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 .
Right now I carry a Ona most days and it's great. A&A bags are on par.

The thing is though there isn't just one bag for me. It depends on what I'm doing.
 
Godfrey said:
For the Leica M, I prefer Artisan & Artist bags... I've been using it as my camera travel satchel since 2011...
Click to expand...

As have I, and it has held up remarkably well. Very well made with very high quality fabrics. The hardware on mine has brassed quite a lot, but there is nearly no wear to the fabrics. A Domke I carried this long before I got this bag looks a fair bit more battered- tho granted it was an F2 and carried more than this one has...

Godfrey said:
...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
Click to expand...

Yes! There does seem to be overlap with different bags getting the same designation on eBay. And +1 on the comfort as well.
 
I prefer vintage and antique bag for my vintage and antique cameras. Just as a Leica or Canon or Nicca are such quality that cannot be made today, good leather bags like this Perrin would have cost the equivalent of $300 when new. So when I got this one for $10, I'm happy, and convinced these old saddle leather shops knew what they were doing more than current companies try to portray.

How long will a Perrin last? Well, this one was used by a lifetime photographer, it's from about 1951.

34682408504_60c44981ed_z.jpg


35484619876_de2e7f48e1.jpg


I recommend you try vintage, before shopping for "high end" today.
 
The Wontancraft – because their web site is salacious.

I owned a leather Ona, but it was too heavy, so I sold it. I would have ordered the canvas model but I realized I preferred a soft-sided bag over a box.
 
I've used a bunch including Billingham. My favourites are my old Domke 803 and a very simple Slow Tools bag I got through Bellamy Hunt. Usually just an M and a couple of lenses or a Rolleiflex & a spotmeter.
 
re: A&A bags again

sepiareverb said:
As have I, and it has held up remarkably well. Very well made with very high quality fabrics. The hardware on mine has brassed quite a lot, but there is nearly no wear to the fabrics. A Domke I carried this long before I got this bag looks a fair bit more battered- tho granted it was an F2 and carried more than this one has...
...
Yes! There does seem to be overlap with different bags getting the same designation on eBay. And +1 on the comfort as well.
Click to expand...

The other +1 is that they don't look particularly expensive or flashy. They're actually a bit dull and nondescript. They're expensive because they're well made of high quality materials and have a lot of hand-work in their construction. I suspect they'll last at least as well as my Domke's and Billinghams that I have as well. The problem I've found with several of the less expensive bags is that they wear out relatively quickly.

G
 
I have a Billingham Hadley Pro which I use most of the time as long as I am not carrying enough stuff to cause shoulder and back pain. I can get away with carrying my M-P 240, 35/2 mounted on it, a second lightweight lens and a few accessories. A heavier load requires a day pack.

I have a Domke F803 which is about the right size for a walking around kit. Domkes are awfully good bags and their prices are well within reason IMHO. I have a Domke F802 which I don't use much for some unknown reason.

As someone else mentioned, I will pick my bag based on what I'm carrying and what I'm doing. The Bill Had Pro & the Domkes that I have are great for a day's walking around and photographing.

It's hard to beat the Billingham Hadley Pro IMHO. It is just a great bag and provides a lot of protection for my M kit. They are a little costly but are half the price of Fogg camera bags - a good balance between quality, craftsmanship, price and protection. Billinghams are high quality and nice looking without looking mega expensive like some of the more opulent leather or leather trimmed bags.
 
has anyone ever been mugged and their cameras stolen? what kind of bag were you using? i haven't had the pleasure, and i use "fancy" bags as well as "utilitarian" bags.
 
Darth...Domkes are high end to me too, because they are well designed, made of good materials & last very well. They're cheap too because mine have lasted more than 15 yrs without needing replacement.
 
Aizan, that's why I use old vintage bags. My bag above was $10, but looks expensive. If they steal it and my Nicca with a Canon lens, I'm out of less money than most people have in their cell phones. It just has class. An M I guess is a little higher, but I'm not worried about muggings. Leaving it unattended, yes.
 
I wasn't suggesting Domke aren't high end. They're as good as you can get as far as quality but they're really reasonably priced. Some of the new designs are getting pricy but I e never looked at one on person.

I had a couple of Perrin heavy leather cases years ago. One was a large double decker with and the other was a smaller version with two levels too. I think the smaller one had the Leica name on it. I used them heavily for years. The large one I carried 2 F3's and 9 AI lenses. Over many years of heavy use it got so ratty I got rid of it. I can't remember what I carried in the small one or what happened to it. I'm guessing it got ratty too and got tossed. I think I got both of them in the mid 70's.

I've got quite a few cases now. I use Temba air cases for my Speedotron black line heads and Force 10 monolites and acquired a really nice one when I bought my friends Hasselblad system. I've got several Rhino heavy duty bags I carry Speedotron power packs in. When traveling on jobs I shipped my strobes in the airlines cargo hold and never had a pack or head damaged.

On jobs I carry my digital gear in Lowepro backpacks or in a Tamrac rolling case. I think it's a Tamrac or could be a Temba. It handy for two bodies and 7 or 8 lenses with batteries and goodies.

If I'm traveling by air I have several fiber tubes for tripods and stands. I've never had any damage from airline mishandling using those too. I also use quite a few rigid aluminum clad anvil type cases for strobes and cables too. Those are just too heavy for daily use though.

Bags and cases are really an important consideration especially if you're traveling. Damaged equipment is lost money and lost time.
 
Since a few weeks I usa an On a Roma insert which I put in a "strong" normal canvas bag.
Ok for an m camera + one lens.
robert
 
x-ray said:
I wasn't suggesting Domke aren't high end. They're as good as you can get as far as quality but they're really reasonably priced. Some of the new designs are getting pricy but I e never looked at one on person.
...
Bags and cases are really an important consideration especially if you're traveling. Damaged equipment is lost money and lost time.
Click to expand...

Domke made the best bags around (in the USA!) for a long time, unless you want to pay Billingham prices, which were absurdly over the top. I have several Domkes, a couple up to 25+ years old. The problem that came up around the middle '00s when I went to look at a new F5XB is that the quality of the material and stitching isn't anywhere near as nice as on my F5XB, which I bought new somewhere around 1990 or so. They're also skimping on the material and length of the overflap now, and the price is 3x what my F5XB cost me back when, even in adjusted dollars.

I think this happened when they moved the production offshore. All of mine are old enough that they were made in the USA ... I have F5Xb, F3x, F6, and a very ancient, unnamed one I bought at a flea market with a Rolleiflex 3.5MX in it for $90 in 1983. I gave my F803 to a buddy in England a decade ago ... he's still using it. Excellent bags, all of them.

But for stuff I can buy new, now, with that old level of quality, the A&A and Billingham bags just satisfy me more.

G
 
I prefer the closures and the discreet logo on the Billinghams to the metal buckles and logos on the Domkes. I have the Hadley Pro and it carries two OM bodies, six lenses, and a few odd and ends. When I travel, I can either fit my ThinkPad X220 laptop between the bag and insert, or slip an iPad in the rear pocket. I wouldn't want to carry anything larger. Many of the other bags listed are leather, and are too heavy, though they do look nice in the shop window.
 
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