stillshunter
unlearning digital habits
The top shelf of my study is full of bags and a head swimming with insults from my wife about how I have more camera bags than she has handbags.
But I find myself still wanting.
Need something to carry around both M6s - i.e.:
Mamiya 6 w/- 50, 75, 150
Leica M6 w/- 35 and 50
Also like a little room for film, keys, wallet, glasses, notebook (non-battery operated), banana, etc.
Have a J-803 which I thought should work but as voluminous as it is configuring inserts (e.g., Domke 3-compartment) seem to come at the expense of usable space.
I usually default to shoulder bags, but I'm not precious and can just as easily entertain a sling or backpack...though I draw the line at a rolling or hard Pelican-style case.
Cheers,
Mark
But I find myself still wanting.
Need something to carry around both M6s - i.e.:
Mamiya 6 w/- 50, 75, 150
Leica M6 w/- 35 and 50
Also like a little room for film, keys, wallet, glasses, notebook (non-battery operated), banana, etc.
Have a J-803 which I thought should work but as voluminous as it is configuring inserts (e.g., Domke 3-compartment) seem to come at the expense of usable space.
I usually default to shoulder bags, but I'm not precious and can just as easily entertain a sling or backpack...though I draw the line at a rolling or hard Pelican-style case.
Cheers,
Mark
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
A Domke F2 would carry what you want easily. I have a Mamiya 6 with all three lenses, and used to have a Leica M6 and some lenses. The Domke F2 I had carried them well.
stillshunter
unlearning digital habits
Thanks for weighing in mate. Really appreciate it.
Coincidentally the last bag I sold was a (like new) F2 in sand
They're a big bag - esp. girth-wise. I normally lean more towards something slimmer. On their own I'd pack either the F5XB (Leica) or L2-Alice (Mamiya). Though I concede that I might need to reevaluate if I feel the need to tote both kits - which I do as I find myself wanting the other whenever I venture out with one.
Rob-F
Likes Leicas
Think Tank Retrospective 6 might be worth a look. It carries well and is configurable. I am not sure if it is deep enough front-to-back for the Mamiya; but I think it is. And it has extra room for the items you mention.
stillshunter
unlearning digital habits
Thanks Rob.
Seems the ThinkTank Retrospective series has matured a little from the last time I visited. Back then they only progressed in multiple of fives
The Mamiya 6 with 75mm lenses loaded collapses into a relatively small unit - smaller than a gripped dSLR with a 50mm f1.8 on-board.
back alley
IMAGES
domke f2 for sure or maybe the f6...might hold what you want but be a bit tight...will hold the mamiya kit for sure...
btw...you're not the only one with a shelf full of bags...
btw...you're not the only one with a shelf full of bags...
Chubberino
Well-known
Domke J-Chron
ChrisPlatt
Thread Killer
Classic Domke bags are terrific and I recommend them as well.
The F2 will surely hold all that but it may be overkill, i.e. too big.
The F6 is smaller - too small perhaps - so measure before buying.
Chris
The F2 will surely hold all that but it may be overkill, i.e. too big.
The F6 is smaller - too small perhaps - so measure before buying.
Chris
stillshunter
unlearning digital habits
Mate, fear not, I've enjoyed your posts on here for many, many years. You are responsible for more than an armful of bags I've bought in the past. But I'd hasten to say your shelf 'o' bags is a little longer and deeper than mine
The F2 seems so big. Luckily I still have the Domke SLR insert that I used in the one I had - didn't sell it as it proves handy storing gear that stays put - I might shuffle the dividers around and see how it all sits.
Thanks for weighing in mate. Much appreciated.
stillshunter
unlearning digital habits
Hey Chris!
Jeez my post brought out some of RFF's finest
Yeah the F2 does seem like overkill. Though the more I think it over the more I see where folks like @backalley are coming from. I think the similarly sized 'guts' of the F6 will hold the gear. It's all the peripherals (e.g., wallet, keys, bananas, glasses, etc.) that might benefit from the external pockets on something like the F2. Hmmm...
Agree with you 100%. I've gone through many bags over the years but always come back to Domke's classic line. They just seem to fit and feel right...though oddly their ballistic stuff hasn't worked out as well for me.
Liam Maloney
Member
I just found an Orvis Battenkill field shoulder bag... it's nicely made, solidly built and fits a couple small cameras and all the stuff you might bring on a shoot. Like every photographer, I have and regularly use Domke bags, Billingham bags and all kinds of other configurations (pouches, backpacks, chestvests) but this one is my current fave because it's not a camera bag and I can cram in my son's baseball glove, a couple dinosaurs, a bag of snacks and a waterbottle into it and it somehow still retains a low profile. Bonus: it also fits 12 beers. I got mine for five bucks at a thrift shop and it has a build quality close to Billinghams or Filson.
Other than that - Domke F-3x and Billingham Hadley are both clear winners for me.
Other than that - Domke F-3x and Billingham Hadley are both clear winners for me.
stillshunter
unlearning digital habits
Whoa, whoa, whoa. If you mean this one mate. Then I think I'm in love...
...with everything but the price.
But then again compared to ONA, Fogg, Filson, Billingham, etc. it's a steal
stillshunter
unlearning digital habits
Hey Liam. Mate thanks for the perspective. Any file footage of the Orvis Battenkill field shoulder bag in action?Be especially keen to see how you're tucking the gear into an uncamera bag to keep it all safe and sound.
Mute-on
Well-known
If you are seriously intending to carry around two bodies and 5 lenses, I would be looking more closely at a backpack. Fewer lenses, and you could go either way.
By way of example, I ended up defaulting to a backpack (from Billingham L2) for two Leica M + 28 and 35 on a recent trip, but that was walking 6-8 hours a day. If you aren't carrying your stuff around for long periods, you may get away with a shoulder bag.
If you go with a back pack, find a side access design that you can extract your camera from while still walking. Incase, Peak Design and Think Tank all have something with that arrangement.
Good luck!
Cheers
J
By way of example, I ended up defaulting to a backpack (from Billingham L2) for two Leica M + 28 and 35 on a recent trip, but that was walking 6-8 hours a day. If you aren't carrying your stuff around for long periods, you may get away with a shoulder bag.
If you go with a back pack, find a side access design that you can extract your camera from while still walking. Incase, Peak Design and Think Tank all have something with that arrangement.
Good luck!
Cheers
J
stillshunter
unlearning digital habits
If you are seriously intending to carry around two bodies and 5 lenses, I would be looking more closely at a backpack. Fewer lenses, and you could go either way.
By way of example, I ended up defaulting to a backpack (from Billingham L2) for two Leica M + 28 and 35 on a recent trip, but that was walking 6-8 hours a day. If you aren't carrying your stuff around for long periods, you may get away with a shoulder bag.
If you go with a back pack, find a side access design that you can extract your camera from while still walking. Incase, Peak Design and Think Tank all have something with that arrangement.
Good luck!
Cheers
J
J, you read my mind. I bought another shoulder bag but was thinking about a backpack to take "the lot" with some room for accessories, and maybe even a jumper and a bottle of tequi...ummm...water.
Which specific model packs would you recommend from the likes of Incase, Peak Design and Think Tank? I looked at a few, including some from Ona and Crumpler, and most you seem to need to take right off to access gear.
Be glad of your advice.
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
This is a bit roundabout, bear with me.
I'm sick of wearing out parts of bags like straps or the panels that contact my body like the inner portion of my Domke F803. In fact, that bag has got the worst strap and the worst construction even though it is a "Ruggedwear" bag. I think it was just pre-stressed and the cotton material was specified just a little bit thinner so it would fashionably wear out that much quicker.
I've had a Domke F2 that fell apart, still have a Domke F6 that is just awkward because it is like a cube almost and that's why it is in such good condition. It is just awkward. Those little rubber bits in the gripper straps have all disintegrated and have left black smudges on jackets, shirts and other outer wear. I'm over Domke. Their cotton just falls apart these days and I've had to USE my gear, not treat it with kid gloves.
I have a Billingham Hadley Pro which is outstanding. Possibly the best camera bag I've ever owned but we'll see about longevity. I've only had it since 2013.
So far the best bag I've ever owned was a Lowepro Stealth Reporter 500AW. It was purchased new in 2003 then traveled to Guam where it survived a tropical storm and a typhoon while I was a photographer in the Navy. Then it survived two field exercises, numerous training evolutions getting thrown about into and off of every piece of engineering equipment that the Navy owns. It performed perfectly during my 2004 deployment to Fallujah, Iraq. I dragged that bag on the street for a block while my squad was pinned due to an insurgent on a rooftop with an AP RPG. After I got back to the states, the bag went with me everywhere across the states, coast to coast maybe 6 times. When it was stolen from my apartment in Jersey City in 2013, it looked barely broken in.
Nowadays, I think the most rugged stuff out there is not for photography but for cycling. Add a padded insert and a Carradice Manchester or Carradice Kelbrook Satchel is the best, most durable, most waterproof bag you can get. Carradice and Ortleib make bags that Billingham could take some pointers from.
Phil Forrest
I'm sick of wearing out parts of bags like straps or the panels that contact my body like the inner portion of my Domke F803. In fact, that bag has got the worst strap and the worst construction even though it is a "Ruggedwear" bag. I think it was just pre-stressed and the cotton material was specified just a little bit thinner so it would fashionably wear out that much quicker.
I've had a Domke F2 that fell apart, still have a Domke F6 that is just awkward because it is like a cube almost and that's why it is in such good condition. It is just awkward. Those little rubber bits in the gripper straps have all disintegrated and have left black smudges on jackets, shirts and other outer wear. I'm over Domke. Their cotton just falls apart these days and I've had to USE my gear, not treat it with kid gloves.
I have a Billingham Hadley Pro which is outstanding. Possibly the best camera bag I've ever owned but we'll see about longevity. I've only had it since 2013.
So far the best bag I've ever owned was a Lowepro Stealth Reporter 500AW. It was purchased new in 2003 then traveled to Guam where it survived a tropical storm and a typhoon while I was a photographer in the Navy. Then it survived two field exercises, numerous training evolutions getting thrown about into and off of every piece of engineering equipment that the Navy owns. It performed perfectly during my 2004 deployment to Fallujah, Iraq. I dragged that bag on the street for a block while my squad was pinned due to an insurgent on a rooftop with an AP RPG. After I got back to the states, the bag went with me everywhere across the states, coast to coast maybe 6 times. When it was stolen from my apartment in Jersey City in 2013, it looked barely broken in.
Nowadays, I think the most rugged stuff out there is not for photography but for cycling. Add a padded insert and a Carradice Manchester or Carradice Kelbrook Satchel is the best, most durable, most waterproof bag you can get. Carradice and Ortleib make bags that Billingham could take some pointers from.
Phil Forrest
Mute-on
Well-known
The one I bought was a Hakuba, but I was in Japan at the time. In any event is is only big enough for two bodies and lenses.
I really like the look of this Peak Design, available in Oz. Full access from the side, and clever flip up lens partitions. A good 30 litre size, too.
https://rushfaster.com.au/product/peak-design/everyday-16-laptop-backpack-30l-ash/14742/
What do you think?
Cheers
J
Mute-on
Well-known
This one has side, top and rear access. Looks very versatile ...
https://www.dccameras.com.au/manfrotto-revolver-8-pl-pro-light-camera-backpack-9817.html
Cheers
J
https://www.dccameras.com.au/manfrotto-revolver-8-pl-pro-light-camera-backpack-9817.html
Cheers
J
Mute-on
Well-known
Think Tank version
https://www.dccameras.com.au/think-tank-trifecta-10-backpack-13289.html
Side and back access, with separate top compartment for tequi .. Water
https://www.dccameras.com.au/think-tank-trifecta-10-backpack-13289.html
Side and back access, with separate top compartment for tequi .. Water
rbsinto
Well-known
Temba 995. In my opinion, the best shoulder bag ever.
bought my first one about 25 or 30 years ago for my SLR kit and it's still going strong, and found a second one used about 10 years ago for my rangefinders.
Long out of production, you might be lucky enough to find one on ebay or at a swap meet.
Robert
bought my first one about 25 or 30 years ago for my SLR kit and it's still going strong, and found a second one used about 10 years ago for my rangefinders.
Long out of production, you might be lucky enough to find one on ebay or at a swap meet.
Robert