6/8/15 6/8/15

Peak Design - CLUTCH - an excellent hand strap

This is the second in my three-part review of the Peak Design camera strap product line. Here I review the Clutch. This is a comfortable and beautifully constructed support strap. This is no ordinary hand strap, it is not only easy to attach but has a wonderful feel around the back of your hand.

The top end is attached to the strap loop of your camera via a looped band that is then attached to the strap using a spring-loaded trap-door style locking mechanism. The other end is connected via an Anchor Link attached to the supplied camera base plate or your Really Right Stuff compatible plate.I attached this to all three of my mirrorless cameras and my wife’s Canon 6D. I found it to be most comfortable when attached using the supplied plate or the RRS plate on my Panasonic GH4 and with the Canon 6D. On the Olympus OM-D E-M1 and the Sony A7R the RRS plate extends too far to the right that provides too much slack. This slack has the Anchor Link clasp interfering with your hand and is not comfortable at all. However if you use the supplied base plate this is no longer an issue.Once the Clutch is properly attached it is a breeze to tighten it for a perfect grip by pulling on the tab of the tightening band. To loosen, you simply lift on the end of the friction loop to release the tension.As with any hand strap there is a concern of the camera possibly slipping out of your hand and falling to its doom. If this is a concern, you can easily solve this by attaching a second Anchor Link to the base plate and use a to secure the camera to your wrist, using the “Cuff”.

Specifications (from the Peak Design product page)

Weight: 45 g (123 g as packed)
Strap length: adjustable from 18 cm (7 in) to 29 cm (11.4 in)
Strap width: at the widest point, 51 mm (2 in)
Strength rating: Vectran®-corded Anchors can withstand over 200 lbs (90 kg), making Clutch safe for use with the largest of professional cameras

Build quality

Of all the straps that I have used in the past and currently, I find the Peak Design Clutch to have been made exceptionally well as I have found with the other Peak Design straps. As with the Slide, every component is beautifully constructed, all the stitching is truly well executed. The adjusters, the loops and the tripod plate are all of the highest standards.I have been using the Clutch to my Panasonic Lumix GH4 for two weeks and am very pleased with the performance. . With the cuff as added security this is an excellent combination.

My final assessment

This is undoubtedly the most comfortable hand strap I have used. It is ideal for the lighter DSLR’s and any mirrorless bodies on the market. Of significance is the easy of tightening and loosening the strap.I would not hesitate to recommend the Clutch and give it 4 1/2 star rating out of a possible 5. The street price is about $40.To get any Peak Design product click on the logo below for a 10% discount.