Considering switching from neck strap to wrist strap

[onasj]

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It’s ironic (perhaps dumb) but while I have a neck strap attached, I rarely wear it. The extra step of having to put it on which can lose the moment to be captured, coupled with my good fortune of never having dropped a camera in 25 years of shooting (knock on wood), have together resulted in this habit. I never even installed the neck strap on my DSLRs for the same reasons. I only have it on my M10 because a Leica dealer asked in a horrified voice “where is your neck strap???”

[Pjay]

Neck straps have a nasty habit of getting caught up unexpectedly.  I use my own wrist straps with full confidence.

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[Gobert]

I would prefer this one from Rocknrollstraps.

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[Rick in CO]

I've been experimenting on my last two trips.  If its hot weather I prefer the wrist strap.  If colder, and wearing a jacket, I prefer the neck strap with the camera under my jacket.  That way I can ditch the camera bag.

[Steve Ash]

I use the M holster plus wrist strap. In my point of view the best of both worlds.

[Ko.Fe.]

Just ask yourself how many of well known Leica shutters are using it? 

None from whom I know. Some used neck strap wrapped around hand. I do, but not with Leicas. 

I quit from wrist strap once and for all after one of my my Leicas slipped from my wrist and landed on sidewalk. Top plate has bump now and RF needed service.

You never get into it with neck strap.

[@ndy_ellis]

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I have to stress I'm no style guru - but there is something about a holster that sends me the same signal as when people (used to?) use a holster for a mobile phone.  It kind of goes with short sleeved shirts with ties.

 

Long neck strap worn cross shouldered for me.  

[Cliff S]

I like the Barber shop wrist strap. It locks well around the wrist and can't slip off. 

 

Other wrist straps didn't lock and felt like they would slip off. This almost automatically locks tight around the wrist and stays there. Feels very secure and I let the camera dangle when I need my right hand.

 

http://www.barbershopbags.com/en/wrist-strap-razor-cut-grained-black-leather_bbs-rc-3.html

[Tailwagger]

A lot does depend on your preferences and methodology.  Personally I hate neck straps except when shooting an event where I want to have two cameras out to shoot with. Out in the wild, I hate them. Either you look like a tourist or you tuck the camera under you arm and invariably someones brushes into and you loose a lens cap. My neck strap is my camera bag. I have an array of them, all essentially messenger style, where I can flip open the flap, reach in and grab a camera. Not quite as fast as having it around your neck perhaps, but quick and when not in use the camera is always protected (and not screaming Leica owner).  The main difference between the bags is simply the size and how many cameras they carry.  All my cameras are gripped with a wrist strap for added assurance. All come out in a single grab, quite securely given the grips. Not ideal for some, but it works well for me. 

 

As to which straps, I own a few, but oddly the one I like the most is the one I got with a Canon Powershot a decade ago.  Its light, flimsy, all synthetic... but easy on and off the wrist with no binding and strong as titanium. Wispy enough that when I'm in a hurry to get a camera out, its never gets in the way or tangled on something on the way out. Something you really cant say about neck straps.  Looks like crap but works better than everything else I've tried.  

[Eric1]

I use Arti de mano black leather wrist strap for all my M's. I see the strap as extra in case my grip would slip but really if you don't have a strong camera grip you're better off sticking with a neck strap because dropping a $6k camera might be painful.

[Magic]

Why would you wrap a neck strap around your wrist? In what situations do you find yourself doing this? I would think if your camera was hanging off your neck you just simply raise it to your eye and take the picture?

Have you ever tried to wrap a wrist strap around your neck ?....try and that may answer your question

[Duingui1]

I had this dilemma and decided to buy a Tap & Dye neck strap. I hemmed and hawed because I find my wrist strap less conspicuous for street photography: the camera is always ready for a shot. But I reasoned that I can always wrap the strap around my wrist. That said, I generally don't trust straps: two of my cameras have fallen and that's two cameras too many. One of these was a Leica strap which is now in disuse. I have a Peak Design neck strap but found it got in the way due to length. Looks are important: Tap & Dye straps are gorgeous and sit well with my Fuji X-T20. In the end, I will compare both and see what serves my purposes better, which is a good reason to have both. 

[Mark II]

I am a great fan of the Peak Design wrist strap. It is very comfortable and can be easily disconnected from the camera, while being secure when needed.

The biggest issue with a wrist strap is that the camera can become very painful to hold for any length of time. Mostly I carry the camera on-end, with the side edge of the camera resting horizontally in the palm of my hand so that the weight of the camera does not continuously stress my fingers trying to hold on to the body. IMO, handling with a wrist strap is much easier if you add the optional hand-grip.

Edited November 7, 2019 by Mark II

[Per P.]

I also go back and forth on this question. My girlfriend „tested“ my Artisan&Artist wrist strap with her CL and chances of getting it back are between slim and zero. 

The Peak Design has too much metal and can scratch the glass. It is also a bit overengineered for my tastes. 

Currently I use a Gordy neck strap which can easily be wrapped around the wrist. But I ordered it too short so a replacement is under consideration. While I like Gordy, I am still leaning towards the A&A silk strap or Benz‘ Vintage B. Style matters.

Edited November 9, 2019 by Per P.

[KFo]

For a long time I used camera grips straps.  I liked them because they put the camera literally in hand with minimal fuss.  With a well fit one you could even relax your hand and the camera would still hang on.  For a motor-drive equipped SLR, with all the right mounting points they are great.  Sadly, I don’t see a way to do that with an M.

Last time we were traveling around Catalonia, I wanted to switch my XPro2 to a grip strap or a wrist strap.  I had a devil of a time find an adequate one.  I finally wound up with a Black Rapid wrist strap.  I failed to fall in love with it.  It’s an adequate way to keep from just dropping your camera, but I didn’t find the upside down attachment to my liking.

Regards,

Kevin

 

 

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[james.liam]

Recently bought a Horwine leather strap sold by Tamarkin Camera in Chicago. Made locally by a small shop of the eponymous name. Strap is thin but tough and wrap it around my forearm to secure it. 

Edited November 9, 2019 by james.liam

[ramosa]

I have always preferred wrist straps. When I carry a Leica M, it's either in a small bag or around my wrist and ready for action. (I have two wrist straps [one from Harry Benz and one from Artist & Artisan], but there are lots of other options, some more expensive and some much less.)

Edited November 9, 2019 by ramosa

[RexGig0]

I see straps as situational. One strap system that accommodates this, Peak Design, uses a discus-like components that remains on the camera’s strap lug, and clasp-like components that are on the end(s) of the straps/leashes/wrist loops. Several widths of straps are available, and at least one wrist loop is available. I have used these on my SLR equipment, thus far, but at any moment, I might decide to add the discus-like fasteners to a Leica body.

There is another system, Op-Tech, or Optech, that fastens with side-lock buckles. This system has a utilitarian look, but has quite a following in the USA, perhaps because the strap options include wide neoprene, for comfort. Harness, neck straps, and wrist straps are available.

When using my M10, with the Leica 14312 strap, there are times I use it as a hand/wrist strap, and times I use is as a neck strap, but worn diagonally, over one shoulder, so that the camera hangs at the opposite side. I rarely let anything hang directly in front, along my vertical centerline, unless it is moderate-weight binoculars.

Another way to quickly add an attachment point is to screw a threaded loop into the tripod socket. The trendy “slings” are attached in this way, and the threaded loop I use is marketed by Black Rapid. I do not like actually carrying a camera upside-down in this manner, but it can serve as a means to attach a “dummy cord,” as insurance against being dropped, while the camera is being carried in-hand. This cord/strap can be as utilitarian, or as elegant, as one wishes it to be.

I did drop my M10, my first Leica camera, within a month or two of buying it, so I am, understandably, sensitive about an expensive camera striking the earth, particularly pavement. At the time of this great fall, the strap was on the M10, but the whole thing was wrapped on a thin neoprene Tenba wrap. I was trying to carry too many things in my hands, while preparing to leave, for a day trip. The Tenba wrap preserved the camera’s cosmetic appearance, but the LCD showed me a sickening green screen. Leica North America, in Allendale, NJ, found a number of internal things that required mending/adjusting.

Edited November 10, 2019 by RexGig0

[Herr Barnack]

I use a neck strap almost exclusively.  IMHO the drawback to a wrist strap is that you always have to have the camera in your hand if you are carrying only the camera with no camera bag to put it in.  With a neck strap, I can just wear the camera with the strap diagonally across my chest and have both hands free. 

I have a 142 cm. Harry Benz strap [ https://www.harrybenz.com/shop/vintage-b ] on my M-P 240.  That length puts the camera just above my right hip pocket when it is worn diagonally (I'm 6'0" tall).  The camera is out of the way, in a safe position and is easily accessible for a quick shot.  This works out very well, especially when photographing music festivals and when doing street photography.

I have tried this with shorter, regular length straps, but it just doesn't work; the camera rides way too high, about elbow height and is awkward to get to my eye quickly.

Edited November 10, 2019 by Herr Barnack

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[andyturk]

I used both straps tonight. The wrist strap was useful during a photo walk with a friend (with a small camera bag over my shoulder). But I put on the neck/shoulder strap when I was out for a walk later with just the camera (no bag). Little titanium clips from Gordy's make it easy to swap between the two.

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