It's not every camera strap that is worthy of being featured in an Active Traveller review. But the Slide Lite from Peak Design is much more than a length of nylon webbing.
What do you actually need a camera strap to be capable of? Holding your camera and potentially heavy lenses. Yes. The Slide Lite is over-qualified in that regard, being made of seatbelt-style smooth nylon webbing that can hold 90kg. But it's also nice if the strap holds your camera fairly stable. The Slide Lite is better than most in that regard as it can be attached to the camera in a variety of positions, and utilizing the tripod thread on the base makes a noticeable different to how a camera - particularly with a long lens attached - will remain fairly still whilst walking.
The attachment anchors are the key, as they are quick and versatile to deploy (either through your camera's standard eyelets or via the included low-profile anchor mount). And it's the quick release mechanism that facilitates easy switching between sling, neck and shoulder carry.
The smooth fabric allows for nice and quick 'deployment' in sling mode, as there is no friction against clothing. But we were baffled for a while at why there was silicon seemingly on the wrong side of the strap. It's precisely to facilitate that quick sliding action - if you want the secure silicon grip in shoulder mode, you simply flip the strap over. Best of both worlds.
The quick release anchors are key to the strap's appeal for us. These days one camera is expected to do everything, and a strap that is fiddly to remove can really get in the way. For example, if you need to switch quickly between filming on a gimbal to shooting street-stills, that versatility is invaluable (and adding a couple of anchors to your gimbal means the strap can carry that too).
If you're a photographer with a varied workload and varied kit, you'll want to invest in a spare set of anchors and hook them up to almost everything you carry!
There are even more little design features which are a pleasure to stumble across in your own time (alternatively, we'd highly recommend Peak Design's own product videos to reveal hidden depths, and for the surprisingly entertaining presenter!).
But suffice to say this is a strap to raise the eyebrows of the most jaded photographers, and the price is nowhere near to reflecting the obsessive attention to design detail you're buying into. A bargain and a thing of simple (but not simplistic) beauty.
