This post is not completely off topic since many birders use DSLR cameras in the field. My camera strap recently failed, allowing the camera to plunge several feet to the ground, damaging the lens and dirtying the body. The strap is a well-known after-market strap that many birders use. It is ergonomically designed at the shoulder to take some of the weight off. It connects only to the base of the camera with a screw-in piece that is attached to a small metal carabiner. The carabiner attaches to a rectangular metal ring that is permanently affixed to the webbed nylon strap. A prudent user always checks the screw-in piece to make sure it is securely attached to the camera and the carabiner to make sure that it is locked. There is nothing to check on the other metal pieces. Failure of those parts is unexpected and unanticipated. I will not name the strap manufacturer at this time. Those of you who use the strap will know which one I am referring to. This strap does not have a safety leash that could attach elsewhere on the camera to prevent the kind of camera fall and damage that I experienced. The preliminary assessment is that it will cost at least $500 to repair my lens. And, of course, the camera body needs cleaning as well. I am awaiting a final estimate today. If any of you wish further information, please contact me privately. I can take a photo of the strap's failed parts with my iPad to send to you. Please be warned. This strap may rarely fail, but if it does fail, it will be catastrophic to your camera and lens.

Carol Riddell
Edmonds, WA