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PRICE: FROM£24.90 NovoVersa Straps UKDIGITAL.CO.UK Novo’s reputation for quality camera accessories continues to grow and here we look at its new leather straps
Novo Versa wrist strap £24.90
Novo Versa shoulder strap £49.90
Carrying your camera in your hand means you can react almost instantly to any quickly evolving situation in front of you. The risk, of course, is that you can drop your camera or have it knocked out of your hand. Wrapping your shoulder strap around your hand is one solution, the other is a simple wrist strap like this Novo Versa model. It’s made from fine leather and available in several colours – black, light grey, midnight blue, olive green and tan. There are two Duraflex connection options in the box, one uses webbing for heavier cameras and the other has two strong nylon loops, so good for lighter items like compacts or binoculars. Both connections attach to the camera’s strap lugs with a lark’s head knot, and there’s a plastic webbing clip to let you to quickly disconnect the strap when you need to. The connecting buckle locks positively and needs a firm squeeze to release, so security rates highly. A sliding loop is provided to tighten the strap around the wrist. I tried the strap on a Fujifilm X-E3, a Sony A7R IV with the Tamron 28-200mm superzoom (the lens is tested elsewhere in this issue) and a Nikon D850 with a 24-120mm. The strap performed fine and, even on the 30°C days we had recently, the strap stayed comfortable and there was no stickiness or chafing. WC
Rely on the free straps that come whenever you buy a new camera and you can go through your photographic life without spending a sou on a camera strap. But free straps, although perfectly usable, are branded, sometimes brightly coloured and not always the most comfortable. Start looking for a camera strap and you find there is plenty of choice offering different features. There’s the broad comfort strap, the across- the-body ‘pap’ strap and the style- oriented strap. The Novo Versa Shoulder strap falls into the last group and this leather strap is available in black, light grey, midnight blue, olive green and tan. It’s about 3.5cm across at its broadest and can be connected to the camera in two ways. Two methods of connect are available depending on your camera. Smaller mirrorless and compacts suit the Duraflex clip lock connector. If you use this, it means you can unclip it and, if you have one, switch to the Novo wrist strap very quickly. For heavier cameras, or for total security with lighter cameras, you can just thread the strap directly into the camera’s strap lugs. The leather section of the strap is slightly padded, which helps with comfort. The top side of strap has a lovely grain pattern, while the
ABOVE The shoulder strap attaches securely to any camera
underside is smoother, with more of a sheen. It looks good, but a rougher underside would be better for non- slip grip on the shoulder. The overall quality of the strap is enhanced by the colour-matched stitching and the whole strap has the air of quality. No problems with usability and I tried it with various cameras: a Nikon Z 7 including with a 70-200mm f/2.8 and Sony A7R IV with Tamron 28-200mm. It was comfortable, and plenty of length if you wanted to wear it draped across your body. WC
ABOVE Practical, comfortable and good-looking, too, the Novo wrist strap performed well
Verdict A wrist strap is not for everyone, but if you enjoy street photography – where having your camera held in your hand gives you a head start – it’s an essential accessory, and the Nova Versa is a good one for the shopping list.
PROS Nicely made strap, comfortable CONS Some non-slip padding on the strap’s underside would be nice Verdict The Novo Versa shoulder strap looks great, does its job without fuss and should last a long, long time, so good value at £49.90.
PROS Build quality, it works, comfortable CONS Nothing
24 Photography News | Issue 81
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