The Camera Lift-Strap is looking to solve a major problem for photographers who carry heavy cameras. The team at PONTE Leather Co. have come up with what they feel is a solution to that problem – the Camera Lift-Strap, and they are currently seeking your support to the tune of $10,000 in an ongoing Kickstarter campaign. The Camera Lift Strap aims to take the added weight of the camera off your neck, by instead placing it on a backpack. The concept is simple really. A quality leather strap with a built in loop and button attaches to the hanger loop on the top of your backpack and holds the strap off your neck, transferring the weight onto the backpack rather than your neck.
As we are all well aware of as photographers, neck straps can be particularly uncomfortable if you are carrying your gear around for any extended period of time. Its a big reason as to why many of us choose to use alternatives such as waist holsters, and simple wrist straps – or even forgoing having the camera out all together, instead putting it in a bag or backpack away – which saves us the comfort, but costs us in split second moments that are missed due to fumbling around to get the camera out of the bag.
The strap will come in different colors ranging from your standard black leather to colors like red, blue, and orange. It will also be compatible with virtually every camera equipped with strap connectors. According to the Kickstarter the team hopes to have the product manufactured and shipping by November of this year, should the campaign be successful. Earlybird pricing on the straps is $17 through the Kickstarter incentives, while they expect the straps to retail for $35 once they hit the market.
Overall, it looks like an interesting product if you have concerns about the weight on your neck and are not into the idea of a wrist strap or waist holster. My only critique would be that it still requires you to be wearing a backpack, and that will be putting strain on your shoulders, so in reality, from what I can gather, all you are really doing is saving your neck at the expense of your shoulders.
Regardless, the straps look nice, and if you are one that wears backpacks often, maybe this is a better option for you. If you are interested in learning more or possibly backing this campaign you can find all the details you need over on Camera Lift-Strap here.
