I like to takes pictures, lots of pictures! I basically log my camera around everywhere I go to be sure I don’t miss ‘a camera-moment’. My camera is a bit heavy like most SLR cameras and when I have to carry it for a while, I end up with a sore neck and I can’t seem the find the proper adjustment for optimal comfort.

Apparently, I’m not the only one with this problem because some clever people took the time to create  new products that give you the versatility that a regular camera strap doesn’t give you.

The company is called Peak Design and their products are simply called Leash, Cuff, and Capture System. This Leash let’s you carry and use your camera in many different ways as you can see below.

As you can see, the Leash is truly a versatile camera accessory. With my regular camera strap, I could only use it as a neck strap and if I really wanted to fiddle with it, I could extend it to wear it awkwardly as a sling strap. It wasn’t an easy transition because my strap was difficult to adjust and I had no way of hanging my camera upside down (as I now can with my Leash) so the lens was always getting in the way and I was afraid of accidentally bumping it and breaking it.

Let me start by explaining how it all works. First of all, you remove your original camera strap, you won’t need it anymore. Second, you place the little anchors on your camera. They are as light and small as a penny so they’ll never get in the way. You place 2 on each side of your camera (where your regular strap was attached) and two underneath, on your Capture Quick Release Plate (sold separately). Alternatively, you can attach the anchors to any quick release plate that has a load-bearing d-ring on it. If you plan to use it as a safety tether and/or video stabilizer, you can attach one underneath your camera and the other one stays on the strap.

The Capture Quick Release Plate looks like the quick release plate from a tripod except that it has holes especially designed to attach your anchors (see below below). This is what you need if you want to use your Leash as a sling strap with your camera hanging upside down and also if you want to use it as a video stabilizer. It’s easy to install: you screw it under your camera as you would a quick release plate  from a tripod.

So, once your anchors are in place, all you need to decide is how to want to carry your camera. Then you simply slide the anchor disks into the leash. For example, if you want to use your Leash as a neck strap, slide the anchor disks on each side of your camera into the Leash.

If you want to use your Leash as a sling strap, you slide the two anchors under your camera into the Leash or you can use one underneath and one of the side. This way your camera will hang upside down with the lens out of the way along your body. So far this is my favorite position because I like how I can easily place it over one shoulder or the other so the weight never bothers me.

As I said before, you also have the option of using your Leash as a safety tether. That’s a great to secure your camera when you take pictures in positions where you risk dropping it. It’s also a perfect way to protect your camera from theft.

The last option which I would never have thought of myself but I find very useful is to use the Leash as a video stabilizer. I like to make videos of my daughter but I realized after watching them that my hands move quite a bit. I can now use my Leash to help stabilize my hands so my videos look better!

The strap is very soft and is very easy to adjust from 19 inches to 60 inches. The only thing I might change is that it’s bit narrow for my taste. It is still very sturdy because it’s made of automotive-grade safety webbing and each anchor is made to withstand 200lbs of force. The anchor disks are easy to slide in place but can’t slide off by themselves.

The Cuff is a wrist strap. I had never owned a wrist strap before so I was curious to see how this would work for me. It uses the same anchors as the Leash so you can easily go back and forth between the 2. When you take it off, you can fit it in your pocket or, even better, keep it directly on your wrist as a bracelet (as your can see in the picture on the right). You can choose to attach the Cuff to any anchor on your camera so it is very versatile, just like the Leash. I like that it’s small and doesn’t get in the way and it’s also perfect to prevent theft. Once again, the Cuff is made to withstand 100 lbs of weight without breaking and can be adjusted length-wise very easily.

The last piece of equipment I received is the Capture System. If you thought the Leash and the Cuff were ingenious products, wait til you find out more about the Capture. This product truly blew my mind.

The Capture has a Camera Clip, which is basically 2 pieces of ultra-light and ultra-strong aluminum that  are held together by 2 clamping bolts. You can fasten it to a belt, a backpack strap, anything at all! You attach the Capture’s quick release plate to your camera (it’ll work with most tripods too!) and slide it in the Camera Clip. You can actually choose the best quick release plate for your camera: Peak Design offers an ARCAplate, a DUALplate, and a MICROplate.

The Capture System was designed to let you bring your camera anywhere you need while keeping it safe, especially during physical activity. So Peak Design made sure it could withstand over 150 lbs of force while also making it possible to release your camera with one easy quick-release button. They even considered adding a redundant twist-lock so clumsy people like me can’t accidentally release their camera when they’ve tighten the lock. It also doubles up as a great anti-theft feature.

I’d never seen a camera accessory like this and I think it’s great when you’re on the go and want to keep your camera safe and handy at the same time. I find it most practical on a backpack strap whereas I personally find it a bit heavy to carry it on a belt.

Overall, I have to say that I like my Leash, my Cuff and my Capture System. They are such a versatile photography accessories and come in very handy even for amateur photographers. Peak Design products allow me to change the configuration of the straps very easily and find the best position in an instant. I like that the anchoring mechanism is safe and sturdy so I don’t have to worry about the camera falling accidentally or the anchors breaking.

To find out more about the Leash and the Capture System and other camera accessories, head over to Peak Design. Don’t forget to like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter for all the latest news and promotions.

Also, Peak Design is offering our readers a special discount code to use when you purchase any Peak Design products. Use the code emilyrev to get 10% off your purchase. For the sake of disclosure, the code is also an affiliate so Emily Reviews gets a little bonus when you make a purchase.

Rachel