I will start first - ThinkTank Urban Disguise 60 and ThinkTank Change Up. I also have the Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home, but currently it is collecting dust.
What photo bag are you using?
(201 posts) (112 voices)-
Posted 4 years ago #
-
Don't think my bag's a pro bag. It has an Mrock symbol on it. I picked it up becaue it's a slingshot pack which is useful when I'm out in the field shooting. I can swing the bag around to the front of me and not put it down when getting gear out of it. This is useful when I spot something and I want quick access to my gear. If I find a better slingshot pack I'll get it because this one is on my nerves. The zippers have broken and I've had to spend a lot of time fixing them.
In it I keep my D300 with a lens (usually my 300F4) permanently attached to it. My 70-200mm2.8 and my 18-55 kit lens is also housed in there. There's also a separate compartment where I could put another body in it.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Pelican 1500, hard case. It holds two bodies with lenses attached one being a 80-200 f2.8, two more lenses, filters, cleaning gear, 10+CFs, manuals, and it has already paid for itself when someone opened the backgate w/o looking/thinking, and since the case was pushed during the trip so to get to the cooler, it went tumbling from about 2-3 feet off the ground. I could not be happier. But, from the looks of things, no damages - and I hope I am not speaking too soon.
I also use a back pack, or two, depending what I take with. The 300 f2.8 is a b....ack buster. The hard case weighs close to 25+ when fully loaded. When I go loaded for a full shoot I look like a pack mule, and I could use a camel, or a mule.
Back to the main subject, a hard case is a fantastic investment, if you can find a good deal.
Or you can skip the bag(s) altogether and use your trunk: http://www.naturfotograf.com/index2.html - some SERIOUS bucks THROWN in there. I suppose a rear-end would provide for a complete "upgrade" set ..... And BTW, scroll down to the bottom of that page to see more lenses than most stores (certainly Ritz/Wolf) have in stock.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Domke F8.
Really well made in the USA.
Works well, love the heavy canvas, looks fantastic.
I don't need a stealth bag where I live and when I carry my DSLR while traveling, I just choose a lens for the day and carry the camera in my regular (not camera specific) shoulder bag.
I'm actually looking forward to not traveling with a DSLR. Hoping the forthcoming Oly M4/3's solves this issue.Posted 4 years ago # -
One Kata Digital Backpack KT DR-467 and one Kata GDC Waist-pack-92 (KT W-92). The latter comes with me mostly everywhere and the former I only use when I need to take my photo equipment and a laptop. Even then I have the W-92 with me.
Planning to get a Kata Digital Sling Backpack 3in1 (KT D-3N1-30)Posted 4 years ago # -
Have been using Urban Disguise 40 for a couple months. I keep having to vacuum the inside of the bag to get rid of white specks that keep accumulating on the bottom. I pull out a lens and there is this white dust speck type stuff all over the lens cap that touches the bottom of the bag. Anyone else seen this? My Airport Antidote does not do this.
Posted 4 years ago # -
what i use everyday is still Domke F-2 Original Bag that i bought more than 25 years ago. it still rocks!
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41odsUHKLEL._SS400_.jpg
Posted 4 years ago # -
Lowepro fastpack 350.
I do not recommend this bag. I got it because it had a computer slot but it is poor at best.Posted 4 years ago # -
I use the ThinkTank UD40 (similar to the reviewed UD60, but doesn't hold a laptop) and I agree that it's a great bag. Every design feature is really thought out well. It holds my D200 with 28-70mm 2.8 attached (hood reversed), a 12-24, a 70-200 (hood reversed), SB800 in the outside side pocket, batteries in the opposite side pocket and tons of accessories: filters, batteries, pens, reporters pads, lens cleaning materials, etc. I keep a folding flash bracket in the flap pocket and SB29 cord.
The interior is a little bit tight and if you plan to use a body larger than the D200, I would carefully check to see if everything fits. I originally bought the UD30 and returned it because I needed more room.
While ThinkTank says you can place extra bodies in the outside pockets, I only store accessories there.
With everything loaded, the bag is heavy, but you can't fight the laws of physics. It's extremely well made and should last forever.
While their marketing emphasizes that the design is purposely low key, I happen to think it's a very good looking bag. I also have a Billingham Packington which has relatively similar dimensions, but I've wound up using that as an everyday and computer bag.
While it doesn't look like a photo bag in particular, that becomes moot the first time someone sees you take a camera out of the bag, so don't buy the bag for that reason -- buy it because it suits your purpose, you want a shoulder bag as opposed to a backpack and because it's extremely well constructed. I once took a generic "cabin bag" (Timberland, I think), bought pick and pluck foam and attempted to construct my own bag. It wasn't bad, but the dried glue kept getting on the equipment and the smaller pieces of foam would eventually either wear or tear. In the end, it probably cost just as much money as the ThinkTank, which had many more features.
Posted 4 years ago # -
I use a Lowepro Slingshot for walking around. It's OK, but I'm open to something better. Also use a Halliburton for transporting gear.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Lowepro Top Loader 75AW + Lens Case 3 + Lens Case 4 + Waist belt + Utility case - when traveling, and need to carry all my stuff with me for couple of days, and can't carry a camera back pack (I carry regular backpack and simply don't have any space on my back to fit there anything else) - waist belt is a must (as the whole equipment weights around 7kg).
Lowepro Stealth Reporter 650 - when I can go with car, and don't need to care about caring all the stuff with me, usually when I stay in one location.
Lowepro Rover AW II - when hiking, or when I need to be mobile on one hand and carry laptop on the other - unfortunately once You stick 70-200+body+grip there's not enough space for much more.Posted 4 years ago # -
I am actually thinking about getting a bag because right now it's just a crappy Jansport schoolbag. I would, however rather spend money on photo equipment than a bag. Besides, I only have a D40 and the 18-135.
Posted 4 years ago # -
I have the Brazillion Dollar Home by Crumpler. Surprisingly tight for space given the size and price. I also find it too heavy to carry when is loaded. Personally I prefer LowePro bags.
Posted 4 years ago # -
My advice to everyone is to give a try to Kata GDC Waist-pack-92 (KT W-92) or similar, just be sure that it has a waist strap and a shoulder strap that can be used at the same time. It is very easily accessible and provides a great place for swapping lenses. Of course you won't be able to fit a Nikkor AF 80-400mm F4,5-5,6 or bigger in there together with the camera. But if you carry around different smaller lenses and other gadgets then it is pretty comfortable.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Current
Lowepro Vertex 200 - for big assigments + traveling
Lowepro Classfied 160 - For ordinary shootingPrevious:
Lowepro Magnum, a huge shoulderbag, althouh big, no place for a laptop or a A4 document and after 6 months of working with it(Pro-body, flash, 3 L-lens + acc.) I developed pretty big shoulder pains... After that I changed to the mini trekker
Lowepro mini trekker - Had it at my previous job, nice bag, fits more than one would expect, unfortunately, no AW cover, and a full-size SLR(with grip) was a little over the edge
Lowepro Slingshiot 300 AW - My first personal bag(other two were issued to me by my employer), aaaaa, In the catalogue, it looked cool, with a camera + kit lens, seemed OK, after adding anything more, or having the bag on for more than 30 minutes it began to be unbeareble, never againPosted 4 years ago # -
I have a Slingshot 200 that I use as a daybag. Its small and carries my camera and smaller lenses. I'm happy with it.
I am trying to settle on a larger bag to carry my longer lenses, most notably, my D300 with battery grip and Sigma f2.8 70-200 attached and Sigma 50-500 on the side. I also carry a laptop. And it needs to ride on a plane every now and then.
I thought that I had found a decent bag when I purchased the Vanguard Kenline 54 bag. It carried all of my gear, including my laptop, with no problems.
While on a trip to New England, I opened the bag one day and saw a piece of white foam around the inside of the bag. I had never seen it, because it is normally enclosed in a zippered pocket, The zipper had separated, and there was no way ro seal the pocket back up.
I had not decided what to do about it, since the bag is about 10 weeks old, when it came time to get on the plane in Boston. TSA would not let me get the bag through as a carry-on. I had to check the bag in. Let me tell you, that was one miserable flight. All I could think about was the baggage handlers throwing it around like normal luggage.
So, I don't know what to do now. The KenLine is a pretty good bag overall. I talked to the folks that I bought the bag from, and they have a 30 day return policy. They suggested that I call Vanguard. Vanguard told me to return the bag to the original dealer.
If I get rid of the Vanguard bag, (get Vanguard to fix it and sell it or get the original seller to allow a return) I will be looking for a new bag. I've looked at the Tamrac Expedition 5x or 6x. But to be quite honest, they look to be the same size as the Kenline, so I don't see how they could get through the TSA size limits. Tamrac says that they are flight capable, but I don't see how.
My biggest problem is that I don't have a decent camera store in town, so I can't handle a bag before I buy it. The Vanguard was purchased at a store 150 miles away.
kbanes
Edited to add:
I just checked the published dimensions for the Kenline vs Expidition 6x, and the Kenline is a touch over 2 inches thicker, which is the measurement that failed at the TSA stand in Logan International. So I suspect that the Expidition would be allowed as carry-on.
kb
Posted 4 years ago # -
Kata DR-465 Backpack. Perfect size for D40, kit lens, 55-200 VR and 35mm 1.8. It's also built very very well, and priced reasonably well at 65 dollars. I got mine from my parents for christmas and it came with a free monopod.
A lot of people rag on backpacks for limiting your mobility in terms of switching gear in the field. But as a college student with not a lot of space to keep my stuff in my living quarters; my backpack is more of a storage container than it is a field bag. I Can also squeeze my F80 with battery grip and 28-85 f3.5-4.5 in the top compartment if I am going home or just packing everything up for vaca.
Posted 4 years ago # -
I use a lowepro, i think it's this fastpack 200. It's not really so much for shooting as for carrying a bunch of stuff from place to place.
http://products.lowepro.com/product/Fastpack-200,2085,14.htm
I want to get some sort of belt system for switching lenses, but for now I just use pockets
Posted 4 years ago # -
tai - as You are a lowepro user, you may try the waistbelt - really good thing when You need to carry a lot of equipment - once I was using it on a 3 weeks trip, not wearing it only during the night, it was really very comfortable and the weight was distributed quite well (the only problem was to buckle up this belt when fully loaded, as it was really heavy).
Posted 4 years ago # -
@adamz - thanks for the advice, I'm going back to Japan for a little bit soon, and will look into this before I leave.
Posted 4 years ago # -
The one that I use looks alot like the one that tai linked to. I also have a small nikon gadget bag, for if I'm just carrying a body, lens, and a SB-600, Or a F100 + lens + film. If I'm carrying most of my stuff, lets say on a plane, then I use the lowepro.
Posted 4 years ago # -
I love my Pelican 1510 (Also, referred to as Pelican 1514 with padded dividers) It's super tough, rain proof and lockable. I've even watched a youtube video that shows some guys unsuccessfully trying to light it on fire.
My Pelican 1510 and Pelican 1514 Review
I also like my:
Tamrac 5630 (I use it with my D300 and 70-200mm 2.8 VR Attached)
LowePro Lens Case 4 (for my 70-20mm 2.8 VR lens when it's not on my camera or in my Pelican)Posted 4 years ago # -
an absolutly fantastic bag made by miranda brought from ebay for 99p best thing i have ever brought, so easy to get in due to being a sholder bag and safe and secure
Posted 4 years ago # -
Good ol' Tamrac model 608. Love it, but sometimes it can be a bit cumbersome, especially with upwards of six lenses and two bodies in it. I'd like some kind of a backpack. . . .
Posted 4 years ago #
Reply »
You must log in to post.
