A camera strap is an essential accessory for photographers. It makes carrying your camera more comfortable, and helps keep it more secure. Bad camera straps can be more harmful than good, so in this article we’re sharing the top rated straps - they’ll remain attached to your camera for many years to come.

Key Talking Points

There are three main types of straps; neck, shoulder and wrist straps.
Peak Design makes the best straps for all types of photographers.
There are many independent strap makers located in the USA making premium straps for your cameras.

Editors note: This article contains a couple of affiliate links, however most of the products don’t. If you buy anything from the aff links, we get a tiny kick back to help run the site. Thank you.

Why Use a Camera Strap?

Hand grips on today’s cameras are almost non-existent. Look at the Leica Q series, the Fujifilm X-E4 and the Nikon ZF as prime examples. This makes it easier to drop and damage them. With a camera strap, you can keep the camera connected to you, so even if it does fall from your fingertips, it will remain attached to your person.

Using camera straps also means you don’t constantly need to hold your camera in your hands. You can let it rest on your body or beside your waist, while the strap keeps it safe and secure.

Camera Strap: Different types

There are multiple types of camera straps. The most traditional is one that you place around your neck, with your camera resting at your stomach. They’re adjustable too, so you can place them over your shoulder if you prefer. Another is one that you place around your wrist and a slightly less used option is the hand strap which sits over your fingers.

Neck straps are more suitable for large cameras, like a DSLR or a full-frame mirrorless camera. A camera strap for your wrist better suits those with smaller systems, such as a point and shoot or an APS-C camera.

Thankfully, most leading camera strap companies make all variants, helping them appeal to a wider range of photographers.

Different companies also use different materials. For example, Peak Design uses a blend of nylon, aluminum and PVC. Other companies, like Obenwerth are well known for their premium leather camera straps which are held together with steel keyring clasps. And, of course, you can get a cheap camera strap with lower quality materials from a range of stores on Amazon.

From experience, it’s best investing in a quality product. $50-$60 may seem a lot for a camera accessory, but the truth is they can last a very long time. Poor quality options tend to break easily and you buy more over time because you constantly have to reinvest in new camera straps.

The Best Camera Strap For Photographers

The Peak Design Slide is the best camera strap available. It’s their original, flagship product and it still remains as popular today as it did at launch. It comes in a range of colors including Ash, Sage and Midnight and they all contain a small amount of leather for durability. To ensure they’re long-lasting, the buckles are made with a blend of aluminum and glass-filled nylon.

In one verified customer review, a user wrote “I have used this for several years and it has always performed excellently,” while another said, “...the Peak Design Slide provides truly reliable service, is quick to adjust or even remove, and allows me to carry cameras for hours on end without sore shoulders or neck”.

The Peak Design Slide has a minimum length of 39”, and a maximum length of 57". Being adjustable you can rest your camera at your chest or around your waist, with the latter suiting anyone looking to shoot from the hip. The strap itself is capable of carrying both mirrorless and DSLR cameras and is robust enough for those using larger lenses.

It costs $69.95 (USD) and is available on Amazon.

The Best Camera Strap For Luxury

If you value luxury and enjoy supporting independent businesses, you’ll love the Tap & Dye camera straps for your camera. Established by Justin Waldinger in 2012, the camera strap brand has launched itself into the premium territories.

The Legacy Classic is our favorite offering from Tap & Dye. It’s handmade and comes in a range of sizes starting at 28” through to 50”. The strap is made from Full Grain, Horween Dublin leather which gives a rugged look but a soft, comfortable feel.

One user review noted, “the choice of leather, craftsmanship, attention to detail and presentation is perfect”. Another said, “absolutely incredible craftsmanship. The attention to detail is outstanding. Even the packaging is beautiful and well thought out”.

The Legacy Classic camera strap can hold all types of cameras. On a purely aesthetic level, it compliments the Leica Q series cameras very well, as well as the flagship M series Leica cameras.

It costs $110 (USD) and you can buy it directly from the company website.

The Best Budget Camera Strap

K&F has a good history of making budget photography accessories that don’t easily fall apart. The company’s Concept offering serves as a three in one strap. Depending on your preference you can place it on your shoulder, neck or across your body.

The strap is made out of nylon, which is understable for a budget-friendly strap. You can adjust it to 62” in length and it can support weight up to 80lbs. That means it can handle larger camera and lens combinations and you don’t need to worry about it breaking, and your camera dropping.

At its price point, it’s no surprise it’s a very popular camera strap. It gets great feedback too. One user said, “Nice quality and value for your money”. Another praised the K&F Concept for being “…durable and sturdy”.

Rather than using buckles, K&F has opted for a quick release connection system. This makes it much easier (and quicker) to detach your camera and get it in your hand if you need.

It costs $43.99 (USD) but regularly has discounts when you buy via the company website.

The Best Camera Strap For Design & Comfort

The Oberwerth Triberg strap is for photographers that want sophistication without compromising on comfort. We really like the black with red stitching version as it shows a photographer has a keen eye for design quality.

Oberwerth was intentional with its design, ensuring it could rest perfectly around all different neck types. It’s fully padded which makes it akin to your favorite pillow, gentle, soft and insanely comfortable.

The Triberg is made using Rhubarb leather which is especially kind to anyone with allergies as it doesn’t irritate your skin. We’re drawn to the design of the strap's interior. It’s tear and cut resistant, and Oberworth has gone for a braided structure to ensure durability.

What’s the verdict in the field? Well, one customer noted that the “Strap is really well made and very comfortable. Perfect for a long day of shooting.”

Length wise, the Triberg is 51” and it's around 1.4” in width. Its quality materials mean you can attach any camera you wish. Thanks to the padding, heavier cameras that may pull on the strap won’t result in marks and rashes on your neck.

It costs $229 (USD) and you can buy it directly from the company website.

Camera Straps Made in the USA

In our international world, many consumers still favor products that are made closer to home. There are companies in the United States that have a good track record of making quality camera accessories. Below are a couple of our favorites.

Gordys Camera Straps

This Seattle-based company has been making camera accessories since 2005. Thanks to its brand authority, what began as a one man venture is now run by a full team of professionals. They have plenty of options, ranging from neck, wrist and finger straps. Our personal favorite is the Single Attach, Lug Mount Neck Straps.

It attaches to one side of your camera, which purely on appearance we think looks cool. Alas this is not about how you look, but how it supports you with accessing your camera. The single attach approach gives you more mobility and removes the feeling of being in a maze when you want to adjust your angle but can’t because of awkward strap attachments.

It comes in 19 different size options, starting with 26” (extra small) and going up to 64” (extra large). You have four colors to choose from; burgundy, black, dark brown and light brown. The straps are made out of leather and the attachment is fully titanium.

The quality of this particular strap is great, however, it’s not built for large systems. Instead, you’re attaching a point and shoot, like the Fujifilm X100 series or a Ricoh GR III. It’s also suitable for smaller film cameras and for those doing smartphone photography.

It starts at $36 (USD) and you can further customize it at an extra cost. You can purchase it directly from the company website.

Tanner Goods

With almost two decades of experience, Tanner Goods have become a trustworthy voice in the photography accessory world. Located in the Pacific NorthWest, the company offers products to those who thrive from adventure and exploring our natural world.

The company specializes in making leather products. This includes bags, wallets and a range of accessories, including camera straps. They’re expertise is in leather, not photography which we appreciate may make some of you want to go to a more photo-centric company.

That said, the quality is remarkable and the design is beautiful and stylish. The SLR camera strap is made from bridle leather, and the attachments are 100% nylon. It comes in one size which is 42” from one end to the other. We like the nylon attachments. Metal attachments and often scuff and mark your camera, the nylon material removes this problem.

Although the name includes SLR. The straps are thick and sturdy enough to support today’s modern camera systems, including larger mirrorless cameras and DSLRs as well. The product is all made with materials from the USA and constructed in a factory located in the United States.

It costs $195 (USD) and you can buy it directly from the company website.

Best Camera Strap for Vegans

We respect that some people prefer to use vegan products. If that’s you, below are some options that were not made with any materials relating to animals.

Couch Vegan Strap

Couch is another company making its products in the USA. The Wolf Camera Strap is its vegan offering and made from vegan “leather”, which in real world terms is quality upholstery vinyl. It comes in either black or white and has images of wolves stitched into the strap, which we find cute and cool all at the same time.

Beyond vegan products, Couch is also committed to making ethically made products. The straps are handmade, not made in a sweatshop and completely cruelty free. They also ship worldwide, which is good news for our ethically conscious readers outside of the United States.

It costs $34 and you buy it directly from the company website.

Hold Fast

Hold Fast was born thanks to photographer and designer Matthew Swaggart. The company is located in Oklahoma and prides itself on creating sustainable local jobs by offering trustworthy products to its customers.

It makes a range of camera straps for different types of users, including vegans. The Vegan Leather Money Maker is suitable for photographers that carry multiple cameras. Unlike other options in this article, you can attach two cameras and access them easily on either side of your body.

It comes in three sizes; small, medium and large and a range of different colors, 13 to be precise.

It costs $210 (USD) and is available directly from the company website.

Best Wrist Strap for Photographers

The Peak Design Cuff is a popular wrist strap for photographers. It’s an ideal option for street photographers and travel photographers who love meandering their environment searching for candid frames. That’s because it’s so lightweight that you’ll hardly know it’s there, but strong enough to keep your camera safe and attached.

It weighs 50g and is 11.4” in length. Despite its small structure it’s capable of carrying a weight of up to 200lbs, so larger cameras are more than safe with the Cuff wrist strap. In terms of materials, you’re getting nylon on the strap, and aluminum for the buckles. The attachment is stainless steel.

The strap has gathered 4.8 out of 5 stars on Amazon, that’s from over 7000 reviews. One user wrote, “This has saved my camera quite a few times when I accidentally dropped my camera while on photoshoots”. In another review, a customer stated, “Looks and feels durable, and feels like I have a solid grip on my $5000 worth of gear!”. All reviews have been verified as authentic.

It costs $34.95 and is available from Amazon.

Should You Buy Cheap Straps from Amazon?

Amazon is awesome for finding cheap, non mainstream brands. The less marketing a company does, the cheaper they can sell the products. But, this sometimes also means lower quality that can break at any given moment.

Although it can be perfectly okay to buy cheap camera straps on Amazon, beware of the risks. If a product has few customer reviews then it's best to avoid a product. If it has a handful of reviews that are all positive, be mindful these may be paid reviews - yes, companies pay people to write positive reviews.

If, however, a company has thousands of reviews and they’re mainly positive, it’s worth trying the strap. If you have a cheaper camera at home, try it out first. If it feels fine and secure you can move over to your more expensive camera.

That said, if you do have the budget, go with a reliable company that has a long history of building the best camera straps for photographers.

Signing Off

Some of you may find camera straps annoying. We get that. But, with the selection above you're getting a comfortable option and most importantly an extra-layer of protection for your expensive photography gear.

While the temptation to shoot unprotected may be attractive, picking up your broken camera will surely turn things ugly, quickly. With that, it’s worth investing in a quality camera strap that keeps your gear safe - again we recommend The Peak Design Sling for the best experience.

Did you find this article useful? What strap do you use for your camera? What other photography-related articles would you like to see? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading.

FAQs

Do professional photographers use straps?
Yes. Most professional photographers have camera equipment worth thousands of dollars and a camera strap helps them protect it from damage.

What is a camera strap for?
A camera strap can make it more comfortable to carry your camera. It’s also built to prevent you dropping and damaging your photography gear.

What is the difference between a shoulder strap and a neck strap camera?
A shoulder strap tends to be longer in length, making it more accessible when it's sitting on your waist side. The padding on a neck strap is built specifically to keep your exposed skin safe and the length is so it can sit just below your chest or at your stomach.

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