Looking for a Billingham style bag

[back alley]

i'm an equal opportunity bagger...i like the domkes, think tanks etc.
the L2 just happens to have what i want...no zippers, no velcro, no faux buckles...and enough room for a small day kit.

 

[meanstreetshooter]

The F-803 is very nice too, Mekko also sells it (100% identical to the Domke, same difference re. the strap buckles - metal on the Mekko, plastic on the Domke - but less expensive, and with very well made inserts included).

Yet - I wouldn't own any black photo bag any longer since I left the one which I had next to me on a bench once on a very sunny summer day. Because of the black color the inner bag temperature went very high and some focusing helical grease melted and separated and ran onto the aperture blades of one of my Nikon RF lenses.

Just wear some black thick cotton clothes in the plain summer on a very sunny day and you'll all get the idea.

Clear colors only (tan, sand, light khaki at the very most) for photo bags !

I'm sorry to hear about your lens trouble with the black bag. You are correct dark colors do retain heat. It also reminds me of the time I sent a 35mm summicron V.4 lens in for a serious repair, and the shop failed to clean the oil off the blades😡. I have a lot of $$$$ in that lens. That shop is now gone, and I have moved on to better places.

I suggested black because only because I think it is a popular color for camera bags. I carry my Canon F-1s in a black Domke F-2.

The post did not reveal the OP's location. Any light bag might look out of place in some climates.

I did fail to mention my F-803 is SAND color as I bought it for use in our hot Ohio summers where I do wear light clothing most of the time.

 

[back alley]

Where does your iPad fit ?.
iPad 4 or Mini ?

i pad mini fits perfectly in the back slot...the insert is sewn in but only at the corners so there is a slot behind and 2 slots on the sides that fit sd card safes, one at each end.

 

[jsrockit]

Roger : go to, say, Paris (let's exclude Barcelona, Marseille or Rome on purpose). Then have some coffee (or tea, or beer 😉) outside, and leave your (empty) Billingham bag on the next chair (don't forget to lock it to something secure !) ; then, look around carefully, and open your ears.

Ah Paris, I've even seen people attempt to steal multiple times when I was there... many scams, pickpockets, purse grabs, etc. Luckily each one the people were smart enough to not get robbed.

 

[jsrockit]

i was kidding...i never have had problems walking in nyc...'i pity the fool'...

and remember bagfest 2013!

 

[Roger Hicks]

Of course. There is NYC, and the rest of the world... 😀

Roger : go to, say, Paris (let's exclude Barcelona, Marseille or Rome on purpose). Then have some coffee (or tea, or beer 😉) outside, and leave your (empty) Billingham bag on the next chair (don't forget to lock it to something secure !) ; then, look around carefully, and open your ears.
. . . I have many friends owning Billinghams and I also trust in what they honestly reported to me. . . .

No, I really think that in Paris, in the wrong places, they don't give a toss whether it's Billingham, Fogg or anything else. Look at it this way: if it's nickable, they'll nick it. Frances's wallet was NOT stolen from a Billingham in Paris 25 years ago. Billingham owners are a self-selecting and highly visible minority. How many are going to say, "Someone grabbed my Ying-Tong Iddle-i-Po bag"?

Cheers,

R.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Ah Paris, I've even seen people attempt to steal multiple times when I was there... many scams, pickpockets, purse grabs, etc. Luckily each one the people were smart enough to not get robbed.

Exactly. It's opportunism, not brand awareness. Alarming thought: are Billingham owners more careless/stupid than anyone else on the Metro?

Cheers,

R.

 

[gho]

A cool solution are army bags for cheap, some velcro straps and padding, either self made or pre manufactured. If you got some connections to people savvy with sewing the better. Add some badges to taste and done.

 

[Duane Pandorf]

I travel a lot for my job and get to Europe quite often. IMO those that look like tourists are who the bandits are attracted to. Plus tourists look like tourists, especially Americans. I'm embarrassed sometimes to see how we Americans dress when we travel.

This past summer in Europe and with a coworker (dressed like an American) more than one time he was specifically being watched. In fact two came on the subway right behind him and when they couldn't get his wallet they were back off before the doors closed.

I always carry my bag across my chest and I keep at minimum a ID, credit card and cash in a front pocket. I do my best not to look out of place but its not entirely possible.

But then I normally carry my BBB not my Billingham Combination bag when on the road.

 

[gho]

[...] I'm embarrassed sometimes to see how we Americans dress when we travel. [...]

Just a question, how do Americans look when they travel and what is embarrassing about it (slightly OT though) 😉.

 

[Godfrey]

the Mekkos are nice, indeed.

And my FOGG contains two Nikons, no matter what it screams 😉

Was gonna say .. Billy may scream Leica, but my Oly E-1 fits beautifully in the L2.

G

 

[Duane Pandorf]

Just a question, how do Americans look when they travel and what is embarrassing about it (slightly OT though) 😉.

Bright white tennis shoes, baseball hats that say I love NY or anything else, goofy shorts to Hawaiian shirts to cover their 150 pounds of over weight belly sticking out. That's just for starters.

 

[back alley]

i like tourist shirts...especially at home!
i like when people stare...
hate white shoes...
really like baseball hats...mine says 'back alley' on it...and having lost 53 pounds recently i am only 37 pounds over my goal weight...

 

[Duane Pandorf]

i like tourist shirts...especially at home!
i like when people stare...
hate white shoes...
really like baseball hats...mine says 'back alley' on it...and having lost 53 pounds recently i am only 37 pounds over my goal weight...

Sorry didn't mean to offend anyone but .... sometimes there's attitude that goes with the appearance too that doesn't help.....

.....So as I continue to dig a big hole for myself I think I will just slither away from this one and learn to keep my mouth shut.

 

[back alley]

Sorry didn't mean to offend anyone but .... sometimes there's attitude that goes with the appearance too that doesn't help.....

.....So as I continue to dig a big hole for myself I think I will just slither away from this one and learn to keep my mouth shut.

not offended at all!
sorry if that's what i presented...
for some reason i like really ugly shirts...i think they offend some folks though...

 

[dave lackey]

Somehow, I just don't get it about bag brands being a problem. With computers, smartphones, tablets and all manners of things in most people purses and bags, thieves are only looking for something to steal. If they can make a dime, who cares what is in the bag and face it, almost everyone carrying a bag have valuables of some kind in them!

Is a Billingham identifiable as a "Leica" bag? I doubt it. It's good looks may attract some eyes just as a nice purse carried by the ladies but I venture to guess that any bag is fair game on the street.😉

And I still don't believe in black tape over a camera's logo either.😛 If I did, I would probably put black tape over the Smith and Wesson logo!

 

[Al Patterson]

maybe i should use an old domke for my new york trip instead of my new billingham!

where does think tank fit into the robber mind set?

I'd steal a Think Tank if I were a crook.

Seriously, last time I was in NYC it seemed safer than when I went there in the late 1970's. Use common sense you should be fine.

 

[umcelinho]

get a Hadley Small. it's a fantastic bag. great size, will fit your gear nicely. I used mine with an M4 + Nokton 35/1.2, plus a 50 and a 21 in the insert. and on the other insert, an umbrella (quite short one, great stuff). compact (RX100) on the right front pocket. i hope the person who buys it from the guy who stole it from me has a great time with it :/

 

[noisycheese]

Hi, I have been eyeing for a Billingham bag for a while now but still couldn't convince myself to spend so much on a bag, especially since I am still a college student with no substantial income. I have been looking around for similarly styled bags. Most of them, albeit great looking, are made in China. I have heard bad things about quality of these Chinese bags.

I have an M4 and two lenses. With the hood the camera gets pretty long. Any suggestions on what I could get under $100?

Take a look at the Domke F6 ($85-95 depending on color) or the Domke F8 ($80) at www.bhphotovideo.com

Billinghams are the way to go if you have the extra cash, but Domkes are great camera bags at fair prices.

You could do a lot worse than a Domke.

 

[Steve Bellayr]

For what you are using get a think tank smaller model runs about $125. That is what I use for that combo and it can hold more if necessary. If you have the money t spend then get the Billingham but there is too much emphasis on camera bags. For years I used the cheapest that I could find and they lasted longer than I thought they would. Remember cheap ugly bags do not attract attention.