Updated Gear Review: Peak Design’s CapturePRO Camera Clip and Accessories

Over the past six months we’ve used our CapturePRO Camera Clips in Canada and New Zealand, on several hikes in fine weather and in snow, tramping around on a glacier, exploring an active volcanic island, at Mount Doom and in Hobbiton. We’ve attached them to quite a variety of packs and bags, as well as a few different tripods. On top of all that, Mr. GeoK has started using Peak Design’s Leash. And we took advantage of a sale earlier this year to purchase two more Clips and some long clamping bolts. So it’s time to put all of those things into an update of our original review.

Thumbnail – We continue to be very happy with our decision to back Peak Design’s Kickstarter project. The Clips work really well with our Olympus MFT format cameras. I’ve noticed that two members of our family mount their clip on their right pack strap while the other two prefer the left. We regularly use our CapturePRO Clips when hiking, walking and snowshoeing. The biggest plus for me is that I no longer get a headache from carrying the weight of my camera around my neck all day.

Don’t Mount on Pack Strap When Climbing – During our four-week vacation in New Zealand, I can only remember one instance when we removed our cameras from the Clips and stowed them in our packs. It was when we harnessed up to ascend the chimney to the summit of Single Cone mountain just outside Queenstown, NZ. There was too much risk of damage to our cameras if we left them clipped to our pack straps. So three cameras were stowed away and Mr. GeoK commandeered our youngest son’s E-P3 (the oldest and least expensive to replace if something went wrong) and latched it to his pack where it was readily available for taking at least a few photographs on the way up. Fortunately, the “sacrificial camera” made it safely to the summit!

Standard vs. Long Clamping Bolts – Over the months, we’ve attached our clips to a variety of backpacks, both in terms of size and brand. Mr. GeoK is a bit of a compulsive shopper when it comes to packs, so we have quite a range. Anyhow, with the exception of a couple sizes of Deuter daypacks and one Osprey daypack, the standard bolts worked every time. I tried switching out the standard bolts for the longer clamping bolts just to make it easier to attach the clip to one of my packs, but then they protruded from the back of the clip so far that I figured they would either tear my sleeve or – if I’m wearing a sleeveless top – rub a sore spot onto my upper arm. So unless you have a pack with really thick foam padding in the area of the strap where you’re going to carry your camera, the standard bolts should do the job for you.

Why Buy An Extra Capture Clip? We bought four clips through the Kickstarter campaign and there are four of us, so why did we buy a couple more clips in February? First off, as I mentioned in our original review, I was looking for a way to keep using my JOBY Gorillapod Hybrid without having to remove the microplate every time. None of our full-sized tripods had a removable head compatible with the Gorillapod. A stand-alone ballhead to mount to the Gorillapod so I could leave the microplate on my camera all the time was one option. But for a little more money, I bought another CapturePRO to mount to my Gorillapod (as did Mr. GeoK). Now, not only can we use our Gorillapods just like we used to when we’re out and about in Calgary and Canmore, but we also have a couple of CapturePRO Camera Clips to loan to friends who want to “try before they buy”.

Caring for Your Capture Clip – We’ve been to some very dusty places over the past several months. Try walking past Mount Doom when a howling wind is blowing volcanic dust all around…or on White Island (New Zealand’s most active volcano) where sulphur fumes have you reaching for your gas mask every few minutes. Back in our hotel room, we’d clean our CapturePRO Clips right after we finished cleaning our cameras. A rocket blower bulb and a slightly damp cloth did the job. One Clip wouldn’t release after one of our outings, but with a little patience and a lot of blowing, Mr. GeoK managed to coax it back into working order. The support team at Peak Design recommended we try a little compressed air if the problem recurs, but so far it’s been fine. One other thing worth mentioning is that it’s a good idea for at least one person in the group to carry the allen key that comes with the Capture Clip. We’ve found that when the temperature dips much below about -15C (around 5 degrees F), the Pro Drive Screw that fastens the plate to your camera tends to work a little loose, so it’s good to have the right tool along to tighten things up in the field.

Battery Compartment & SD Card Access – Speaking of plates, we have microplates and ARCAplates. Here’s a rundown on whether you can access the battery compartment on several models of Olympus cameras with the either of these two plates attached:

Camera	Battery Access	SD Card Access
Olympus PEN E-P3	no	no
Olympus E-PL5	no	no
Olympus OM-D E-M5	yes	yes
Olympus OM-D E-M1	yes	yes

Leash – A few months back, Mr. GeoK opted to swap out his padded, name-brand camera strap for a Leash. It sits loosely around his neck when his camera is mounted in the CapturePRO Clip so that he’s automatically got a safety strap in place when he unclips his camera to start taking photographs – one that’s much lighter (and cooler) than his old strap. Another safety strap option would be the Cuff, which (as the name implies), goes around your wrist. You’d use Peak Design’s quick-release anchor system to attach your camera to your Cuff just before removing it from your Clip.

Use with Tripods – We’ve found it very easy to securely fasten our cameras into our tripods using both the microplate and the ARCAplate. We have a couple of models of Sirui and a Manfrotto. I’ve actually found myself using a tripod more than I used to, because it’s already got a mounting plate attached which saves me a bit of effort when getting ready to use a tripod.

In case you’re more into videography, using a GoPro Hero or a little point-and-shoot in video mode, Peak Design recently released the Capture P.O.V. Camera Clip which they describe as “the most versatile action camera mount ever created.” Hmmm….something to think about for mountain biking season!

DISCOUNT CODE – Due to changes to Peak Design’s affiliate program made on September 26, 2018, we are no longer able to offer our readers a discount on orders made through the Peak Design online store. However, clicking through to make a purchase from this post is still beneficial, since we earn a 10% commission on orders placed through our link. Since we joined Peak Design’s affiliate program in 2014, reader purchases have generated roughly $250 in commissions, which goes directly towards the cost of hosting this blog. We truly appreciate this indirect financial support of Out and About with the GeoKs.

As always, if you have a question about any of the Peak Design products we own, please feel free to leave a comment and we’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.