How I Shoot – The Best $20 You’ll Ever Spend On Camera Gear.
How I Shoot: A new monthly series from BeersandBeans where I highlight something I find useful in terms of travel photography – be it gear, tips, technical data, etc. Hope you like it – this is the second installation!
Raise your hand if you’ve brought a camera on your travels but when it comes to walking around town for the day you don’t want to bring it with you because after a couple of hours it gets too heavy and feels like a burden.
I hear ya.
Cameras and their corresponding bags and gadgets can get really heavy, especially when you are spending a long day on your feet.
Enter this little gem – the Promaster Contour Pro Shoulder Strap.
If you’ve spent any time in a camera shop there’s a good chance that you’ve seen this and have probably wondered if it’s worth the money. It is and no, I’m not getting paid to write about this. I haven’t even had any contact with this company whatsoever. I use this strap and I LOVE it.
It’s a padded strap with a neoprene gel like substance on the shoulder area. The strap has a bit of bounce to it and it’s extra wide which helps distribute the weight. I swear this strap takes 10 pounds off your gear. It has sturdy, metal clips so you can attach it to any bag you use.
I use it on all my bags, I don’t travel without it and I never shoot a wedding without it.
If you have a camera but you’d like to spend more time with it get yourself one of these straps. I swear it’ll be the best $20 you ever spent. You won’t believe the difference this strap makes – no other strap seems to compare to this one. The only thing you’ll wish is that you did it earlier.
*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of BeersandBeans.com, NarikosNest.com & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you want to use one of them please contact me first because I do love to share and I would be flattered. Thanks!
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(24) awesome folk have had something to say...
Megan -
May 9, 2011 at 1:15 am
What a great idea – I never considered getting a different strap to make my camera bag more comfortable. I just bought a new Crumpler one and it doesn’t having any padding on the strap. Thanks for the tip!
Bethany -
May 9, 2011 at 6:30 am
Hi Megan – oh get it. It is So completely worth it! @Megan,
Vi -
May 9, 2011 at 6:12 am
Ships only to US :/
Bethany -
May 9, 2011 at 6:31 am
Try Googling it or see if you can get it from Amazon. I just grabbed the first link that showed up when I googled it but I’m sure you could find it through a company that ships internationally. 🙂@Vi,
Vi -
May 9, 2011 at 7:37 am
@Bethany, I am sure I can find some copies on internet shipped somewhere from Asia 🙂
Bluegreen Kirk -
May 9, 2011 at 6:24 am
Looks like this could be something I would really be able to make use of. I am not the camera person but since my wife prefers i carry the camera big I really need to look at investing in this little strap.
Bethany -
May 9, 2011 at 6:32 am
Oh yeah, if you carry the bag – it’s totally worth it. Really it makes such a different it’s unbelievable. I also have one to recommend for the camera as well if your wife wants a different strap too. @Bluegreen Kirk,
Seattle Dredge -
May 9, 2011 at 1:38 pm
Looks like a great strap! I’ll definitely keep an eye out for it next time I’m shopping around..
Bethany -
May 9, 2011 at 6:48 pm
It works great!@Seattle Dredge,
Sarah Wu -
May 9, 2011 at 5:49 pm
Thanks for sharing, that looks like an awesome strap for camera equipment or even other things to carry with you.
Bethany -
May 9, 2011 at 6:49 pm
Yeah it would be great for anything – a laptop bag, a heavy purse. I love it!@Sarah Wu,
oliver -
May 10, 2011 at 2:00 am
hey tht’s a great idea.. i’ll try to pick one up too…
Bethany -
May 11, 2011 at 6:27 pm
Thanks for commenting Oliver – I’m sure you’ll like it! @oliver,
Lorna – the roamantics -
May 10, 2011 at 11:16 pm
$20 sounds like nothing to pay for this much added comfort. i need to work on getting a real camera! all i have is a crappy little canon point & shoot. 😛
Bethany -
May 11, 2011 at 6:28 pm
Yup at $20 it’s a steal. I’m always amazed at how comfortable it is. @Lorna – the roamantics,
Cailin -
May 11, 2011 at 3:13 pm
This is a great series of posts to do! On my last trip to Europe and Iceland I actually left my DSLR at home 🙁 just thinking about carrying it around with me made me cringe (However this was also the first time that I would be carrying a video camera with external micro phone and a tri-pod) and I also took my point and shoot camera.
I was sad that I didn’t have my DSLR with me but it also allowed me to learn to take wicked photos with my point and shoot when there weren’t as many features to work with.
This strap sounds awesome though, I will definitely have to check it out! 🙂
Bethany -
May 11, 2011 at 6:34 pm
yeah carrying
around 2 cameras would be tough! This strap is great though – would def. help with your video gear too! @Cailin,
Donna Hull -
May 25, 2011 at 5:26 pm
What a comfortable looking camera bag. This would be great for my boomer audience. Enjoyed reading the review.
Bethany -
May 26, 2011 at 8:57 am
Yeah, the strap would be perfect for them. Really it is so comfortable. I use it even if I don’t have a camera in my bag. Once you try it out there is no way to go back. It would be perfect for anyone, especially older travelers. 🙂@Donna Hull,
Nancie -
May 26, 2011 at 9:58 pm
After buying an expensive strap that has been endorsed by the New York Times, and discovering that I needed a PHD to figure out how to use it, I bought one for about 15.00 at a camera store in Thailand. The strap has a nice bit of bounce to it, so my camera doesn’t seem so heavy. I will definitely try this one out as well. I’ll look for it in Canada this summer.
Great review. Thanks for sharing.
Bethany -
June 6, 2011 at 5:46 pm
Somehow I missed your comment before. It’s great you got one in Thailand. 🙂@Nancie,
clint -
June 6, 2011 at 11:47 am
Hey, just found your site today and like it a lot. I actually just bought a great new strap for my DSLR but not my bag itself. What kind of bag is that in the photos? I like the looks of it.
Thanks
Bethany -
June 6, 2011 at 5:47 pm
That’s my next topic – the camera strap! The bag comes from an army/navy store and was under $30. I love it. It’s a great bag. I wrote more about it and making a good camera bag from bags that aren’t made specifically for cameras on this post here: http://beersandbeans.com/2011/04/05/how-to-make-a-budget-and-fantastic-travel-camera-bag-that-doesnt-look-like-a-camera-bag-how-i-shoot/ Thanks for commenting 🙂@clint,
Paula Through the Looking Glass -
January 3, 2015 at 1:12 pm
Hey Bethany, just to let you know I click on the link in this post and it didn’t work, think the site might have changed the page unless it’s because i’m in a different country….anyway thought i’d let you know.
Loving this series by the way!!! just starting out so going to buy your book!!!