1901 Fotografi slim Steichen leather strap at a glance:
- Price: £25.95
- Website: www.1901fotografi.co.uk
The company 1901 Fotografi is a small firm based in the west of England that makes high-quality camera straps from good-quality leather. Last year, I reviewed its lightweight, adjustable Maitani strap (AP 27 June 2015) and was very impressed. Since then the company has gone from strength to strength, offering a wider range of products that are now also available from specialist photographic retailers as well as online. Alongside shoulder straps, 1901 Fotografie also sells wrist straps and slimline leather camera bags.
Described as ‘a minimalist, very supple yet strong camera strap designed for real photographers’, the Steichen is ideal for a larger compact camera system with an f/2.8 zoom, or a medium-sized DSLR. The main strap is made from thick, strong leather and is 11mm wide and 115cm long, although custom lengths can be ordered on request for an extra £3. There’s a sliding 22mm-wide pad to spread the load on your shoulder or neck. It’s available in a choice of six colours, which includes black, light tan and various shades of brown. The one shown here is merlot, a rich shade of red-brown.
This is another product that probably counts as a luxury item, or a ‘nice to have’, rather than a necessity, but it’s the sort of accessory that can make carrying around a camera much more pleasurable. It’s certainly more interesting to have on your camera than the nylon straps that generally come with most cameras, and it’s a top-quality, well-designed product that will likely last for years.
