Photographer Turns Craftsman: A Review of Trillo and Son's Bespoke Camera Straps

Photographer Turns Craftsman: A Review of Trillo and Son's Bespoke Camera Straps

 

Accomplished Forth Worth, Texas-based wedding photographer, Hiram Trillo recently turned his attention to another craft, namely leather work. His newly-opened company, Trillo and Son, specializes in creating high-quality, pass-it-down-to-your-grandkid, small-batch camera straps designed with the working professional in mind. I had the opportunity to spend the better part of a month with a trio of these straps, a Warhol in cognac, a Bresson in natural leather, and a Capa in oak

A note on craftsmanship — I love buying bespoke leather products, I like the idea of being able to reach out to the specific person who made your strap / wallet / belt / shoes to say thank you. Craftsmanship is something I value very highly and it's something that affects even the smallest aspects of Trillo and Son products. From the moment you open the box on your porch, the effort put into each strap is overwhelmingly apparent. They're each made, packaged, dated, and signed by Hiram, and it's absolutely clear they're made with the utmost care.

The Warhol

The Warhol strap was the first Trillo and Son strap I took for a test drive. It's a little more than a thin (approx. 1") strip of leather that comes in lengths ranging from 32" to 52" (other sizes available upon request). This no-frills strap  caught my attention right off the bat and will likely be a life-long companion to my Fuji X-Pro. 

I've always dug thin, small straps. Whether it's a thin leather strip from Tap & Dye or an obnoxiously bright red Lance strap I like the idea of something that won't get in my way, doesn't have all the bells n' whistles, and doesn't scream this camera is expensive, you should steal it. I knew I was going to love Trillo's Warhol strap. The particular one he sent me was in a beautiful cognac leather. The strap, despite it's thinness, is built like a tank and can easily handle my (D)SLR kit and I'm positive my medium format would have been fine as well aside from the neck pain it would have caused.  

Who it's for:

Me. The Warhol is an awesome combo with rangefinders and light (D)SLR setups. This strap is for people who want a strap that won't get in your way and won't attract a lot of (negative) attention.

Who it's not for:

This strap isn't for someone who needs all the bells and whistles. If you're using a large, heavy camera and / or big, massive f/2.8 zooms you might want to look at Trillo and Son's other offerings. While I'm positive this strap can take all the abuse and weight you throw on it, it probably wouldn't be too pleasant for your neck.

Recommendations:

Get this strap. Get it on Cognac. Get it in a short-to-medium length, that way you can wear it around your neck — you know, like a tourist — or over your shoulder and tuck the camera behind your back when you're not using it.

The Bresson​

The Bresson strap from Trillo and Son is by far the biggest, baddest (in a good way), and beefiest in their lineup. The Bresson is designed to be used as a sling with a mount that attaches to the bottom of your camera in the tripod thread. Wedding pros, all-day-shooters, and Black Rapid aficionados are going to love this one. Though I didn't try for myself, the site brags that this setup can be customized with a second strap to be used as a dual camera harness (for all you fancy two-body photographers).

In terms of usability you're going to be hard pressed to beat this strap. Sling it across your body, clip it to your camera, and don't worry about it again. This strap stays out of your way, can put up with a camera body and lens of any size (if you're using a 70-200 or larger you may consider clipping the strap to the tripod collar on the lens). My only concern is the point of attachment. While I never had any issues with the clip that came supplied with it I was slightly concerned about it getting caught on my clothing and possibly releasing the camera. I'd probably feel a little safer with a locking carabineer (like the ones seen on some other slings) and would consider modifying my own Bresson to a more robust connector.

Who it's for:

Wedding shooters, travelers, concert buffs, and event photographers will love this strap. You really get the usability and flexibility of other sling straps while also getting that looks awesome, breaks in well, and will last a whole lot longer than the camera and lenses attached. 

Who it's not for:

You know who you are, I'm one of you. For some people this strap will be a little overkill. People shooting casually, or with lighter setups might not need all the functionality the Bresson provides. The strap just felt too big for me, my kit, and the way I shoot.

Recommendations:

If you're currently using a tripod mounted sling-style strap or considering another one, check out the Bresson. It'll do everything the other sling straps do while looking and feeling absolutely awesome.

The Capa​

The Capa strap is like a souped-up Warhol; no offense, Andy. It's similar in design but features several awesome upgraded features such as a buckle that allows you to adjust the length of the strap to whatever you want given your mood, equipment, and particular job. It also has a removable neck pad in case you're rocking a particularly heavy setup.

This strap is likely the one most people will be attracted to. It's traditional, it's conservative, it just works. It's my favorite for (D)SLR setups, distributes weight well, and looks absolutely awesome. It's darn near impossible to find a fault with this strap.

Who it's for:

Everyone. I can't really think of someone this strap won't work for. It's great for anything from mirrorless bodies through large, heavy (D)SLR setups. You cannot go wrong with the Capa.

Who it's not for:

Again, you know who you are. People who carry multiple cameras or super-duper heavy glass (300mm f/2.8, I'm looking at you). 

Recommendations:

This strap will be an upgrade for just about everyone. If you're using the stock camera strap, the Capa was made for you. It's beautiful, functions exactly like you'd want, and is built-to-last.

Overall I couldn't have been more pleased with the offerings of Trillo and Son. The care and effort put into every one of the straps I tried was more than apparent. I cannot recommend them enough. No matter what or how you photograph, Hiram has something for you; the Warhol for smaller kits, the Bresson for multi-camera setups and camera-sling users, and the Capa for just about everyone else. 

If you'd like to give them a shot for yourself, head over to the Trillo and Son website.

Austin Rogers's picture

Austin Rogers joined Fstoppers in 2014. Austin is a Columbus, OH editorial and lifestyle photographer, menswear aficionado, pseudo-bohemian, and semi-luddite. To keep up with him be sure to check out his profile on Fstoppers, website, drop him a line on Facebook, or throw him a follow on his fledgling Instagram account.

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22 Comments

I can see these setups not working as well with canons narrow/long strap mount holes. Nikon's ring holder type strap mount seems more suitable for these type of straps. I own a canon and would love to have a nice leather strap but I feel weird putting a ring through the narrow slots. Anyone else feel the same way?

That's a totally valid concern, one I hadn't thought of. I'm positive it'd still work, but that'd bother me as well.

A non-leather option would be also be great. You know, since some people don't care to hurt animals for fashion accessories.

M.S. — I personally use a non-adjustable poly strap from Lance Camera Straps (http://lancecamerastraps.com/non-adjust-neck-strap/). It might be an option for you to look into. :)

There are some synthetic materials but I think the best ones, that simulate the look of leather, are even more expensive than leather.

@Austin Glad to see you are still rocking the F100! As far as an animal free product - I wonder if the gelatin base in that film is still made from animal products as well? heh.

You know I am, Kyle! 100% of my personal work is 135 and 120 film. :) I didn't know that was ever / is a thing! Weird! You still a film guy, yourself?

100?! Good Lord, you film guys are masochists. :)

I do have to say I enjoyed my film days in the darkroom, but of course I had no idea what was to come. In an ideal world I would have a very high resolution digital enlarger so I could also make my own prints on traditional paper at home. I'm not a fan of inkjet at all, which is why all my digital camera photos are printed to traditional photo paper.

I'll agree with a lot of both of your points Chris. To me, a 8x10 or larger darkroom print of a good HP5 or Tri-X negative is about as good as it gets in the photography "warm fuzzy feelings" department. That being said, it's a very specific look. There is something to be said for starting with a nice, huge RAW file, running it through SilverFX and then wet printing it. Nearly the same output, but you are not locked into the "tri-x look".

@chris, sadly my HP5 well has run dry at the moment. I've only got 12 or so exposures left in my F2 and no bulk spools in the fridge. Are you considering moving to an F6 at some point? I was really fascinated by fact that it can use Nikon's CLA/AWL (wireless) flash system - but I don't know if I could trust a multi-flash auto system without wanting to chimp after each shot.

You both are right on the money. For me shooting film isn't quite as much about the final output as it is the process. :) High-res, D800 digital shooting doesn't give me the same warm-fuzzy feeling that loading up a roll of Portra or FP4.

Nice quality work on those straps. Really nice to see people making such nice hand crafted items that can have value for many years. My only concern with those straps, like nearly all, is that they don't consider the metal rings scratching the camera. For professionals that is usually not a concern, as the camera is usually seen as just a tool, but for many other camera owners that would be a concern.

I've always made my own. Below are the kind that I make for my compact cameras. Ridiculously strong, flexible, unaffected by moisture, can not scratch the camera body, can never get in your way, is as unattractiing in attention as can get, and quickly adjustable like no other strap. It is also impossible for the camera to be dropped with such a strap. Cost? About $2.

I dig this dude. Might make for a good tutorial... hint hint. :) I've never had issues with split rings scratching my cameras (though, since they're Nikon, Fuji, and Mamiya they have lugs that keep the ring more or less stationary).

I would have been happy to but after today I will no longer be posting too this site. I recently reported multiple incidences of abuse (obvious trolling and flamming and group attacks) in another thread and it has been made clear to me by Ryan that he doesn't care about doing the right thing, and in fact lumped me in with the obvious troublemakers. I expected more from this site, not just another site with worthless and unfair moderation. Take care and good luck in your career.

"If you run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. If you run into assholes all day, you're the asshole."

Anyone able to tell me what that compact camera in the first image is? I like the look of it.

At first I thought an older Ricoh, but it could also be a Fuji.

Good guess!

It's an obscure one! Fuji Klasse S. It's a 135 compact that was only in Japan. I want to say it was released in 2007. It has a badass 38mm f/2.8 EBC coated lens.

I know the Fuji look. I once owned a much bigger compact Fuji. It had a badass 60mm f/4 Super-EBC coated lens. My two enlarger lenses were also Fujinon lenses. Crazy sharp lenses. :)

Dude that's rad! I'm currently on the lookout for a Fuji 6x7 rangefinder.

Cheers! I'm looking for a nice little compact 35mm to go alongside my X-Pro 1 and Mamiya 645 so this looks ideal. Was tempted by a Ricoh but prices have skyrocketed recently.

Right on! The Fuji isn't much better price-wise I'm afraid. You may want to check out a Yashica T4, you can get 'em with an awesome Zeiss f/2.8 T* lens for a fraction of the cost of a Fuji, Contax, or Ricoh.