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What photo bag are you using?

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tcole1983

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SkintBrit said:
You are not meant to tcole1983. I've also got a Flipside 400 and I believe the correct (or designed) way to access the back, is to take your arms out of the straps, swivel the bag round to your front on the waist strap, and then support the bag by putting your arms back through the straps again. If the arm straps are long enough, it allows you to unzip it in front of you and take stuff out without putting it down. Looks a bit strange, but that's something I've always been told :-). I agree, on the rare occasion I use a backpack, I like knowing I don't have to worry about the person standing behind me in the que (unless they have a knife I suppose)?

Ha I never knew! Thanks...I will have to try it out next time.

Posted 10 months ago #
R8R

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My bag(s) reviewed:

I just picked up a bag I've had my eye on for years - the Lowepro Omni Trekker with accompanying "extreme" case (a Lowepro branded Pelican 1550).

I used it on a flight to shoot a friend's wedding and it was perfect. Held a D7000 kit with 3 speedlights and a rented set of big glass - 70-200mm f/2.8, 24-70mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.4, plus batteries, chargers, a Nikon P7000 and some grip items with room to spare.

Lowepro discontinued this bag several years ago, I found one at Ador**** used. By used I mean maybe it was pre-owned, but it arrived in immaculate condition. I could not tell that any gear was ever put in it.

It's an attache style case that also opens up on the "top" end lengthwise as you wear it with a shoulder strap - this top flap has a big enough opening to pull a body out with a 70-200mm attached, or do a lens change.

It also includes a surprisingly comfortable pair of backpack straps that tuck into the back of the bag. The whole shebang fits exactly into a Pelican 1550 or better yet, into my hard-side carry on luggage with room for some extras like a monopod, etc.

Build quality is right up there with the best that Lowepro has ever offered. Super beefy zippers, thick leather corners and handle, super thick padded dividers, etc. I imagine they discontinued it due to manufacturing costs. It's one of those "lifetime" kind of bags.

One caveat - I don't think a full pro body would fit in this model very well, as the bag is not quite deep enough. A full body with grip might be a bit too tall (one of the other "Omni" series bags might fit better).

My other bag:
An old Timbuk2 messenger bag with a Mountainsmith Kit Cube insert. Great low-key walk-around bag. The insert will fit into a small size bag but I usually take a medium so I have some extra room. The insert is very well made like most Mountainsmith stuff. It has a draw-string closure to keep out light rain which can be folded back over the outside of the insert for quick access. It's a simple and cheap solution - pick any old shoulder bag and add the insert (About $25 most stores) and you have an instant, discreet camera bag.

Posted 10 months ago #
jamieh

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Thinktank Airport Addicted v2.0 is my main bag and it can fit in pretty much everything I need - D7000 with grip, D300, 24-70, 80-200, 10-20, 50, SB28, SB800, NEX5n, batteries, chargers and cards.

I also use the TT belt and harness system when shooting weddings.

I have a Lowepro Classified 200 AW shoulder bag which will take one of the Nikons, a couple of lenses and a flash and which I use when mooching about town.

Posted 10 months ago #
sevencrossing

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SkintBrit said:
I've also got a Flipside 400

Thanks Skint

I just bought the Flipside 400 AW brilliant bag
don't buy backpack with out checking this one out

if fact don't buy any bag with out looking at the Flipsides very clever design

Posted 10 months ago #
SkintBrit

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sevencrossing said:
Thanks Skint

I just bought the Flipside 400 AW brilliant bag
don't buy backpack with out checking this one out

if fact don't buy any bag with out looking at the Flipsides very clever design

Thanks seven, I also have the 200, which is great when you want/need to travel light with only minimal equipment. I also think the rear entry design is genius.

Posted 10 months ago #
NSXType-R

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Not carrying my gear with me to my dorm at school. I was going to bring it with me, but I decided to see how my new roommate is. Apparently my new roommate seems to like leaving the door open.

I am not trusting over $1000 worth of gear to his stupidity.

Rant over, my cousin got me a Lowepro Photo Traveler 150- pretty nice bag. The side pockets seem to be a bit tight for a water bottle, but the insides are really nice. It'll fit a 35mm 1.8, 18-135 and 105mm macro with a D40 sized camera, with a fair amount of room left over. I think it would fit a SB-700 and a 50mm sized lens easily.

I used to carry a Rezo 160 bag, which was nice but fit the 18-135 and 35mm, with barely any room left over. If I wanted to fit the 105mm macro, I'd have to take something out and store it with a body cap only.

Front pockets are okay, standard fair- large enough for batteries, cards and pens, but don't expect to be carrying too too much.

There's also two pockets for notebooks or tablets. One of them is inside, behind the camera compartment, the other one is outside.

The velcro straps can be silenced if you wish.

Downsides- no rain cover (Lowepro used to tout it a lot) and the handle is very out of place.

The large flap does have some infolding to keep water from getting in, though it doesn't look as secure as a rain cover.

Other than that, looks good, carries more than it looks and it barely looks like a photobag. In very faint lettering there is a Lowepro logo, but it's not the normal logo with raised orange lettering.

Posted 8 months ago #
macsavageg4

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No one made one like I wanted so I ended up building a bigger version of an older Kiwi branded bag built I think in the 80's. Structurally it is basically a big satchel kinda bag. This fall I am planning on building a slightly smaller version of it for my D7000 kit since the one that I am currently using will continue to be used with my D800 kit. I have a picture up on my flickr account which should be linkable from my profile.

This fall I should be able to also assembling a small carrying kit for my camera axe and some assorted sensors for it as well.

Posted 8 months ago #
Pierre

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macsavageg4 said:
No one made one like I wanted so I ended up building ...

I came to the same conclusion so I bought leather and starting to make one, will see how good it will turn-out, will post pics when I am done, if lucky in a month or so.

Posted 8 months ago #
Beso

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I am using a Billingham 335 shoulder bag. It is very well made of canvas and leather with great aesthetic appeal - more in the older traditional style. I regularly carry my D800, SB910, the holy trinity (14-24, 24-70, 70-200), a Zeiss 100mm, softbox, miscellaneous filters, batteries, etc. It is a tight fit for all that gear. This bag is not the type of bag you would want on a backpacking trip but it is great for carrying to locations that don't require major hiking. I would not try to work out of it on my person while shooting. It provides reasonable padding and protection and is configurable with removable lens pockets. There are also numerous other pouch pockets and it is capable of carrying a laptop. I will probably try to find something a bit more portable in the future so I can carry a camera and two lenses with relative ease and not worry about a bit of a hike.

Posted 8 months ago #
el_migu_el

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I use a fstopgear Tilopa BC when hiking or when I need to bring a lot of gear with me or want to mix the stuff I carry (cloths, food, photo gear, gear...). It is not a cheap solution but since I was getting more and more frustrated that there is no photo backpack allowing me to properly (internal alu-frame) carry photo gear as-well as other stuff and this in a variable ratio I shelled out the cash and ordered one. I even tried to modify my regular hiking backpack so it can carry my photo gear as-well ... guess I am not such a talented tailor :-)

If I want to go lighter, I use a Kata 3n1-20. Currently I am looking into a shoulder bag that does not exactly scream photo gear, something like the Domke F2 ruggedwear.

Posted 8 months ago #
spraynpray

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OK, just got back from a trip to Italy with my modified Nova AW200. To my great relief it easily went in the carry on baggage gauge which was something that was a concern.

To carry so much stuff all day in Southern Italy heat was actually much easier and more comfortable than I thought, so I will report it as a success. My modificationss to it for keeping all gear out of sight and secure but moments away from use worked as I wanted so yeah, all good.

See my posting on the previous page for details if you are interested in my mods.

Posted 7 months ago #
Funduro

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Street Walker Pro backpack bag with Pro Speed Belt as my "carry all" bag. Urban Disguise 35 V1 for single DSLR use. Also have 2 Lens Changer pouches, 1 Lighting flash pouch and 2 small pouches. Also a 20 year old Tamrac convertible bag, real comfy strap but has crappy exterior pockets.

Posted 7 months ago #
Gitzo

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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

Posted 6 months ago #
Fargo911

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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.

Posted 6 months ago #
LindavL

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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.

Posted 6 months ago #
R8R

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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.

Posted 6 months ago #
sevencrossing

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I have but don't use a sling

the fast back is more comfortable and more accessible

Posted 6 months ago #
mk2pop

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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) ?

Posted 6 months ago #
SkintBrit

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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

Posted 6 months ago #
msmoto

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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....

Posted 6 months ago #
sevencrossing

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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

Posted 6 months ago #
R8R

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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.

Posted 6 months ago #
SkintBrit

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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.

Posted 6 months ago #
R8R

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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.

Posted 6 months ago #
fishnose

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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.

Posted 6 months ago #