Help with a bag please

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sigma4ever

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Basically, I am searching for a new camera bag after upgrading gear and I would like some feedback. Should I go w/ a backpack, a sling bag, a side bag? So, if you could just tell me a little about your camera bag (brand, type, quality, acsessability, etc.) and just give a little bit about why you like it or don't and it would help me out a lot. I am currently interested in the Tamrac velocity 9. I love the sling idea and would especially like some info on this. Remember, anything helps. Thanks. 😎
 
I have bought every bag in search of the perfect bag and now I have a closet full of bags that are not perfect. I have backpacks, halfpacks, slingbags, messenger bags, portfolio bags, diaper bags and foofy lil bags that no man should ever, ever been seen carrying.

Anywho, I have a couple of the Velocity bags and I do like them. I have the 7 and the 6 - the 9 is really backpack-sized and that makes for an awkward slingbag. If something that size is of interest to you, I would look towards the Tamrac Expedition Series. They're backpack-style and good ones at that. I have an Expedition 5 which is really a full-blown backpack, but the Expedition 3 is more reasonably sized.

The Tamrac 7 is a good bag - not really idea for carrying multiple rangefinders and lenses. It's perfect for, say, an SLR and three lenses. The three compartments are very deep, but there are, but three of them and no room to really make more given the vertical design. (I will try to modify mine with some center dividers one of these days.)

The Tamrac 6 is a good rangefinder bag - on the small side, though. Good for carrying two small rangefinders or one rangefinder and a couple of lenses. Not a lot of room for film and accessories, though.

I hope I've helped, but I have probably muddied the waters instead.
 
Hi!
Ive been through a few bags, from crap, to nice leather, and for me, I found my greatest bag. Im not sure about your gear, how much, lenses bodies etc? I looked at a bunch of bags, and finally bought the Quantaray U100 Pro Backpack. I looked at more expensive, yet same size bags, and this one is perfect, its not too insanely jumbled with pockets etc like others, the size is perfect, it has a padded laptop area, the main compartment is removeable and waterproof to boot. The walls are customizable, which I love, and comfortable right now is holding the following with room for more:

Nikon D70 Body with Battery Grip, (Quite large!)
Nikon 18-70mm DX Lens
Nikon 70-210mm AF Nikkor Zoom
Nikon N80 Body with Battery Grip
Canon Canonet Glll QL17 with 48-49mm Step Up Ring plus Filter and Lens Hood, all attached!
Lomo HOLGA Medium Format Plastic Cam, very fun by the way
Nikon Battery Charger
USB Cables, Memory Cards, 6 Rolls of Boxed Film, Lens Hood for 18-70mm Lens, Extra Batteries, Cleaning Kit, extra screws
MacBook and wall adaptor

List looks long, but thats standard stuff, plus it has an outside mesh pocket on each side, and a side tripod holder, that my Manfrotto full size tripod fits fine in. I use this every day, the shoulder straps are extremely comfortable! Dont overlook that part or youll pay for it in shoulder and back pain! Thats really all I can say, theres even room set aside with all that in it for my Bessa R thats on the way!
Hope it helped a little!
Bryan

Heres the link so you can check it out, great price too! Mine still looks new! Zero problems, and its been through some ROUGH times!

http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/4...ries;cibags-cases-straps;cibackpacks-daypacks

PS- Only concern with a sling pack, if you get some weight in it, they weigh down and get akward to wear, just something to consider.
Let me know if you need a photo or anything.
 
I have tried a variety of packs (hip, backpack, traditional shoulder camera bag, etc). My current favourite is the Tamrac Adventurer 4. It is a messenger pack. I like the slim profile and the capacity. I usually carry a RF (sometimes with extra lens) + a SLR (with one or two lenses) or a TLR. The bag is fairly inconspicuous and pretty comfortable. You have a variety of options with moveable dividers (velcro).

Good luck.
 
sigma4ever said:
Basically, I am searching for a new camera bag after upgrading gear and I would like some feedback. Should I go w/ a backpack, a sling bag, a side bag? So, if you could just tell me a little about your camera bag (brand, type, quality, acsessability, etc.) and just give a little bit about why you like it or don't and it would help me out a lot. I am currently interested in the Tamrac velocity 9. I love the sling idea and would especially like some info on this. Remember, anything helps. Thanks. 😎
Click to expand...

I am a freak about bags. I spent a great deal of time choosing mine.

Lowepro Nova 1 AW

http://www.lowepro.com/Products/Shoulder_Bags/allWeather/Nova_1_AW.aspx
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=278440&is=REG
and this is a pic of my camera in the bag: http://www.shutterflower.com/DSC_4544.jpg

I have been using it for about a year now, have taken my beloved cameras into horrible weather conditions in the bag, have used it to work with the RF645 and a D200 in seriously crowded places where a quick bag is vital, and I have to say I love the bag. It has one strange thing - a raincoat that is tucked under the front compartment and actually pretty much dominates that compartment when inside. Nice to have it, though, because it makes the bag effectively waterproof for when you're trekking through a thunderstorm. I have many times.

Also nice about the bag is that it allows you to attach your own strap. Most do, I suppose. I use an Optech strap (not idea which model), that has a nice sticky rubber pad - a LONG pad - for my shoulder. The bag is small enough you can actually handle carry it around all day, maneuvering through dense crowds with it because it has great padding and is double closed (by the zipper and clasp). I also like that it is constructed in a way that allows me to hold it in my hand, behind my back, when running through crowds or up hills in the snow.

Basically, it's perfect. I love it.
 
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My bags, all black:

1. Laptop Backpack
2. Technics Record Bag
3. Indie Side Bag


1. Big, obvious, it's a backpack. I can comfortably dismantle and place a whole Cambo 4x5 Monorail camera in the bag, plus a second lens, and a rangefinder camera. The padding for the laptop means the bag is great for larger camera stuff. It's also very comfortable to wear. My now sold Zorki and Fed were happy sitting in the front pocket, with a pouch full of film in a side pocket, on the trip to Croatia.

2. HUGE amounts of space. The bag is tough, but the plastic clips and bits rattle. Very deep (you ever tried carrying Vinyl in a shallow bag??) so a lot of gear can be fitted in its own case inside the main compartment, but I usually had it in a front pocket.

3. Favourite of them all. Half the size of a record bag, so it falls at kidney-height, not thigh. softer material, but just as waterproof. No plastic on it, only metal and canvas. I carry this bag every day, whether I'm skating on a longboard or catching a train.
Cameras sit happily in the front pocket, or my favourite wash-bag approach.


Washbag approach is great for any non-padded bag, and just as good as buying foam inserts. Get yourself a shower gel and deodorant kit and make sure it comes in a solid-built washbag. Mine is shaped like a huge black pill (think elephant-sized). The camera goes in one half of the bag, and the other, which has a zip-up compartment to keep things waterproof, carries a lightmeter and rolls of film. It could also carry spare lenses. So far I've chucked my bag about like theres nothing of value in it, and so far no damage to the camera and no theives!
 
How come we will complain to no end about the 70000 pairs of shoes our wives have, but when it comes to our camera bags..... hands off.

I don't have every Domke ever made.....yet.

F6 for a small RF kit if you are out shooting my fav this week.
 
sigma4ever said:
Should I go w/ a backpack, a sling bag, a side bag?
Click to expand...

I don't think it is possible to answer this question without knowing how much and what sort of gear you want to carry as well as the types of situations in which you intend to carry this bag. My experience has been that there is no one perfect bag for all occasions. I use a Safrotto F-803 clone for most of my RF photography. But I also have a large bag (Lowepro Magnum AW) that I use to carry my SLR gear to bigger shoots and when flying, a backpack for hiking, and a smaller bag (Lowepro Reporter 200 AW) that I use for smaller SLR shoots. And I haven't even started to discuss the bags in the closet! You can never have just one bag!😀
 
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I have too many bags just like the other guys... rollers, backpacks, top-load, over the shoulder. It all depends what you plan to carry that day.
If I was grabbing a rangefinder body and a couple lens I would use the small Domke in canvas, or a Billingham 206.
Rob Skeoch
 
I like the over-the-shoulder type bag you can work out of so all my bags are more or less the same but just differ in size. Backpacks don't do it for me but if I did a lot of hiking in the countryside a backpack might work. I only buy canvas Domke (or clone) bags and spray them several times with a waterproofing spray from an outdoors supplier so they are water resistant. My oldest bag is 16 years old (and looks great) and my newest is one day old.

Going from smallest to largest, I have the F-803, F-6 (best street shooting bag), F-2, and F-1X. The F-1X is an awesome bag that will hold three rangefinder cams and a slew of lenses and other stuff. I just got it for long trips and it is a beaut! 🙂

I am a big canvas Domke fan.
 
BAGS, BAGS, BAGS... The eternal question. It's like searching for the Holy Grail.

When ever I get a bag, I have so much criteria to consider. Will it fit my gear the way I want and will it be easy to cary.

Hard questions indeed. I have a tamarac adventure 9 that I use every day as my "work" bag. It hold everything I need to go to work. My laptop, G2, and Canon XTI. as well as a few lenses and what have you. being that this bag only gets carried to and from the car it's not to bad. I also use it for air travel too.

For a day out bag, I use a M-system bag to carry my G2 and associated gear that I think I may need. For my day out bag with my Cannon I use a small Tamarac back pack. I don't find that I need a fast access bag for my digital equipment, but like one for my G2. I am always looking for my next bag> 🙂
 
I went past one of the hiking shops today, had a glance at the bags in there. fortunately a female friend took my attention so i could not go in and faff around checking pocket sizes!
 
I was also looking around reading about Domke etc. but I finally ended up with a Lowe Stealth Reporter (I guess it's a 300). And I like it - after my wife custmade a film holder attachement inside the cover 😀 . It's "designed for digital .... so it doesn't have any film holder. With this modification it's just great. And I have a sturdier strap from a larger size bag (just switched free of charge in the shop). The quick access claim and the zipper on top is marketing bs, I never used it, flipping the top up and grabbing in is even quicker then fiddeling through the zipper.
Not too heavy itself and definatelty enough protection against all sorts of bad weather. I took my stuff out in the '06 blizzard in NYC. Worked just fine. It carries 4 lenses & 2 bodies. I'm not looking for anything else.
 
I have chosen for a 'combination bag'
It is the Lowepro Orion All weather.
the actual camera part is an oversized fanny pack that holds 1 bocy with 7 lenses, flash and more. It has two nice points:
- The lid opens away from you and as such is not in the way.
- It has an all weather cover build in which (they say) makes it rain tight.

The second part of the combo is a small back pack which can be used to store your other stuff (groceries, etc).

They snap together for carrying. This is great since the weight is now distributed between your shoulders and your lower back.
However, when you need the camera, you can unclick, turn the fanny to your belly and reach your gear without taking the back-pack off of putting it on the ground.
Not only is it fast, it is also great if the floor is sandy, wet, etc.

It suits me fine, and I would buy it again.

Mad_boy
 
I should make my husband read this thread-- my camera bag "affliction" drives him nuts-- within minutes of buying a camera he starts needling me about how many bags I'm going to buy for it (and Rover, he's used the "Imelda Marcos" analogy before -- but for "gear", not shoes 🙄 )

Like everyone else I have many bags-- I'm new to RF so most of it is for my D2x and large glass collection.

1. Tamrac Velocity 7 that I modified with a more substantial waist strap. This is my hiking and sports shooting bag, I like it because it carries a fair amount of gear and the sling is great for switching off without taking it off my back. Very versatile.

2. Probably every Domke 😉 -- I keep most of my DSLR and MF gear in 2 F2s, great for organizing, I pick and choose what I need when I'm heading out-- also great when I need to take everything on a long trip. I use a F4AF for my Hasselblad when I'm out shooting. I recently picked up a F-5XB to "stealth" carry my Rolleiflex in NYC, with the "Domke" tag cut off it can pass as a "non-camera" bag. It fits my M3 and D-lux 2 with plenty of room to spare-- so it's my new RF bag! The nice thing about the Domkes is that the different inserts let you customize them to carry what you want (safely) and they wear really well. Nice "gripper" straps, too.

3. A couple of Crumpler bags-- very good carry-ons for air travel, extremely well padded and funky enough that they don't necessarily scream "camera inside".

I also have a few very small Mountainsmith hiking packs-- very small (basically fanny packs) -- great for bringing your gear when you need both hands for climbing...Angel's Landing in Zion, for example 😱 .

Whoa, maybe my husband is right!

Good luck with your search,

JT
 
I'm done with my small bag search. A friend had an Evans Walker bag from Artisan and Artist and seeing it in person convinced me it was worth it. M4 w/50mm, 90mm, meter and some film fit in just right. Backside you can slide in a pencil and notebook. No flaps. My wife likes it since it's not too "pursey".
 
Domke Bug Bag 30

Domke Bug Bag 30

My $20 Domke Bug Bag 30 just arrived. First impression - it is light as a feather! Amply padded on all sides and at the bottom, it is the lightest camera bag I have ever held. I was able to easily carry the Pentax K10D with 31mm lens mounted, a 28-200mm Tamron (a longer lens would fit too), and am M7 with the 50mm Hexanon mounted. I bet I can move the dividers around to hold at least one more M lens. The bag has front, top (inside and outside), and outside side pockets and a non-slip shoulder pad. It hangs very comfortably (not stiffly) from the shoulder and seems to softly cling to my side - no hard corners or other bumps etc, very easy to cary. I am liking it a lot.

There is not much written about it out there but here is a link to a so-so picture of the bag (the one in the middle):

http://www.tiffen.com/domkecat20.htm
 
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