camera bag criteria

[dct]

I really need "a mixed bag", because most of the time I have to carry also my 15" laptop with lots of cabling together with my photo gear. Two RF bodies and a few M lenses plus a bridge cam for tele. And film, of course. I'm still not shure if one of the taller shoulder bags will do that job or if I better go for the photo/laptop backpacks, because of the evenly distributed weight. It is more than a year I'm stumbling without decision 🙁

 

[Brian Puccio]

Am I just taking photos somewhere? I've got a custom bag from Courierware (same company that makes the barebones bags) that holds an M6, 28, 45 and 90mm lenses along with some film and an incident meter. It's tiny, less than 8 inches wide. The entire bag fully loaded can actually fit inside my inner coat pocket, though it's quite heavy.

If I'm going somewhere (e.g., vacation) and need to bring all my camera stuff I also bring my laptop and other things, so I've got a large Crumpler bag for that, there's a padded pouch for my laptop, a padded pouch for camera gear (which I throw the Courierware bag into) and plenty of room for other things.

Best of both worlds!

 

[ankaka]

I have a Tenba shoulder bag that I got at Roberts I'maging in Indy that meets your criteria. It's roomy enough for a DSLR and 3 or 4 lenses and has all sorts of pockets on the flap, front, back, and sides. I carry the bulk of my gear in a huge Dynatran backpack and use the shoulder bag for specific assignments. It's really great.

 

[_tom]

I bought two months ago a small black Billingham bag (special edition for Leica) and have to admit that this bag is nearly perfect - they sell the Billingham bag mainly at Leica sales points. In addition, you get a fabric "pocket of protection" for your bag with a giant embroidered Leica logo. And here is a guide how the pouch is packaged properly. (btw: thanks for teaching how to use this bag correctly, as if I would not know that already.) The bag has space for two camera bodies and a spare lens or a body and two lenses (even a dissimilar non-Leica camera lika a Nikon S3 and a external mounted 21mm viewfinder or a Contax G2 will fit properly - even the huge xpan will just fit and and they are also not repelled because they are not just Leica - just joking). In addition, there is a separate lockable compartment for the film cans, glasses, pens and even a paperback.
The bag is, like any billingham pocket, flawlessly finished, upholstered and with a discrete appearance. And for me it's the perfect bag for everyday use. The only drawback - the high price (just Leica).

 

[menthel]

Am I just taking photos somewhere? I've got a custom bag from Courierware (same company that makes the barebones bags) that holds an M6, 28, 45 and 90mm lenses along with some film and an incident meter. It's tiny, less than 8 inches wide. The entire bag fully loaded can actually fit inside my inner coat pocket, though it's quite heavy.

If I'm going somewhere (e.g., vacation) and need to bring all my camera stuff I also bring my laptop and other things, so I've got a large Crumpler bag for that, there's a padded pouch for my laptop, a padded pouch for camera gear (which I throw the Courierware bag into) and plenty of room for other things.

Best of both worlds!

I am currently doing the same thing but for a different spec. The fact that you can completely customise the bag to your requirements is really great. I hope it turns out well once purchased!

 

[dct]

Thank you all for the discussion here. It helped alot taking my decision. Today I spent two hours in a bigger photo store and tried different brands of bags with my real gear (2 M bodies, additional lens and spare film, a tele bridge camera and my 15" laptop with all the accessories I need for daily work. Now I'm a happy new owner of a Tenba Messenger Large bag.
Do you know the feeling when you get a gift? 🙂 I'd to wait a full year!
Will post my experiences in a few weeks.

 

[jlindstrom]

1) as small as possible to fit my gear
2) doesn't look like a camera bag
3) I wear the strap across my body, so sufficient strap length
4) I hate heavy bags - so minimal padding also
5) as thin as possible
6) ipad fits in
7) I don't want to look like a dork either, so minimalistic but not idiotic
8) some level of weather proofing
9) zipper or velcro, I like the idea of some pickpocket getting my stuff
10) light weight

So, there's my list. And I have BBB-E on the way..

//Juha

 

[geertvn]

I quite like the Lowepro Exchange Messenger bag. Fits a rangefinder and some other things easily. It's thin and has nearly no padding, so taking a little care is required.

For traveling I currently use a Dakine Network backpack. In it I put a Lowepro Nova Mini with one or two Leicas, laptop, kindle, all chargers and cables, film, sunglasses, paper, and everything else, including a few m43 cameras which I just throw in without protection.
The Lowepro Exchange I put in checked luggage.

 

[Instantclassic]

I bought two months ago a small black Billingham bag (special edition for Leica) and have to admit that this bag is nearly perfect - they sell the Billingham bag mainly at Leica sales points. In addition, you get a fabric "pocket of protection" for your bag with a giant embroidered Leica logo. And here is a guide how the pouch is packaged properly. (btw: thanks for teaching how to use this bag correctly, as if I would not know that already.) The bag has space for two camera bodies and a spare lens or a body and two lenses (even a dissimilar non-Leica camera lika a Nikon S3 and a external mounted 21mm viewfinder or a Contax G2 will fit properly - even the huge xpan will just fit and and they are also not repelled because they are not just Leica - just joking). In addition, there is a separate lockable compartment for the film cans, glasses, pens and even a paperback.
The bag is, like any billingham pocket, flawlessly finished, upholstered and with a discrete appearance. And for me it's the perfect bag for everyday use. The only drawback - the high price (just Leica).

I have the black Billingham "Alice" too. I serves me well and can take my Hasselblad SWC sometimes too. For more gear I use the Think Tank Retrospective 20 (Pinestone). Both bags are very well made and most useful.