I bought a Roberu camera strap a few years back. The Japanese craftsmanship and cool factor convinced me to drop $90 (with discount) on an otherwise not very functional piece of equipment. At the time, I wasn’t shooting too often and ignored the fact that the strap was beyond uncomfortable for a heavy SLR. A few weeks back, my friend John connected me with Custom SLR, a San Francisco-based company that’s been making strides in the camera world. They were kind enough to send out one of their glider straps, along with the ProDot Shutter Button. After using both products for a good bit, my initial thoughts are below:

The strap is constructed with a comfortable neoprene material, including a gel silicone print on the inside of the strap to reduce slippage. This part I liked, but if I’m being honest, I’m not sure it it really minimized the strap from slipping as much as I would have liked. I think if I maybe adjusted it to be a bit tighter on the body it could have done the trick.

The C-Loop Strap Mount is the heart of the company’s design work. A re-location screw-on tool, the C-Loop allows you to get rid of tradition top mounting with a 360-degree swivel at the bottom of the camera, which both assists with not having the camera rest of your chest like a doofus and also toggle back between portrait and landscape modes without getting straps tangled in your face.

I’m a fan of the plastic swivel used on the end of the actual strap as well. It allows freer range of motion when moving the camera up from the hip.

I thought this was one of those quirky add-ons that claimed to improve a bunch, but in reality was just a nice visual addition to the camera. I found it comfortable and after awhile got used to it. It feels a lot better than the standard button and the bulk adds some traction for grip. Plus, the red adds a complimentary pop to L-Series lenses, if you’re into that sort of thing!

 The Glide One Strap System is available now for $64.95 online, while a 2-pack of ProDot Shutter Buttons are available for $7.95 in three color options here, including black, red and clear.