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Review: Luma Labs Cinch 2 Camera Strap



Overview : Unlike stock camera straps, Cinch is quickly adjustable. Cinch it down and you can walk around the park, climb a ridge, ride a bike, whatever. Then, when the moment is right, you can easily loosen it to take the shot.

Luma Labs Cinch sliders are made out of a unique carbon-ceramic polymer called Lumidium. They feature a super smooth adjusting action that lets you quickly change the length of your strap, yet they hold tight and secure when under tension. With one slider on each side, you easily and quickly modify the length to suit your current need, whether that’s carrying your camera around your neck, off one shoulder, or across your body. Move seamlessly from one style of carry to the next without missing a beat.

Features :
  • Made out of a unique carbon-ceramic polymer called Lumidium
  • Constructed from neoprene and elastic webbing assembled with a unique center zig-zag stich
  • The Cinch with Plate works with any Arca-compatable quick-release tripod clamp
  • Cinch adjusts from a minimum of 34.5in (57.5cm) to 57.5in (146cm)
  • Plate is made of the same carbon-ceramic Lumidium that the Cinch sliders are made of and its dovetail is sized to the unofficial standard for Acra-compatible plates. Its overall dimensions are 2.39in (6.07cm) by 1.54in (3.91cm) and it is 0.39in (1cm) thick.

Quality/Usability : You've probably never heard of Luma Labs but they're a small company located in the U.S.A. Luma Labs products are also made in the U.S.A. and not overseas like some other strap accessories.

If you look at our reviews, you'll notice that we've reviewed a lot of straps and holsters. I don't know why but I'm always looking for a new strap even if the one I'm currently using is comfortable and fits my needs.


This isn't their first or second strap. Their Luma Loop and LoopIt ran into some legal issues with a well known sling strap manufacturer but that's for a different topic. Due to that issue, Luma Labs didn't give up and redesigned their strap and released the Cinch 1. But the parts that made the Cinch was too costly to manufacturer and Luma Labs went back to the drawing board and released Cinch 2.


I never owned the Cinch 1 so I can't compare between the old strap and its predecessor. However, the Cinch 2 strap is made of durable neoprene material. The top side is plain black with some very nice stitching. This will blend in nicely with your clothing attire. The underside of the strap features some honeycomb rubber pattern. This prevents the strap from slipping or moving accidentally on your shoulder.


The Cinch 1 was popular for its metal pull tab but was costly to manufacturer and the complaints of it scratching the camera. With the Cinch 2, the metal pull tab was replaced with a unique carbon-ceramic polymer called Lumidium. This unique carbon-ceramic polymer called Lumidium is also used for the smaller buckle near the end of the nylon webbing that is used to loop through the camera. Both ends have the same setup so there is no wrong way of installing it or anything to distinguish which is the front and which is the back of the strap.

Installation of the strap is easy. You'll want to thread the webbing of the strap from the bottom of the strap loop of the camera, quick release plate or grip. Pull it through and take the end of the webbing and slide it under the buckle. Pull it through and slide it through the other end of the buckle and pull it through.

Once both ends of the strap is installed, to cinch the camera closer (make tighter), simply grab the sides of the cinch buckle and pull down. To loosen the strap, simply pull up on the bottom of the cinch buckle and the strap will lengthen.

Plate:


Luma Labs Arca-compatible plate with two camera strap mount points lets you change the way your camera hangs on your camera strap. They designed it for use with Cinch, but it works well with any camera strap.

Most camera plates are made out of machined or cast metal and are quite expensive as a result. They did something a bit different and put their new Lumidium ceramic-carbon polymer to work for them. It’s strong. It’s so light that I thought it was made of plastic. That's how light the plate was. It won’t conduct heat from your hands in the cold. To keep the plate from twisting on your camera, they gave it a surface made of 3M Bumpon—a resilient elastomer that grips the bottom of cameras like nobody’s business. The result is a plate that’s stronger and more durable than most, yet very affordable.


You have the option of installing the little screws. You can install both or just one. The purpose of these little screws is to prevent your camera from sliding off your Arca ball head. I placed one screw on the right side so that I can slide my camera from right to left and it will stop at a certain point since it can't go any further. If using both small screws, you won't be able to slide your camera in from any side but will have to insert it from the top. There's no screw threads on the plate so you'll have to align it properly for it to go in.

PodMount:


The PodMount turns any tripod mount into a point to connect a camera strap or one of their Loop Lanyards to. You can use it on the bottom of your camera or on the tripod mount on a lens collar. The included split key lets webbing move more freely while reducing potential fraying and allows for compatibility with their Quick Links.

Machined out of aircraft-grade stainless steel, the PodMount is designed to be durable and easy to use. You can easily screw and unscrew it from your camera or lens collar with your fingers. No additional tools necessary.

Membrane Connector:


Luma Labs low profile Membrane Connector sandwiches between your existing quick release plate and your camera, creating a new camera strap mount point. It’s a single piece of laser-cut Hyplon technical material, the same super thin, super lightweight, and super durable material used to make Zodiac boats. The Hyplon Membrane Connector is the perfect solution for using Cinch—or any other camera strap that is designed to attach to the bottom of your camera—with quick release plates that don’t provide their own camera strap mount point.

According to Luma Labs, they tested the fit of the Hyplon Membrane Connector on a wide range of cameras, from small Micro Four-Thirds format cameras up to the largest and biggest of 35mm professional digital SLRs, as well as a large number of plates from Manfrotto, Really Right Stuff, Induro, Kirk, and even some no name ones.

The one item that wasn't sent to us and that we were hoping to try out was the Quick Links. Threading camera straps can be annoying, especially if you do it regularly. Yet, you want your strap to be securely fastened to your camera. Quick Links are made in France and are smooth and easy to use.

Luma Labs also offers webbing kits for those who want to shorten or lengthen the Cinch strap. The webbing kit included with the Cinch 2 is regular length. The SHORT webbing kit which removes 3" of adjustment to both the front and back of your Cinch—for a total 6". The LONG webbing kit adds 5" of adjustment to both the front and back of your Cinch—for a total 10" additional adjustment.

Conclusion : Overall, the Luma Labs Cinch 2 Camera Strap is one of my top must own camera straps. It's very comfortable and easy to set up. I wish they had kept the pull tab but Luma Labs have looked into the incorporating the pull tab into the new design but felt this would hinder the design. The design decision came down to either having a compact part that slides super smooth but has no pull-tab, or have a giant slide (1.25" longer) that doesn't slide as smoothly but has a pull-tab. The end result is a new design that is smaller, lighter, stronger, modular, operates far more smoothly and causes less wear on the webbing.

Regardless of pull-tab or not, the design is still great and smooth and most importantly...comfortable.




Manufacturer: Luma Labs
Site: Buy from Luma Labs


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