Not too long ago I received my order of the Slide camera strap by Peak Design, which I procured through their Kickstarter campaign that raised an impressive $861,164! This is my short but to-the-point review of it, after taking it out for a couple weeks.
According to their website, the Peak Design’s Slide is the most versatile sling strap in the world, allowing you to wear it as a sling, neck, or shoulder strap.
My Kickstarter package included what you see below. Even though I use my L-bracket instead, I thought it was a nice touch for them to include a tripod plate as well.
I’m never a fan of introducing yet another proprietary connection system to limit me in any way. However, I thought I’d give this a try since there was one thing about this that intrigued me, which I will get to a little later. Peak Design developed their products around their proprietary Anchor Links, which is used to connect their various products together with your camera. Truth be told, their patent-pending Anchor Link reminds me of that 1970s game by Milton Bradley, Connect 4, where you would drop little plastic discs much like this anchor link without the strap. Yeah, you know the game!
Initially, I thought this connection system was a little bulky—especially the contraption that the anchor links goes into. But after seeing them for myself, it’s not as large as I had originally thought it would be, and it doesn’t really get in your way of using your camera.
The seatbelt-style strap is 45mm wide and is cushioned at just the right area—where it wraps around your neck/shoulder. The strap is adjustable with their good-looking aluminum quick adjuster that feels solid in your hands as you pull it up and down. My other concern with this strap was actually the width. I was so comfortable with my Nikon strap being so flimsy and light that I wondered how I would like the added width and weight to go along with my already heavy Nikon D800. What I noticed was the width of the Slide strap actually plays to its advantage making the weight of the camera less noticeable and making it more comfortable to carry my camera.
The strap feels smooth to the touch and it glides over most fabrics with ease, making it a breeze to bring your camera up from your waist. In fact, I prefer this option more than those sling straps where the camera moves up and down along the strap itself (think Black Rapid).
In the photo above, you can see the Anchor Link sitting within its container. With the simple push of the anchor link, it goes in smoothly. It can be a little hard to get out sometimes, but I’d rather have it this way than have it fall out while in use.
As a note, my order of Slide was delayed some time since they noticed a problem within their manufacturing procedure, allowing the Anchor Link to fall out of its container. I’m happy to say that I feel confident in these Anchor Links being able to hold my camera and didn’t mind the delay at all.
As mentioned earlier, the one thing that intrigued me with this strap was its connection to my camera. Having one side connect on the side of my camera, and the other side connect to the bottom, essentially allows the camera to face down and not outward, as it does with the Nikon strap, which connects on either side of the camera. It’s a small difference but is a big improvement on comfort and convenience, which I appreciate as an event and festival photographer.
I can now say goodbye to those days where I always have to remember to protect my protruding lens when walking in crowds. The camera automatically faces down and because it’s also connected to the side of the camera, the lens doesn’t hit my thigh when walking either. I find the downward facing camera and lens changes the weight distribution on the neck/shoulder as well since all the weight is now downward and not partially outward.
[av_heading heading=’Final Thoughts’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=” subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av_uid=’av-1voert’][/av_heading]
I’m very happy with my Slide and it makes me want to take my camera out even more now, knowing that I can have the comfort of carrying it worry-free on my shoulder. It’s a solid strap that will make a bigger difference than you think a strap may make in your everyday photography.
You can find more information on Peak Design, and order their full line of products on their website at www.peakdesign.com.