Domke F-10 ... Nice bag.

T

thelucia4

Guest
Just received a tan Domke F-10. I like it.

I've been searching for a good small/medium bag to replace my M-Classics rangefinder bag for, well, years. The M-Classics, a wonderful camera bag, had become too big for my needs. And I just couldn't find another bag that fit the bill. This Domke bag, finally, seems to have all that I was looking for:

1. a roomy zippered front compartment; modern bags tend to have tiny front compartments to accommodate memory cards and batteries, but they're not made for film shooters, nor are they made for shooters who want the bag to be somewhat multipurpose.

2. a top carrying handle -- gotta have it.

3. modular dividers with room for three small to medium-sized cameras

4. a pocket in back for a small notebook

5. a bag that is not over-engineered or gimmicky or chintzy or specialized for today's particular technology; and no extra "protective flaps" to annoy me, or hidden pockets or clever design to confuse or flummox me.

This bag is like cool fresh water after a long dry season. It's been ten years since I bought a Domke bag, having bought the F-803 and the F-2, but then selling them, not being entirely sold on the line. Since then, Domke has made small but notable improvements. One, the compartment dividers are now supple, rather than rigid, giving the bag an improved feel in general, especially in the way it molds to the hip. Two, the handle now has a thick leather strip sewn on the top, lending it a much improved look and a significantly more comfortable feel. Three, the interior lining of the bag is quite nice. Those are the changes that leap out at me, and they've made a big difference.

It's a great size -- not too small, not spilling over into too big. It's simple and elegant, but not pretty or expensive-looking, although it's clearly made of quality, rugged material.

I feel happy today.
 
I have been fortunate enough to own several Domke bags over the years;
every one of them has been great. I sold off two of my Domkes at different times (a J-1 and an F-4AF) and ended up regretting it. :(

If you get a good bag, hang on to it.
 
I had only a Domke bag before , a sand F2 , worn out in almost 20 years , and replaced it a few months ago with a black F2 . Now I am looking for a smaller bag to carry 2 M6 with lens and I saw a youtube-video a few weeks ago in which Michael Coyne carries a smaller Domke . Seeing your post , I was thinking it might be a F10 or F9 , not sure though . What do you think ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3id5loklFEE
 
I'm 6' 0" and can easily wear the strap bandolier style across my chest, even in winter with my wool coat on. In fact, that's how I normally carry the bag.

I watched the Michael Coyne video, and am nearly 100 percent certain that's the F-10. It's certainly not the F-9 -- too big, and I can't imagine what other bag in the Domke lineup it could be. I chose the F-10 over the f-9 because I wanted the bag to be big enough to carry two OM-1Ns as well as one or two Rollei 35s, if need be. The F-9 just seemed a bit too restrictive for my purposes.

Now my gripes. And I will say that Domke is about to release their next generation of bags, and maybe these concerns will be addressed. I hope so.

The carry handle is not attached at or to the rear of the bag, but rather toward the front, so that when you lift the bag by the carry handle, the front of the bag, namely the velcro, bears the weight of the lift, rather than the back structure of the bag. It's not the most elegant design. Maybe there's a reason for it, but I can't figure out what it is. If the handle were supported by the back of the bag, the velcro could be dispensed with, if desired. But as the bag is designed, the velcro is needed to support the carry handle!, not just to secure the storm flap. I would rather silence the velcro and have the storm flap hang free, and then use the metal clasp to secure the flap when security is called for.

The shoulder strap is also attached toward the front of the bag, which causes the top of the bag to tilt toward the body rather than hang vertically, so that when you lift the storm flap to access the bag's interior, the bag falls against your body, the weight of it collapsing the opening. It makes quick access fussier than it need be. In essence, you've got to pull up on the storm flap to right the bag as you access the gear. Not a terribly big deal, but it seems unnecessary. Again, maybe there's a reason Domke designs their straps to attach to the bag at the forward point, but the functionality of the bag takes a ding.

I've spent a lot of time griping about a bag that I attest to be very fond of. And I am very fond of this bag, but it's not perfect. I love the canvas material; I love the big pocket; I love how supple it is. It's an unbelievably comfortable bag to carry. I can live with these two design elements that bug me, but I really wish that Domke had anticipated them rather than my having to live with them.
 
The F-10 is indeed a terrific bag, and I have been using it as a replacement for an 803 small satchel that I actually wore out after about 15 years! It will comfortably hold two M bodies, with lenses attached [my 35 and 21], with their shades attached, and my 75. It could probably add another lens if I used the M coupler, and stored the two lenses back to back.

Unless I'm mistaken, I had a bag that I bought from the then Fuji rep in Phoenix, back around 1990, that was a grey version of this same bag, made in limited numbers and branded as a "Leica bag." It was apparently part of a promotion within the industry. Mine was eventually stolen [it was empty at the time], and I looked for the replacement for years. Finally got one when the F-10 came out.
 
The back pocket is tapered, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. It's five inches deep, nine inches wide at the top and eight inches wide or less at the bottom.

An 8" x 6" notepad fits in it. About 1 to 1.5 inches of the pad sticks out of the pocket, but since the top of the pocket falls about 1.5 to 2 inches below the top of the bag, the pad does not protrude above the bag and would not be visible if the bag were on your hip.
 
<<And I will say that Domke is about to release their next generation of bags>>

Can you elaborate on this?
 
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