After a few weeks of ongoing use, I thought it was time for me to do a Cotton Carrier G3 Harness for 2 Cameras Review. As I’ve been progressed more into the ‘mature’ ranks of humanity, I’ve been contemplating getting some kind of camera support to reduce arm, neck and back strain.
After doing some research and then talking to a couple of other photographers who have the Cotton Carrier G3 Harness, I decided this was my best option.
I proactively contacted Cotton Carrier and asked them if they would be interested in supplying me with a review sample of the G3 Harness for 2 Cameras, which they did.
I was not paid anything to write this article, nor do I receive any kind of sales commission/payment if any of my readers choose to buy something from Cotton Carrier.
Before I get into my photo-based review I thought it may be helpful to provide a couple of links on the Cotton Carrier G3 Harness for 2 cameras from a couple of other photographers.
These YouTube videos demonstrate how quick and easy it is to remove a camera from its locked position on a Cotton Carrier G3 Harness for 2 Cameras, and grab some images.
NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.
As you can see in the Dave Hutchinson YouTube video, putting on the harness is very quick and simple to do.
Let’s have a look at some features of the G3 Harness for 2 Cameras. The heart of the system are the camera mounts and the mounting hub that connects to them.
The twist & lock camera mount on the chest of the G3 Harness feels solid and engages smoothly with the mounting hub.
The same style of twist & lock camera mount is used on the removeable holster for a second camera.
Attaching the mounting hub to your camera or lens is very simple and done with a mounting hex bolt, gasket and a supplied Allen key. I’ve been checking the tightness of the hub on my M.Zuiko 100-400 tripod foot and it has remained tight and solid after more than 30 hours of use.
Given the weight of my M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS lens I would not attach the mounting hub to my E-M1X as it may put too much strain on the camera mount. Instead, I attached it to the tripod foot and it has worked very well in this position.
You’ll notice an additional hole on the bottom of the hub. This allows a photographer to screw in a tripod mount. I haven’t used any of my remaining tripods in almost 5 years, so I screwed in one of my Manfrotto plates to see how it would work.
There are number of accessories available on the Cotton Carrier website. Some specifically deal with using a Cotton Carrier with a tripod, as well as a drone bracket and steady shot applications. Our thanks to one of our readers (Kathy) for posing a question related to tripod use. Readers may have specific interest in the Universal Adapter Plate and the Wimberly Head Adapter Plate.
I like how the back of the G3 Harness is designed. It does a very good job equalizing the weight of my camera/lens combination across by back and both shoulders. I find this far more comfortable than using a camera support that is slung across my body, putting all of the weight on only one shoulder.
Here is an image of the inside panel of the vented back of the harness. You can see some of the padding built into the design, as well as some mesh venting material. The padding isn’t all that thick… but I haven’t experienced any pain or issues wearing the harness so it is doing a good job from a comfort standpoint.
I imagine the mesh venting material is designed to help dissipate heat. I haven’t worn the harness in hot weather yet so I can’t comment on that aspect.
It is important to get a good fit with the G3 Harness. This is done by adjusting the shoulder straps at the buckles (illustrated above).
And/or with the shoulder strap rear adjustments which are done by loosening the straps, moving them up or down, then reaffixing them with the Velcro panels.
There are waist adjustments on both sides of the G3 Harness which help pull it in snugly. The waist belt has a solid locking clip.
I spent some time looking over the stitching on the G3 Harness and areas when some reinforcement was added to the construction. Everything looks very solid and well made.
I likely won’t use the supplied tether straps, but they look robust enough to do their job as a safety strap.
Using an ‘over and through’ motion, the tether straps are easy to attach to the G3 Harness.
If you don’t need to use the tether straps all of the time, you can easily remove the bottom portion of the straps.
A rain shell is included with the harness. Given the outstanding weather sealing on our Olympus cameras and lenses I likely won’t ever use this feature.
The rain cover is self-containing in its bag. The clip design allows you to put the rain cover on other camera bags or gear you may own.
The removable holster is secured with dual Velcro flaps for added safety. The first flap is larger and it can be used to mount the holster to the G3 Harness, other Cotton Carrier products, or your belt.
Once the first Velcro flap is folded down and sealed, a second smaller Velcro flap provides additional safety and security.
The design of the harness provides good weight distribution across my back and shoulders. It is important to get a snug fit with the harness for the best level of support.
The position of the 2 camera mounts makes it fast and easy to remove a camera from the harness or holster. I forgot to tuck in the end of the strap on the left hand side in the image above.
In the image above you can see how the hub slides down into the camera mount. This is done with the camera/lens assembly being held parallel to the ground. Once fully engaged in the camera mount, a 90-degree turn locks the camera/lens in place.
I appreciate that some folks may feel that carrying a camera up so high on one’s chest may feel awkward. I captured the image above while wearing the G3 Harness… and shooting downward towards my lens and the camera mount.
As you can see I had just slid the hub into the camera mount. My camera assembly is not yet locked into position as it is still parallel to the ground, and balanced on the camera mount.
While wearing the G3 Harness I actually have very good visibility of the hub and camera mount so it is quite easy to get the camera mounted and secured into the vest.
Here is a more close-up view of the hub inserted into the camera mount. While not yet locked into position, the weight of the camera/lens keeps the hub in the camera mount. I find this to be a very effective ‘at the ready’ position.
When I’m out with my birding kit I often use this ‘at the ready’ position as I’m waiting for a suitable image opportunity to appear. The full weight of my camera and lens are being supported by the G3 Harness. My hands/arms are not supporting the camera/lens at all, but positioned so I can bring my camera up to my eye very quickly if an image opportunity presents itself.
In the image above you can see that I’m beginning to raise my camera to my eye. If you look between my hands you can see that the camera mount is now free and clear. All it took was a minor movement of my hands/arms.
My camera is now in a shooting position. Notice the very short distance that my kit had to travel from the chest camera mount up to my eye. This is much faster and easier than bringing a camera/lens combination that was hanging near my hip up to my eye. This shorter distance increases my response time while out in the field, and at the same time using the G3 Harness reduces potential back, neck and arm fatigue.
In the image above you can see that my E-M1X and M.Zuiko 100-300 mm f/5-6.3 IS are in the chest camera mount and locked into position. If I had to move quickly, climb over obstructions, or perhaps jump across a small stream… I’d want some added security for my camera gear.
All I have to do is click and tighten the lens support strap to give my camera/lens additional stability.
In the photograph above you can see that the lens strap has been fastened and tightened over the bottom portion of the lens. My camera gear is now very secure to the point that I can use both hands to climb over/around obstacles. I could also jog, run or jump if necessary.
Over the past few weeks I’ve been out wearing my Cotton Carrier G3 Harness for 2 cameras regularly. My longest photo session was just under 6 consecutive hours. To date I haven’t felt any pain or fatigue with my back, neck or arms. Overall I am quite satisfied with the comfort and performance of the G3 Harness.
Special Cotton Carrier Discount for our readers.
During our discussions with the good folks at Cotton Carriers we asked them if a special discount for our readers could be arranged. They were very supportive and receptive to the idea.
If you are interested in purchasing any gear from Cotton Carriers, you will qualify for a 10% discount on any regularly priced merchandise. All you have to do is use promotion code SSP10.
This is a reader only benefit. I do not receive any kind of sales commission or payment if any of my readers purchase items from Cotton Carriers. This is simply a way for us to provide some additional value to our readers.
Technical Note
All images were created from RAW files using my standard process. This is the 1,361 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.
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Hi Thomas, fellow wildlife photographer here. Thanks for such an in depth review, it’s really helpful when deciding what to purchase. I tried a cheaper version of this set up from Amazon and I found that the vest moved around a lot when I was trying to get it unclicked from the central plate, which was a pain – the straps weren’t adjustable enough to be tightened. I presume the G3 can be tightened quite easily and suit all body types?
Also, I found that cheap version made quite a loud unclicking noise when uncoupling from the camera. Is the G3 system quiet in this respect? I wouldn’t want to scare anything off you see, or alert it to my presence. Thanks in advance.
Hi Duncan,
There are adjustments on either end of each shoulder strap (a total of 4) which provides a good amount of variation. There are 2 length adjustments for the waist clip as well. ‘All body types’ is a pretty all encompassing description. I would say that there is a lot adjustment room. I’ve seen the G3 worn by reasonably large guys and some smaller women as well. I think the Cotton Carrier website provides some measurement ranges.
There is no clicking sound when coupling or uncoupling from the harness. I don’t have my harness tightened right down at the present time as I’ve been wearing it over various thicknesses of clothing and I didn’t want to have to keep adjusting it before each outing. All I do is apply a bit of pressure with the heel of my left hand when sliding the camera out of the harness. The coupling/uncoupling motions are smooth. You just need to make sure that you secure the disk in the correct direction and at the right angle… then the action is quite smooth and pretty silent.
Tom
Thanks for your speedy reply Thomas and for the detailed info, it’s much appreciated.
Thanks for the review and discount code Thomas. I live in the UK and the code is not recognised on the EU site.
I contacted the very nice people at Cotton Carrier and they gave me Cotton15 which does work and gives 15% off.
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for letting me know about the discount coupon issue. I’ve passed that information along to my contact at Cotton Carriers. I’m glad they were able to come up with a solution for you.
Tom
Question: in a combined bird and macro photographic session with a second camera with macro lens fixed to the belt, using a stool to photograph with the macro lens close to the ground, can the 100-400m fixed to the chest be a nuisance?
Domanda: in una sessione combinata di photographic bird and macro con una seconda macchina fotografica con macro lens fissata alla cintura, usando uno sgabello per fotografare con il macro lens vicino al terreno, il 100-400m fissato al petto può dare fastidio?
Hi Riccardo,
That is a great question since I’ve never been out with the specific intent to use both lenses.
So… I put my G3 harness on and mounted the M.Zuiko 100-400 mm to it… making sure to use lens strap across the bottom portion of the lens. Then I took my stool and went around the house photographing subjects that were low to the floor (i.e. within 4 to 6 inches of the floor). As long as your camera has an articulating screen like my E-M1X there’s no issue at all. If your camera’s screen only folds out, you may need to hold it somewhat off centre from your body to get your macro shot.
Questa è un’ottima domanda poiché non sono mai uscito con l’intento specifico di utilizzare entrambi gli obiettivi.
Quindi… ho indossato la mia imbracatura G3 e ci ho montato l’M.Zuiko 100-400 mm… assicurandomi di utilizzare il cinturino per obiettivo attraverso la parte inferiore dell’obiettivo. Poi ho preso il mio sgabello e sono andato in giro per la casa fotografando soggetti che erano bassi sul pavimento (cioè entro 4-6 pollici dal pavimento). Finché la tua fotocamera ha uno schermo articolato come la mia E-M1X, non c’è alcun problema. Se lo schermo della fotocamera si apre soltanto, potrebbe essere necessario tenerlo leggermente decentrato rispetto al corpo per eseguire lo scatto macro.
Tom