There are photographers, and then there are active photographers. I fall into the latter category. When I’m recreating outside, I need to document adventures with friends with more than just a smart phone. I take photos for print magazines, online publications and even shoot video for television. As a result, my Canon 70D SLR camera goes with me pretty much everywhere. The problem? I hate typical around-the-neck camera straps. Enter Peak Design and their new Clutch and Slide camera sling and hand straps.
Peak Design is a small company based in San Francisco with a mission to, “enable photographers, adventurers and outdoors enthusiasts to better capture the beautiful world around them by designing and building innovative, thoughtfully composed, ultra-durable products that are easy to use and are versatile” They also love to take pictures, be outside, and make and drink beer. Sounds like my kind of folks.
I guess Peak Design felt the same about me because they sent out demo versions of their Slide and Clutch straps for me to test. I’ve been making good use of them while documenting outdoor adventures like mountain biking in Idaho, fishing in Wyoming, and checking out the new Big Mountain Trail at Snowbird. So do the Slide and Clutch make photography easier for photographers who move through mountains? Here’s what I found.
The Slide is the most typical-looking camera strap, in that it can be used to wear around the neck, much like the strap that likely came with your SLR. What makes the Slide completely different is that it’s totally adjustable and can be worn as a sling, or shoulder strap. The way it works is from the Anchor Links. These innovative little guys are what make the whole system tick.
Anchor Links attach to your camera via the built-in strap anchors, then to an ARCA Plate that you attach into the tripod screw on the bottom. The Anchor Links then click into the strap and voila! You can arrange the strap to any configuration you like. For myself, I liked the sling option. By having the camera at my side, I found it was a much better place to hang when bending over to grab something off the ground or in my pack, whereas having it around my neck made it hang in my way. Also, using the sling kept the camera from bumping on my chest when racing down the trail to get the next shot.
What’s also nice about the Slide is that it’s smooth on one side, and grippy on the other, so you can wear it both ways depending on your needs. It is also easy to adjust to make it shorter or longer, and the Anchor Links can be used with only one hand. Also, by using the ARCA Plate, I can attach my camera onto my tripod without fussing with the strap. Overall, I’m really impressed with the Slide and basically, the neck strap that came with my camera is going in the trash.
Being an outdoors photographer, I don’t even use a strap very often as it tends to get in the way. But I still need something that will secure the camera to my hand for security and less chance of dropping it off a cliff. That’s why I was mostly interested in the Clutch. The Clutch is a hand strap, simple as that. It attaches to the camera just like the Slide does by using Anchor Links and an ARCA Plate.
But what make the Clutch different than other hand straps is how adjustable it is. Most hand straps are so tight that you can’t even reach the shutter with your index finger while wearing it. But with the adjustable strap, you can make it tight while carrying the camera in hand, then loosening it with one swipe to give your hand freedom to work the controls.
I’ve found the Clutch to be very useful while shooting outdoors because I like to hold my camera in my hand, rather than have it hanging off my body. The design is sleek, the hardware is beefy and not cheap, and it comes on and off without any fuss. My only gripe is that I wish there was even more length adjustability in the strap. Even at its loosest, I still have some issues reaching certain controls, and I know people with hands even bigger than mine will have a worse go of it.
All in all, the Slide and Clutch camera straps from Peak Design are made for outdoorsy photographers. They seem to have thought of everything when designing their strap, and I know the Clutch will forever have a place on my Canon 70D.
If you’re interested in getting your own, Peak Design is currently having a KickStarter campaign. They’ve already earned enough contributions for an initial production run that started in July. To contribute and receive your own straps, check out the KickStarter page here.