Hi Tim.
Rationally, I think we'd all agree that if a person were to just attach a lens to a camera and come back to check on it after several years, the lens would still be solidly attached. Without something to push in on the button, it's not going to release the lens.
Yes - absolutely.
I use a Black Rapid strap and if I'm using a lens with it's own tripod collar then the strap is attached to the lens mount instead of the body mount (I attach the strap to whatever component has the most weight).
Exactly what I do too. And I think this is part of the key to why it has happened to me to be honest. I think, had the body been attached to the Black Rapid then the lens release button probably wouldn't have been pressed - at least not as easily. Also, the twist necessary would be less likely I feel.
Given that force = mass x velocity, I can imagine that if the camera were allowed to swing and did hit something on that same side of your body, that it could hit the button with enough force to release the locking pin and since the camera would be syspended by the lens and not the body, the force might also allow the body to "twist".
Yes - exactly what I think is happening.
You wouldn't have this issue when using a factory neck-strap because the camera isn't allowed to twist.
Yes. And that's what I'd expect Canon would say if I had tried to get the damage fixed under warranty. And that would be perfectly reasonable too.
I have heard lots of horror stories about cameras becoming detatched from the Black Rapid strap too. Usually these stories involve either the mounting bolt wasn't torqued down enough (or worked it's way loose) and I've also heard people report that the carabiner clip coming unlatched (even though they have the threaded sleeve to lock it -- people claim that works it's way loose too.) I've never had either of these incidents but it scared me enough that I found myself constantly re-checking the security of it.
Yes. Again, me too. 🙂
I've never had any real issue with the base bolt coming loose, nor the carabiner. I do torque it down well and it's only once been slightly looser than when I initially torqued it down - but still many turns left before it would have detached.
Now I also check the lens is securely mounted as well. And I have found twice more that it wasn't, but luckily it was still mostly in place and required much more turn before it would drop - so I just clicked it back in place (and then worried about it and rechecked it every few minutes for the rest of the day)
It sounds like we do similar things with regards to how we carry our gear. So I guess I've just been unlucky. It certainly hasn't happened when I have my 7D on the Black Rapid. And it's never happened with any other body either. So you can imagine my concern and my thinking that perhaps it's a 5D3 thing.
When this has happened I've been shooting motorsport and I've been moving about quite a lot - briskly travelling from corner to corner with the 5D3 and 100-400 on the Black Rapid attched to the lens tripod mount. And I have the 7D as well, sometimes firing off some shots as I'm moving from place to place. So the 5D3 is just hanging there during these times and banging against my hip as I'm moving around.
Anyway - if nothing else, hopefully someone might read this and start checking the security of the lens mount if they do the same as we do regarding carrying their gear. And I hope that they might be spared what happened to me (and others) by finding it before they experience their 5D3 body bouncing along the ground beside them! 🙂
Thanks for the detailed reply too - much appreciated. I felt, first time, you were dismissing it as purely user error (and I can understand skepticism on this issue). But I can only assure you that I'm genuine and that I'm also quite fastidious regarding making sure my gear is securely attached when I'm moving about with it. Which is why it was such a surprise after thirty odd years to have this happen.
At the end of the day I have a fully functional 5D3 - so I was lucky I guess. And it's now beaten up, so I can treat it harder than I ever normally would and not worry about the effect on it's secondhand value. I'm taking that as the bright side and looking at it 'glass half full'. 🙂
