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Bag and case musings...

Tim Armes

New member
Hi,

I am, once again, looking for a new camera bag. I've yet to find a system that I'm happy with.

Previously I've had camera backpacks, but I used to find them frustrating because I'd have to remove them to take photos, and that's not handy for travel photography.

So I now have a Lowe Pro Slingshot 300. It's a nice bag and I like the fact that I can access my camera without taking the back off, and it has a decent waist belt to relieve the load. Nevertheless, with a number of lenses the case soon becomes heavy on just one shoulder. I backpack would be more confortable.

Then there's the issue of usage. If I'm hiking for pleasure I probably won't have too much gear. If I'm hiking for a bigger shoot then I'll need to carry far more gear, and the sack will have to have a very good harness system to transfer all the weight to my shoulders.

And if I'm needing to take lots of gear onto a location shoot then I tend to find that camera bags in general are awkward, far too heavy, and it's difficult to get to stuff easily. Perhaps a hard case with rollers would be a better solution... A hard case would also be a practical way of storing gear at home.

So the result of these musings are my realisation that my big error has been to try to find that elusive camera bag that does everything in one handy package. This isn't possible.

The second result is my realisation that I need three bags. This could be expensive.

So, I'd like some advice before I go and spend my cash, particularly with respect to hard cases.

Pelican is the definitive reference for this type of case, however they come in many shapes and sizes and it's difficult to know what to get. They don't give any indication of the number of bodies/lenses that one can expect to fit. Here's a list of gear that I'm likely to carry, can anyone here tell me what size bag I'd need:

MacBook
Canon 5D
Canon 30D
70-200 f/2.8 IS
135mm f/2
80mm f/1.8
50mm f/1.8
24-70mm f/2.8
16-35mm f/2.8
15mm fisheye
14mm
1.4x teleconverter
Extension tubes
3 x 580EX
3 x pocket wizard
Various accessories such as filters, telecommand, etc.

The ability to stick a 300mm in there at a later date would be welcome.

Thanks,

Tim
 

Dierk Haasis

pro member
I second Nill's recom: ThinkTank. Look out which of the Airports fits your needs and get the next larger one [unless you are sure you will not need more space in the foreseeable future].

For walking around with less, that is when I know quite well what I will need, I have a thinkTank Urban Disguise 40, which packs a lot! Really, this thing is amazing, it's like a flat lived in for years, where you realise that the volume of stuff you have in it is about 1/3 larger than the actual volume of the flat. The two bellow pockets in front are large enough to accommodate four SB-800 with room to spare. With SB-600s I was able to get three flashes into one pocket ...

Be aware that the main compartment - also quite roomy - is able to hold a D2x with attached RRS L-plate but it gets a bit tight. The Urban disguise line was developed for D200s and similar cameras [I'd say].
 

John_Nevill

New member
Tim,

If you're interested in a Thinktank Airport Security v2.0 roller, let me know.

I bought one in advance, for a trip to Kenya (Sept) and have since decided to take my Dryzone 200 to minimise the gear I'm going to take.

It's 4 weeks old and has been used outdoors once!

PM for more details.
 

nicolas claris

OPF Co-founder/Administrator
Hi Tim

Since three years now I use a Lowepro Pro-Roller 2 (or is it the pro-roller 1?).
No more broken ack nor healing shoulder! it rolls!
I can put inside:
1 MacBook pro
1 External HD
1 Canon Flash 380 ex
1 Canon 1Ds3
1 70-200 IS Canon lens
1 24_70 Canon Lens
1 Sigma 12-24
1 Sinar Hy6 and ist back
1 Schneider 40 mm
1 Schneider 80 mm
Batteries for everyone
Spare cards
Firewire reader and misc small stuff…

Then I have "room" on my shoulder for the Canon 500 mm IS!

All that gos thru airport, into planes and… boats!
 

Tim Armes

New member
Thanks all for the responses.

I'm still trying to decide - it's very hard without seeming them in real life.

I'm worried that the ThinkTanks are too small.

Hi Tim
Since three years now I use a Lowepro Pro-Roller 2 (or is it the pro-roller 1?).

Nicolas, a very important question. Do you have the 1 (smallest) or the 2 (medium)?

Tim
 

Tim Armes

New member
The Pro Roller looks promising. I like the look of the Tamrac roller with the big wheels, but the LowePro version has the hugh advantage of offering purpose built attachments for tripods on the outside of the sack.

But between the 2 and the 3 I don't know what to choose.

Tim
 

Dierk Haasis

pro member
I doubt ThinkTanks will be too small, they just look that. The monopod and tripod cases by them can be attached easily to the Airport series cases.

Another goodie: They come with a lot - really, a lot! - of dividers. Makes for great flexibility.
 

Tim Armes

New member
I doubt ThinkTanks will be too small, they just look that. The monopod and tripod cases by them can be attached easily to the Airport series cases.

Another goodie: They come with a lot - really, a lot! - of dividers. Makes for great flexibility.

Thanks Dierk, you made me take a second look and they do seem to be the best option. I'll be ordering one.
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
Wow, and I thought my MP +3 lenses are heavy. We live and learn.

I hope you find the carrier of your choice and friendly skies

Best.
 

Rhys Sage

pro member
I looked into camera cases/bags etc recently.

I came to the conclusion nothing was the perfect solution.

So, what do I do?

For shoots where I can return and reshoot if something goes wrong, I just take a single body, the lens I think I'll need (17-85 IS or 28-75) and a flash or maybe more. I wear my 511 Tactical Vest with the pockets filled with batteries, memory cards, wipes etc.

For weddings - a lot depends on the client. I tend to lock some stuff in the car but try to carry two lenses and two bodies. I put one lens on each body and a 580EX on each. Then I put batteries, cards, lens cloths into my pockets.

Generally, out and about I tend to use a backpack as it's easier to carry my kit and I suffered heavy kitbags off one shoulder, years ago. Several photographer friends were frequently at the osteopath because of wrenched backs etc.

I find over-the-shoulder bags to be very inconvenient. I think the trick is to realise there is no "easy" bag. Harness systems are popular but tend to be expensive. I have tried a military harness system and found the pouches tended to turn upside down and empty themselves - that was truly bizarre! Needless to say, I found it hard to remember what was in which pouch and it all still dragged me forward as I wanted only easily-accessed front pouches. With pouches distributed around me, I found I felt more like a camel and worried more about people dipping into back pouches and stealing while I was concentrating on other things.

For sheer storeage and transport, nothing beats the Pelicans. The 1510 nd 1515 are pretty good. If you want to work out how much you can store, simply do this...

Take the interior dimensions and make a box out of anything - 4 lines of Rice Crispies would work quite well. Then look at the liners that go inside. The walls are about an inch thick. Now lay your kit inside your "box" remembering to allow an inch on each side of each item. You might be able to stack with two items stacked as well. Don't forget that also. The dimensions of the Pelican cases are given on the Pelican site. I am very drawn to the 1510 and the 1720.
 

Will_Perlis

New member
If you want a hard case, then what Rhys said, and also take a look at the Stormcases by Hardigg with the adjustable dividers. IMO adjustables are much easier to deal with than foam and don't get foam dust over everything. Also, their latches are great.

I think you can figure about a 1/2 inch between pieces of gear when laying out your stuff, 1 inch seems too generous as I remember the dividers (and I'm too lazy to check).

If you don't need the very high impact, penetration, and water resistance of a mil-spec hard case, then ThinkTank stuff is very good.
 

Kathy Rappaport

pro member
Pile of Bags

In my home office in the corner is a full pile of photo bags with various purposes. I think of them like purses. The right one for the outfit.

I have a Kata bag that is holster shaped with a body and lens middle and two side pockets for lenses or one for a lens one for flash. I grab that for street shooting.

I have the Canon backpack which I bought for the days I was shooting film. No wheels, no laptop. I should sell it - it's like new.

I have a Tutto wheeled case for laptop which is carry on approved and has 4 wheels. You can sit on it, which is nice. It doesn't look like anything camera related but the inside is divided perfectly and it's hard sided but not plastic shell like the Pelicans.

I have a Lowepro Computrekker which I like, except that when full the handle sort of makes the bag tilt. You can't put anything on it and the straps for the backpack never go inside their compartment as I'd like. They get dirty that way.

I also bought a Slingshot and like it a lot, but for a girl, my anatomy gets in the way of the one strap so I tend to leave it behind - again, something to sell someday. I bought it to replace a small Tamrac backpack that's good for day trips to go shooting.

My favorite case is actually an insulated cooler that is a lunchbox from the office supply. It was made to hold a sandwich, and has a separate section on top for an icepack. The icepack section is great for a speedlight. The bottom works perfectly for the 5d with the 24-70 or 24-105 and if I am carrying the camera, then an extra lens and cleaning supplies, batteries and small prime work in there. The cost was less than $10.00
 

Wendy Thurman

New member
I'm a bit late to this discussion, but it's a timeless one :) I am on my second backpack. The first was a Lowe Pro MicroTrekker something-or-other which worked ok for a Canon 5D with a 24-105L and a 70-200/2.8L. I sold the camera, lenses, and bag to a friend when I moved back to Nikon and bought my large Tamrac backpack. It holds a large SLR (D700), the 14-24/2.8, 24-70/2.8, the 70-200/2.8, and a 17" MacBook Pro along with the usual suspects in the accessory line. For travel it is just the ticket- all the above add up to no little weight and it is more than manageable moving through airports. Everything is easily packed, integration with the add-on pouch system is simple and cost effective, and it is comfortable to carry for extended periods.

Those are the pros. On the con side, these backpacks are next to useless when moving around rough areas and shooting. Want to change a lens? Stop everything, put pack on the ground, fool around with the straps and zippers, change lens, repack, and never, ever forget to zip the thing back up. Failure to do this will result in something expensive like your new Nikkor 14-24/2.8 falling out of the bag on to some ancient Roman steps. Trust me on this. (Ok, it's no longer new but it still works, thanks to Nikon's build quality and the fact it didn't go for five or six steps).

I need a shooting bag- one of the old-style over the shoulder bags for use when I am out and about. I won't get rid of the backpack- it's just the ticket for travel, and I travel alot. Just perfect for that, but not the thing to be fumbling with when you are switching lenses or bodies or out on an active shoot. For the sort of photography I do, I need a bag that is readily accessible and one that doesn't put my equipment in jeopardy (or is at least forgiving of my own stupidity).

Wendy
 

Will_Perlis

New member
Wendy,

You might want to take a look at the ThinkTank "Urban Disguise" models. I don't buy the idea that they are any sort of disguise until they've been splashed with food and paint and other crud and no one ever sees you pull anything out of them, but they're the right idea.

If you like lighter gear look at the Domke line.

The one I keep carrying is the Lowepro "Pro Mag 2 AW". Anything smaller forces stuff I want out and bigger tempts the over-packing gods. This one is IMO just about the right volume for general I-don't-know-what-I'll-see use. It's a little deep though, perhaps a bit too well padded.
 
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