I’m one of those photographers that opens up a camera box, goes through the contents, and will almost 100% of the time ignore the camera strap. There are tons of photographers that care about camera straps. In fact, our team are required to use them while testing cameras and lenses. Then there are lots of photographers who don’t care about and hate camera straps. But in truth, they aren’t compelled to use them. And there are lots of reasons why.
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Standard Camera Straps are Ugly and Make Us Your Walking Logo
When I think about standard camera straps, I think about all the things that I truly want to toss in the garbage. I think I’ve only ever used standard camera straps was during camera reviews where I knew I wasn’t going to like the camera. I never want to have Sony’s, Canon’s, or Nikon’s logo emblazed across my chest. I’m not your cult member. And I don’t want Peak Design’s straps for their lack of ethics that we’ve discussed many times on this site. Why not return to the classic beautiful camera straps made of canvas or leather?
But let me go on about standard camera straps. What else is wrong with them?
- They’re not practical for a wide variety of lenses.
- They look like they were designed by a marketing department from the 1990s that wanted to show off how awesome they were.
- The colors are awful.
- You work so hard on creating a camera that’s super light and then give us this large, thick strap that makes no practical sense.
- The whole thread and loop setup is incredibly annoying when a split ring can be used instead.
- Standard camera straps are only adjustable to a point.
I can go on and on after our site has tested various camera straps for years. But let me instead move on.
How About Leather and Canvas?
Two companies have ever really used leather and canvas in modern days: Leica and Fujifilm. And both of them do a great job at creating beautiful camera straps. But what about teaming up with a camera strap manufacturer and investing back into your own industry? Not sure about who to talk to? Okay, I’ve got ideas:
- Tap and Dye: Based in NYC, they make all straps by hand. Their durability and beauty are well known.
- 4V Design: Made in Italy. When it comes to long-lasting comfort, they’re the pioneer.
- Vi Vante: Durable, comfortable, and insanely stylish. This team takes classical ideas and makes them innovative as heck.
- Holdfast Gear: Their straps are the standard for wedding photographers.
- Jolie Laide: They use incredible and durable vegan leather. They’re also incredibly underpriced.
- Stroppa: We’ve used their sailing rope straps, which are some of the softest we’ve used while being durable.
- Hawkesmill: Made in the UK. Incredibly soft, durable, stylish, and amazingly comfortable.
We’ve reviewed beautiful camera straps from all these companies. They all do very good jobs and all create practical straps that would work with your cameras. Vi Vante especially does a great job at handling really heavy camera lenses while being stylish and durable.
How About Offering a Wrist Strap?
Lots of photographers don’t necessarily like using a standard chest or camera strap. Instead, they prefer wrist straps. With that said, why not offer a wrist strap in every camera box? Wrist straps are so incredibly useful for quick action. But if photographers are also choosing small, lightweight lenses, then wrist straps are a logical choice.