Spider Holster has been innovating the way photographers carry cameras for years. Their line of holsters takes the burden of a heavy camera off your neck and puts it on your hips, where the largest bones and muscles in your body carry all the weight. Last year, they added the SpiderPro Hand Strap to the lineup. It takes the weight of the camera off your fingers and allows your whole arm to lend support. I’ve been using the hand strap for more than a year, and the holsters for more than three years and my body appreciates the way they shift the camera burden around to the biggest muscles. At the end of a day shooting, I am less tired than when I don’t use these.

The SpiderPro Hand Strap is a marvel. Unfortunately, it’s best made for cameras shaped like DSLR’s. there’s something about the way it connects to the camera that makes it less ideal for most mirrorless cameras with slim bodies. It works pretty well on my Lumix GH4, but it’s a little cumbersome on my newer GX8 and GX85. Realizing this, Spider has made the new SpiderLight Hand Strap.

The SpiderLight has a new attachment method with a custom adapter for each type of camera from Sony and Fuji to Lumix and Olympus. Let me show you some features that make this a stand out product.

Form

I’ve used several different hand straps over the last seven years. Some fit on the wrist, some fit over the hand, some have padding, but all of them have been floppy. You have to use your other hand to put the strap on and you usually have to use your other hand to take it off, too. This is cumbersome. Most of those straps are intended to be used on the right and, but I ended up putting them on the left side of the camera so my right hand was free to shake hands and interact with people. Those straps kept me from dropping the camera, but they were also cumbersome because they kept me setting the camera down.

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The Spiderlight completely solves this problem. It’s not a floppy piece of webbing. It has a nylon strap that is rigid in one direction, but flexible in the other so that the strap is always open. You just slide your hand in, and your other hand remains free.

Because of the semi-rigid construction, the strap relieves your fingers from holding the camera’s whole weight. When you drop your hand to the side, the strap holds the camera, and your fingers are totally free to move. That means that when you’re shooting you can work all the buttons on the camera with your right hand and your left hand doesn’t even have to touch the camera. I can take a walk and hold my daughter’s hand and make pictures without letting go, or I can simply grab quick shots while walking at a wedding. Using the camera with one hand is really liberating.

Like a good photograph, Spiderlight utilizes form.

Texture

The nylon strap gives body and form to the SpiderLight, but it would be very uncomfortable to use if not for the comfort padding inside. Memory foam provides durable comfort on the inside of the strap. The velour lining is soft and velvety. When I saw this lining on the SpiderPro Hand Strap last year, I was dubious about its durability. I thought it would tatter quickly and leave the foam exposed. But, after more than a year of daily use, the velour still looks brand new and is as comfortable as the first day I wore it. I’ve had the SpiderLight Hand Strap for a few months, and it looks like it’ll be just as good as the Pro. This texture makes it a joy to wear.

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Compatibility

The original SpiderPro Hand Strap included components to connect to the two major types of DSLR strap anchor points. The SpiderLight includes customized connectors for all the mirrorless cameras and a small Allen wrench to tighten the connector. This new strap also attaches much more simply with three snap buttons.

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Levi Sim SpiderLight Hand Strap-4The other end fits into the standard tripod mounting screw on the bottom of the camera with the included bolt, but it also fits under any tripod mounting plate. I love that it fits under my Arca-Swiss plate. Additionally, the strap adds a little friction so the plate is less likely to loosen and turn on the bottom of the camera. It’s got a slotted hole on the bottom to allow adjustment to your hand size. My hands are large, and it works great.

Finally, the design was planned to allow access to battery doors without removing the strap (something that certain other straps don’t consider). This strap just works with all cameras without modification.

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Oh, and while I have a red strap, there are multiple colors to match your style.

Conclusion

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The SpiderLight Hand Strap is a marvel of simplicity, utility, and comfort. I find it relieves the weight of the camera from my fingers and frees both hands to work freely and independently. It’s made of high-quality materials that have lasted like new on my other SpiderPro Hand Strap. I think you’ll find this strap to be the perfect accessory. If you use a DSLR, your should buy the SpiderPro Hand Strap, and if you use a mirrorless camera, you should buy the SpiderLight Hand Strap.

It’s available now on Indigogo.

Highly recommended.