Which high end bag for your Leica M kit?

Which high end bag for your Leica M kit?

  • Barber Shop

    Votes: 1 0.9%

  • Billingham

    Votes: 48 44.0%

  • Fogg

    Votes: 11 10.1%

  • Leica

    Votes: 3 2.8%

  • Oberwerth

    Votes: 2 1.8%

  • Ona

    Votes: 14 12.8%

  • Wotancraft

    Votes: 3 2.8%

  • Other

    Votes: 27 24.8%
  • Total voters
    109
  • Poll closed .
N

noisycheese

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Which of the high end (as defined by the balance between quality and price) camera satchels would you choose for your Leica M kit, and why?

Would it be -

Barber Shop
Billingham
Fogg
Leica
Oberwerth
Ona
Wotancraft

Or would it be something else?

Thanks for participating! :)
 
I have a black Ona Berlin II.
The extra-long strap is what did it for me as I need the length. It's been used pretty heavily and is holding up reasonably well.
2 cameras. 3 lenses. Film. Notebook. Pen. Tabletop tripod. Cable release.
 
I primarily use the Lowepro Lumina bags. I don't think they are made any more, but they have the right depth for a Leica. Plus, they don't look very expensive (and they aren't). However, they are built very well.

Also slim, and the right size for a Leica with lens mounted and a spare lens or flash unit is the Domke F-5XB. I have an M2 with 50mm and 90mm lenses in one now.

I have Tenba, Billingham Hadley Pro, and Leica branded bags. However, these tend to be too deep. You have to dig inside them for the camera. I use these with my SLRs or medium format gear. The problem with Billingham is that the bag itself says "steal me".
 
For the Leica M, I prefer Artisan & Artist bags, or the derivative Black Label Bags that Photo Village (New York City) sells. The BLB "Oskar's One Day Bag II" is a bit trimmer and lighter than the Hadley Pro, yet holds as much and more due to being a bit more rectangularly shaped. I've been using it as my camera travel satchel since 2011. The BLB "Walker Evans II" is a bit smaller and lighter, perfect for a day kit with just two lenses (yes, you can stuff three in if you want). The equivalent ACAM and GCAM bags from A&A are also excellent and perhaps a little more easily available than the Black Label Bags.

The worst part about the BLB and A&A bag line is figuring out which bag is which ... their naming is often confusing. But the quality of the bags is very high and they are comfortable to wear and use, easy to live with, and fit the M gear very well.

G
 
I use Fogg and Oberwerth, but much of the time I'm taking my gear along in a Timbuk2 camera bag as it works better. It protects the gear better and you don't worry about the bag getting abused.
I hate my Ona Bowery with a passion. Piece of junk unless u like a bag that has a buckle design that smacks your camera everytime you try to take it out of the bag. I just use it for storage now.
 
Metal buckles = AARRRGH.

They are usually strategically placed, so that every time you open the case, the buckle with scratch and dent your camera's top. If you have the camera in a different orientation, it can break the glass on your viewfinder, or scratch your lens.

I get the cases that use zippers, or at most plastic buckles.
 
Robert Lai said:
Also slim, and the right size for a Leica with lens mounted and a spare lens or flash unit is the Domke F-5XB. I have an M2 with 50mm and 90mm lenses in one now.

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Click to expand...

Domke certainly aren't designer bags but they're my favorite. No way I'd pay the price of the boutique bags. Same goes for straps and half cases. I'm a huge fan of Domke straps and bags.
 
I'm with x-ray. Bad enough being foolish enough to pay the price of a small car for a digital rangefinder without going down the next path of putting it in a stupidly expensive bag. Domke is more than adequate for my needs.
 
That's the whole point X-ray. You don't want a bag that says "expensive, steal me!" Most people think that a Leica is just an old fashioned looking antique camera. Let them keep thinking that.
 
I use any canvas camera bag that I happen to own. There is no need to attract attention to Leica cameras by using high end bags. I use "low end bags".
 
I have bags that I've used since the 70's. They're soiled and worn and dont attract attention.

Its kind of funny how some folks want their black paint cameras worn and brassing like they came out of the trenches of Vietnam then put them in a $600 designer bag. Sorry I don't want to be in that fashion show.
 
I just ordered a BBB-E bag for one body and two or three lenses plus the usual accessories. Not cheap in my opinion but compact and very understated.
This for travel in Eastern Europe - (on very crowded subways and buses etc.)
 
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Have ordered fancy bags but always send them back. I have three Domke's including an original I purchased from Jim Domke when he was a working photographer back in the late 1970's. They work and work well.
 
My only expensive bag is one I got free from an Agfa film promotion. In 1994 I used Agfapan 100 for my commercial work. I was doing a lot of fashion catalogs and ads and in the season shooting 75 or so rolls per day about 3 days a week. I kept all my film boxes and stuffed large garbage bags with them. It seems like you had to have 1000 proof of purchase and you'd get a special Domke F6 leather bag. It was super heavy but soft like glove leather and black. It had the insert in it too. I seem to remember Agfa said it was a $500 value. It's a really great bag and I still use it today. It's been all over the country on assignments and still holding up well. It'll probably outlast me.

Agfa also had Domke vests I picked up too and Fuji had premium loupes you could get for a certain number of Fujichrome proof of purchases. I got a half dozen and wound up giving bags of proof of purchases from Agfa and Fuji to friends to get their premiums. I miss the film days.
 
The nicest bag I have is the small Aneas for Leica. It just about fits one M and one extra lens, and features an ingenious captive sliding divider system I wish all others would copy, instead of nasty Velcro.

Wotancraft bags are also excellent. I have an Ona Berlin I and have to say I don't care much for the design or craftsmanship. You could add Killspencer, Hard Graft and dothebag for Monochrom to your list.
 
I've had (and still have) Billingham and Fogg bags for years. Last year it was a toss up between an Oberwerth and Wotancraft. Would have been happy with either but Wotancraft had free shipping so bought their Ryker. It is an exceptional bag and I'm more than happy with my decision. But deep down I know I'll get an Oberwerth eventually. I didn't vote because all these companies make wonderful products.
 
I have the Billingham Hadley Pro, the ONA Bowery and recently bought an ONA Berlin 1 (which I haven't used enough to comment on)
I disagree with some of the opinions above. I have the black Hadley Pro which I use daily. I take it to work with me usually with one body and my GR, as well as a Macbook Air. Once it's worn, it doesn't say steal me -- it says get this guy a new bag. It doesn't look much different from many other courier bags you see. Very happy with it.
I also like the ONA Bowery (cloth version), which is what I frequently use for street shooting, or when I'm going to take pictures at music venues. As long as I remember not to put anything in the back pocket I'm not prepared to lose, I'm really happy with it. Usually, I use it to carry one body with lens and one extra lens. I also used with the E-M5 with "Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f1.4 SC"mm for a short telephoto, and the X100T.
 
Don't know about much about 'high end', I like the insulated cooler bags you can get from various low end stores. Won't pay more than $7.99 for mine! Best bang for the buck in camera bags.
 
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