Bought two new camera straps...

[tyrphoto]

For those who know me, it's no secret that I'm a sucker for camera bags and camera straps. Of course functionality is the most important consideration for me but I also appreciate things that are well made and look great. To me, it's not about function over form or form over function but the combination of the two together. When a product like that is available, I don't mind spending the extra money to buy it.

With that said, I went to my local Leica dealer yesterday as they carry the full range of Artisan & Artist products and picked up two new straps yesterday.

The first one is the newly released Artisan & Artist Easy Slider in black. This strap allows you to strap the camera across your body, either in front, to the side or on your back and a D-ring allows you to tighten or loosen the strap with one quick motion thereby having the camera always at the ready. The design is almost identical to the Luma Labs Cinch strap.

I put this strap on the camera immediately as I was headed out to a concert later that evening and wanted to try it out at the event. After a 3+ hour concert, I can honestly say, the strap is worth every penny. With strap tightened down, it kept my Olympus safe, right up against my body and with one quick tug, I was in shooting position. Another quick tug and it was locked up against my body where I would pull my Ricoh out of my pocket and be shooting with that.

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The second one I bought is a standard Artisan & Artist Cloth Wrist Strap in red. Very soft cotton and perfect sizing.

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There's one more Artisan & Artist strap that I'd like to get and that is their Silk Cord. Absolutely gorgeous but oh so expensive at $180.

 

[fortwodriver]

I have the A&A Easy Slider.
I bought it from a guy in Japan over Ebay for a little less money than what some of the North American dealers sell them for. Originally I poked around some Leica and boutique camera stores that carried them and wasn't impressed with the markup they were charging.

They're not really "newly released"... They've been around for a few years.

The original version (which still exists) didn't have the pull D-ring - it's just part of the strap you pull on. I prefer the one with the D-Ring. The number one thing I like about it is the smoothness of the strap. It's makes for good comedy wearing a camera across your chest when you've got one of those Domke gripper straps. You grab the camera, put it up to your eye and practically get tangled in your own shirt as it takes your shirt with it! This is completely smooth and slides across a shirt without problem.

I like mine very much on my E-M1...

A&A had a neat little bag, originally designed for the M9 and named after a famous Japanese movie star - I think they went for about $120. Those were pretty nifty but hard to find now.

 

[oldracer]

... Silk Cord. Absolutely gorgeous but oh so expensive at $180.

Wow. I think all the webbing, plastic and metal fittings, leather and tools I have bought to make my own assortment of straps wouldn't total $180! Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Silk sounds like fun, though. I see 5mm braided silk cord on the internet at about $10/meter. Maybe I'll try it.

Another likely difference: If someone gave me that nice-looking red strap the first thing I would do is to cut the ugly advertising label off of it. My guess is that most A&A customers don't do this.

 

[tyrphoto]

Ahhh... That would explain why I keep seeing two different versions when I was doing Google searches. Anyways, I have the "newer" version with the D-ring. I paid the equivalent of $90 which is cheaper than what Leica dealers are selling them for in the states.

Anyways, I love the functionality of the strap and would recommend it.

I have the A&A Easy Slider.
I bought it from a guy in Japan over Ebay for a little less money than what some of the North American dealers sell them for. Originally I poked around some Leica and boutique camera stores that carried them and wasn't impressed with the markup they were charging.

They're not really "newly released"... They've been around for a few years.

The original version (which still exists) didn't have the pull D-ring - it's just part of the strap you pull on. I prefer the one with the D-Ring. The number one thing I like about it is the smoothness of the strap. It's makes for good comedy wearing a camera across your chest when you've got one of those Domke gripper straps. You grab the camera, put it up to your eye and practically get tangled in your own shirt as it takes your shirt with it! This is completely smooth and slides across a shirt without problem.

I like mine very much on my E-M1...

A&A had a neat little bag, originally designed for the M9 and named after a famous Japanese movie star - I think they went for about $120. Those were pretty nifty but hard to find now.

 

[tyrphoto]

It's a stretch for me too but there's no denying it is quite beautiful, very soft to the touch and very well made. Especially when Lance Camera Straps makes an identical looking knockoff for $68 as well as a slightly different version using O-rings to bind the braid instead of leather for $38. Different braid material but identical in looks and functionality.

Lance vs Artisan & Artist

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Wow. I think all the webbing, plastic and metal fittings, leather and tools I have bought to make my own assortment of straps wouldn't total $180! Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Silk sounds like fun, though. I see 5mm braided silk cord on the internet at about $10/meter. Maybe I'll try it.

Another likely difference: If someone gave me that nice-looking red strap the first thing I would do is to cut the ugly advertising label off of it. My guess is that most A&A customers don't do this.

 

[oldracer]

... very well made

I understand. I have an English army marching compass simply because it is an incredible object -- I have no earthly use for it. Like this: http://www.ravenlore.co.uk/html/prismatic_compass.html Who but the English would go to war with a mother-of-pearl compass card?

Re the silk wrist strap, though, you really ought to try making your own. I'm sure you could sew the end by hand/no tools or machines and then you'd have exactly what you want.