Digital Photography

Cool dSLR camera straps

When you’re lucky enough to get your hands on a brand-spanking new dSLR camera you also get a perfectly good camera strap. Camera manufacturers though, not satisfied with the hundreds of pounds you’ve already shelled out to purchase their hardware would also like you to be a walking advert for them – perhaps in the hope you’ll get mugged and have to buy another camera. Who knows.

Anways, the day I received my Canon 5D MkII I was (unsurprisingly) extremely impatient to go out and start shooting with it RIGHT AWAY so I just hooked up the enclosed strap and did just that. “I’ll get a new funky camera strap soon though” I said to myself.

Over two years later and guess what? (That’s rhetorical – we all know the answer). I HAVE been looking around though and have whittled down the contenders to these:

rainbow stripe camera strap Rainbow stripe camera strap £14.99

 

seat belt camera strap Seat belt camera strap $22.95

 

comfy split camera strap Extra comfy split strap $25

 

fabric camera strap Fabric camera strap $27.00

 

roberu leather camera strap Roberu Leather Factory – Natural tanned leather camera strap £109

 

joby mens and womens camera strap Joby UltraFit Sling camera strap for men and for women £38.68

I can’t decide! What’s yours like, is it nice?

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8 Comments

  • Reply
    Robert
    20 August 2013 at 07:24

    I have one rather similar to the Ultrafit Sling (actually a sunsniper http://www.amazon.co.uk/SUN-SNIPER-STRAP-THE-SCHWARZ/dp/B0045J5AAC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376979473&sr=8-1&keywords=sunsniper). Very good indeed. Comfy, keeps your camera near your shooting hand and yet out of the way so it doesn’t swing forward and clatter the coffee cups off the table in the cafe. Best of all though is when in an SLR infested place (National Trust property, school sports day, etc) I draw envious looks from the other shooters when I swing my camera gracefully to my eye, shoot then return it to its comfy spot on my hip. They often hadn’t noticed I even had a camera until that point. Other may be prettier, but this one works.

    • Reply
      Angie
      20 August 2013 at 19:18

      It does look very handy!
      Should I worry that this style of strap relies on a single attachment to the tripod hole (is that what that’s called??) or does it seem pretty safe?

  • Reply
    Cass
    20 August 2013 at 11:36

    I’m all for pretty and my current strap is a beautiful silky red and gold woven creation with a black velour backing. Problem is, after a day of carrying it around, my back hurts and I have sore patched where it rubs my neck (I imagine the same would happen with the admittedly gorgeful seatbelt straps – having just spend an entire day driving through France, I’m not a fan of the idea of more seatbelt neck grazing). The pretties are also equipped only with those flimsy buckle fasteners (you know the ones you simply loop in and out of a small metal or plastic buckle). I’ve twice caught my camera on the verge of escaping from the strap, seconds before it would have gone crashing groundwards. I now have the loops looped PLUS big knots tied above the buckles but I still don’t trust it. That leaves me with the split strap, the leather strap and the sling strap. I occasionally wear my current strap sling-style, diagonally across the body and whilst comfy, it does suffer from one drawback: BOOBAGE. It don’t half enhance it (or squish it depending on how you sling). Either way, ze boobies tend to get in the way. So i’d steer clear of that being my only option. I really really like the look of the leather one, but I suspect it might be quite rigid and therefore uncomfortable with the full weight of an SLR on it. Which means, by a process of deduction, that I’d have to vote for the split strap: looks super comfy, seems to have more sturdy camera connections (no dodgy buckles), and it can be worn round the shoulders as well as sling-style (for days when you want – or couldn’t care less about – a bit of extra boob separation). Voila. Decision made. No need to wait for anyone else’s opinion. I’m obviously right.

    • Reply
      Angie
      20 August 2013 at 19:27

      As soon as I added the seatbelt one, every long car journey and accompanying neck welt came rushing back to me!
      And yes, I am hearing you about the BOOBAGE thing – and if you consider that I could end up with a bag crossing in one direction and a camera strap in the other – I’m not sure the world’s ready for that much definition!
      Will keep you posted (but I think you might be right).

  • Reply
    Sara
    20 August 2013 at 20:21

    I use the regular strap my camera came with, but I have a strap cover from an Etsy shop called adivaand3dudesdesign. I like it because it has a pocket to put the lens cap in. It’s cute, too, but the back of my neck gets hot easily when I wear it.

  • Reply
    Blue Straggler
    20 August 2013 at 21:35

    Optech USA stretchy one, about £16 I think. Just like a standard strap (onto the left and right body lugs rather than onto the tripod socket) but comfy and with a bit of stretch which reduces strain (I will guess that the JOBY one does similar). I don’t see the advantage of the JOBY one and it looks if anything a bit too long so it would take two twists of the wrist through the strap, instead of one, to do that self-stabilising thing.

  • Reply
    Blue Straggler
    20 August 2013 at 21:40

    I meant to add….if you are a tripod user, the JOBY thing will be annoying if it fills the tripod socket. Even if it has its own tripod socket to compensate, you will have introduced instability, kind of missing the point of a tripod :-/

  • Reply
    Andy Helms
    21 August 2013 at 03:55

    Comfort is all to me, & so far Crumpler straps are as good as I’ve found. Sometimes my back gets a bit achey (is that a word?), but then, I lug around a 7d & heavy L glass…if I’m toting a bag o’ “junk”, I’m generally 6″ shorter by the time I get home anyway. I don’t trust the plastic “quick release” thingies on some straps (from experience), but I’ve found that any hardware store has small “key rings” & spring hooks that fill that bill very well (meaning secure) for a couple bucks. Don’t ya wish someone would just come on & invent the perfect strap?

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