The Luma Loop 3 Camera Strap: Comfortable, Secure, and Expensive
The folks over at Luma Labs have released the third generation of their ‘Luma Loop’ camera sling, a piece of equipment that aims to be incredibly accessible and stable, yet out of the way when not needed. Designed and manufactured with premium materials here in the United States, Luma Labs says every component is custom made exclusively for their production. We are taking a look to see if all that extra work has resulted in a product that is truly worth it.
After unpacking the Luma Loop from its plastic bag, we were presented with what initially appeared to be an ordinary camera strap with a standard 1/4th mounting screw at one end. Ordinary, however, it not necessarily bad – why reinvent aspects of the strap that already work? Luma’s secret seems to be in the mount itself, so let’s take a closer look.
The mount is machined from aluminum and Luma Labs claims that the design “eliminates the dangle points that other slings have between the webbing and the camera.” A large thumb screen is used to fasten the mount to the camera and keep everything nice and steady.
Initially, we were a bit concerned with how stable the Luma Loop would be while holding our equipment; there is no locking mechanism or stabilizer to keep the camera from accidentally unscrewing itself. During our testing, however, there didn’t seem to be any issue as our test cameras remained attached without any problems.
We were very pleased with how easy it was to detach and reattach our camera to the strap when needed; because of this, we never felt tied down or as if we were lugging around another strap that would simply get in our way while working. The bottom of the mount is also coated with a smooth rubber that kept everything in place.
Moving away from the mounting mechanism, let’s take another look at the strap itself. To allow easy adjustment of length, the straps use what Luma Labs calls ‘carbon sliders’ that originated from their stand alone ‘Cinch’ strap. The sliders are reinforced with carbon fiber and are a welcomed replacement for standard plastic bits and pieces.
To keep your shoulder and neck comfortable, a curved pad made from Lumalon padding was constructed. The entire piece of padding is reinforced with a piece of premium chrome tanned leather that feels soft and wonderful to the touch. We were able to wear the strap, and even with a Nikon D7200 and zoom lens, it felt beyond comfortable for us to wear.
Overall, the Luma Loop attached well to our camera and allowed us to shoot pleasantly while being able to detach when needed. The shoulder padding is extremely comfortable, and the carbon sliders do allow for quick adjustments on the move. We believe the Luma Loop 3 is a great accessory for those who need to carry their equipment around for extended periods of time with a need to detach their camera with only a few seconds notice.
The Luma Loop 3 costs $100, which makes it a bit harder to recommend to all shooters. We don’t have any doubts that the Luma Loop does a great job and is built of sturdy materials, but with so many other options on the market, $100 seems like a very steep price tag. If you have your eyes on a Luma Loop, we don’t think you will be disappointed with your purchase, but be ready to pay out.
