Gear

The Right Way to Attach Your Camera Strap and Avoid Disaster

When it comes to camera straps, one false loop or careless threading decision can end in a costly disaster. So do yourself a favor and make sure that big, bulky camera is secured correctly.
If you attach your camera strap like this you are flirting with disaster.
If you attach your camera strap like this, you are skating on thin ice.

The best cameras have huge sensors, and cameras with huge sensors are larger and heavier than most. They also cost upwards of a thousand dollars. In fact, the total cost of the thing hanging around your neck can easily approach the five-figure range if you're using a really nice lens.

That entire situation places a whole lot of stress on your bank account and your camera’s neck strap. One false loop or careless threading decision through the proper buckles and clips can end in a costly disaster: A couple grand worth of photo gear sliding off your neck, free-falling into a ravine, and leaving you photoless, broke, and sad. So do yourself a favor and make sure that big, bulky camera is secured correctly.

Even if you're a knot-tying expert, you should still check your strap before every outing to make sure everything is secure -- especially if you're sharing or borrowing equipment. WIRED Photo Director Jim Merithew suffered a smashed Leica when a "friend" of his attached the strap incorrectly before he used it. The camera slipped off his neck strap, rebounded off a marble floor, and took on career-ending damage.

"Friends don't let friends mess with their camera straps," says Merithew.

Here's how to attach your camera strap the right way and ensure your DSLR doesn't become the world's most expensive paperweight.

SAMSUNG CSCFirst, loop the strap through the eyelet from the outside in. But don't stop here.

1. Start with the strap facing the right way: The exposed top and bottom of the strap buckle should be facing outward. Working towards the camera, thread the loose end of the strap through the camera's metal loop. Then thread the loose end of the strap through the little fastener that's attached to the strap.

Caution: YOU ARE NOT DONE! Leaving the camera strap like this is a terrible idea.

SAMSUNG CSCIn this step, we're just giving you some slack so that step 3 is easier.
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2. Push the upper portion of the strap through the top part of the buckle. This part is just giving you a little bit of slack for the next step.

SAMSUNG CSCThread the buckle from the inside, top opening first, with the loose end of the strap.

3. Thread the loose end of the strap through the top inside end of the buckle first, then back down through the bottom outside opening of the buckle.

SAMSUNG CSCWhen you're finished, you should have a double loop threaded through each buckle with no dangling loose ends.

4. Obviously, repeat steps 1-3 with the other end of the strap.

You're all set. Your camera should be safe and secure while dangling from your neck, and you won't have any messy loose ends hanging off the buckle.

All photos Tim Moynihan/WIRED