Travel might seem glamorous to some, but frequent travelers are well aware of the aches and pains that come along with seeing the world. Traveling photographers should be especially familiar with the neck pain that results from wearing a heavy camera around your neck. Of course you could wear your camera on your shoulder or hold it in your hands, but it’s not as secure and you risk damaging your camera. (As someone who has accidentally swung my very heavy and expensive camera into many rocks while hiking, you can trust me on this one.)
The safest place for your camera is around your neck. Unfortunately, this is terrible news for your neck, especially if you are prone to neck pain. That’s why when I came across the Camera Lift Strap on Kickstarter, I knew I had to try it.
Camera Lift Strap Review
The strap appears to be just like a standard camera strap, except for one key difference—a small piece of leather with buckles. I couldn’t believe the difference such a small design difference made. By buckling the leather to the top hoop of my backpack, the weight of the camera was instantly distributed on to my shoulders. I spent a couple hours walking around and taking photos to test it out, and while my back felt a little sore (as expected from walking around with a heavy backpack), my neck felt fine.
Aside from the obvious benefit of eliminating neck pain, I also felt that my camera was more secure hooked on to my backpack. If someone had tried to grab my camera or maybe cut the straps, they would have a hard time pulling it off of my backpack. Plus, since the leather loop is located at the back of my neck, it was hidden by my hair.
Price and Where to Buy the Camera Lift Strap: Available in the Ponte Leather shop, $37 for the canvas strap and $59 for the leather.
How the Camera Lift Strap Rates:
- Usefulness: 8/10 If you typically wear a backpack while traveling, it’s incredibly useful. It’s worth noting that the strap works best with backpacks with top loops. However, I could see how those who prefer not to travel with backpacks would find the extra weight cumbersome.
- Value: 8/10 For a camera strap, this is a fair price. The technology may be life-changing for some, but it’s really just an extra piece of leather and the price reflects that.
- Portability: 10/10 Changing your camera strap is a tedious process, but I see no reason to ever switch back to another strap after putting on this one. The leather loop is not obtrusive and your camera should still fit into your camera bag.
- Cool Factor: 7/10 The canvas strap is available in many colors from burnt orange to steel blue and the full-leather strap is available in black and red. The lifting loop is very subtle and shouldn’t cramp your style—especially if you have long hair to cover it up.
Final Verdict:
This is a great functional strap that will reduce neck pain from carrying around a heavy camera all day. Not only will you feel more comfortable, your camera will feel more secure around your neck.
Editor’s Note: Reviews are based on usefulness, portability, durability, value, and “cool factor.” Some review products are sent to us free of charge and with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions, positive and negative, and will never accept compensation to review a product. If you have any questions or comments concerning our reviews, or would like to suggest a product for review, please email us at [email protected].
We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.
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