Feast your eyes on some of the ugliest gear that we’ve ever reviewed. They’re called the Miggo strap and wrap–and they come in a variety of sizes and colors. The company coins their products as being able to totally protect your camera one second then allowing you to shoot with ease the next. The straps are made from Neoprene–which helps to absorb some bumps and scratches, but this material seemingly from the Superman universe sure has its kryptonite.

And while it may be a nice idea in theory for sure, we’re not sure that we’d want to tote one around.

Pros and Cons

Pros

– Pretty comfortable

– Provides a bit of protection for your camera

– A nice idea in concept

Cons

– Way too cushiony material makes your body sweat and leaves unsightly strap marks in the summer

– Man, these are ugly…

Gear Used

We used the Miggo strap with the Canon EOS 7 SLR and the Sony NEX 6.

Tech Specs

All specs and information about these straps can be found at the Miggo webpage. Specs below were taken from that page:

• Serves as a camera strap which morphs into a compact and padded camera carrier.
• Made from energy-absorbing Neoprene and soft Lycra materials
• Comes in 7 different colors or patterns
• Modular adaptor method makes it suitable for most cameras
• Multipurpose steel screw serves as a secure connector, and also allows you to connect to a tripod while miggo is attached
• Hidden inner pocket for lens cap
• High quality miggo branded zipper
• Compatible with almost all of today’s Mirrorless (CSC) cameras on the market, and a wide range of lenses

Ergonomics

First off, know that the Miggo has a mirrorless and DSLR version.

Mirrorless/Wrist strap

The Miggo strap comes in two different varieties: a wrist strap and a larger version designed for DSLRs. Pictured above is the version for mirrorless cameras. What you should first know about the straps is that they attach to the tripod socket of your camera. After this, a hood goes around your lens (which means that you should forget about the standard lens hood that may come with your camera, and the rest wraps around the back of the camera, over the top and uses its stretch fiber structure to go around the lens.

It’s a very snug fit indeed, and you’ll be confident that the Miggo will cover up your camera. In our experience, we found that unwrapping the Miggo was a bit of a hassle.

Once it’s unwrapped though, you’ll basically have some parts slinging around. This is where you’ll need to remember that the back of the Miggo has a slot for your wrist to be placed into.

 

Keep in mind though that when you’re shooting during a warm day, that a wrist strap this thick will make you overall warmer as per the way that anatomy work. When you’re not using it, you can simply just tote it around…sort of.

DSLR strap

If you’re more of the traditionalist, then the company’s Miggo strap might be for you. As fugly as the wrist strap is, the DSLR strap will have you scratching your head and also ask yourself the question “Why?” At the same time though, you’ll be able to appreciate the comfort that the neoprene offers you while lamenting the sweat bands that your shirt will have from not being able to breathe in the particular spot.

The DSLR strap works similarly to the mirrorless in that it wraps around the entire camera and lens combo–but in this case it does so in a single piece that zips and unzips. We tested it with a Sigma 85mm lens on, and once again we recommend not using a lens hood on the camera.

Build Quality

Despite the Miggo’s very meh appearance, it’s built and designed fairly cleverly. As we tugged and tugged on the material, it resisted all of the abuse. Additionally, that extra padding may be able to protect your camera from the most basic of dings, but don’t expect it to make the camera drop-proof. Further, the Miggo soaks up condensation and so in the rain this will just absorb water like a sponge.

Still, if you don’t mind having a spongy, cushiony material all up on you while it’s hot out, you may appreciate the comfort.

Ease of Use

miggo – Camera’s best amigo from mymiggo on Vimeo.

The best way to use the Miggo strap and wrap is to set it up so that your camera is concealed to begin with. To do that, you’ll need to wrap it fully around the camera to begin with. When you’re ready to use it, you can unfurl the protection and shoot away.

Conclusions

Likes

– Comfortable

Dislikes

– Really ugly

– Neoprene makes you sweat

The Miggo straps get a 2 out of 5 star rating from us. We’re not exactly sure how they can compete in an already very saturated market. However, if flipped the right way the folks at Photojojo may pick them up.

Recommended Items

– Canon Rebel T5i: you need a small lens with a small camera for the DSLR strap.

– Nikon D3300: this is our top choice for entry level DSLR at the moment; and it is totally what we’d recommend for the DSLR strap.

– Olympus EP5, Fujifilm XM1, and Sony A5000: these three cameras have the perfect form factor for the mirrorless wrist strap.