When I bought my first good camera a few months ago one of the big questions was how I wanted to carry and use it. Before the Fujifilm X-E1 I used a Panasonic DMC-LX3 and always carried it on a wrist strap. The X-E1 is substantially bigger and heavier and I wasn't sure whether to get a wrist strap as well, or rather a neck strap or one of those new-fangled sling straps.
During my search I was introduced to many products by many companies: Crumpler, Gordy, BlackRapid, SunSniper, LowePro, Artisan & Artist, Joby, Clik Elite, Luma Labs, and many more.
The raw utility, customisability, and the quality varied as heavily as the prices and the more expensive products usually weren't the best or nicest looking ones.
The general consensus regarding neck and sling straps seemed to be, that tripod-mounted solutions came loose more often than one would expect and didn't inspire confidence.
One company that was often mentioned in passing was OP/TECH, a U.S. company that has apparently been around for years. A few quick checks at the major online retailers revealed that its products were generally well-liked, sturdy, and reasonably priced.
Out of curiosity I purchased the Utility Strap - Sling, and the SLR Wrist Strap from OP/TECH. (The price for both items and a few additional connectors was lower than the price of one BlackRapid sling strap.)
At first I was a bit anxious because they use quick disconnects and like many people I've had the occasional bad experience with these kinds of connectors from other companies. These, however, seem to be exceptionally sturdy and well-made, locking in place with a satisfying CLICK and no wiggle room.
It turns out that my anxiety was unwarranted. I've been using the two straps for about three months now, during hikes, walking around town, a few (business) trips and pretty much everywhere I took my camera to and at no point did I fear that the straps or the couplings would come loose on their own.
I can't say that the OP/TECH gear is the nicest looking solution, but it's certainly the most versatile and functional I've seen (having tried products from BlackRapid and Crumpler in the meantime). I can quickly change between having the X-E1 dangling from my wrist, to having it on the sling strap, to attaching it to one of the shoulder pads of my Goruck GR0 using a spare OP/TECH connector and a carabiner.
