Gear Bags for your RF system

If you are looking for an efficient system for carrying RF gear, look at the Kinesis website. http://www.kinesisgear.com. This has several small bags that attach to a really comfortable waistbelt, and which can be fixed on the outside of a rucksack too. I use the now discontinued 512 bag with an UPstrap (www.upstrap.com) non-slip -really ! - bag strap. This holds two Contax 11a bodies and three lenses plus the meter and film. You don't have to buy the belt - each bag has loops on the back. I am not connected to the company in any way, but I use this system to chop and change according to what I want to carry when walking and hiking. Rich Stum, who makes this kit, is a working PJ and knows what he is doing.
My dos centimos on belt systems !

Hawkeye
 
I understand that Cartier Bresson had a cloak of invisibility. Certainly he was an innocous guy that nobody seemed to notice. In that spirit I too try to keep my camera and gear low key. The bag is an old airline type. Inside my M7 and lenses are wrapped in old well- washed t-shirts. I even have black electrical tape over the red logo and white engraving.

But I can't resist wearing a black beret.
 
I'm also looking at the Crumpler bags, for the "I'm not a camera bag" factor. I need a bag to hold the R with three lenses, film, and a small lunch.
 
I've really gotten to hate any type of shoulder bag, preferring to use a beltpack which keeps my hands free but allows easy access to the gear (and keeps it always where you can see it). Right now, I'm using the Lowepro Sideline Shooter, a fairly small and reasonably priced bag, but I can get the following equipment into it:

Bessa R3A body (Backup)
Lenses: CV 12mm, CV 21mm, CV 28mm, CV 35mm, CV 50mm, Elmarit 90mm
Viewfinders: 12Dmm, 35mm, 135mm
Manfrotto tabletop tripod
Beanbag (small handmade one)
Extra batteries, SD cards and film
Sekonic L508 meter
Small reflector

I then carry my main body, the Epson R-D1 and one of the above lenses separately. If I pare down the lenses taken then I can fit the R-D1 body into the bag also. I've been using the UPstraps on all my cameras for a few years also and highly recommend them.
 
I just picked up a cheapie Case Logic "camcorder messenger bag - small" at Circuit City for my Fuji GA645. A mini tripod, 5-pack of film and the camera fit in the main compartment perfectly with enough zip pockets to stash lens pen, cable release, etc. The whole thing is very compact and doesn't scream "camera bag".

For my XA, I just use my pockets.
 
My favorite is the Lowepro Orion daypack. It has a bottom camera compartment and a top daypack section. Best of all, it looks like a really cheap canvas daypack. Holds a largeish camera like a Mamiya 7 or 35mm SLR with 3 lenses, or a Leica M with all the lenses you can afford. 🙂 I bought it new on ebay for, I think, $40 (US) from Henry's.
 
tomchuk: Thanks for the heads-up on the Timbuk2 bags. I'll add them to the list. I like the ability to custom-order colours/features that I want. 😀

Jan: For backpacking, the Orion is pretty good. I had one, but I'm pretty tall and have a long back. The backpack was much too short on me, and was therefore a bit uncomfortable. My sister really loves having it, though. One nice feature of the Orion (over a regular backpack) is the belt, which allows you to take your arms out of the backpack, spin it around, and open up the bottom compartment for access to your gear, without taking the whole thing off and setting it down.
 
I like low-key, non-camera case looking bags on most occasions. I carry my RF and a Digilux 1 in a cheap Eddie Bauer vertical messenger bag I got at Target. The Digilux 1 is in its leather case, and the RF is in a large neoprene lens sack. I'm planning on finding neoprene to line the interior of the bag to provide extra shock protection. I really wanted to get one of the Billingham RF bags, but they're entirely too expensive.

For my Canon 10D, I actually carry around a small camera backpack. I found it's the only tolerable way to carry 5 lenses and a body for day long trips.
 
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At the risk of sounding pretentious, small Billingham bags complement Leicas perfectly: iwhich one you choose depends on how much kit you want to carry. There's the same (heartwarming? snobbish?) appeal of using THE BEST. Other photographers recognize Billinghams but to the uninitiated (including thieves) they look kinda ordinary.

But then I love my Alpas and I've just bought a 12x15 Gandolfi Universal. The Gandolfi probably dates from before WW 1 but quality never goes out of style...

Of course the absymal weakness of the American rupee (or dollar, as it was once known) makes anything European less attractive in the USA. Since Dubbya was appointed president the dollar has lost around 1/3 of its value. Not good if you are paid in dollars -- and about 1/3 of my income IS in US dollars. I'm grateful that the rest is in hard currency.

Cheers,

Roger
 
I use a Domke F5-XB for my M6 setup (Body + 2 lens, films etc ...) I'm wondering how the Donke 3 compartment would stick to the timbuk2 bag ...

Fred
 
carrying cases for RF systems

carrying cases for RF systems

By system, I assume you mean a body, more than one lens, and perhaps an auxillary viewfinder or two.

For street photography:

the most innocuous bag you can find, and one that you can put things into and remove things from with great ease.

I actually use the inside pocket on my Carhart jacket (nice lining has no lint) - it fits my R3A with lens perfectly, it's protected, it's not visible, and I don't have to carry something that labels me immediately as a photographer or tourist as many camera bags do. That lable can be dangerous in some areas. ALSO, if you shoot somewhere like Los Angeles, which I do, or the international district in Seattle, you might want to avoid carrying something that someone could grab from you. No one can pick the camera from my inside coat pocket (it's zipped), and no one is going to target me for a mugging because I have no visible gear. I never take more than one lens on a street photo outing. Don't want to be switching lenses, etc. when in public - multiplies your 'photographer' image. You don't often see tourists switching lenses around. I can sit on a bench, or while walking, casually remove the camera from my pocket, take a few shots, and if there are no more obvious opportunities for photos, I just stick it back in there.

For travel phtography:

PELICAN case. Get one that holds your system and a few rolls of film and batteries. Self contained, extremely durable, quickly opened and easy to assemble a camera without digging through a traditional camera bag. ALSO, you will never leave anything behind because missing gear leaves obvious holes in the foam inside the case.
 
Those Timbuk2 bags sure have funky colors.
I have an Orion AW bag too. I find it somewhat uncomfortable. Guess I prefer backpacks over beltpacks. Beltpacks handle very strangely. Though the Orion has a daypack that attaches to the waistpack, the former is rather small and doesn't improve the mechanics of the combination too much. However using the daypack alone for an RF kit may be another thing entirely. Haven't tried it.
 
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I have two "bags." One for daily, one for extended jaunts: North Face "Sidekick" and
Domke FX3, respectively. Domke holds Bessa-T, Leica M6 and 5 lenses, filters and
about 20 rolls of film... oh, and a Nikon Coolpix 950 too. Sidekick holds camera and
four or five rolls: small, and NO hook-n-loop(velcro) thankfully! I HATE velcro when
I want quick and quiet access to my gear. The Sidekick uses a magnet to hold the
flap down... and it's kept close to the body, my choice position.

I looked at "classic" strapped bags (Billingham, M-classic, etc) and those padded
bags in nylon and foam... but I'm not jumping from planes, nor chasing bulls: pads
make the bag stiff; and Crumpler product, while well designed, has far too much
hook-n-loop, IMHO... one latch is all I need. As for protection, lenses are wrapped
in foam sleeves anyway, and the bodies too. As for the "Look! A Camera Bag"
concerns... once you pull photo equipment from *any* bag, you're a potential
target, whether a red or black bag. But you knew this...

Keep your bag as light as the conditions allow, and pad the components individually
for greater flexibility. For example, the "Sidkick"(a now discontinued "Women's"
product, akin to a traveller's passport and "extras" shoulder bag) has no padding
so I can put either body with a 25 Skopar to 50 Summilux lens and film in it...
the CV 75 is a bit too long 😉... and that's only when my kit isn't hanging around
my neck, or already in hand 😉 Others have described a similar small bag...

...but you seem to be seeking a "kit bag" for all your gear. Again, padding is
never optimal, so seek accessibility over foam: you don't want to hunt for your
gear through layers of foam partitions! Also, as for weather-proofing, would you
drag *all* of your gear into the storm? Far too much is made of the "all-weather"
bag of X dimensions... you'll head out to make pictures with likely some of your
gear, not all of it. The stuff left behind will be protected by a car, or hotel, or room
in your home, no? And just how much weather would you tolerate?

So, I'd suggest two "containers." One for the task, and one for easy and secure
storage. Consider makes of nice hard shell cases for storage... as for the task
case, that depends on your method: my sidekick is good for "daily" short focal
length kit, and one lens.

rgds,
Dave
 
I favor Domke/Domke clone stuff. I like the canvas and the fact that the Domkes don't particularly look like camera bags. I have an F2 and a Safrotto CF700 (Domke F-803 knock-off) that serve their purpose well. The CF700 is my everyday bag and carries a Canonet QL17 and a Leica M6/90mm, two spare rolls of film and a light meter and my work stuff - papers and mobile phone, etc.

I just took the F2 on vacation and that held the Canonet and M6, 21, 35, 50, 90 and 135mm lenses, tabletop tripod and ballhead, light meter and 16 rolls of film. The thing that I really like about the Domke designs is that you can work very easily out of them. 🙂

 
The Bessa-T/21mm plus 50 and 90mm lenses go in the bag, the M2/35 over the shoulder. I don't use the 21mm hood - a complete catastrophe design wise. 6 rolls of Gold 100 under the Velcro flap on the front of the bag.

If I only need the 35 and 90 the latter (a very compact Elmar-C) goes in a pocket with filter and rear cap. The hood is rubber and collapses further reducing size.

Oh! yes, the bag says 'Samsonite' on it and ran all of $14 at Target. Has a nice shoulder strap and carrying handle.

TravelGear.jpg


By the way, I highly recomment the (upstrap.com) strap on the M2 - I kept the fittings off the Leica strap and, in contrast, the Upstrap does not slip off your shoulder though it does come with those horrible key rings for attaching to your lugs and speeding their wear.
 
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Gear Bags

Gear Bags

I use two depending on the situation: A Domke J-803 and also an old 1940's Army Medic Bag. The first I bought at my local camera store, the other at an Army surplus.

The Domke Reporter's Satchel is nice because I can carry my Mamiya 6 (lens collapses), my Leica M6, as well as a 50mm lens for the Leica and a small flash. Two pockets in the front carry color and BW film, plus two more flip-panel pockets for batteries. A rear pocket is a good place for a notepad or other papers.

The Medic Bag is sweeeet. I should attach photos, but it is completely waterproof (designed for war, after all), can expand or get smaller using button-snaps, has a line of little pockets on the inside that are perfect for film canisters and also (the real plus) has a waist strap so that you can put it on and be able to RUN without your gear flying out. During protest marches, it has proved invaluable. What was I running from...? Cops with batons....? Anyway, it only cost me $12.00.

It also has the red cross medical logo on it. While in India, many people thought I worked for an NGO (Non governmental agency) or relief organization. I wish I was at the time, but it didn't look like your standard "tourist style" camera bag (another reason I bought it). I think it's really my favorite bag, but it has no inner seperators. I often use an old t-shirt to provide padding for the Leica.

Cheers,

Chris
canonetc
 
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