Instantclassic
Hans
I agree. The problem is that I have too many goodies. The cameras and lenses have become a goal in it self. The addiction to gear that I have makes it hard to do the choices. I use the Billingham Alice when the kitchen sink stays home. Works for both the Leica two lens outfit or the Rolleiflex.
But then came the wonderful Pentax 6x7. Love the pictures it can do but hate the backpack or the bulk of heavy body and two lens outfit in a big bag.
I am making an exciting trip in eight weeks and have not yet decided what to carry...
Vince Lupo
Whatever
Anyone know anything about these? I'm fighting the urge to hit the 'Add to Cart' button!
http://www.wotancraft.com/products/bags/cityexplorer/007.htm
http://www.wotancraft.com/products/bags/cityexplorer/007.htm
Matus
Well-known
I agree - there is no perfect one-does-it-all. If one is out on a shoot and lot of access to the bag (and fast) is needed, then probably some of the dedicated waist or shoulder back or even a special harness with lens cases on the belt is the solution. I do not have any of those. But if you are on the go and do not access the bag too often than a messenger type bag makes a does a great job.
As I already mentioned elsewhere - I got a slightly modified Courierware Messenger Super Deluxe 'small' bag and it is really great. Light, very durable, looks rather cheap (it was not) and uninteresting from out side.
It is one size larger than the Figitalrevolution BBB2 (which is also made by Courierware) as I chose it for my Mamiya 6 setup. For 35mm rangefinder with a few lenses a smaller bag would be enough.
I actually wrote a review and it is now on cambags.com.
It can even be used with a compact 4x5 camera:
As I already mentioned elsewhere - I got a slightly modified Courierware Messenger Super Deluxe 'small' bag and it is really great. Light, very durable, looks rather cheap (it was not) and uninteresting from out side.
It is one size larger than the Figitalrevolution BBB2 (which is also made by Courierware) as I chose it for my Mamiya 6 setup. For 35mm rangefinder with a few lenses a smaller bag would be enough.
I actually wrote a review and it is now on cambags.com.
It can even be used with a compact 4x5 camera:
Gary E
Well-known
Now why did you go and do this for? Some of us are not as strong as you to fight off the urge of Bag GAS...
But, they do look really good and not camera like. I wonder why they said if you are in HK do not click pay by paypal now? I'm hoping they sell this in HK as I'm heading there in May. I'll wear my camera bagless and hopefully come back with this one
OlliL
Well-known
Usually I carry one body and one or two extra lenses.
Also I have some film an my mobile in the bag.
Therefor I don't need something big.
My girlfriend gave me the Olympus Pen Retro bag for Christmas and it definitely full fills my needs perfectly.
And it's cheap
Also I have some film an my mobile in the bag.
Therefor I don't need something big.
My girlfriend gave me the Olympus Pen Retro bag for Christmas and it definitely full fills my needs perfectly.
And it's cheap
back alley
IMAGES
what a beautiful bag!!
a bit pricey for me and yet i am still tempted!
btw, i am soon to be on my way to pick up my latest bag, the domke 5xc, the one with that also opens along the bottom front and holds 3 lenses...
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
Now why did you go and do this for? Some of us are not as strong as you to fight off the urge of Bag GAS...
But, they do look really good and not camera like. I wonder why they said if you are in HK do not click pay by paypal now? I'm hoping they sell this in HK as I'm heading there in May. I'll wear my camera bagless and hopefully come back with this one
The guy that makes them is Taiwanese and sells them directly, but he has a retailer in Hong Kong that sells them, which is why he says to buy from them if you're in HK. The bags look neat, but wow expensive!
mrmeadows
Established
Bill: I sill get a good laugh each time I remember your column on the Digital Journalist in which you wrote of being a recovering bag addict. That's a classic.
For my part, I learned long ago to use only light-weight working bags. I once bought a fancy new bag in the days of heavy leather shoulder bags and immediately took it out on a job. I was shooting a political convention in fairly low light. When I enlarged the negs, I discovered to my great dismay that many were very soft, despite my having stayed well within my usual hand-held shutter speeds. The problem, it turned out, was that when I moved too quickly to frame a shot the heavy bag hanging from my shoulder would swing like a pendulum and cause my whole upper body to move, too. I immediately returned to using my light-weight canvas fishing bag, and the new one was relegated forever after to storage.
Today my basic problem with bags is that I want one bag that satisfies at least two different roles: transport and working. I now shoot mostly street photos and documentation, and I usually don't need to do any post-processing while traveling. I like to travel with a small backpack for a few changes of clothes, etc. and have a another very small bag for my photo gear. That way I can easily carry everything onto a plane, train or bus and can zip through customs at national borders; when working, the gear bag will be small, versatile and relatively inconspicuous. I don't want to leave gear in my lodgings while I'm out, so I limit myself to what I think I will actually use, rather than to take everything I could imagine using. To further help my situation, I carry chargers and less frequently used accessories in my backpack rather than in the photo bag.
When near home, I use a very old bag from Eagle Creek. It wasn't designed as a camera bag, but it will hold an M8 body, three or four lenses, a spare battery, a small notebook and pencil and a mobile phone. For transport, it's a tight fit with all the gear, but when working, the M8 is in my hand or on a strap, so a little re-arranging turns it into a good working bag. Another attribute of the bag is that it has both a detachable shouler strap and a waist belt. Either can be stowed in a small, thin pocket in the bag when not in use. This flexibility gives me the best of both worlds, and the construction of this bag is light enough so that it wraps nicely around my body while hanging stably from the shoulder strap. A most important attribute for working out of this bag is that it has a single zipper across the top that provides simple access to the lenses inside. I leave the zipper open while I'm working and can easily grab and change lenses.
When traveling further afield, I feel compelled to take a second M8 body and four or five lenses, and these will not all fit in the Eagle Creek. It's here that I have an unresolved need: a bigger Eagle Creek - which I have not yet found. Last fall I took a "Photo Runner" from Lowe on a five-week trip. It's just enough larger than the Eagle Creek to carry the two M8s with four lenses, etc. It also has both a shoulder strap and a waist belt with a stowing pocket, but I found that it has two serious deficiencies. First, it is overly-padded. This makes it stiff, so it doesn't wrap nicely around my body and doesn't hang very well. I regard cameras as tools rather than collectable artifacts, and I don't require super-padding, since I'm quite willing to let my tools collect cosmetic dents, dings and wear. I do, however, like light-weight internal dividers which the old fishing bags didn't have. Second, this bag has a pair of zippers, one along each side of a long, wide flap which covers the top of the bag. I found this to be a problem. I can't work with just one zipper always open, because the stiff super-padding in the flap makes it difficult to reach through the open zipper. Nor can I work with both zippers open, because I found that I can't readily get at the lenses inside without leaving this stiff flap projecting out in space where it can restrict my motion, hang up on nearby objects or get bumped by people in a crowd.
Most of the alternative bags that I've seen or found mentioned, here and elsewhere, would appear to be bigger and more conspicuous than what I want, especially since most are much deeper than is needed for rangefinder equipment, because they were designed to carry DSLRs and their big autofocus lenses. Many also have a "flap problem" that seems even worse than the Photo Runner's. Like my old fishing bag, many alternate bags have very large flaps that cover both the top and front of the bag. The only obvious way to work with such a large flap would be to open it and then fold it back between bag and body. But thick or stiff flaps would prevent the bag from conforming and hanging well.
So, as you can see, I'm still picking nits with bags and am still looking for MY perfect bag ... which is almost certain to be different from YOUR perfect bag.
--- Mike
For my part, I learned long ago to use only light-weight working bags. I once bought a fancy new bag in the days of heavy leather shoulder bags and immediately took it out on a job. I was shooting a political convention in fairly low light. When I enlarged the negs, I discovered to my great dismay that many were very soft, despite my having stayed well within my usual hand-held shutter speeds. The problem, it turned out, was that when I moved too quickly to frame a shot the heavy bag hanging from my shoulder would swing like a pendulum and cause my whole upper body to move, too. I immediately returned to using my light-weight canvas fishing bag, and the new one was relegated forever after to storage.
Today my basic problem with bags is that I want one bag that satisfies at least two different roles: transport and working. I now shoot mostly street photos and documentation, and I usually don't need to do any post-processing while traveling. I like to travel with a small backpack for a few changes of clothes, etc. and have a another very small bag for my photo gear. That way I can easily carry everything onto a plane, train or bus and can zip through customs at national borders; when working, the gear bag will be small, versatile and relatively inconspicuous. I don't want to leave gear in my lodgings while I'm out, so I limit myself to what I think I will actually use, rather than to take everything I could imagine using. To further help my situation, I carry chargers and less frequently used accessories in my backpack rather than in the photo bag.
When near home, I use a very old bag from Eagle Creek. It wasn't designed as a camera bag, but it will hold an M8 body, three or four lenses, a spare battery, a small notebook and pencil and a mobile phone. For transport, it's a tight fit with all the gear, but when working, the M8 is in my hand or on a strap, so a little re-arranging turns it into a good working bag. Another attribute of the bag is that it has both a detachable shouler strap and a waist belt. Either can be stowed in a small, thin pocket in the bag when not in use. This flexibility gives me the best of both worlds, and the construction of this bag is light enough so that it wraps nicely around my body while hanging stably from the shoulder strap. A most important attribute for working out of this bag is that it has a single zipper across the top that provides simple access to the lenses inside. I leave the zipper open while I'm working and can easily grab and change lenses.
When traveling further afield, I feel compelled to take a second M8 body and four or five lenses, and these will not all fit in the Eagle Creek. It's here that I have an unresolved need: a bigger Eagle Creek - which I have not yet found. Last fall I took a "Photo Runner" from Lowe on a five-week trip. It's just enough larger than the Eagle Creek to carry the two M8s with four lenses, etc. It also has both a shoulder strap and a waist belt with a stowing pocket, but I found that it has two serious deficiencies. First, it is overly-padded. This makes it stiff, so it doesn't wrap nicely around my body and doesn't hang very well. I regard cameras as tools rather than collectable artifacts, and I don't require super-padding, since I'm quite willing to let my tools collect cosmetic dents, dings and wear. I do, however, like light-weight internal dividers which the old fishing bags didn't have. Second, this bag has a pair of zippers, one along each side of a long, wide flap which covers the top of the bag. I found this to be a problem. I can't work with just one zipper always open, because the stiff super-padding in the flap makes it difficult to reach through the open zipper. Nor can I work with both zippers open, because I found that I can't readily get at the lenses inside without leaving this stiff flap projecting out in space where it can restrict my motion, hang up on nearby objects or get bumped by people in a crowd.
Most of the alternative bags that I've seen or found mentioned, here and elsewhere, would appear to be bigger and more conspicuous than what I want, especially since most are much deeper than is needed for rangefinder equipment, because they were designed to carry DSLRs and their big autofocus lenses. Many also have a "flap problem" that seems even worse than the Photo Runner's. Like my old fishing bag, many alternate bags have very large flaps that cover both the top and front of the bag. The only obvious way to work with such a large flap would be to open it and then fold it back between bag and body. But thick or stiff flaps would prevent the bag from conforming and hanging well.
So, as you can see, I'm still picking nits with bags and am still looking for MY perfect bag ... which is almost certain to be different from YOUR perfect bag.
--- Mike
mwooten
light user
If I'm using the holga then a plastic bag from the grocery store works perfectly. Holds the camera, extra film, and that roll of tape that holds the holga together.
Does not scream "camera bag" at all.
Does not scream "camera bag" at all.
Nando
Well-known
I have around 9 or 10 bags but I always seem to come back to my M-Classic.
jbielikowski
Jan Bielikowski
I need no bag
but sometimes I use my shoulder bag with DIY insert made from bubble foil, envelope and gafer tape.
but sometimes I use my shoulder bag with DIY insert made from bubble foil, envelope and gafer tape.
stupid leica
i don't shoot rf
I've been using the same Crumpler 5 mil (first-gen) for about 4-5 years now. Been all over with me. Works great for DSLR + 3 lenses, or film SLR + 4(small) lenses. Carries an entire RF kit lol.
Often if i go on a weekend trip, i'll toss the Canon P, 35/50/100 kit, along with an FE2 and 50mm inside. It'll hold all that and a good bit of film.
Often if i go on a weekend trip, i'll toss the Canon P, 35/50/100 kit, along with an FE2 and 50mm inside. It'll hold all that and a good bit of film.
BillBingham2
Registered User
Time to give up the multitude of DSLRs and move to an M9 and two lenses. One DSLR with one moderate to long tele zoom or two primes.
Right now it's a small belt bag that housed my Bessa L/CV 25 combo that my GRD III goes in.
B2 (;->
gb hill
Veteran
For me this would be the near perfect bag. I need a new bag. My Tamrac only has room for my Bessa R & a couple of lenses. I don't like my lenses banging into each other.
bwcolor
Veteran
Wow, those are really beautiful bags. Other than the small pockets on the top of the bag, I can't make out how the interior is setup. It seems that it is velcro, but not sure and not sure if it comes with velcro separators. Never mind.. $329.00 shipped is a bit rich for me.
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Rob-F
Likes Leicas
I'm still waiting for Domke to come out with a "stretch" version of the F5-XB. It would be longer than the standard bag by one additional compartment. It would have three dividers, instead of two, to create four compartments. The belt loop would be replaced with a rear pocket, like on the F-803 and the F-6, etc.
In keeping with the designation of "stretch" Boeing airliners, this would be the Domke F5-XB-500 model.
In keeping with the designation of "stretch" Boeing airliners, this would be the Domke F5-XB-500 model.
aoresteen
Well-known
I have a bunch of Domke, Temba, and Tamrack bags:
Tenba P795 (1981)
Tenba P595 (2001)
Tamrac 622 (medium format, it's HUGE!)
Domke F2 Original
Domke F-1X
Domke F6 (little bit smaller)
In 1965 I found a British military canvas bag from the 40's or 50's burried in the mud in Lahore, Pakistan. The strap gave out in 1979 so I replaced with the strap off a Dragon anti-tank round. The main compartment holds a Domke F6 insert and the side pockets are padded by the Tenba pocket pads for the P795 (no longer available). It will hold a Rollei or Hasselblad or my Leicas, film filter and meter.
It's my favorite bag. Some day I'll have a copy made and retire it.
Tenba P795 (1981)
Tenba P595 (2001)
Tamrac 622 (medium format, it's HUGE!)
Domke F2 Original
Domke F-1X
Domke F6 (little bit smaller)
In 1965 I found a British military canvas bag from the 40's or 50's burried in the mud in Lahore, Pakistan. The strap gave out in 1979 so I replaced with the strap off a Dragon anti-tank round. The main compartment holds a Domke F6 insert and the side pockets are padded by the Tenba pocket pads for the P795 (no longer available). It will hold a Rollei or Hasselblad or my Leicas, film filter and meter.
It's my favorite bag. Some day I'll have a copy made and retire it.
back alley
IMAGES
with the domke 5xc they added that extra room on the bottom.
Rob-F
Likes Leicas
I know, but I like my idea better!
back alley
IMAGES
you're allowed...
and you may be right, the 5xb is extremely popular so there must be a reason for it.
i think the lower profile is much better suited to rf gear.