It’s nearly eighteen months since I walked into Skiadopoulos, the Athens Leica dealer in George Street. Some samples of new camera straps from a friend, Evris Papanikolas, had just arrived in the hope that Skiadopoulos would stock them. I liked what I saw and contacted Evris, subsequently receiving some samples for test. When I got back to London I introduced Evris to Ivor Cooper at Red Dot Cameras and he agreed to stock a range of the straps — under the TieHerUp brand name.
I was initially a bit concerned about the name, even though Evris pointed out that in Greek a camera is female and it therefore made some sort of sense. Evris points out that camera is a feminine noun also in German, Spanish, French and Japanese. So that’s that, then. Now, though, the ever-expanding range of TieHerUps has become something of an international hit among discerning photographers.
Several well known professionals, including Thorsten von Overgaard in Denmark and Jonathan Slack here in England, have given the straps their endorsement and Evris is growing his business. In in meantime he has moved his office to Cyprus and is planning further developments, including the possibility of footwear.
Black is Black
A couple of weeks ago Evris sent me the latest editions of the black Rock n’ Roll straps for Leica M (with split-ring lug attachment) and Leica SL (with slot attachment). The former fits all lug-equipped cameras and I’ve been using it on the Panasonic Lumix GX8.
I was particularly impressed with the SL strap which is made from a new smooth black leather with impressive waxed black-thread stitching. It feels nicer than the grain-structure leather of the standard Rock n’ Roll. I’m glad therefore, that Evris has decided to make this new design available for lug-mount cameras as well. He calls it the “Black is Black” model and comes at a small premium to the standard leather Rock n’ Roll.
The large-loop construction of the Rock n’ Roll, whether the standard version or the Black is Black, makes it particularly comfortable to wear around the neck. Even with the SL and 24-90mm zoom — a 2.2Kg package — the strap nicely cushions the weight of the camera and ensures it doesn’t cut into the neck. There’s a slight spring in the strap which also helps with comfort.
The Black is Black is slightly more expensive than the standard Rock n’ Roll (which costs €85 for the 100cm model and €95 for the longer 125cm strap). The Black is Black strap is €105 in 100cm length and €115 in the longer version. Personally, I much prefer the this finish; it feels more substantial and more tactile, definitely worth the extra cost.
______________
- Subscribe to Macfilos for free updates on articles as they are published. Read more here
- Want to make a comment on this article but having problems? Please read this
An excellent product Mike… I didn’t buy one of them though because at the time, my requirement, same maker, different style, was only made in the shorter length…
From your words, it looks like things may have changed now.