There are no shortage of camera straps on the market, but ever once in a while a novel design comes to light that provides a refreshing take on what is a seemingly simple accessory. The newest company to do this is viiu, who’s launched its first products, the Rota-Strap and Rota-Lock, on Kickstarter.
The Rota-Strap looks like your standard cable-style camera strap at a glance, but its material and and method for connecting it to the camera is a bit different than other options on the market. The strap is made of Dyneema, a Ultra High Molecular weight Polyethylene (UHMwPE) that’s roughly 15 times stronger than steel by weight. Aside from being lightweight, it’s also slash/resistant, which should in theory make it more difficult for would-be thieves to quickly get away with your camera.
The Rota-Strap attaches to the camera using an an aluminum ball and socket rope connector that allows for full 360-degree rotation that should help to minimize wear on the fibers.
When the Rota-Strap is paired with the Rota-Lock accessory, the strap doubles as a wrist strap for times when you want your camera a little closer. The Rota-Lock can also be attached to the shoulder straps of backpacks to take the weight off your neck or a single shoulder to distribute it more evenly across both shoulders.
This is viiu’s first set of products and first time crowdfunding any kind of equipment, so it remains to be seen how the process will play out. According to viiu, ‘specifications on this product have been finalized, and we devoted considerable time to advancing production for a timely, quality product. ’ The company goes on to say that as soon as the campaign is finished, production will get started, which should take six months in total—three for making the pre-production module and another three months for mass production and poackaging. Should the timeline follow that estimate, the first batch of Rota-Straps should ship out in October 2022.
A pledge of $48 will secure you a single Rota-Strap and Rota-Lock. Should you want more than one, simply double (or triple, or quadruple) your pledge. Viiu saus the Rota-Strap will retail for $68. 95 when it hits market after the campaign, with the Rota-Lock accessories costing extra (between $15 and $30). You can make your pledge and find out more about the Rota-Strap and Rota-Lock on viiu’s Kickstarter campaign.
Note/disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project before backing it. Pledges to crowdfunding campaigns are not pre-orders. DPReview does not have a relationship with this, or any such campaign, and we publicize only projects that appear legitimate, and which we consider will be of genuine interest to our readers. You can read more about the safeguards Kickstarter has in place on its 'Trust & Safety' page.
. dpreview.com2022-4-23 21:07