Product: Chest camera mount/strap
Manufacturer: Cotton Carrier Camera Systems

I’m always on the lookout for a good chest harness for my camera system.  I have a separate post laying out my thoughts on what makes a good product.

I recently purchased the Regular Camera kit from Cotton Carrier Camera Systems after reading feedback on the product on Photo.Net and viewing the videos available on the Cotton Carrier site.

Ordering the kit from the website on early morning on Wednesday, November 25 I was happily surprised to find that my order was being shipped out that day using 3 day Select UPS.   Quick turnaround always gets high marks from me.

What arrived was well packed and identical to the advertisement.  I received the harness, a secondary holster and two camera hubs. For my tests I replaced the secondary holster with a Lowepro 2S Lens Case since I have a single primary camera now that I’ve switched to full frame digital and would rather have an extra lens in easy reach.

You strap the harness to your chest; it runs over both shoulders and around under your arms. It’s adjustable in all direction to allow for a good fit and fairly specific placement. You attach a hub into the mounting socket in your camera with the supplied screw, which is threaded to support tripod mounting, and then slide the camera and hub into the slot in the harness.  A 90-degree turn and the camera are securely fastened.

Connecting and removing the camera from the harness takes some practice, but after doing it for a bit it becomes second nature.  I can’t stress strongly enough though that it needs to be cleaned and lubricated regularly. To make the system secure it was built with very tight tolerances and can begin to stick or feel like your working against a fine grit sand paper if you don’t take care of it.  The documentation and videos recommend Vaseline but I found that the slightest touch of plane ChapStick from my finger does a good job (and that’s something I always keep with me on trips).

For my testing I used the harness with my Canon 5D Mark II, the 24-105 and 75-300 lenses. Usually the shorter lens was mounted with the longer in the lens case.

The harness took some time to get properly adjusted even with the video taking me through the important parts. It’s not a complexity issue; it’s a personal fit issue. How high did I want it to ride, did I still need access to my breast pocket (where I often keep a lens cap). I was into my second trip (third day of hiking) before I found I wasn’t adjusting it anymore. Upon this realization it also dawned on me that I hadn’t been thinking of the camera at all! This isn’t to say I ignored it; I was using it off and on for the afternoon never going more than 10~15 minutes without putting the viewfinder to my eye. The camera had become more of an extension of my hand and my sight than it had ever before.

It is a delightful experience to see something and reach up and have the camera to your eye without a thought. You know where the camera is, your hand goes to the grip and in one twist it’s ready for action.

The best (well, for the camera and system) moment came when I slipped on some ice and landed on all fours in a foot of snow. The camera barely brushed the snow and stayed firmly attached to me.  Had I been wearing a standard neck strap, or even my previous elastic chest strap, the camera would have swung all the way into the mud below. I shutter to think of the damage if the camera had been in my hand at the time.

One trade off with this system deals with how it mounts to your camera. I have been considering changing the head system I use and now find my current mounting set isn’t easily compatible. This is due to the lack of short options, I don’t want to add another 1.5 to 2 inches of extension between the harness and my camera, that would be precarious and adding and removing the mounting slide on the go isn’t a good option for me since I switch from hand held to mono-pod often on my hikes.

I also wonder how well it would work for people with shorter torsos, standing 6’2″ I didn’t have a problem with the camera and mounted 75-300mm lens at full extension, but anything longer would have run into issues with it tapping my belt as I walked.  Anyone wearing a fanny pack (either front or back) could have problems with the lens rubbing the bag or buckle. Once again this is no different than a neck strep, but something to keep in mind.

Since I’ve purchased my Cotton Carrier they have expanded their inventory to include tripod-mounting equipment that works with the system and that could be a good place for people to start if they are looking at their options.

My results: This product is hands down the best camera strap I have ever used, I give it a strong recommend and have already recommended it to other photographers I work with.