Last Updated on 04/15/2013 by Chris Gampat
With the rise of vintage appeal and retro looks, there was also a parallel stir in the photo accessories market. Suddenly, we began to see an outpouring of lots of new camera straps appealing to those that are going for the old-school style with their kits. Lots of these straps involve the use of leather–just the way that older cameras used to. And while there are lots of brands out there that may appeal to photographers, here’s a list of certain brands that tickle our vintage fetish just the right way.
Olympus Pen Premium Case Strap
The Olympus Pen Premium Case strap is what leads off this story. And unfortunately, they are the toughest ones to get your hands on. Olympus discontinued them a while back. But this strap was part of the original Pen Premium Case that came out years ago. The case came with a wrist strap to put around your pen. However, I found that the case’s strap was a much better and useful way to tote around my camera. It is my most versatile and used strap–as well as the one that leads off this story’s image.
Consider this strap the unicorn on this list. And if you find one, grab it now.
Buy Now: Check Amazon for availability
HoldFast Gear Camera Leash
HoldFast Gear is an American company that specializes in beautiful leather goods for photographers. Their Camera Leash is a constant companion to my Canon 5D Mk II for the reason that it has become designated as my studio camera. For that reason, the camera is either placed down safely out of harm’s way or in my hand. And when shooting, this strap protects your camera from falling by using a specialized clamp that screws into a Black Rapid strap screw.
Before it falls out of your hand, it will instead tightly grip itself around your wrist–and may even cause some discomfort. For this reason though, we consider it one of the safest wrist straps for your DSLR while still being a star on this list.
Buy Now: B&H Photo Video Pro Audio
A7NYC Black Original Leather
A7 is now changing their name to Studio 7–but that doesn’t change the quality of their Pebble textured leather strap. Their straps are designed in Brookyln, NY and are targeted to the fashionable photographer–such as those in street fashion or the one that diggs beautiful looking cameras. Despite their lovely looks, these straps are extremely durable. We’ve tugged, and tugged and tugged on them and there seemed to be no issues with the quality.
The strap will match your leather jacket–and the interior material on this strap won’t wear out the finish either.
Buy Now: A7 sells these straps directly
Figosa Vintage Strap for Mirrorless Cameras
Figosa is a company that makes all their straps in Italy with genuine Italian leather. While they are the newest company on this list, they are promising to have a significantly more expanded lineup of products. But to start, they have created a Vintage Style strap targeted to mirrorless camera users–and in particular it seems like they’re warming up to the Olympus OMD EM5.
Though we haven’t tested their straps yet, they’re still positively stunning to look at, like many things Italian.
Buy Now: Figosa’s Etsy shop is where you’ll find this beauty
Tap and Dye LEGACY Shoulder Strap
We’ve tested Tap and Dye’s Legacy Wrist strap before, and their 44″ camera strap is built almost similarly. These straps are also made in NYC and have a characteristically thin profile to them. The thing about their design though is that they admittedly look great on any camera–which is something that only Tap and Dye’s straps seem to be able to do. These straps are largely modelled after the traditional straps that many vintage cameras came with–which is why they’re so versatile.
Though we’d be the first to admit that they’re not the simplest things to put on a camera, once they’re on, they fit just like a brand new necktie.
Buy Now: Tap and Dye sells their straps straight off of their website.
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