I did look at the flipside 400 but its a bit too big for what i want to carry, i can currently fit all the gear in a slngshot 202 but im looking to carry the 100-300 mounted

For air travel I have a Thinktank Airport International v2 (Hand luggage)
For general about town, a Lowepro Flipside 400 backpack (I chopped off the waist strap thingies)
For heavyweight about town and short travel, a Lowepro Flipside 500 backpack
For photography onsite and customer visits, a Kata KT 'Video Pro' (I have several), with trolley if it's a heavy load.
Plus long bags for lights, tripods and whatnot.

Very happy with all my bags.

SkintBrit said:
Yes, I remember your story well R8R. I think if they asked me to check it I'd rather miss the flight.

It would be cheaper to just get on the next plane.

R8R said:
Before you ever do, read this:

http://nikonrumors.com/forum/topic.php?id=5646

The 1510 is an AWESOME case, but when traveling it turned out to be all my eggs in one basket.

Now I travel with a well padded bag in a hard-sided carry-on suitcase. If they make me try to gate check it, I pull the camera bag out first.

Yes, I remember your story well R8R. I think if they asked me to check it I'd rather miss the flight.

SkintBrit said:
My Pelican 1510. It is supposed to be airline "carry on" approved, but I don't think I would have the strength to lift it in to the overhead compartment!

Before you ever do, read this:

http://nikonrumors.com/forum/topic.php?id=5646

The 1510 is an AWESOME case, but when traveling it turned out to be all my eggs in one basket.

Now I travel with a well padded bag in a hard-sided carry-on suitcase. If they make me try to gate check it, I pull the camera bag out first.

mk2pop said:
i'm looking at the flipside 300 at the moment as i cant carry my sigma 100-300 f4 mounted to a body .....,
Whos got a shot of there's loaded with 2 bodies, 1 mounted with a 70-200

I think you might need the flipside 400, I have the flipside 400AW which has the waterproof cover. It will hold a D800 with 70-200 attached and a D700 body with a prime attached plus a midrange or ultra wide angle zoom and a SB 900

Ah ha, now I know why you are "skint"...but, the Pelican cases are almost indestructible. I had two attached as saddle bags to the sides of my DL1000 Suzuki the last cross-country tour I did in 2008. But, heavy as you have said, when filled with all the goodies.

I am having good results with my new Lowepro Flipside Sport 15L AW. It holds the D4, 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII with the lens hood taped on. I always tape my lens hoods in place so as to avoid dislodging the hood in rough shooting conditions...like anywhere there is a crowd....

My Pelican 1510. It is supposed to be airline "carry on" approved, but I don't think I would have the strength to lift it in to the overhead compartment!

Picture taken with my iPhone, so no comments on that please :-)

Case contains (along the top):
D3s with 70-200 2.8 & Gripped D700 with 24 1.4

Along the bottom is:
50 1.4
105 micro 2.8
14-24 2.8
24-70 2.8
85 1.4

I have both a lowepro nova 160aw and a lowepro slingshot 202aw,
The sling sees more use these days as i can carry 2 bodies, lenses and flashes in it , but im looking at the flipside 300 at the moment as i cant carry my sigma 100-300 f4 mounted to a body and it can be a huge pain when i need to keep fitting and removing it every time i use it,
Whos got a shot of theres loaded with 2 bodies, 1 mounted with a 70-200 (same size as 100-300) ?

I have but don't use a sling

the fast back is more comfortable and more accessible

SO after stepping up to the D3 I realized the Lowepro Omni wasn't deep enough for a pro/gripped body. Not without laying it down and having it take a huge footprint (an the dividers just wouldn't work)

So I looked around for another copy of a bag I once had for a short time - a Tenba Metro II. Found a Metro II P859 on eBay for $50.

Stock pic:

Holds a TON of gear and is extremely flexible. Literally and practically. There are two "box" type padded dividers inside (a la Domke) One has a single divider wall with some smaller velcro dividers (room for 2 pro bodies) and the other one has four lens compartments.

The outside walls and bottom of the bag also have padding. You can remove the dividers and the whole bag stands up on it's own. (good for big pieces of gear like vid cameras)

Or, you can unzip four somewhat hidden zippers just inside the top of the bag and remove all the extra padding, including a plastic protective board in the back, and the thick padding piece on the bottom. This makes for a very flexible, hip hugging bag. (again, like a Domke...). The padded insert boxes are padded on all sides including the bottoms, so everything stays nice and protected even after removing the bulky outer wall padding. Sweet.

There is a hidden two-piece rain cover, one from the top/back of the bag that only covers and attaches to the top flap so you can still work out of the bag, and one from the bottom/back that wraps the entire bag completely.

There are a ton of discreet pockets, a removable top grab handle, removable padded strap, a top access zipper (so you don't need to unlock the whole flap), and pen/note holder pockets all over the thing.

I think it's just about the perfect bag.

It has swallowed (with room to spare):
D3
F100
80-200mm AF-S, hood reversed
28-70mm AF-S, hood reversed
50mm f/1.4G
SB-700
SB-800
Pocketwizard Mini, AC3 and 2 Flex's
Double charger and extra battery for the D3
20 AA batteries
AA battery charger
Lumiquest softbox
Gels
Bogen super clamp, ball head and camera mount
Rocketblower
5 sharpies
Snoot
Gaff tape

And there is still a bit of room to work in it.

I have a slingshot 350 (which has space for a laptop). However, I do not use it anymore, it is just a bit too big to be practical (at least it is for me). I think the 100 or 200 versions are nice though, as the idea of the slingbag is handy.

I have a Slingshot bag from Lowepro, and I hate it. I used it a couple of times and couldn't stand it. I much preferred a backpack style bag.

Has anyone on NRF ever tried one of LowePro's "Slingshot" bags ? (100, 200 & 300) I have decided to get yet another "solution" for carrying photo gear around, and I've been looking through all of the stuff available on eBay; (most of which is NEW nowadays)

I've decided I might just try a "Slingshot", so now I'm back to deciding on which size to buy; right now I'm leaning towards the "300" series.

I kinda like the idea behind the overall design, but I've found from experience, the ONLY way you can determine if you like anything, is to "live with it" and test it out for a while.

I did score one piece of "pre-owned" camera gear recently that I really LOVE; a very nice "window mount", for rigidly holding a D SLR with heavy lens attached, while shooting from an open (or partially opened) car window. I haven't had much chance to do anything meaningful with it just yet, but in my initial testing, the thing works beautifully. (photos later)

During the coming winter months, while you're "warm and dry" indoors, and you get to thinking about how you're going to carry around all of your gear when the weather warms up in the spring, may I suggest taking a look online at the website for "Kinesis Gear". The guy who started this small "specialty" company is a very bright, seasoned pro photog (whose name I think is Richard Kenesis) (don't quote me on that, as it's from memory) K-gear makes some really great, specialized carry gear; in particular, his "belt carry system" is by far the best I have ever seen to date.

Uh oh..........the "boss" just got back home, and I'm still piddling on the computer, (rather than on my way BACK from Terre Haute with the needed hose to get my Kubota running again (after installing a new water pump and losing the one that I removed to do it)

(I hate to catch hell !)

Charley

gasman..... "this camera has a real chance of demonstrating just what a crap photographer I really am, unless I lift my game!"

Yes, these new cameras can really demo how much I have to learn. And, my guess is, I will never be able to do justice to the camera.

As to the idea what the other guy has must be better...yes, I am always looking at the great photos and using that as my excuse....The D4 has made this a bit more difficult, however... :-)

Flying Tiger said:

Hmmmm. I think we have a natural, human tendency to think what the other guy has must be BETTER. That's why we constantly come to forums like this to reassure ourselves that our money and loyalty have in fact been well directed.

I have spent a LOT of time over the past two months playing with the best of what both brands have to offer. They are not identical, but at the full frame SLR level they are both very, very good. I would defy anyone to truly be unable to happily function with the "other" system.

Flying Tiger said:
As a confirmed Nikonite, I have to say that I think that Canon have recently taken the lead in this race. The latest Nikon releases seem to have been rushed out somewhat, when they previously took their time and brought us best of breed, that focussed well and took great pictures. I know that I am harping on about the same old thing, but if Nikon want to make a bit of money and restore some faith in the brand, give us our D400 (DX Format please) and a replacement 80-400mm lens.

Stop mucking about and release the things that would make lots of Nikon fans happy and make you lots of money!

Kind regards

msmoto said:
What both manufacturers have done is to supply us with phenomenal tools, which we must learn to use with expertise and care.

Never a truer word was spoken! I've had my 5DMkIII for a week now, and my immediate impression is that this camera has a real chance of demonstrating just what a crap photographer I really am, unless I lift my game!

I'm aware that this is not the place to wax lyrical about what I like about my new camera. But having spent a very enjoyable try-out day with the D600, there are two things I miss about Nikon that I never hear mentioned on forums such as this.

1. The round eyepiece. It just kind of fits. You can immediately see right out to the corners of the field of view. With all my Canons, I feel like I have to move my eye around a bit in order to see everything in the frame.
2. Nikon lens caps. These are engineering marvels. Made me realise that when I remove or replace my Canon lens caps, I actually have a mini panic-attack because they're so fiddly.

Cheers! :)

Goes here

http://nikonrumors.com/forum/topic.php?id=5160&page=27

Welcome, a lot of us agree....

Nikon are really missing a trick here - huge numbers of photographers would be willing to immediately buy a 24 MP D300s replacement and the 80-400mm lens replacement is so overdue it is laughable. Canon almost built their company on the back of the success of their 100-400mm f5.6 lens and a Nikon lens of a similar quality would be a real cash cow for them. As a profit making business, surely Nikon should drop everything in favour of the much requested D400 and 80-400mm replacement!
Best wishes
Frustrated Nikon fan from Lancashire

Canon vs. Nikon...VR? Is there any data which says one is better than the other?

As far as its use... kinda like having ISO 50,000.... can be very helpful. But, I am constantly aware of the "lazy" aspect of shooting photos in the actual mechanics. However, with the folks I photograph...candid, not model shots, I find the "lazy" tools can be helpful in grabbing focus on the eye, especially in low light.

But, I have hand held a 300mm f/4.5 Nikkor mounted on my "F" body and doing this at 1/15th sec, pressed against a tree. We only had ISO 800 or 1200 if really pressed, but it looked like shooting the D4 at ISO 210,000, then recovering shadows...

The issue I have with VR is a false sense of security, unfortunately on the street, the folks do not listen and are still moving at 1/15th sec or whatever.

What both manufacturers have done is to supply us with phenomenal tools, which we must learn to use with expertise and care.

golf007sd said:
Roger that :)

I like VR as much as the next person, but it's funny how quickly it's being seen as a mandatory feature for any lens over 70mm. Wasn't that long ago that we were hand-holding 300mm lenses at 1/250 sec because we were too scared to use film faster than ISO400, and we were still getting sharp results. It's surely only a matter of time before all dSLRs come with a "no photographic skill whatsoever, but still want award winning images" button.

captainelmo said:
I didnt say the 300/4 AF-S was a bad lens just that I envy the addition of VR in the canon variant....

Roger that :)

I didnt say the 300/4 AF-S was a bad lens just that I envy the addition of VR in the canon variant. Not that its a deal breaker for me. Generally for this class of lens I will be with a monopod. I wish there were more airshows in Singapore lol.

@captainelmo Nikon's 300 F4 is an outstanding lens. Just ask tcole1983...he is still in cloud 9 with this lens.

I going to start a new post about my resent adventure this weekend while attending the Miramar Air Show as it relates to long focal length prime lenses. Should turn out to an interesting conversation on our forum...hope you join in on the fun. :D