Photography gear is growing increasingly complex, but sometimes I stumble across a piece of minimalist gear that does everything that it should and nothing that it shouldn’t. The Peak Design Form is one of those things. The Peak Design Form leather camera strap is both simpler and more luxurious than the brand’s previous – but popular – camera straps.
I tried the leather version of the new Peak Design Form – there’s also a rope-style strap. The Form ditches the adjustable length of the Peak Design Slide and Slide Lite for a minimalist design that requires ordering the correct size.
But what the Form trades in flexibility, it gains in luxury – where the Slide uses a seatbelt-like nylon, the Form uses full-grain bovine leather for a more classic look that patinas with time. I tried the new Peak Design Form leather camera strap – and it’s a lesson in simple luxury.
Peak Design Form: Price & Availability
The Peak Design Form retails for about $80 / £70 / AU$160 / CA$110. That puts the minimalist leather strap on a similar price point as the nylon but adjustable Peak Design Slide.
It costs significantly more than some of the generic leather options available online on eBay and Etsy. However, here you’re relying on the quality craftsmanship that Peak Design is renowned for, which is backed up by a lifetime warranty for repairs or replacements should the strap fail (although this doesn't extend to what is attached to the strap, so make sure you have some good camera insurance). The Form feels like a long-term investment rather than something disposable.
Peak Design Form: Specifications
Weight capacity |
45kg / 100 lbs of force |
Neck size |
78.5cm (30.9") |
Short size |
103.5cm (40.75") |
Standard size |
118.5cm (46.65") |
Long size |
134cm (52.75") |
Thickness |
2.5mm (0.1") |
Materials |
full-grain bovine leather, CNC-machined anodized recycled aluminum |
Anchors |
Glass-reinforced nylon with multi-layer thermoplastic cord |
Peak Design Form: Design
The Peak Design Form is made of more upscale materials than the brand’s popular Slide and Slide Lite straps, but the Form also takes on a simpler design. Where Peak Design’s Slide offers length adjustment, the Form is a minimalist take on a modern camera strap.
The Form’s minimalist design means the only hardware on the strap is the quick Anchor Link attachments and a small metal loop that can be used to wear the strap without a camera. Like other Peak Design Straps, the Form uses the quick-release system. Adding the strap and taking it off is simply a matter of sliding the anchor into place, once the matching anchors are looped through the camera.
Like with other Peak Design Straps, the anchors can slide through the traditional camera strap attachment points. Or, one loop can be added to the tripod mount, which is designed for crossbody wear. As with earlier anchors, the anchors are designed with colored thread inside, so spotting yellow or red instead of black indicates the anchor is getting worn and needs to be replaced.
Besides the anchor, there’s a small aluminum piece on the strap. This can be used to add another anchor and use the strap with point-and-shoots that only have one place to attach an anchor to. Or, you can use this accessory loop to wear the strap cross-body when the camera isn’t attached. Essentially, it’s a quick hack for storing the strap on your body when you remove the camera.
The minimal hardware gives the Form a clean, uncluttered look that shows off the leather, which is full-grain bovine and available in three colors. The leather is meant to patina with age, and it’s also soft and flexible, and doesn’t chafe against my neck.
My only slight criticism here is that I wish here that Peak Design had also thought to include a vegan leather alternative for those who love the style of the Form Leather but prefer to avoid animal-derived products. There is the Form Rope, but I don’t really consider the rope-strap style a direct alternative to this slim leather strap.
The trade-off for that minimal look is that there is no way to adjust the length of the strap, unlike the Slide. Instead, photographers will need to order the size that will work best for them. Use an existing neck camera strap – like the one that came with your camera – or a flexible measuring tape to get a feel for what size to order, depending on your height and build, as well as where you like the camera to sit.
While the Form isn’t one-size-fits-all, it can still be worn in multiple ways. The strap can be worn crossbody, around the neck, or on the shoulder. You can’t make the strap longer when you decide to wear it as a crossbody instead of around your neck.
Peak Design Form: Performance
While the Peak Design Form may be simple in design, I still found it to be comfortable. I was surprised when I first took the strap out of the box, as most leather straps start out a little stiff and need to be broken in a bit. The Form was soft and pliable right out of the box. The underside of the strap was soft against my skin.
Despite being a fixed length, I found the strap still fairly versatile in that it can be worn around the neck or cross-body. I didn’t really miss the length adjustment when going between the neck and cross-body style carries in most scenarios.
The only time I really missed the ability to adjust the length was when wearing a bulky winter coat and using the strap cross-body – it wasn’t uncomfortable, but I would have adjusted the length to better fit the bulky coat if I could do so.
Peak Design chose not to put any rubberised or grippy materials on the underside of the neck strap. It certainly makes for a cleaner design, but this means the strap can slide off a single shoulder more easily. But in practice, it did make repositioning the camera quicker and less fussy, and it didn’t bunch up my clothes.
I primarily used the Peak Design Form with my X-T4. I found it comfortable for a mid-weight camera system. The strap is a bit narrower, however, at 3 cm / 1.13 inches at the widest point.
While I found it comfortable with my mirrorless and a mid-length prime, I’d choose something wider for super telephotos and setups on the heavier side. The strap is rated to 45 kgs / 100 pounds of force, but wider straps tend to offer a bit better support. That’s not necessarily a flaw, but rather what the strap is designed for, as even Peak Design recommends the strap for small to mid-sized camera systems.
Peak Design Form: Verdict
The Peak Design Form is an excellent camera strap for minimalists. The leather is both classic and comfortable, without being flashy.
While the Form is less versatile with its fixed length, I still found it comfortable to wear as a neck strap or crossbody. And, with Peak Design’s anchor system, it’s still easy to take the strap on and off.
The Peak Design Form isn’t for maximialists and it isn’t for the heaviest telephoto lenses, but it’s simple, comfortable, and quick. If you go back and forth between wearing a thick parka and regular clothes, you may miss the ability to adjust the length.
While the strap upgrades to a more premium material than popular straps like the Peak Design Slide Lite, it downgrades the hardware for a minimalist design – and that puts the price point right in line with the Slide Lite. I wouldn’t exactly call it cheap, but I was a bit surprised that the leather strap didn’t cost more than the nylon options.
