.

http://buy.eu.cottonca​rrier.com …DESC=N&ProductC​ode=511CCL

There is an extra shoulder strap to which the tether attaches, half way up the torso. For someone like me, who has just the holster and a belt, even a Think Tank belt, you would have to attach one end of the tether somewhere on the belt, not half way up your body. That being the case, in order for the tether to be long enough to get the camera up to your eye with freedom to shoot planes or BIF, for example, it would be so long that if the camera dropped with a long lens attached then it would surely hit the ground, would it not?

I might add that being generously proportioned my "waist" sits somewhat lower than it might for other people. I have to wear the belt under my gut, not over it. That increases the distance from belt to eyeball and reduces the distance from belt to ground. That's the problem with a tether on a belt. It won't do any good. The camera/lens will hit the ground before the tether is tight. If you have the vest on then you could attach the tether to the vest, but without the vest you have nothing to attach it to other than your waist belt, and I've just covered the problems with that "solution".

Wow, are you angry or something? You could just make your own teather. It would not be that difficult. FYI, I only use the belt part on the CC lite, not the shoulder strap. There is a buckle where the teather goes and it works fine to be attached and shooting at the same time. For someone with a long torso, yes that could be an issue.

CC is a fine product and they are constanty trying to improve it. So, again, why don't you take up your "issues" with the company itself. I'm sure they would like to hear your suggestions on how to make their product better.

I am finished with this conversation as I do not want to encourage arguing here on this forum. Thank you.

Where do you get the impression that I am angry? I simply posted a warning that it is recommended to use threadlocker and that I do not believe that a tether is the solution to *my* problem with using the holster from a waist belt.

I think you have an inventive imagination. Toodle pip.