Holdfast Gear is one of the companies out there that is currently trying to make photography accessories sexy and functional. More than perhaps any other company out there, they push fine leather goods as their staple and provide users with not only stunning products, but durable and practical solutions. We’ve positively reviewed many of their products, and one of the latest offerings from the company is their [PHOTO]Belt; the belt that essentially will make any photographer feel like Batman.
Build
The [PHOTO]Belt is an interesting one with a design that harkens back to the older punk rock days and that has been copied, recopied, and modified after years of pop culture’s dilution. To put it on, I strongly recommend taking off the extra strap that comes off and that attaches to the eyelets.
The overall construction is very solid and for the months that I’ve been using it, it has survived a lot of abuse not only from my photography, but also general casual use as a fashionable belt. As any guy will tell you, belts can go through a ton of abuse and can eventually wear away. This one is showing no signs of slowing down after having worn it at least three times a week.
For better fastening, the belt also has a removable mini strap to hold it in tighter. This will come in handy when you have a ton of stuff around your belt/waist.
Which leads us to the major questions: what the heck does this thing do? Well, it uses the extra strap to hold lenses, flashes, accessories, etc. And holy crap, it is an awesome alternative to carrying a camera bag.
In Use
On the recent Sony Media Excursion, I was loaned two of the company’s new flashes: the HVL-F60M. Since I didn’t feel like bringing a bag with me, I strapped the two flashes and the accessory packs around my waist. Sure, it pulled my pants down a tiny bit, but it was still very easy to both run, walk up/down stairs, sit with ease, and still remain comfortable.
If you’re heading to a gig and packing light with one camera, one lens, and flashes, this system is honestly really quite genius and also quite dapper looking.
Conclusions
So who is this meant for? Honestly, the price is a bit high at around $175.00; but it is worth it for the photographer looking to make an impression with their looks on top of the quality of their work: and there are plenty of them in major cities like NYC and San Fransisco. Though it can effectively replace a camera bag; I wouldn’t always recommend it. When you’re walking from avenue to avenue in NYC, I personally feel much more secure with a camera bag. However, that is just my paranoia; NYC is actually a very safe place and if anyone tries to get into any pouch on the belt, I’ll obviously feel it first off.
The Belt comes in a variety of colors for your fashion savvy needs over at Holdfast’s website.
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