Juan Valdenebro
Truth is beauty
Yes, another bags thread: I apologize...
I just wanted to share in detail what bags make me feel (and dream?), and hopefully read about others' unsatisfaction... Or, are you totally satisfied? Don't you think -every once in a while- you could find a functionally better bag? Don't you ever imagine even a nicer looking one?
During my first years using cameras, I just had a black Nikon shoulder bag, kind of square and big... On it -when full- I used to have my first system: electronic AF SLR with two zooms, three primes including macro (& bellows!) and a flash... I even used to go out with a big tripod ALWAYS! LOL!!!... Now I barely remember those “Beast of Burden” days... Today I really feel like saying “Oh, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now...”
That shoulder bag is fine for carrying gear, but -though I used it a lot- it's not so great for carrying gear while shooting... And that's what a good bag should do well: make your shooting easier...
Then I had more equipment, and for my MF I tried something different... My second bag was a very nice MF backpack designed for a Hassleblad with 50, 80 and 150 and lots of accessories... For that size and weight, backpacking for nature trips was a nice (and maybe the only) option... Again, great for moving gear, but slow for handling it, although with MF, tripod and landscapes, fast shooting was not necessary...
For LF, the third bag I got was big, but I never wanted a different one... That one worked well for what LF is...
Then when I went digital (ooops!) I looked for bags for a long time (a few years), but I was never able to find one that seemed to really work a lot better than my Nikon one, so I used the old one for digital too...
Then, when I got pretty tired of digital photography (battery life, computers, etc...) the sweet years began: I got my FE2 and 20, 50 and 105 manual lenses, and my photography did change a lot: I stopped feeling like a creator, and started to feel like a reflector... I didn't use tripod or flash anymore (except for work in my studio) and street shooting started for me, first in color & with an SLR... So that new wave I felt in, made me look for another bag: a small one this time... I wanted a bag that couldn't be seen as photographic: I didn't want to be detected, and also I didn't want to be robbed in dangerous places... I bought a photographic bag and I took it to a leather guy and he installed some old leather here and there as I told him, to make it look old and uninteresting in any way and avoid eyes and thieves... The bag is small and can just take my FE2 with a 50 1.4 on, and the 20 and 105 by its side, and a bit below camera when it has its lens aiming down... I enjoyed the bag for some time, and yet use it sometimes... Again, opening it, and changing lenses, wasn't as fast as I wanted...
After some years I started to use RFs... I bought two non-photographic bags for RF street shooting, and I used to carry one camera/lens and another lens in one of them, and two cameras/ three lenses in the other one, depending on the mood, light and place... For my belt, the leather guy made a small bag for a lonely camera/lens. I use them sometimes...
Yet I felt I wanted a bag... I designed a luxury leather, big, handmade shoulder bag (made by an expensive store), with space for three bodies, five lenses including a big 90, all filters, hoods, incident meter & film. That bag is very nice looking and it's great for storing and moving my RFs, and it's even OK for shooting, but I couldn't use it in the streets in South America (I live half the time in Colombia, where my twins live with their mother) so last year I thought, once again, “I need a bag”...
I bought a native hand-made shoulder bag (from Ecuador, brown and beige, with native figures: so very typical in the streets all around in South America) and took it to a woman (she makes clothes) who divided it in two internally and installed protective materials inside, as sooner or later I'll drop it... I use it A LOT. It's by far the one I use the most, both in Colombia and Spain... Generally, I have a RF/lens and another lens in one of its halves, and my FE2/50 & 105 inside the other half of it... The woman installed a zipper too, so it's closed all the time but I can open it instantly. I would say it is my best bag for shooting.
Then I started to shoot without bag... I use a “Coronel Tapiocca” vest I got in 2006 as a gift from an old photographer/friend in Barcelona: he had two new, identical ones he liked a lot, and after a bottle of wine, his wife suddenly told him in front of me: “explain why the hell do you need both of them: Juan should use one of them”... I didn't know what to say... He was taken by surprise, and then he smiled and said: “Let's open another bottle...” I walk with one body in one pocket and two small lenses in other pockets... Some film and my meter... Another camera/lens down in my hand/wrist... It's cool and fast... Shamefully I can't use it everywhere... Sometimes you just can't be “the photographer with camera and vest”... But when you can, it looks great and it's the best solution IMO...
That was all... Until yesterday... After all those recent bags threads, yesterday I thought “I need a bag”...
So after feeling “one day I'll have a lot more bags than cameras and that's stupid” I seriously decided to think of it trying to understand why I need another bag... These are the basic ideas or conclusions, trying to make it my last bag ever:
I need a bag for a precise kind of shooting: pleasure shooting... I don't need another one for fast street shooting, and I don't need another one for family/friends shooting, and I don't need another one for storing or transporting gear... I want a bag where I can place a few cameras with lenses on, all in row, to be taken and placed there easily. I want a comfortable carrying, crossed shoulder bag for B&W shooting only, especially for changing lenses as little as possible...
What cameras/lenses do I need to do all the things I like to do (no matter the light and scenes or subjects, and no matter the selective focus or huge DOF I want) if I go out to spend a weekend somewhere in the woods or any relaxing place? I need my 15 for fun: it'll be placed on my R4M with 400 film for soft light and f/8 shooting. For normal wide I'll use my Hexar AF (35) with 400 film pushed for all soft/low light situations including interiors, and my 28 3.5 at f/8 and yellow filter on my Leica IIIF with 100 film for direct sun at 1/200: this way I have two different and always ready sets for the very usual normal wide shooting, depending on the kind of light, without changing lenses... Another thing I like a lot is selective focus, so I'll have the J3 on my R3A with 400 film and ND8 for soft light, wide open shooting, ranging from open shade to low light... If I need the 15 for direct sun or the J3 for direct sun, I'll place them on the flat & light Bessa-T I'll have without lens in the center of my bag, waiting exclusively for direct sun with 100 film when an ultrawide under the sun is needed, or when selective focus with the J3 under the sun is what I want...
That makes a bag with five small zones (four covered foam, fix/sewn dividers) one next to the other: R4M/15 – IIIF/28 – T – HexarAF – R3A/J3. I'll pick and return tools easily... Yesterday I drew and finished designing... I bought materials today, and started cutting and sewing: I think I'll end it tomorrow... Materials did cost $5. Black jean and foam. Sometimes I think I'll ask a leather guy to cover it (after trying it to see how it works) and sometimes I think I'll just keep it black jean to use it for “silent” street shooting sometimes too... It's 35cm long, 14cm tall and 10cm deep: very small and compact for all it takes... It weighs around 100 grams only! With all cameras it'll be a bit heavy, but I can carry a few pounds for hours if the wide belt is crossed and has thick foam... I've really wanted FOR LONG to have those options together, and bags haven't allowed me before...
In general, bags are not designed for several bodies, and when I try to use a store bag for several bodies & lenses, those bags are too big and too notorious...
I wonder if other forum members have decided -for similar or different reasons- to make bags that can't be bought...
Cheers,
Juan
I just wanted to share in detail what bags make me feel (and dream?), and hopefully read about others' unsatisfaction... Or, are you totally satisfied? Don't you think -every once in a while- you could find a functionally better bag? Don't you ever imagine even a nicer looking one?
During my first years using cameras, I just had a black Nikon shoulder bag, kind of square and big... On it -when full- I used to have my first system: electronic AF SLR with two zooms, three primes including macro (& bellows!) and a flash... I even used to go out with a big tripod ALWAYS! LOL!!!... Now I barely remember those “Beast of Burden” days... Today I really feel like saying “Oh, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now...”
That shoulder bag is fine for carrying gear, but -though I used it a lot- it's not so great for carrying gear while shooting... And that's what a good bag should do well: make your shooting easier...
Then I had more equipment, and for my MF I tried something different... My second bag was a very nice MF backpack designed for a Hassleblad with 50, 80 and 150 and lots of accessories... For that size and weight, backpacking for nature trips was a nice (and maybe the only) option... Again, great for moving gear, but slow for handling it, although with MF, tripod and landscapes, fast shooting was not necessary...
For LF, the third bag I got was big, but I never wanted a different one... That one worked well for what LF is...
Then when I went digital (ooops!) I looked for bags for a long time (a few years), but I was never able to find one that seemed to really work a lot better than my Nikon one, so I used the old one for digital too...
Then, when I got pretty tired of digital photography (battery life, computers, etc...) the sweet years began: I got my FE2 and 20, 50 and 105 manual lenses, and my photography did change a lot: I stopped feeling like a creator, and started to feel like a reflector... I didn't use tripod or flash anymore (except for work in my studio) and street shooting started for me, first in color & with an SLR... So that new wave I felt in, made me look for another bag: a small one this time... I wanted a bag that couldn't be seen as photographic: I didn't want to be detected, and also I didn't want to be robbed in dangerous places... I bought a photographic bag and I took it to a leather guy and he installed some old leather here and there as I told him, to make it look old and uninteresting in any way and avoid eyes and thieves... The bag is small and can just take my FE2 with a 50 1.4 on, and the 20 and 105 by its side, and a bit below camera when it has its lens aiming down... I enjoyed the bag for some time, and yet use it sometimes... Again, opening it, and changing lenses, wasn't as fast as I wanted...
After some years I started to use RFs... I bought two non-photographic bags for RF street shooting, and I used to carry one camera/lens and another lens in one of them, and two cameras/ three lenses in the other one, depending on the mood, light and place... For my belt, the leather guy made a small bag for a lonely camera/lens. I use them sometimes...
Yet I felt I wanted a bag... I designed a luxury leather, big, handmade shoulder bag (made by an expensive store), with space for three bodies, five lenses including a big 90, all filters, hoods, incident meter & film. That bag is very nice looking and it's great for storing and moving my RFs, and it's even OK for shooting, but I couldn't use it in the streets in South America (I live half the time in Colombia, where my twins live with their mother) so last year I thought, once again, “I need a bag”...
I bought a native hand-made shoulder bag (from Ecuador, brown and beige, with native figures: so very typical in the streets all around in South America) and took it to a woman (she makes clothes) who divided it in two internally and installed protective materials inside, as sooner or later I'll drop it... I use it A LOT. It's by far the one I use the most, both in Colombia and Spain... Generally, I have a RF/lens and another lens in one of its halves, and my FE2/50 & 105 inside the other half of it... The woman installed a zipper too, so it's closed all the time but I can open it instantly. I would say it is my best bag for shooting.
Then I started to shoot without bag... I use a “Coronel Tapiocca” vest I got in 2006 as a gift from an old photographer/friend in Barcelona: he had two new, identical ones he liked a lot, and after a bottle of wine, his wife suddenly told him in front of me: “explain why the hell do you need both of them: Juan should use one of them”... I didn't know what to say... He was taken by surprise, and then he smiled and said: “Let's open another bottle...” I walk with one body in one pocket and two small lenses in other pockets... Some film and my meter... Another camera/lens down in my hand/wrist... It's cool and fast... Shamefully I can't use it everywhere... Sometimes you just can't be “the photographer with camera and vest”... But when you can, it looks great and it's the best solution IMO...
That was all... Until yesterday... After all those recent bags threads, yesterday I thought “I need a bag”...
So after feeling “one day I'll have a lot more bags than cameras and that's stupid” I seriously decided to think of it trying to understand why I need another bag... These are the basic ideas or conclusions, trying to make it my last bag ever:
I need a bag for a precise kind of shooting: pleasure shooting... I don't need another one for fast street shooting, and I don't need another one for family/friends shooting, and I don't need another one for storing or transporting gear... I want a bag where I can place a few cameras with lenses on, all in row, to be taken and placed there easily. I want a comfortable carrying, crossed shoulder bag for B&W shooting only, especially for changing lenses as little as possible...
What cameras/lenses do I need to do all the things I like to do (no matter the light and scenes or subjects, and no matter the selective focus or huge DOF I want) if I go out to spend a weekend somewhere in the woods or any relaxing place? I need my 15 for fun: it'll be placed on my R4M with 400 film for soft light and f/8 shooting. For normal wide I'll use my Hexar AF (35) with 400 film pushed for all soft/low light situations including interiors, and my 28 3.5 at f/8 and yellow filter on my Leica IIIF with 100 film for direct sun at 1/200: this way I have two different and always ready sets for the very usual normal wide shooting, depending on the kind of light, without changing lenses... Another thing I like a lot is selective focus, so I'll have the J3 on my R3A with 400 film and ND8 for soft light, wide open shooting, ranging from open shade to low light... If I need the 15 for direct sun or the J3 for direct sun, I'll place them on the flat & light Bessa-T I'll have without lens in the center of my bag, waiting exclusively for direct sun with 100 film when an ultrawide under the sun is needed, or when selective focus with the J3 under the sun is what I want...
That makes a bag with five small zones (four covered foam, fix/sewn dividers) one next to the other: R4M/15 – IIIF/28 – T – HexarAF – R3A/J3. I'll pick and return tools easily... Yesterday I drew and finished designing... I bought materials today, and started cutting and sewing: I think I'll end it tomorrow... Materials did cost $5. Black jean and foam. Sometimes I think I'll ask a leather guy to cover it (after trying it to see how it works) and sometimes I think I'll just keep it black jean to use it for “silent” street shooting sometimes too... It's 35cm long, 14cm tall and 10cm deep: very small and compact for all it takes... It weighs around 100 grams only! With all cameras it'll be a bit heavy, but I can carry a few pounds for hours if the wide belt is crossed and has thick foam... I've really wanted FOR LONG to have those options together, and bags haven't allowed me before...
In general, bags are not designed for several bodies, and when I try to use a store bag for several bodies & lenses, those bags are too big and too notorious...
I wonder if other forum members have decided -for similar or different reasons- to make bags that can't be bought...
Cheers,
Juan
Last edited:
hans voralberg
Veteran
Not make bags, but modified, after finding no camera bags that I like (tried about 10) I get a fossil messenger bag, rip out the interior and replaced with a crumpler insert module. Can hold 3 RF with lens, or 2 DSLR, or 2 MF camera. And the entire bag is thin khaki so it bends to body shape and is quite light 
Juan Valdenebro
Truth is beauty
Cool Hans! I understand you very well!
Lots of personal ways of photographing and precise gear are involved and should be considered when a photographer decides to use a bag for several bodies... Modifying a bag, or designing one, seem the normal thing to me some time ago... Most bags are less than optimal: maybe that's why we want more of them and write more bags threads!
Cheers,
Juan
Lots of personal ways of photographing and precise gear are involved and should be considered when a photographer decides to use a bag for several bodies... Modifying a bag, or designing one, seem the normal thing to me some time ago... Most bags are less than optimal: maybe that's why we want more of them and write more bags threads!
Cheers,
Juan
shadowfox
Darkroom printing lives
Juan,
All this time I read these bag threads and thinking to myself, what am I missing?
I seem to be able to fit anything in my Domke F2 no matter where I'm going whether it's local or abroad, one body, or five (yep, done that).
It turns out that I just *enjoy* reading about bags and how people select those. I am not missing anything
I hope someday you'll find your bag that is like the F2 for me.
All this time I read these bag threads and thinking to myself, what am I missing?
I seem to be able to fit anything in my Domke F2 no matter where I'm going whether it's local or abroad, one body, or five (yep, done that).
It turns out that I just *enjoy* reading about bags and how people select those. I am not missing anything
I hope someday you'll find your bag that is like the F2 for me.
Juan Valdenebro
Truth is beauty
Hi Will,
I understand your position, as I've had the same one... Probably you're missing something... For sure there are lots of reasons for wanting a bag that's not the Domke F2... Maybe you don't have any, and it's OK: if you're sure it doesn't limit your photography, that's the end of the story for you or anyone else...
I own a bag that's close to that model, and find it a very bad bag for street shooting in general, and for street shooting in dangerous places in particular... Even for trips, museums, etc... It's big: it makes people look at it, and makes people think “that guy may have strange/dangerous/expensive things inside, so let's avoid photographs/try to steal something...” It can be used, of course: I did it for many years, and it's fine for moving gear or storing it... But it isn't discrete in any way...
What this thread is about, is finding ways to shoot with a bag that is customized for precise gear, instead of thinking bags are just for placing different gear by different people in the very same bag sold by a store as if all shooters and situations deserved or required the same bag and nothing could be better...
And it's also about using a bag that's fast to use and compact, close to body, so a photographer can have one camera down on his/her hand, quickly change it to use another one, and while shooting or walking not look like someone who's carrying a big/typical shoulder bag full of gear...
These are the benefits, to me of course:
The Domke F2 is 42x23x24 cms, while the bag I made is 35x10x14, so the Domke F2 is more than four times my bag's volume. A huge difference considering my bag holds five cameras with four lenses on, including AE and AF ones. Definitely there are lots of situations where a bag as big as the Domke F2 goes against shooting. But for sure it's usable in other more private shooting situations...
The Domke F2 weighs 2 pounds, while the one I just made weighs 100 grams, so the Domke F2 weighs nine times what mine weighs... The Domke F2 weighs, empty, nearly as much as two of my cameras with two lenses on, including an AE one (R3A) with an f/1.5 50mm (the J3) and an AF one with a superb f/2 35mm lens (Hexar AF)... I liked the idea of carrying gear weight only, not bag weight...
My bag has a really foamy crossed strap design allowing comfortable use for hours, and adds just 10cms to my body shape, so it's better both for my spine and for being less noticeable, and it doesn't have the look of a photographic/tourist bag.
It's like comparing my Hasselblad with my Hexar AF. Which one's the best between both? The answer is it makes a lot of sense not using the Hassy for most things... That's why I own just one Hasselblad, but I own and use twelve 35mm cameras... Same with bags.
Cheers,
Juan
I understand your position, as I've had the same one... Probably you're missing something... For sure there are lots of reasons for wanting a bag that's not the Domke F2... Maybe you don't have any, and it's OK: if you're sure it doesn't limit your photography, that's the end of the story for you or anyone else...
I own a bag that's close to that model, and find it a very bad bag for street shooting in general, and for street shooting in dangerous places in particular... Even for trips, museums, etc... It's big: it makes people look at it, and makes people think “that guy may have strange/dangerous/expensive things inside, so let's avoid photographs/try to steal something...” It can be used, of course: I did it for many years, and it's fine for moving gear or storing it... But it isn't discrete in any way...
What this thread is about, is finding ways to shoot with a bag that is customized for precise gear, instead of thinking bags are just for placing different gear by different people in the very same bag sold by a store as if all shooters and situations deserved or required the same bag and nothing could be better...
And it's also about using a bag that's fast to use and compact, close to body, so a photographer can have one camera down on his/her hand, quickly change it to use another one, and while shooting or walking not look like someone who's carrying a big/typical shoulder bag full of gear...
These are the benefits, to me of course:
The Domke F2 is 42x23x24 cms, while the bag I made is 35x10x14, so the Domke F2 is more than four times my bag's volume. A huge difference considering my bag holds five cameras with four lenses on, including AE and AF ones. Definitely there are lots of situations where a bag as big as the Domke F2 goes against shooting. But for sure it's usable in other more private shooting situations...
The Domke F2 weighs 2 pounds, while the one I just made weighs 100 grams, so the Domke F2 weighs nine times what mine weighs... The Domke F2 weighs, empty, nearly as much as two of my cameras with two lenses on, including an AE one (R3A) with an f/1.5 50mm (the J3) and an AF one with a superb f/2 35mm lens (Hexar AF)... I liked the idea of carrying gear weight only, not bag weight...
My bag has a really foamy crossed strap design allowing comfortable use for hours, and adds just 10cms to my body shape, so it's better both for my spine and for being less noticeable, and it doesn't have the look of a photographic/tourist bag.
It's like comparing my Hasselblad with my Hexar AF. Which one's the best between both? The answer is it makes a lot of sense not using the Hassy for most things... That's why I own just one Hasselblad, but I own and use twelve 35mm cameras... Same with bags.
Cheers,
Juan
tlitody
Well-known
OMG !!!
I never knew there was so much to bags.
Your story reminds me of a joke:
When I was 14, I hoped that one day I would have a girlfriend.
When I was 16 I got a girlfriend, but there was no passion. So I decided I needed a passionate girl with a zest for life.
In college I dated a passionate girl, but she was too emotional. Everything was an emergency, she was a drama queen, cried all the time and threatened suicide. So I decided I needed a girl with stability.
When I was 25 I found a very stable woman but she was boring. She was totally predictable and never got excited about anything. Life became so dull that I decided I needed a woman with some excitement.
When I was 30 I met an exciting woman, but I couldn't keep up with her. She rushed from one thing to another, never settling on anything. She did mad impetuous things and flirted with everyone she met. She made me miserable as often as happy. She was great fun initially and very energetic, but directionless. So I decided to find a woman with some ambition.
When I turned 35, I found a smart ambitious woman with her feet planted firmly on the ground and married her. She was so ambitious that she divorced me and took everything I owned.
I'm now 50 and looking for a woman with big tits.
I never knew there was so much to bags.
Your story reminds me of a joke:
When I was 14, I hoped that one day I would have a girlfriend.
When I was 16 I got a girlfriend, but there was no passion. So I decided I needed a passionate girl with a zest for life.
In college I dated a passionate girl, but she was too emotional. Everything was an emergency, she was a drama queen, cried all the time and threatened suicide. So I decided I needed a girl with stability.
When I was 25 I found a very stable woman but she was boring. She was totally predictable and never got excited about anything. Life became so dull that I decided I needed a woman with some excitement.
When I was 30 I met an exciting woman, but I couldn't keep up with her. She rushed from one thing to another, never settling on anything. She did mad impetuous things and flirted with everyone she met. She made me miserable as often as happy. She was great fun initially and very energetic, but directionless. So I decided to find a woman with some ambition.
When I turned 35, I found a smart ambitious woman with her feet planted firmly on the ground and married her. She was so ambitious that she divorced me and took everything I owned.
I'm now 50 and looking for a woman with big tits.
Last edited:
gilpen123
Gil
Curious to see your home made bag Juan. I myself is a victim of "I need a bag". Fairly settled with the Domke 803s (have 3 including the J) but hell to open.
Juan Valdenebro
Truth is beauty
Sure Gil, I guess I'll do some snaps tomorrow: I'm really tired after many hours sewing for two days!
One thing I learned about bags: sewing one is more than enough in a lifetime!
Cheers,
Juan
One thing I learned about bags: sewing one is more than enough in a lifetime!
Cheers,
Juan
Juan Valdenebro
Truth is beauty
OMG !!!
I never knew there was so much to bags.
Your story reminds me of a joke:
When I was 14, I hoped that one day I would have a girlfriend.
When I was 16 I got a girlfriend, but there was no passion. So I decided I needed a passionate girl with a zest for life.
In college I dated a passionate girl, but she was too emotional. Everything was an emergency, she was a drama queen, cried all the time and threatened suicide. So I decided I needed a girl with stability.
When I was 25 I found a very stable woman but she was boring. She was totally predictable and never got excited about anything. Life became so dull that I decided I needed a woman with some excitement.
When I was 30 I met an exciting woman, but I couldn't keep up with her. She rushed from one thing to another, never settling on anything. She did mad impetuous things and flirted with everyone she met. She made me miserable as often as happy. She was great fun initially and very energetic, but directionless. So I decided to find a woman with some ambition.
When I turned 35, I found a smart ambitious woman with her feet planted firmly on the ground and married her. She was so ambitious that she divorced me and took everything I owned.
I'm now 50 and looking for a woman with big tits.
Hi,
That Lorenz' quote is amazing... Reminds me of how good Oscar Wilde was for that... I didn't know who the guy was, so I went to wikipedia... Wow! What a man! He had a wonderful life! And he said LOTS of great things... A genius with a huge heart... Great mind, great spirit and really great words!
Thanks!
Cheers,
Juan
gilpen123
Gil
Ok please do Juan and let us know the materials used. I hope though you don't have a patent for it LoL.....
jarski
Veteran
Juan I join others and request for pics.
been using 20-50$/€ no-name bags (own three currently) to carry my camera gear all these years. you gave me idea of buying a camera bag insert (e.g. Billingham or Domke), and have hand-made shoulder bag customized for it by artisan or someone with those skills
been using 20-50$/€ no-name bags (own three currently) to carry my camera gear all these years. you gave me idea of buying a camera bag insert (e.g. Billingham or Domke), and have hand-made shoulder bag customized for it by artisan or someone with those skills
shadowfox
Darkroom printing lives
Hi Will,
What this thread is about, is finding ways to shoot with a bag that is customized for precise gear, instead of thinking bags are just for placing different gear by different people in the very same bag sold by a store as if all shooters and situations deserved or required the same bag and nothing could be better...
And it's also about using a bag that's fast to use and compact, close to body, so a photographer can have one camera down on his/her hand, quickly change it to use another one, and while shooting or walking not look like someone who's carrying a big/typical shoulder bag full of gear...
These are the benefits, to me of course:
The Domke F2 is 42x23x24 cms, while the bag I made is 35x10x14, so the Domke F2 is more than four times my bag's volume. A huge difference considering my bag holds five cameras with four lenses on, including AE and AF ones. Definitely there are lots of situations where a bag as big as the Domke F2 goes against shooting. But for sure it's usable in other more private shooting situations...
The Domke F2 weighs 2 pounds, while the one I just made weighs 100 grams, so the Domke F2 weighs nine times what mine weighs... The Domke F2 weighs, empty, nearly as much as two of my cameras with two lenses on, including an AE one (R3A) with an f/1.5 50mm (the J3) and an AF one with a superb f/2 35mm lens (Hexar AF)... I liked the idea of carrying gear weight only, not bag weight...
My bag has a really foamy crossed strap design allowing comfortable use for hours, and adds just 10cms to my body shape, so it's better both for my spine and for being less noticeable, and it doesn't have the look of a photographic/tourist bag.
It's like comparing my Hasselblad with my Hexar AF. Which one's the best between both? The answer is it makes a lot of sense not using the Hassy for most things... That's why I own just one Hasselblad, but I own and use twelve 35mm cameras... Same with bags.
Cheers,
Juan
Juan,
That's more analysis that goes into bag consideration that I'd ever do in a lifetime
But I understand your desire to find a bag that fit in at that level of precision. And I sure would be proud if I made a bag myself (I kinda miss that point going into this conversation, sorry!)
Kent
Finally at home...
Oh, how well I know that problem. And I still haven't found the perfect bag, either.
(The joke I didn't know. But I just had a laugh! Thanks!)
(The joke I didn't know. But I just had a laugh! Thanks!)
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