harness for big camera

Requirements

must support big camera with heavy lens and keep it from bouncing while I walk
must be comfortable underneath a back pack
should be easy to put on and take off
must allow me to take pictures without unhooking the camera

Design

I knew what I needed but had never tried to make a carrying harness, so my mom and I simply took some straps and put them on the dress dummy. Taking into account the weight and the ‘no bouncing’ requirement, we then adjusted the straps so the camera hangs at the lowest point, dividing the weight over the shoulder straps.

to make the camera movable on the straps, we then went out and bought plastic clips used to make handbags. I disassembled the Canon original strap to recover the plastic strap attachment mechanism and replaced the long, heavy strap with a very short one. This has proven to be very practical generally speaking, even when dragging it around without the harness.

we stuck everything together with pins and then I tried it on with my winter jacket and the actual camera. Some adjustments were made to the length of the straps but then we decided to simply go ahead and sew it together, adding fluorescent ribbon. The harness closes in the front with Velcro, sturdy enough since that part doesn’t take much weight.

As an encore, we created a rain cover: a simple tube of more or less impermeable material, with a drawstring at the top. It’s large enough to go over a medium sized lens and can be loosely closed with Velcro between the camera straps. Not deluge proof, but okay for light rain or drizzle.

Improvements in next version

• rain cover must be attached somehow, when I take it off the camera to shoot a picture I don’t want to hold it in my hands. perhaps a clip with an extending wire?
• too big in summer, can I make the straps adjustable without sacrificing comfort? Or just make a summer version?
• perhaps ditch the fluorescent ribbon? not helpful if you want to spot wildlife..

Credits

Requirements, design & testing : Febe
Design & assembly: Kristien