SpiderPro Single Camera System
Manufacturer: Shai Gear LLC
MSRP: $135.00
Nothing says tourist louder than a guy with a camera hanging around his neck. This is one of the reasons why I have tried to avoid the camera neck strap for the past 40 years. A camera suspended from your neck is always in the way when not actively engaged in photography. A strap dangling from a camera in use is an impediment to the photographic process. Not to mention the resultant neck strain and pain. The SpiderPro Camera Holster aims to eliminate those problems by placing the camera where it belongs, on your hip close at hand and ready for action.
For me a camera is a tool, a means to generate income. As such I need my photo equipment to be safe, secure, close at hand and ready to accomplish the mission. I believe the SpiderPro System is up to those tasks.
Safe
With a neck strap a skilled thief could cut the strap, slip the camera off your neck and be running down the lane before you knew they were there. When the camera is hand held one is still subject to having the camera twisted out of your hands. In the SpiderPro System the camera locks to a webbed belt similar in construction and strength to those used by our military. No one is going to cut through that without telegraphing their intentions.
Secure
The plate bolts to the camera and then locks into the holster until a latch is released. This latch keeps the camera from detaching from the belt until you are ready for it. I don’t plan on testing this on a roller coaster but I am confident that if I did my camera would still be by my side at the end of the ride.
Close at Hand
The outlaws and lawmen of legendary Tombstone, Arizona kept the tools of their trade on their hip right under their shootin’ hand. The SpiderPro Camera System keeps me ready for a quick shot in the same way.
Features
The camera attachment plate bolts on using an included allen wrench. The fact that the plate has a secure place to store that wrench shows the attention to detail evident in the system as a whole. The plate also allows for the attachment of a tripod quick release plate. At first I was skeptical, as the quick release plate from my tripod is quite large. I didn’t think that there would be enough room but it all works as advertised. The camera can move from tripod to belt and back with out any readjustments. With or without the tripod quick release plate attached there is still unfettered access to the battery compartment.
The holster part is attached to the belt. The aforementioned latch allows the camera to be dropped into the holster easily but not removed with out a premeditated release. This latch can be intentionally over-ridden for those times when an even quicker draw is imminent. But beware that a charging linebacker could cause the camera to leave your side.
The belt has a buckle that requires three separate points to be pressed before it will unlatch. This one isn’t going to open up accidentally. The belt length is adjusted with heavy duty Velcro and can accommodate a wide range of photographers. I am what some may call circumferentially challenged and the belt which can be adjusted to fit me but without the extra security of the Velcro hook and loop. I scoured the Spider Holster web site in search of an accessory for the mature Elvis-sized photographer to no avail.
I have devised my own workaround. A stop at a well stocked fabric or hardware store can provide what I need to be even more secure. There are other accessories available to extend the utility of this system. See the web site listed above to review the possibilities.
At first blush, a $135 camera strap seems extravagant. When you consider that a high end camera and lens combination can easily be a $2,000 to $10,000 investment, the price for this much convenience and protection seems very affordable.
MyMac.com Review Rating: 9 out of 10
(History of Tombstone, AZ)
(American football Linebacker defined)
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.