Camera Bags – The Modular Belt System - By: Stu Eddins

A waist belt modular system is ideal for sports photographers, wedding shooters, photo journalists or any other active photographer. The possible configurations are endless and can be altered on the fly to meet the shooting needs of the moment.

At the heart is a broad and comfortable waist belt. Usually padded, the waist belt should fit snuggly on the waist and rest above the hips. Most often the belt is held together with a pinch buckle and they are adjustable to fit. Many systems also offer a shoulder support system, either a two-piece harness or a single “Sam Browne” style shoulder strap. While the harness is sold as a separate accessory we strongly advise adding it to the system. The belt may fit well and stay in place over jeans, when the weather turns cooler the belt’s grip on a jacket may not be adequate and the harness will keep your gear up where it belongs.

The modules that can be fitted to the belt cover a wide variety of needs. All of the modules that hold equipment open at the top. The closures are designed more for quick access than protection from the elements. Drawstrings and magnetized flaps are very common and while in use the closures are most often left open.

The first modules to acquire are lens modules. Lens modules come in several sizes and are sold by length and width. The correct fit is the lens module that allows the photographer to remove or replace the lens one handed and without fumbling. If the lens modules are too tight for the photographer’s lenses it defeats the purpose of the system. It’s all about quick changes on the fly.

The second most common module is for flash. Camera flash units also come in a variety of sizes so once again it is important to outfit the belt with a flash module that is the proper size. Since a photographer seldom carries more than one flash when shooting on foot we suggest that the flash module should be worn at the back of the waist strap. Lenses which are selected by size should be toward the front so that the correct lens can be chosen at a glance.

While lens and flash modules are the main components of a belt system there are other very popular modular accessory carriers.

Memory card modules are available that will fit on either the belt or the harness. A memory card module can have internal pockets to keep a dozen cards organized and ready to use. Most of the available card modules will have fabric flags sewn into the individual card pockets which are used as indicators to show that a card has been used.

It is convenient to carry spare batteries too so many photographers will use a compact camera bag or re-task a memory card module to hold AA or rechargeable batteries. Not seen as often these days but pouches designed to hold exposed film are available to film photographers. These specialized pouches have an elasticized opening at the top that allows for easy insertion of an exposed roll of film but once inside the pouch the opening prevents the rolls from bouncing out. The Tamrac modular system even offers a water bottle module which is pretty convenient for a long outdoor shoot!

In Conclusion: Modular belt systems offer photographers a means to safely carry their lenses, flashes and other gear while shooting on foot. A modular system can be assembled and reconfigured at will to match the needs of the day. Getting modules that properly fit the photographer’s lenses and flash is important for ease of use.

About the Author

Stu Eddins is blogger, instructor, merchandiser, and is generally in charge of a lot of things for Porter's Digital Cameras and Imaging. Visit their site at http://www.porters.com. Years of experience over the counter and in classrooms have turned Stu into an evangelist for image preservation, capturing and sharing memories, and helping people understand digital cameras, digital camera Accessories.

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