Decorative Camera Strap showing my love of the comic strip www.WhatTheDuck.net

Back in 1980 during Christmas break from college, I went ice skating with my friends on a lake in New Jersey.  I remember this time very well, because this is the time I dropped my rangefinder camera onto the ice and destroyed it.

The reason I dropped it was I didn’t have a camera strap on it.  I didn’t own one.  Today I see lots of folks who must have not realized how important the camera strap is when they opened the box with their new camera.  It can be cumbersome, but I can tell you from past experiences not using it can be a disaster.

My favorite camera straps are the Domke 1.5″ strap

Besides having a camera strap you need to use it.  Hanging the camera around your neck is the safest place for it to be when you are being a tourist.  Second is maybe over the shoulder, but the worst thing is no strap and just holding it.

Wrap the strap around the wrist if you don’t have it around your neck when shooting.

There are going to be times you might want to take a photo out of the car window.  Wrap the camera strap around your hand so that it doesn’t slip and fall.

When you get to that restaurant and need to set it down, the safest spot is on the floor–it can’t fall from there.  Some folks even put the strap through their leg so no one can grab it and run.

When you put a camera on a table, always try and keep the strap on the table and not hanging over.  It can easily get pulled off the table by animals and small children who are just curious.

If you place the camera on a table, don’t let the strap dangle off the edge.  I have seen way too many of these straps magically get hooked onto someone walking by and then the camera hits the ground.  Little kids love to explore and having something at their hands reach will be too tempting.

There are many types of camera straps and I will just recommend one that I prefer the most.  It is made by Domke and here is a link to it for you.  I like the quick release straps that can be removed for easy packing or when the camera is on tripod.

Remember the best insurance on your camera is preventive care by you.