The ongoing quest for the right camera and lens setup to match what we want to achieve seems to always evolve and lead to different outcomes at different times in our photography. There is a brief moment when the need and the gear align but surely soon enough, a quest for improvement starts to appear. Next to lenses and cameras, there are at least two other areas that also remain elusive and appear incapable of a definitive setup for photographers; bags and straps.
So, very predictably, I was once again reviewing the options with the straps I had. Especially because I use my cameras in different setups. Sometimes, I like to take one of my cameras without a bag, and just sling it across my shoulder. In that situation I need a good strap to fit with the camera & lens combo I might pick. In other times, I like to take multiple cameras and lenses and will use a bag. In that scenario, I don't like to have a full camera strap on my cameras as it gets in the way when you take the camera and lens in and out of the bag.
The answer here is a strap that is easy to attach and take off again. Peak Design is a company that builds a strap like that and I bought the Leash version of their straps a while back. The system is very secure with a system where two rounded parts connected to the eyes of the camera click into a holder attached to the strap. It's a decent setup but I did not like the bulky 'containers' on the end of the strap as they were banging onto the camera body all the time. I also did not like the lack of rigidity in the strap itself, the material became very floppy quite fast. The other straps I have are all of the permanent kind, and I found myself using them less and less because of the lack of quick-release mechanism. So, not being fully happy with the Peak Design Leash, I searched for a better option. And I think I found it in Lucky Straps from Australia. They have a very different setup from Peak Design and it addresses the two issues I mentioned above.
The Lucky straps work with a release system that can be locked but is much less intrusive in comparison with the Peak Design approach. It works like a carabiner and seems to be a more elegant solution.
The closing mechanism has a dial that you can twist to lock it in place. Time will tell if it is as secure as the Peak Design solution but my first impression tells me I think it will be. Releasing the strap is easy by twisting the locking dial which makes disconnecting it from your camera a breeze. The other part of my issues with Peak Design is the material of the strap itself. Lucky straps are leather and you can choose the width you like. I picked the Slim 30 one and below you can see how that compares with some of the other straps for reference.
Is it perfect? No. Of course not. take the leather finishing for instance at the connection with the connector part of the strap. It's not the neatest finish. And let's not forget this is a 135 USD product. It is not cheap. But the leather itself feels wonderful and has the right amount of flex and rigidity to hold a camera like my Leica CL.
I really like the Lucky Strap. It's just so easy to take the camera strap off my cameras, and when it is attached, it feels very solid. And the Slim 30 model fits my Leica CL as well as it does my Leica SL, this width can work for many different sized cameras. The switching mechanism is elegant and looks good too.
Swap it. Don't drop it.