The best camera wrist strap in 2025: keep your camera safe and at hand

Many cameras come with a strap in the box, but these are designed for carrying your camera around your neck, and that doesn't suit everyone's style of shooting. If you usually carry your photo gear around in a messenger bag or backpack, you may well find a wrist strap more convenient.

A strap around your wrist provides more security than not having one at all, minimizing the chance of your precious camera and lens falling to the ground, but it's less cumbersome than having something around your neck all day long.

You might think that there's not much to a simple camera wrist strap, but many feature a range of clever innovations to help keep your hardware safe. Here's my pick of the best available right now.

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The best camera wrist straps 

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Best camera wrist strap overall

This cleverly versatile, length-adjustable camera strap is thicker than the string-like variety typically bundled with point-and-shoot compacts. Its thickness ensures it not only provides comfort in use, but that it can be used with larger cameras, including mirrorless, DSLRs, and even medium format cameras.

An ‘anchor link’ system provides speed, ease of use, and security of operation, while slim, newly upgraded cords slip through camera strap loops or eyelets. What’s more, it’s able to hold a whopping 90kg in weight, while it’s claimed that it won’t cause abrasion to your device. Even cleverer is that, when not in use, this cuff-type strap can remain worn on the wrist in bracelet fashion, thanks to an embedded magnet that allows it to be wrapped around itself. Alternatively, it folds down into a sufficiently small and lightweight package to be stashed in a pocket. What more could you possibly want?

Best leather camera wrist strap

Smallrig has designed this strap to be a perfect accessory for retro-styled cameras, such as the Fujifilm X-T5 or the Nikon Z fc. But I think this brown leather wrist strap would look great on most cameras.

The bits that wrap around your wrist and rub against the camera are made of soft, brown leather, with the strap getting extra strength from nylon cord. Despite the luxurious feeling that leather gives, Smallrig is selling this at a sensible and affordable price.

Best rope wrist strap for cameras

Knotted like a giant hair ‘scrunchie’, this cotton-weave wrist strap offers equal parts comfort and convenience, whilst boasting sufficient strength to support a DSLR or mirrorless camera. It connects keyring-style to the eyelets or lugs of a camera via a small metal ring.

Its coiled length is fixed, though there is a toggle near the ring end that allows its tightness to be adjusted depending on the size of your wrist, enabling the camera to be kept tight against your palm. There is a choice of colorways and sizes on offer, with small at 23cm, medium at 75cm, and large at 100cm.

Best neoprene wrist strap for cameras

Reasonably priced and utilitarian in looks, this practical solution is based on a 1.4-inch-wide neoprene pad with nylon webbing and leather tab construction, and can hold a DSLR with lens attached up to 4.5kg. Its ‘uni-loop’ attachment makes affixing it to the camera quick and easy, with a security slide feature tightening the strap around the user’s wrist.

At 11 inches in length, this strap is designed to keep your camera close to your palm at all times, so you can be up and shooting at a moment’s notice. It's an easy-to-attach solution that’s both reliable and fuss-free, providing the peace of mind that your photographic investment won’t slip from your grasp.

Best webbing wrist strap for cameras

There’s nothing worse than a sweaty wrist. Fortunately, the aptly named Breathe Wrist Camera Strap from BlackRapid allows photographers to maintain comfort whilst keeping their camera close to hand.

A strong yet flexibly lightweight nylon webbing construction with buckle allows the tautness of the strap to be adjusted to suit the user, with the camera itself attached via a robust brass and zinc alloy locking carabiner. A plastic protector is also included to prevent the metal surface of this part of the strap from potentially scratching a connected camera.

Best floating wrist strap for cameras

Here’s something a bit different. Available in a range of fluoro colors – including a surely impossible-to-misplace bright yellow – this strap and float combination is aimed at those taking a GoPro camera or waterproof phone swimming or snorkeling, and don’t want it to disappear into the beautiful briny blue. Alternatively, it could be attached to a compact pair of binoculars, or just about anything one would attach a strap to and take into the water.

The comfortable foam-filled accessory has been designed to float waterproof cameras weighing up to 200g, so we’re talking point-and-shoot compacts, rather than DSLRs. Acting as inexpensive insurance, rather than something you’ll necessarily covet in and of itself, this soft foam strap will float, so your precious devices don’t sink. Saving an expensive device from watery doom may mean that this cheap-and-cheerful strap ends up being worth its weight in gold.

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