Camera harnesses and harness equipment pricing and costs are of concern to anyone worried about the potential loss or damage and repair of expensive photography equipment. If you're involved in outdoor photography, some sort of harness is almost essential; whether you're hiking or kyaking, you'll need good-quality camera harness equipment to protect your camera and accessories. Professional camera harnesses are also useful for any photographer who wants to keep the hands as free as possible.
As you're looking into various camera harness providers, bear in mind that there are three general types of analog or digital camera harnesses. Professional photographers may use only one type or may use all types, depending upon the shooting situation. So first, think carefully about how you want to use a camera harness, and then consider whether you need:
1. A digital camera harness that clings to the chest
2. A still or video camera harness that hangs from the shoulders
3. Simple camera harness products that hang from the waist

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Choose a camera harness distributor selling chest harnesses

Chest harnesses for cameras offer the ultimate no-fall protection when you're photographing while sking, parachuting, climbing, or doing other movement-related activities. Fortunately, chest harnesses are quite inexpensive, costing between $10 and $50; you can even make your own for under $10. Remember, however, cheaper harnesses tend to have less padding, while more expensive harnesses are designed with long-term comfort in mind.

I recommend: Sell N Send sells an inexpensive chest harness with a lifetime warranty. B & H Foto & Electronics also offers chest harnesses for photographers. Linkdelight provides lightweight chest harnesses ideal for small cameras. Read "Make a Camera Harness" at Mother Earth News for DIY tips on making a super-cheap harness.

Select still or video camera harnesses that hang from the shoulders

Shoulder harnesses are good for less rigorous activities during which you want your accessories contained so that your hands are as free as possible. Again, these harnesses aren't expensive. You may purchase a simple one for about $10 to $20 and a well-padded one for between $20 and $40. Bear in mind that the longer you'll be wearing the harness, the more you'll appreciate a contoured and padded one.

I recommend: AvidMax Outfitters sells a moderately padded shoulder harness, while ShaShinKi.com offers a more contoured shoulder harness for your gear.

Buy a professional camera harness that hangs from the waist

Belt harnesses are useful for carrying small, lightweight items like filters and lens cleaners. They are available for as little as $10, but more expensive ones are more likely to be more comfortable and appropriate for items of heavier weight. They cost about $30 to $50.

I recommend: 5DiamondCameras.com sells nicely padded waist harnesses with shoulder support so that heavier items may be carried more comfortably. EastCoastPhoto carries heavy-duty belt harnesses that allow extra accessory pouches to be added.

Camera harnesses and equipment are a photographer necessity. For any photography professional whose camera has slipped out of your hand or strap broken, the split second that you see your camera fall to the ground can be a nightmare. From limiting your work at the moment to potentially sidelining your profession for weeks if not months of repair, camera injuries can be career damaging in terms of work lost and credibility damaged.

Camera harness equipment can be critical to those with expensive equipment. Most photographers have multiple cameras, but many only have one of their top of the line camera, many of which cost thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars. To protect that investment, having a professional camera harness is imperative. Camera harness equipment also give you more hands free capabilities due to the extra storage it can provide.

When working with camera harness providers:

1. Make sure that the model of camera harness equipment they are selling you matches the brand of camera you are sporting.

2. Consider camera harnesses more for their quality than their price. Added benefits can include additional storage.

3. Find out if the retailer or manufacturer offers any guarantees on their camera harnesses and harness equipment.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Purchase chest load camera harness equipment for active photographers

Active photographers should invest in the inexpensive chest load camera harness equipment available for activities such as snowboarding, skiing or climbing.

I recommend: Sell N Send, LLC is a Colorado-based photography accessory site that offers camera harnesses for Topload Zoom AW, Toploader 65 AW, or Zoom 2 or Zoom 1 Bags. OneCall sells the Lowepro Chest Harness Strap for Topload Zoom holster-style packs.

Use camera harness equipment for hands free storage

Have everything you need easily at your fingertips with shoulder camera harness equipment.

I recommend: Look at the hands free storage Lowepro can provide you in their S & F Shoulder Harness. Check out the Nylon harness system for ORTLIEB camera bags available through Velomakak. With the harness, the camera bag remains firmly attached to the body, which can give you fast and easy hands free access to your camera.

Use camera harness equipment for a wide array of needs

Camera harness equipment can help you with stabilization, with weight distribution, with camera protection from bounce and more. So finding the right professional camera harnesses is important based on what your critical needs are.

I recommend: Look at the camera stabilizing film and digital camera harnesses available through Kinesis Photo Gear, who also offers a full array of camera harness equipment. Look at professional camera harness for better weight distribution from WillCAD. Stop your camera from bouncing around with the OP/TECH Binocular/Camera Harness. Check out the camera harness options from trusted source B & H Foto & Electronics Corp.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Video camera harnesses are just as important as camera harnesses. Stabilization of video footage is even harder to obtain than single frame photography needs, so purchasing the right video camera harness is critical to obtaining great raw footage.

Camera harnesses are a combination of straps and bags used to carry camera gear. They can be just for carrying the equipment when it isn't in use, or they can have an attachment that allows you to waer the camera in order to make it easy to take pictures and video while walking, cycling, skiing or doing other activities that make it hard to hold a camera.

There are several types of harnesses you might consider, including a shoulder harness, a backpack harness, a vest harness and a waistbelt harness. Accessories and bags attach to these harnesses using several types of attachments, including the SlipLock system and the Tri-Glide system of attachments.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Shoulder harness

A shoulder harness is a simple set of straps that goes over the shoulder, making it easy to carry a bag with heavy camera gear. Shoulder harnesses resemble a backpack but have no waist strap, so the shoulders and back handle the weight.

I recommend: See photos of a camera bag with a shoulder harness at Think Tank Photo.

Backpack harness

A backpack harness is worn like a backpack and has a support with a connector that screws into the tripod attachment of a camera. It's especially useful for taking video while moving, making it easier to control and keep the camera stable.

I recommend: Take a look at a backpack camera harness with a camera support at Abel Cine Tech.

Vest harness

A vest harness has several straps and many compartments to hold camera gear, both on the chest and at the waist. This type of harness has several places where you can attach various types of accessories using one of a number of patented attachment systems.

I recommend: See an example of a vest harness with several photos at MVS Video.

Waistbelt harness

A waistbelt harness is the simplest form of camera harness, which attaches around the waist. Or it can refer to part of a larger harness that also has straps around the shoulders or a backpack style harness which also has a waistbelt.

I recommend: Find camera bags with waistbelt harnesses at Sell N Send.

SlipLock system

The SlipLock system is a patented way to attach accessories to the base part of a camera harness. A tab with Velcro on the attachment slips into loops on the harness, letting you add any type of attachment that's compatible with this system.

I recommend: Check out an explanation of the SlipLock System at Lowepro USA.

Tri-glide attachment system

Tri-glide is an attachment system using heavy-duty webbing to connect various parts of a larger harness together.

I recommend: See an illustration of a camera harness with a Tri-Glide attachment system at Yamiya Trading.