Black Rapid Curve RS-7 Camera Strap Review

I have been using Black Rapid Curve RS-7 Camera Strap with my Canon 60D DSLR for past couple of months. I bought it initially because I was having trouble carrying two DSLRs using the normal neck straps and it didn’t feel safe to put the second body on your shoulder, using the neck strap. I went for Black Rapid, because I have heard a lot about this brand over the years and I have few friends, who are using Black Rapid straps for past couple of years.

Coming back to Curve RS-7, well it is a light weight yet sturdy sling type strap, which hooks into the tripod socket of your DSLR. With the way Curve RS-7 is designed, it makes your camera extremely accessible, since it is hanging right next to your hand and thus it is faster to shoot with, than normal neck strap.

While the Curve Rs-7 is padded in the area which goes over your shoulder, your shoulder does get tired after 2-3 hours of continuous walking and shooting, especially if you have a semi-pro or a pro body with medium to heavy lens. The good thing is, tiredness you encounter is a lot less than what you feel while carrying the same combo around your neck.

In fact the entire setup is so convenient, that while doing street photography in Pushkar, I was cursing myself for not buying two straps, so that I could have carried my second body in similar fashion.

What I do not like about Curve RS-7 is that you have to remove the strap completely, in order to mount the tripod plate and at moments like these, your camera is vulnerable.

Additionally, there is an easy to detach buckle at the back of the strap, which could get detached if it isn’t properly hooked or in case you are shooting in crowd and someone decides to unhook it. Black Rapid does have an accessory called buck, which prevents this from happening and gives you additional peace of mind. But I feel it should have been part of the package and not an additional accessory. In any case, you can easily do a DIY to make the buckle extremely hard to remove, one which I intend to do in the coming months.

While initially I wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing by spending so much money on a camera strap, however over the past couple of months, I have realized, it is completely worth it, especially since it saves you from neck and back pain, which can occur if you are using neck strap for several hours. This is where Black Rapid Curve RS-7 truly shines and shows its worth. In fact I am planning to order another strap from Black Rapid in the coming months for my second DSLR body.