There are so many good camera straps out there that it often becomes difficult to choose the right one for your needs. Leather straps are definitely among the most popular: they add a touch of elegance especially if your camera has a retro look.
This time we’re sharing our findings about the Rock ‘n Roll strap by Tie Her Up, a product designed by Greek film director and photographer Evris Papanikolas. The sample was kindly sent to us by AFshoot who sells the strap in the UK and worldwide.
The design is rather curious but I was surprised by how comfortable it is.
Design and ease of use
The Rock ‘n Roll strap design is inspired by the guitar straps that many musicians use for their instrument. It consists of individual pieces (double leather rings) that have been folded and attached to one another by hand. The time it takes to finish one strap is about an hour and there can be 55 or 75 pieces depending on the length of the strap (100cm or 125cm).
This particular assembling solution gives the strap a lot of flexibility: it is very easy to bend and twist. Even wrapping it around your wrist/arm feels quite comfortable, though the strap is a little too thick for this purpose. The fact that all the pieces have been so tightly woven together gives the strap some extra elasticity, which makes the strap more comfortable when carrying heavy gear.
I admit I fell in love with its design almost as soon as I started using it.
The strap is very comfortable to use whether you carry your camera in the traditional way around the neck, on the side hanging from your shoulder, or even across your chest.
Given its thickness and robust design, the strap suits DSLRs and large mirrorless camera such as the Fuji X-Pro2 or the Sony A7 II series better. I wouldn’t recommend it for smaller cameras like the OM-D E-M10 II or the Lumix GX85. Actually I would love to see a thinner version of the Rock ‘n Roll strap designed for small mirrorless cameras. I think it would work really well.
The model I received is the Special Edition: it is made of cretan waxed leather (pull up) and is available in Cigar Brown. The regular models are available in black, red or tabac and are made of full grain leather.
The special edition gives the strap the appearance of consumed leather which I don’t dislike personally. The material is very robust and pleasant to touch. The ends where the attachment ring is found are hand-stitched.
Note: the ends you are seeing in the pictures are a little too big for the 16mm attachment ring but this issue is only related to my review sample and has been sorted out in the production models.
Conclusion
The strap is available for £95 which is not the cheap but the concept, design and quality of the leather make it a winner for me. The assembling design makes the strap very flexible and practical to use, which is not always the case with leather straps as the material is often harder to bend.
You can purchase the Rock n Roll strap on the AFshoot website.
