Camera bag versus a non Camera bag

To hide? No - but since I stopped using dSLRs I have started using everready cases for my cameras (never done that before), meaning that I can just put them in my EDC shoulder bag together with a couple of batteries in a zip-lock bag. Leaves plenty of room for my other stuff.
 
I don't really like to have a bag hanging on my shoulder while I'm taking photos.

When I'm traveling, I keep it simple and light with a Canonet G-III 17 QL or such.

If I go for a drive into the country to take photos, I often pack photo equipment in a styrofoam cooler anchored to the rear seat with a seatbelt. The cooler is a good disguise and it protects the equipment from the sun. There usually isn't much of anyone around to see that I am removing photo equipment from the car and I'm usually not far away.

From the car, I take minimal equipment with me on the shoot. If I want to take an extra lens or two with me, I will use a photo vest.

- Murray
 
I'm a big fan of padded camera inserts. I have 2 of them, one is sized for a rangefinder body and a couple of lenses, the other is slightly bigger so I can add a second body or more accessories. I use any messenger bag or rucksack I come across and I'm not broadcasting I've got expensive gear inside.
 
You walk around with a bag, a thief is going to wonder what is in there.
The moment you reach into the bag, she'll know.

The difference between using a cheap bag and a fancy bag is that you had more money left over for gear.
😉
 
I mostly use regular bags and backpacks for camera gear, either with or with-out inserts. Depending on gear I pack. My dslr kit lives inside saddlebag leather bag with large insert when I'm on a shoot. My small bodies live inside various gas mask bags / small military surplus bags / etc. And when I hike / travel, I have a toploader inside my regular backpack, accessable from the side entry. Or when hiking and focusing on photography, toploader hanging from backpacks straps with carabiners. I have only one real camera bag in daily use and it's Domke f6. It's pretty much regular bag with smallish insert and hard bottom.

I've never tried to hide my gear since that doesn't make much sense to me. Either I have stuff with little value, or I'm working and actually need the kit I have with me. In neither case would hiding behind the bag help me at all..
 
I use ThinkTank Retro 5 when I'm out camping, hiking etc where I can focus on walking around and shoot, not worried about theft or people noticing I'm carry cameras.

When I'm traveling or shooting on streets, I usually put Timbuk2 camera insert (I have large and small) in my regular bag like Acronym messenger bags. Same inserts in Kriega backpack when I'm riding motorcycle. Timbuk2 inserts got zipper closure and padding all around so my gear can be well protected. this is not really for theft or robbery, but more for convenience and versatility.
 
I don't camouflage anything, but I have never had a gear bag fetish. My current camera bag came with a cheap camera I bought off eBay ten years ago. A no-name whatever bag, it holds a camera and a couple lenses. Don't need anything else. I might get some king of sling at some point, my back is starting to hurt.
 
So far I have not had any gear stolen. I have always worn my camera bag with the strap diagonal across me, and for many years a Domke F5XB with the shoulder strap and belt attachment together. Always zipped it up when I wasn't accessing gear. Never wandered down dark deserted streets at night alone. Tried to stay out of huge crowds. Swung the bag around front when walking through train stations and sitting in outdoor cafes. Indoor restaurants I put the bag on the floor with the strap around my leg and the chair leg. Never left a bag in a rental car even in the trunk.
 
I don't even try to hid what I'm doing...but I prefer to carry gear in something that's comfortable and easy to use...a backpack type of bag usually works for me...this is a military surplus bag that I use for several different types of cameras...mostly it stores my Mamiya 645 stuff...it can easily hold five lenses, an extra body, light meter, film, phone and filters...using it as a backpack is better than hanging it off a shoulder and the extra closing cord makes it a bit more secure...
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nikon_sam said:
I don't even try to hid what I'm doing...but I prefer to carry gear in something that's comfortable and easy to use...a backpack type of bag usually works for me...this is a military surplus bag that I use for several different types of cameras...mostly it stores my Mamiya 645 stuff...it can easily hold five lenses, an extra body, light meter, film, phone and filters...using it as a backpack is better than hanging it off a shoulder and the extra closing cord makes it a bit more secure...
Click to expand...

The pro thieves love that set up in places like Italy. They carry razors and slice open your bag w/o you knowing what's going on as it is on your back.
Safest place for your bag is on your front.
I see lots of tourists walking around wearing their backpacks on the front. Guess they got the memo.
 
Just got a Think Tank Turnstyle 10 sling for a Fuji XT1 + 3 lens kit. I'll be working in dark clubs, out all night, and sometimes on public transportation. My first sling, it seems to slide around to my front easily where I can have access and relative security.
 
I don't hide what I'm doing; part of the fun of traveling for me is doing "it" -- photography. The most important part of any travel for me are the memories so I make sure everything is backed up and/or uploaded to the cloud. I'm always aware of my surroundings and practice common sense. Personal safety comes first. If my gear gets stolen, it's insured anyway and easily replaceable.
 
Huss said:
You walk around with a bag, a thief is going to wonder what is in there.
The moment you reach into the bag, she'll know.

The difference between using a cheap bag and a fancy bag is that you had more money left over for gear.
😉
Click to expand...

For me the difference between using a cheap bag (any of a number of Crumplers, for instance) and a fancy bag (my Billingham 445) is that with the fancy bag I can go out in really sh*tty weather without worrying about its effect on the bag's contents, and without having to bugger about with extra rain covers.
 
Huss said:
The pro thieves love that set up in places like Italy. They carry razors and slice open your bag w/o you knowing what's going on as it is on your back.
Safest place for your bag is on your front.
I see lots of tourists walking around wearing their backpacks on the front. Guess they got the memo.
Click to expand...
Thieves like that too: you just signal that you have expensive stuff and that you're insecure - the ideal victim for thieves: just wait for you to put the backpack down and then just take it. Or they stop you and take it. If they want it, they get it 😡

Some of you people worry way to much about theft.
 
Huss said:
The pro thieves love that set up in places like Italy. They carry razors and slice open your bag w/o you knowing what's going on as it is on your back.
Safest place for your bag is on your front.
I see lots of tourists walking around wearing their backpacks on the front. Guess they got the memo.
Click to expand...

This set up works for the streets of Los Angeles where you'll likely find me...if I were to vacation in Italy I would be using different gear and carrying a different bag, being more cautious because of my surrounding and the amount of people present...know your surroundings and be aware of what's going on in your circle of personal space...pretty sure I would feel someone cutting through that bag and I would also feel the difference in weight...🙂
 
For travel, I use a small Tom Bihn backpack, a domke padded insert, and two domke padded square wraps to further pad the insert on the bottom and top, which secures cameras stuff from falling into the top of the one-compartment bag/give me the ability to put stuff on top of the insert. It's both a camera bag/daypack and my carryon luggage.

Works well, is lightweight, looks cool/minimalistic, can be fitted with a waist strap if you're into that. If I'm a tourist, I'm not going to bring a super heavy or expensive pack out with me anyway (or no bag at all). Same as if I'm hiking or doing something active. Recently, it's been two DP Quattro cameras, but a Leica M and two lenses would work even better. And room enough for jackets, small lunchbox/water bottle, BlackBerry Passport, mini tripod, maybe a tablet could fit, etc. Not as fast as a dedicated bag, but then if I'm out and about, my cameras are tied to me via a wrist strap, and stay there most of the day. I have a small luggage lock that is threaded through the zippers and tucked inside the bag. Used a seam-ripper to remove the stitched-on logo.

I like this better than a sling bag because weight is distributed symmetrically and high on the back.

domke insert: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/16065-REG/Domke_720_230_FA_230_Insert.html
2x domke wraps: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/119459-REG/Domke_722_15G_15x15_Color_Coded_Protective.html
tombihn backpack: http://www.tombihn.com/backpacks/daylightbackpack.html
 
I have only recently acquired an Emporio Armani manbag that just nicely fits my Surface RT in one zippered pocket, point and shoot in another pocket, Ricoh GXR with lens attached in the main compartment + one additional lens in a neoprene pouch, handphone in its own pocket, and paper notebook in one more pocket. Alternatively, I can fit the MP with 40mm M-Rokkor and MDA with 28mm G-Rokkor side by side. The whole thing is slightly padded and shower proof, too. It's a perfect bag for weekend jaunts and city travels.

But then again. That's what I said when I got the Domke F5X bag in waxed finish, too. Sold it off after 6 months. Good thing the bags I go for are cheaper than lenses and cameras.
 
The continuous discussion about stealth camera bags is mostly misunderstood. If and when you are in an unfamiliar country/area it's not the bag that attracts attention. It's you.

Potential robbers on the prowl will take take anything from you, whether it looks like a tote bag, a diaper bag, a plastic bag, or a camera bag.
 
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