Here’s a fact: no ethical camera strap maker is rich. Maybe that’s why Peak Design is in the position it’s in. But we’ve reviewed the gear of many camera strap makers. And the products from Ethnotek have a beautiful, heartwarming story behind them. The company took off from Kickstarter and wanted to provide jobs to people all around the world with an ethical, sustainable product. The Ethnotek Kota camera strap is one of those products. And in my use, I found it to be quite a fascinating product that surely is ethical, but needs some revamps to make it better.
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The Big Picture
The Ethnotek Kota is a fascinating choice in so many ways. I’m typically a guy that goes for leather and canvas because of the style. But honestly, I could get behind the Kota. It uses neoprene and fabric. But more importantly, it’s beautiful. And I’m simply in love with it because it’s beautiful. However, it could use some variants. It needs a thinner version and also a way to contain the extra bits of camera strap adjustment segments hanging out.
We’re giving the Ethnotek Kota four out of five stars.
Pros
- Beautiful
- Lightweight
- Connects to various cameras easily
- Incredibly comfortable
- Really great to use in hot weather.
- Affordable
- I can take or leave the memory card wallet
- Various choices of where the patterns are made.
Cons
- They need to find a way to contain the extra bits of the strap at the ends used for adjustments
- A thinner variant is surely needed.
Gear Used
We tested the Ethnotek Kota with the OM System OM1 and various lenses. We purchased the Ethnotek Kota of our own accord. The OM System products are all loaners.
Innovations
The Ethnotek Kota isn’t particularly innovative. There are lots of fabric straps out there and some of them have neoprene for sure. I’d say that the ethics around the strap’s manufacturing ethics are what differentiates it, but that’s not really true. Lots of camera strap makers are small business owners.
Ergonomics
There is something about the Ethnotek Kota that really screams and begs for my attention. Compared to many other straps, it’s unremarkable in its construction. But it’s gorgeous and constructed just well enough to make sense for most photographers.
I chose to get my design from India. But you can choose from Ghana, Guatamala, India, Indonesia, or Vietnam.
Here’s another look at what they call their “threads.” They’re pretty, and compliment the underside well. The underside has fabric and neoprene. Overall, it’s a webbing that reminds me of some activewear.
Here’s how it connects to your camera. I’ve been wary of connections like this in the past, but they didn’t once fault me throughout my testing period. I’m pretty shocked, but also relieved.
Here’s where you adjust the straps. Unfortunately, there’s no way to keep the adjustment straps tucked in if you want to make the strap shorter.
Build Quality
The Ethnotek Kota has an incredible build quality for something so affordable. It’s made of fabric and we’ve used it in both sunny weather and pouring rain. What’s so awesome about it is that it’s durable and able to accommodate different camera and lens weights. But more than that, it also has webbing that doesn’t leave those awful sweat stains across your chest. That’s awesome!
What’s more, you’re probably curious about the connection to the camera. The system has never once come loose for us over a few months of use. That’s surprising to me as I didn’t expect that to happen.
Ease of Use
Using the Ethnotek Kota is pretty straightforward. Once you’ve connected it to your camera, you just need to adjust it to your desired height. And amazingly, the strap won’t really change from that height despite how much the camera might tug on it. But the strap endings just kind of hang around and don’t have a way to keep them tucked in like other camera straps do. If you can get over this though, then the strap will be super straightforward to use. Even better, it wraps around your wrist easily whenever you need to do something like that.
I could truly see myself using a camera strap system like this for a long time.
Who Should Buy It?
The Ethnotek Kota should be bought by anyone that cares intensely about ethics. I personally was turned onto it because of my deep fervence for ethical practices. Considering all that happens these days in the world with Asian hate and discriminatory practices, I love that I can choose a place like India for the design to be made. You can also select a slew of other counties. Further, this strap is super comfortable and doesn’t leave strap lines across your chest. This is really important.
If all these things matter to you, then you’ll like the Ethnotek Kota.
Tech Specs
This description is pulled from Ethnotek’s website:
Kota Mirrorless Camera Straps have a cozy neoprene underside and outer edges for comfort while carrying, has an artisan fabric topside, and is adjustable. On the underside of the shoulder pad is a hidden stretch-mesh memory card pocket,which is handy when you need to quickly change cards while shooting. The Kota strap is removable and can be used on multiple camera bodies thanks to the detachable anchor-point system. The super-durable injection molded anchor points attach to camera bodies in a non-bulky way and the quickly connects by high-quality and discrete anodized aluminum snap hooks.Name: ‘Kota’ means ‘town or city’ in Bahasa Indonesian.