All SLR's come with their own strap, usually proclaiming the brand, and often model number in huge garish letters. Some people love this as they like to show off how expensive their camera is, others either prefer subtlety in general or what something less showy to discourage potential thieves. Another possible reason for wanting to purchase another strap is the comfort factor - manufacturers straps tend to be very coarse nylon which is hard and digs into the skin. I chose to replace my Nikon strap with the above Optech one. Why? To be honest it was because we sold them in the shop I work in so I could see and feel it before buying rather than buying blind ...  Read the complete review

The bundled strap that comes with your digital camera is often overlooked. Yes, the manufacturer bundles something in the box, but it is often very cheap, thin, and never that comfortable. With small compact cameras this is less of a problem, as a wrist strap is often suffice. With larger digital SLR cameras that have some weight to them, the strap can make a big difference. I picked up my Optech Pro strap on ebay, for around £14. There are many options, but I went for the 'loop' version. The regular Optech straps are just as good, but you attach them to your camera in the normal way, then they remain on the camera. The loop version that I have, has two short ...  Read the complete review