Peak Design on Canon website

[Only RF]

This was a surprise. I was checking out Canon accessories and spotted this. I've been using mostly the Slide and the Lite for small lenses for about 8 years and I didn't know this. Must be pretty recent. Canon would have to be pretty confident to endorse that company which still appears to be independent. I've never had a single issue. I changed the anchors after about 5 years even though they showed no wear.

https://www.usa.canon.com/shop/p/peak-design-slide-camera-sling-strap-black

 

[AntonLargiader]

Nice! I have that strap - used it yesterday - and I also have a Lite. I have two anchors on the R7, two on the EF300, and three on the R3. Really good products.

 

[Only RF]

Nice! I have that strap - used it yesterday - and I also have a Lite. I have two anchors on the R7, two on the EF300, and three on the R3. Really good products.

About 8 years ago while in Europe I lost a heavy duty strap. The area we stayed in had stores like Best Buy that didn't carry high end straps. There was the language barrier as well. A fellow that worked at one of those electronics stores told me about a pro store which was about 1 ½ drive. It was a small place and and all they carried were PD. I was skeptical but had no choice so I bought the Slide.

I got back to where we were stying and did some research. It came with Version 3 anchors and PD was transitioning to V4 which had thicker cables. I went back and purchased some V4 anchors. We could have discussed it in the store when I bought the Sling but no one spoke English. After a few days with the new strap I never looked back. I love the system.

 

[Only RF]

I forgot to say what was most important thing. I checked recently and 8 years later PD is still using V4 Anchors. Obviously a proven and solid design.

 

[MikeZ]

I've been using PD straps for years and have never had an issue with the anchors, even the older versions that PD cautioned against and redesigned. I must admit that the R5 is the first camera without a lug/split ring connector and I was dubious about the PD anchor chafing on the Canon strap mount, but over 5 years of use there are no signs of wear.

 

[David Stallard]

I bought one to try it out last year and not for me - issue I have is it is 'fixed' to the camera at either end, so when you lift the camera up to your eye the entire strap has to move / slide over your shoulder. If I'm trackside I usually have a small shoulder bag as well which prevents the strap moving so I reverted back to the black rapid.

 

[Archibald]

I'm interested in this product but trying to figure out what its advantage is. The OEM straps that come with my Canon bodies work just fine. How is the Peak Design better? So the strap is grippy on one side but smooth on the other - how do you work that in practice? It is good for 200 pound cameras. Really?

 

[David Stallard]

I'm interested in this product but trying to figure out what its advantage is. The OEM straps that come with my Canon bodies work just fine. How is the Peak Design better? So the strap is grippy on one side but smooth on the other - how do you work that in practice? It is good for 200 pound cameras. Really?

The biggest advantage I could see (which is why I wanted to try one) is the quick 'click' connection, you can attach the click ends to just about anything and in a matter of seconds you can attach / remove them ie different bodies / lenses accessories - as for weight, when I tried it I had it on the R1 - RF100-300 with no issues at all. As I said for me I prefer the Black Rapid.

 

[Only RF]

I'm interested in this product but trying to figure out what its advantage is. The OEM straps that come with my Canon bodies work just fine. How is the Peak Design better? So the strap is grippy on one side but smooth on the other - how do you work that in practice? It is good for 200 pound cameras. Really?

Slide | Peak Design Official Site

The original Peak Design flagship camera strap, Slide is everything other pro camera straps aren't: beautiful, low-profile, adjustable, quick-connecting...

www.peakdesign.com

 

[Archibald]

Seems like driving an F-150 to get groceries.

 

[Only RF]

Seems like driving an F-150 to get groceries.

I've been using that system for 8 years and never had concerned moment about a failure. I guess it's like taking an F-150 to get groceries instead of a Mini Cooper and getting hit by another F-150.

 

[Archibald]

Well, more seriously, you know there are dollars chasing goods, and they drive up the price and the quality. And there is confirmation bias. Pay $1k for something that is beautiful and you will love it.

Carrying our heavy gear is a burden, and this has spawned many strap and harness designs. They don't reduce the weight. They can reduce discomfort, though.

I tried a harness some years ago and the camera unexpectedly became detached from it. It happened while I was holding the camera - and I realized the strap was dangling uselessly beside it. I never figured out how that was possible, but I never used it again.

 

[MikeZ]

I'm interested in this product but trying to figure out what its advantage is. The OEM straps that come with my Canon bodies work just fine. How is the Peak Design better? So the strap is grippy on one side but smooth on the other - how do you work that in practice? It is good for 200 pound cameras. Really?

Generally speaking, any camera strap will allow you to carry your gear in some fashion but the question here is "how". The strap that Canon (or Nikon, Sony, etc.) provides is designed for over-the-shoulder or around the neck carry. Generally, that strap is on the thin side, affixed "permanently" to the camera and advertises the camera brand. The PD strap is longer and can easily be adjusted to provide shoulder or neck carry, as well as cross body. The PD strap is wider than the manufacturer provided one (about double), can easily be removed from the camera via PD's quick attachment anchors (and those anchors can be attached to virtually anything you might want to carry) and there is no camera manufacturer logo.

I prefer cross body carry, and the longer and wider PD strap easily accommodates that while distributing the camera & lens weight more evenly. Occasionally I like to remove the strap entirely for a little more freedom of motion, or attach it to the 100-500 lens to remove any strain on the camera to lens mount.

Basically, it comes down to personal preference, your needs and how you like to work.

 

[Archibald]

Generally speaking, any camera strap will allow you to carry your gear in some fashion but the question here is "how". The strap that Canon (or Nikon, Sony, etc.) provides is designed for over-the-shoulder or around the neck carry. Generally, that strap is on the thin side, affixed "permanently" to the camera and advertises the camera brand. The PD strap is longer and can easily be adjusted to provide shoulder or neck carry, as well as cross body. The PD strap is wider than the manufacturer provided one (about double), can easily be removed from the camera via PD's quick attachment anchors (and those anchors can be attached to virtually anything you might want to carry) and there is no camera manufacturer logo.

I prefer cross body carry, and the longer and wider PD strap easily accommodates that while distributing the camera & lens weight more evenly. Occasionally I like to remove the strap entirely for a little more freedom of motion, or attach it to the 100-500 lens to remove any strain on the camera to lens mount.

Basically, it comes down to personal preference, your needs and how you like to work.

Thank you for your post. It has good practical info that is concise and useful.

Years ago I used a 3rd party camera strap with quick-release buckle clasps. I used it for some of the reasons you mention - it did not disclose the camera brand, and it was easy to quickly remove the strap. Removing it was handy when the camera was on a tripod or when doing macro work indoors on a camera stand. That old strap served me for many years, was on many cameras, and never failed.

Nowadays I practically never use a tripod and likewise rarely have the camera on a tabletop stand or a copy stand. The need to remove the strap isn't there any more. That might change one day, and in that case I might want a different strap.