The 'Maru' camera strap !

In the time I've spent capturing images I've gradually developed a gripe with nearly every camera manufacturer with regard to one common thing. Their camera strap! I shot Nikon for a good many years and their straps were average. I've moved on to shooting Fujifilm and the strap that accompanies the XE-2 isn't worth writing home about either. Be it Canon or Leica, the mere fact that great names in this industry are unable to pull this off really bothers me. Let me be honest, my expectations are not very high. All I ask is for something simple yet effective.

The news however is not all that bad, as a handful of artisans out there are going the extra mile in producing some terrific hand made products, including leather straps for cameras. 

Wanting in on this ingenuity I spent countless days going back and forth between a select few products and had finally narrowed it down to a couple, only to be distracted by a random yet vital tweet hours before my purchase. A new contender had emerged, punching well above its weight limit in the process. This begged my attention to the point where I had to read on, only to yield more positives from customers about these creatives and the masterpieces they produced. From there on in giving my money to the guys at 'Maru' was a no-brainer. 

These folk based out of Canada are a real cool bunch. They are super passionate about what they do and treat their customers with nothing but importance and care. Ordering the strap via their website was a breeze, and when I did have a few questions I would be answered to very promptly. They even took the time to send me an image of the completed strap just before it was sent out to be delivered. 

The strap arrived looking cosy, accompanied by a personalised print which I thought was really cool. Breaking open the packaging and holding the strap is something I will always remember. I was blown away and to date still am. Sure it's just a strap, but this is well beyond the ordinary stuff that us photographers have been receiving for years when we buy a camera. This is thing of beauty, crafted to perfection and shown heaps of love. The feel of the leather is beyond awesome and it's super comfy to wear around. They also offer the option of customizing the strap, and to me that totally sealed the deal. Everyone loves something unique and again these guys delivered. I went with the custom latigo strap in red, and couldn't be happier. I'm shooting again in a few hours so I'll leave you with a few images of the strap so you get to see what I'm raving about. Enjoy!