Black Rapid versus Peak Design
I was watching a Manny Ortiz video about the new Sony a7v. I noticed he was wearing a Black Rapid camera strap and I literally thought “oh yeah, those still exist.”
Now here’s the thing. I am not disparaging Black Rapid. They make quality camera straps. In fact, my first camera strap was a BR. It’s just that they went from being the most well know straps in photography to being out of the public conversation.
Why?
Peak Design came along.
In the last several years, Peak Design has managed to make themselves arguably the biggest name in photography accessories. They got their start by creating a new type of camera strap that caught on quickly. Then they made a camera bag that caught on quickly. And a tripod that caught on … you get the idea.
Peak Design kicked Black Rapid squarely out of the top spot and nearly into obscurity. But is the Peak Design strap actually better than the Black Rapid?
Well, yes… and no.
What made Black Rapid different is that they rethought how a strap should work. They innovated. And the straps that they created are very well designed, for the most part. The straps are crossbody, shoulder mounted, with a secondary anchor strap to keep you balanced. Then they made the camera easily detachable from the strap. The did so by creating a metal anchor which mounts to the bottom of your camera. The anchor easily attaches and detaches from the strap. When attached, the camera hangs upside down and backwards, which is pretty handy, because it makes grabbing your camera very swift and easy.
So what is the problem? Why did people move on?
I can only speak for myself, but I think most photographers would agree. The anchor is insanely inconvenient in it’s placement. It’s great when it’s hanging or when you’re shooting, but kind of a pain in the ass otherwise, since you have the anchor sticking out the bottom. Additionally, the anchor might be easy to detach, but it isn’t quick. And lastly, the anchor bolts into the same hole that you would use for a tripod mount, such as an L-Mount or an Arca-Swiss plate. Eventually, they made a tripod plate that works with new, slimmer anchors. But by then, I feel like the market had moved on.
Then came Peak Design. Upfront, let me say that their straps are not as well-designed, balanced or comfortable as the Black Rapid. But where they innovated was in their concept for anchors.
Like the BR, Peak Design created an easily detachable strap. Their anchors are little plastic toggles that hang from the strap brackets on your camera. Unlike BR’s anchors, the Peak Design toggles are insanely quick to detach and do not interfere with tripod mounts.
But unfortunately the PD strap doesn’t hang as conveniently as the Black Rapid. It’s basically a regular, uncomfortable strap with a much better anchor system.
Side note, I got rid of the actual Peak Design strap I was using. My goddaughter bought me a custom engraved leather strap that was far more comfortable. I went online and you can buy aftermarket attachments. So I only keep the Peak Design toggles and discarded the rest.
There are some Peak Design products I am very interested in. I own their original tripod, for instance. But I do find their reputation outstrips their quality.
I could be convinced to go back to Black Rapid, but I think they need to get back to innovating. Go back to the drawing board and show us something different.
As for my recommendations, I would say for newer photographers who have no use for a tripod, a Black Rapid strap may work. As someone who needs versatility, I’m still sticking with the Peak Design system, if not their actual straps.
#camerastrap #cameraaccessories #blackrapid #peakdesign
