AGUA: Innovative Storm-Proof Quick-Draw Camera Carrier

Earlier today the Israeli startup company miggo announced a kickstarter campaign for a new line of storm proof holsters with some pretty unique and innovative features – we have the details and also got a first look at the new line and shall publish a review soon.

Last year we published here a LensVid exclusive interview with one of the founders of miggo following the launch of their first kickstarter campaign called Strap & Wrap. The three founders of Miggo came from another Israeli bag manufacturer – KATA (now integrated completely into Manfrotto Bags). They brought with them the innovative KATA spirit to miggo and are developing a new brand of very different carrying solutions than more or less anything else which currently exist on the market.

So what is the AGUA (water in Spanish), and what is so special about this new line of holsters? Well, there are tons of other holsters out there – some small, some large and some are even waterproof. What is so interesting about the AGUA is that miggo was able to create a waterproof (IPX3 level – which is basically serious rain) holster that also has a very fast draw capability. Typically IPX3 holsters have a very cumbersome locking method (required to prevent water from getting inside), miggo was able to come up with a different system (see video above) that protects against water but still allows you to draw your camera quickly – just like a non waterproof holster that you normally take with you every day.

An image we took of the new AGUA 35

If this is not enough – the AGUA also has a very unique strap solution. Actually (and we don’t want to give out to much from our upcoming review of the AGUA), this is the most impressive thing that we noticed when holding the AGUA for the first time (we got a sample earlier this week for testing). The strap itself is thick and very padded but it isn’t flexible (which is a good thing in our view). It is pretty similar to the older (and very good) KATA strap and you can use it for the holster, or using two small connectors – for your camera. You can also use the entire holster with the camera connected (see video) so you don’t really need to use a strap on your camera (although you can) or even completely separate the camera from the holster (there is a connector inside the holster).

Here are some of the main features of the AGUA:

Quick-draw holster for every day & all weather use.
IPX3 rain-proof standard: Protected against spraying water – Water spraying up to 60 degrees from vertical at 10 liters/min at a pressure of 80-100kN/m2 for 5 min. Fits camera’s body + lens).
Eliminates the need for additional camera strap – agua’s dual-use strap carries both bag and camera (you can keep your strap if you want).
Quick-Adjusting detachable padded strap can be attached to the camera (with supplied adapters)
Front “Thermo-forming” lens protector. Ultra rigid from outside – soft and padded from inside.
Double-layered construction enables protection against water and impacts.
“Quick-Draw” mode for instant shooting while the camera is secured.
“Failsafe” connecting buckles.
Left and right handed operation.

Some of the features of the AGUA

AGUA comes in 3 different sizes:

AGUA 25 – mirrorless and other small cameras.
AGUA 35 – larger mirrorless and small to medium DSLRs (up to about D7100+18-140mm for example).
AGUA 45 – Pro DSLRs with medium lenses (D810/5D size cameras with 24-70mm f/2.8 lens).

As for pricing – the project is now on Kickstarter and you can get yourself an AGUA for between $45-$60 (depending on the size).

You can check out lots more Kickstarter photography projects on our dedicated Kickstarter page here on LensVid.

Iddo Genuth

Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.