The Peak Design Leash Ultralight Camera Strap 

INTRODUCTION

Peak Design loves to cover all its bases, and that is why they have a camera strap that will suit every type of photographer. They have the Cuff, Clutch, Leash, Slide Lite, and Slide. The first two are wrist/hand attachments for your camera while the latter three are camera straps (Slide Lite is a narrower version of the Slide) but at the end of the day, they are all products that assist you in carrying your camera, just in different ways.

Over the last few years, we have exclusively used the Peak Design Slide Camera Strap (Paul) and Slide Lite (Helen) straps. We use them in conjunction with the Peak Design Everyday Sling 10L V1 & V2 camera bags and they work seamlessly for us, although sometimes the straps are a bit overkill and can be an awkward fit in the sling bag when the camera is packed away (especially the Slide). The wide straps are particularly useful when carrying heavier lenses (our everyday lens is the Sony 24-105 f/4 lens which is not a light lens) as the weight distribution on the shoulder is better and makes it more comfortable when carrying a camera for extended periods.

At the other end of the scale are the Peak Design Cuff Wrist Strap and the Peak Design Clutch. In our opinion, these are short-term solutions to carrying a camera. In our line of work, we find the Cuff Wrist Strap to be of more practical use for us, however, Helen has used the Clutch a few times and finds it quite useful.

In between the Cuff, Clutch and Slide straps is the Leash Ultralight Camera Strap. This camera strap is a bit of a stop-gap strap that fills that necessary void between the other products.   

Recently we were approached by Peak Design to review the Cuff and Leash products. They supplied us with a Midnight colour (see header image) of the Leash Ultralight Camera Strap for this review.

So, now that we have a Leash, is it a product that we would use regularly and if so – when? Read on…

THE PRODUCT

The Peak Design Leash Ultralight Camera Strap was designed for gear minimalist photographers such as those interested in street, urban, and even travel photography. Once again, the product consists of the same robust and durable seatbelt-style nylon material that is used in the production of their Slide, Slide Lite, Clutch, and Cuff products. The webbing is the same width as the Cuff Wrist Strap.

The product also comes with four Peak Design V4 anchors (these are awesome as they are cross-compatible with many of the Peak Design products), an Anchor Mount, a 4mm Allen Key, and a Microfibre Pouch. The anchor mount is designed to attach to the bottom of your camera as an alternate anchor point for the strap. It is also useful for cameras that do not have large enough eyelets on the side of the camera to mount the anchors.

As far as all the specs are concerned, we generally don’t include them in our reviews, but if you want all the specs then click here (they’re at the bottom of the page)

HOW IT WORKS

The Leash has a different adjuster on the strap compared to the Peak Design Slide & Slide Lite strap due to the width of the strap. Instead, the strap has a nylon strip that adjusts the strap by placing the thumb under the strip and pulling outwards until the required length is achieved. By adjusting the length you will be able to control where you want the camera to sit against your body. We found that it is better (also suggested in the PD video) to initially set the adjuster closest to the camera but make the majority of the length adjustments in the field using the second adjuster that will usually sit at chest level.

1. Firstly, attach one of the supplied Anchors to an eyelet on both sides of the camera. If you have a model that has small eyelets then you may want to use the supplied Anchor Mount to the base of your camera. You can attach this using the 4mm Allen Key provided. You can then attach the Anchors to the mount.
2. Connect the Leash Ultralight Camera Strap to the anchors by inserting the round section into the widest area of the clip and while depressing slide it forward into the narrow area. You should hear a click when it is in place.
3. Wear the strap over your head (we don’t recommend this way to carry a camera as it puts pressure on the back of the neck). Our preferred method, as a sling with the camera sitting at your side, tightened so that it sits in the small of your back, or over your shoulder.

SUGGESTED USES

The Peak Design Leash Ultralight Camera Strap has a multitude of uses. Naturally, everyone uses products in different ways and this is not a definitive list, just a list of ways that we, as Travel Photographers find it particularly useful.

1. The strap can be used for the sole purpose of carrying your camera although we would suggest that this strap is more suitable for those with lighter gear such as a mirrorless setup eg. Sony A6XXX series, Nikon Z, Canon R etc. This is not a camera strap that we would recommend for heavier gear such as the Canon 5D IV DSLR with a 24-70 f2.8 lens
2. For the minimalist photographer, this strap is perfect. Especially when used in combination with other Peak Design products such as the Peak Design Cuff Camera Wrist Strap. The Leash would be perfect for attaching to a Peak Design Field Pouch V2 to carry another lens and other accessories. This would make a perfect minimalist photographer’s setup.
3. The Leash is also an ideal strap to carry a tripod such as the Peak Design Travel Tripod or any tripod to where you can attach the Peak Design Anchors. The strap can be tightened so that the tripod sits on your back. You could then possibly wear the Field Pouch on your belt, whilst the camera can be used with either a Clutch or Cuff strap. Happy days!!

These are just a few ways you could utilise the Leash Strap.  We’d love to hear how you would use the strap, so leave us a comment at the bottom of the post. Below are some images of the Leash used in different scenarios, hover over image for a closer look.

Above: The Peak Design Leash Ultralight Camera Strap is attached to the base of the Sony RX100V using the provided Anchor Mount and Anchors. This is an option when the camera islets are too small to fit the Peak Design anchors.

Above: The Peak Design Leash Ultralight Camera Strap attached to the Peak Design Field Pouch V2. This could be worn at the small of your back, side/hip, or at the front.  Naturally, you could use any of the PD straps, however, this strap is ideal for this size bag.

Above: The Peak Design Leash Ultralight adjuster. A simple and unobtrusive way to adjust the strap. There are two of these on the strap, however, you will only really need to adjust the chest one as needed.

PROS

• Clean and sleek design
• Premium quality
• Easy to adjust
• Compact and lightweight
• Anchor mount and 4 anchors
• Lifetime warranty

CONS

Based on what this product has been designed for we can find nothing wrong with it. If anything, it is a little pricey especially compared to the Slide Light which is only slightly more expensive (at the time of writing this post).

COLOURS

The Peak Design Leash Ultralight Camera Strap is available in Black, Ash, Sage and Midnight. Hover over the image for a closer look.

PRICING, SHIPPING, & PURCHASING

We have found that the cheapest pricing for the Leash Ultralight Camera Strap is direct with Peak Design, especially here in Australia where the retail price is almost always more expensive. To give you an idea of the price, at the time of writing, the prices are –

Peak Design Leash Ultralight Camera Strap –  USD$44.95

US Customers – Free Standard Delivery in the US, however, taxes may apply

Australian Customers – AUD prices are located here and exclude taxes and shipping. As there is a global warehouse in Sydney the shipping price will be calculated at domestic rates.

Worldwide Customers – For shipping costs worldwide check out the rates here

To purchase the Leak Design Leash please click the banner below.

THE FINAL WORD

This is a great product. The Leash is much less cumbersome than the Slide straps and will fit better in your bag or even your pocket. This strap, in our opinion, is an ideal strap for the minimalist photographer or as a strap to carry other items such as the Field Pouch or a Tripod Bag. If you are choosing your first camera strap and shooting with light gear for short periods of time then this strap should be at the very top of your list.

Would we use it in our travel photography? As the main camera strap, probably not, but that is only because we spend 10-12 hours a day on our feet and the Peak Design Slide Strap offers us better weight distribution for the 24-105mm lens that takes 80% of our shots. If we were shooters that meandered the streets with a 35mm and 50mm lens then we would definitely be using this strap instead of our Slide strap.

If you have any comments or questions about this product then we’d love to hear from you.

RATING: RECOMMENDED 

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