Many people don’t realize the enormous difference that is made by someone having a camera shoulder harness and a camera neck harness. The differences between the two are phenomenal. While it can be argued over at what point the neck turns into the shoulder or the shoulder turns into the neck, there is no comparison with how it feels to carry the weight of the camera on either of them. A simple SLR camera can feel like it weighs 20 lbs on someone’s neck. It feels lighter than it really is, though, when it is placed on the shoulders. That’s why camera harnesses are so much better off when placed on the shoulders.
How can you tell if it’s a camera shoulder harness or a neck harness?
It’s relatively easy to decipher the differences. For instance, a camera shoulder harness will always have two seperate straps where as a neck harness may only have one. The single strap will loop around the neck placing the full weight of the camera on the neck. The duel straps, though, are placed out widely on the shoulders which helps to span out the weight and ensure that all weight is carried on the shoulders.
There are few cons to a camera shoulder harness. The only thing anyone has said is that they find it strange to overlap straps from their shoulder harness and their backpack; however, it’s not necessarily a problem. Neck straps, though, have a multitude of things that are not exactly right. Not only does the position of the weight make for a sore neck, but the single strap doesn’t do much to protect the equipment from swinging out and banging on something else. Indeed, when it comes to comparing one over the other, the best thing to do is to put the harness on the shoulders.