Bag days are over

I've got two camera bags; a slingshot style for a big DSLR, and a classic style camera bag originally for the 20D.

After initial enthusiasm they fell into dis-use. I still occasionally use them to transport equipment, and if I take a motorbike out for a day's shooting then the slingshot comes in useful to carry my equipment on my back, but that's just about the only time it now sees any use.

My main issue is if I'm carrying my camera, I want it to be ready to shoot when an opportunity arrises.

Just looking back through the library, I see a fair number of images that were just grabbed in passing because I had my camera in my hand or over my shoulder, ready to shoot. Here's a small selection:
























Back when I carried my 20D in a bag with a few lenses, I used to see fleeting opportunities but by the time the camera was out of the bag, more often than not the chance was gone. Eventually I moved to just carrying the camera ready to shoot, with a standard zoom, initially a 24-70/2.8 but later a 70-200 supplemented by a large sensor compact for wide and normal.

Today it's an RX100 and an OM-D with the 35-100/2.8.

But obviously, there are times I go out specifically to shoot and want a selection of lenses. For this purpose I now use one of these:









This comfortably holds 4 lenses, nearly always the 7-14/4, 25/1.4 and 75/1.8 and then one of either 12-50, 45/2.8 or 100-300. In addition it holds spare batteries, SD cards, cleaning cloths and an iPad.

It may not make any positive fashion statements but it's made a notable difference to my shooting as all my lenses are now seeing a lot more use, especially the 7-14.

Buying it was great fun too. I saw it in the central market in Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam. The girl was asking around £35 for it. There followed 15 minutes of intense but very good natured bargaining. She got me on the back foot after I said I didn't have that much money, she quipped back "You no have money, I die for sure", but I recovered and her downfall came later when she said her throat was sore and she'd stop talking (selling) to me if I didn't agree to £15, I replied "You stop talk, I die for sure" and she lost her poker face. £8 Sold. She had great angles to coax and bully and charm a sale an I could have listened to her all day, easy on the eye too.

-Najinsky

Thank you for telling your great story! It's to tell and relive stories that my grandfather, father, brother and myself picked up cameras. Fascinating devices but photography with stories is art and we never claimed to be artists. Some told us we were, but we all knew our pictures were only great when part of a great story.

Thanks again.

-Bill

Nice pics and interesting stories!

HOWEVER:

Member said:

Najinsky wrote:

But obviously, there are times I go out specifically to shoot and want a selection of lenses. For this purpose I now use one of these:



This comfortably holds 4 lenses, nearly always the 7-14/4, 25/1.4 and 75/1.8 and then one of either 12-50, 45/2.8 or 100-300. In addition it holds spare batteries, SD cards, cleaning cloths and an iPad.

It may not make any positive fashion statements but it's made a notable difference to my shooting as all my lenses are now seeing a lot more use, especially the 7-14.

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I believe it is comfortable and very useful.

But there are limits. I confess, I am not that good looking that I could ever wear this, eh, thing, without feeling like a paparazzo of the lower form.

Peter.

Member said:

Najinsky wrote:

My main issue is if I'm carrying my camera, I want it to be ready to shoot when an opportunity arrises.

Just looking back through the library, I see a fair number of images that were just grabbed in passing because I had my camera in my hand or over my shoulder, ready to shoot.

Click to expand...

Agree 100%. I even find that if I have the camera on a strap around my one shoulder, it's often too much to get the shot. I like it around my neck, hanging in front, tourist-style. Pocket cams and enthusiast models like my LX7 are in my hand when I walk, and hanging under my arm on an OP/TECH compact strap when in restaurants, etc. Bags and cases are useless to me.

One other point: cameras don't ever go in my pockets. Too much lint and other junk in there.

You have some nice photos!

Interesting story. The new jacket looks pretty practical and I would love to have one!!!

The price you managed is great -- I am sure the girl still made some profit, though not as much she would have liked.

I am not so good at the art of negotiation (I don't enjoy it one bit). So I probably would have either paid close to the asking price, or just walked away, depending on my mood!

--
Kris

Would you go back to Saigon and buy one for me too, please? I've been trying to buy something just like this for over a year, and can't find anything acceptable in the UK. Some are too heavy a fabric, some have too few pockets, some have long sleeves ... even fishermen's jackets seem to have vanished. I can send the £8 or even 8dollars!

Maggie

Love the colour and light in the first! Looks very much like a fishing vest. Would be hot in the warm weather.

Andrew

Thanks for your post. I'll go look at my old Domke vest. Carrying:

OMD with grip/12-50/45-150

Nikon1V1 with Franiec grip/10-30/30-110

Looks to me an awful lot like a fly fishing vest you can get at Cabellas for about $39.00 US. I'm thinking that hooks and lenses will make a great combo!!!

What a nice story, with lovely pictures, I had to lough at your new jacket....I got one very similar, for anglers, for x-mass ( I asked for it!), it took me nearly 6 month to actually put it on, today again, 4 lenses in total, 14-300mm, 2 manual ones, adapter, batteries extra card....all good!

JL

Cool story. In earlier years, I wore large jackets with large pockets and stashed everything in them. Since then I've carried increasingly shoulder bags starting in 2005, starting with a very light nylon bag that only held a wallet and Canon S70, to a messenger satchel, a Thinktank Urban Disguise, a Cote et Ciel messenger, a Billingham Hadley Pro and a finally a Samsonite backpack with laptop compartment. The gear has increased as well, and I carried a Canon 30D +17-55, and later a 5D Mark II + 24-105 on a daily basis. A bag was essential to protect my cameras from the rain and to make them inconspicuous and easier to carry.

I'm getting tired of carrying a bag, and years of this have started to make my shoulder and lower back hurt after only a couple of hours of carry. And I never carry a DSLR any more - the heaviest thing I carry is a Leica M9 with a few lenses, but the OM-D is one of my favourite walkabout cameras these days. I'm moving back towards putting things in my pockets, and I find Scottevest clothing very practical. They have up to 25 internal pockets with all manner of zips and flaps, and they are designed to hold iPads and magazines among other things. This winter I will experiment with the EM-5 + 12-35mm around my neck and the Ricoh GR in a pocket, and no bag at all.

I'm a bag guy and confess that I have lost shots out of laziness. Camera in hand is a different story. But rather than look like a dork wearing a vest, I'll continue carrying a cool-looking bag and just have a camera out and in hand. It's not all or nothing as far as I am concerned,

I got one of those already about a year ago although with the rear side vented (there's a net rather than solid fabric in the back) so that it doesn't add to the heat in "T-shirt weather". It's my preferred solution when the temperature allows you to walk around without a jacket. I'd carry my E-M5 and the 14-45 in a small belt holster and four to five lenses plus miscellaneous accessories in the vest.

Member said:

Najinsky wrote:

I've got two camera bags; a slingshot style for a big DSLR, and a classic style camera bag originally for the 20D.

After initial enthusiasm they fell into dis-use.

Click to expand...

Member said:

My main issue is if I'm carrying my camera, I want it to be ready to shoot when an opportunity arrises.

Just looking back through the library, I see a fair number of images that were just grabbed in passing because I had my camera in my hand or over my shoulder, ready to shoot.

Click to expand...

You're absolutely right about having the camera ready. Why carry a camera, but keep it stashed in a bag?

During my daily travels around town… walking, subway, bus, biking, NO car… I usually sling my camera and have one lens for the day… 12mm, 25mm, 35mm. Or maybe a toss an extra lens in my pack. Or I may only carry a small bag for an extra lens or two. BUT, the camera is always slung over my shoulder, ready to use.

KrisPix said:

KrisPix wrote:

Interesting story. The new jacket looks pretty practical and I would love to have one!!!

The price you managed is great -- I am sure the girl still made some profit, though not as much she would have liked.

I am not so good at the art of negotiation (I don't enjoy it one bit). So I probably would have either paid close to the asking price, or just walked away, depending on my mood!

Click to expand...

Ben Thanh market in Vietnam is a great tourist market, and notably better quality than the usual junk and most Asian tourists market (check out youtube for videos).

However, the sales people in these markets see tourists as walking ATM machines. They rely on the fact you don't know the place to exploit much higher prices, so negotiation is essential (and great fun).

It's not like other places where, perhaps like you, I don't like bargaining from a position of not knowing what a fair price should be, or whether hard bargaining is seen as rude or disrespectful.

In Ben Thanh, bargaining is expected and welcomed, and in some respects is a great place for westerners to overcome their fear of bargaining. The key point to remember is you are the walking ATM machine that they want to take cash from, your job is to make sure they punch in the right numbers.

-Najinsky

Nice try Maggie but £8 is my cost price! However, if the size is right you could try to buy this one! How are your bargaining skills

I'm a near permanent resident in Asia, spending 7-10 months of the year there. I have a base in Thailand but have to leave the country every 60 days to renew my Visa. I use this opportunity to visit Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, and sometimes further afield.

Saigon is a fabulous place, a fusion of eastern Asia with French accents. Busy, vibrant and crazy, I love it and I'll be heading back many times so it will be no problem to pick up a new one.

-Najinsky

maggiemole said:

maggiemole wrote:

Would you go back to Saigon and buy one for me too, please? I've been trying to buy something just like this for over a year, and can't find anything acceptable in the UK. Some are too heavy a fabric, some have too few pockets, some have long sleeves ... even fishermen's jackets seem to have vanished. I can send the £8 or even 8dollars!

Maggie

Click to expand...

19andrew47 said:

19andrew47 wrote:

Love the colour and light in the first! Looks very much like a fishing vest. Would be hot in the warm weather.

Andrew

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This was a consideration in buying it. It has substance to support the contents of the pockets but is not thick or heavy. It's actually quite light, in fact, just right.

-Najinsky

Savas Kyprianides said:

Savas Kyprianides wrote:

I'm a bag guy and confess that I have lost shots out of laziness. Camera in hand is a different story. But rather than look like a dork wearing a vest, I'll continue carrying a cool-looking bag and just have a camera out and in hand. It's not all or nothing as far as I am concerned,

Click to expand...

Well, as anyone who's been to a summer ball will know, you can dress people in all manner of finery, but dorks and the socially inept will soon reveal themselves through their opinions and words.

But that aside, I agree it's not something to be worn everyday. As mentioned, my walkaround is the OM-D with the 35-100/2.8 supported by a Sony RX100. This covers a huge range of situations, thanks to the incredible RX100, it's a remarkably good camera in a tiny package.

The vest is for when I want a full selection of lenses. These are rarely social occasions where I care about how I look, they are journeys and excursions with the intent to visit places and take great photos. There are often other considerations regarding dressing appropriately for the trip, warm, waterproof, climbing shoes, sun protection, keeping both hand free, keeping items secure, and so forth. I have to say I never felt out of place with the vest. Perhaps seeking great photo ops is just the domain of the dorks.

Enjoy being cool.

-Najinsky.

Member said:

Najinsky wrote:

Member said:

Savas Kyprianides wrote:

I'm a bag guy and confess that I have lost shots out of laziness. Camera in hand is a different story. But rather than look like a dork wearing a vest, I'll continue carrying a cool-looking bag and just have a camera out and in hand. It's not all or nothing as far as I am concerned,

Click to expand...

Well, as anyone who's been to a summer ball will know, you can dress people in all manner of finery, but dorks and the socially inept will soon reveal themselves through their opinions and words.

But that aside, I agree it's not something to be worn everyday. As mentioned, my walkaround is the OM-D with the 35-100/2.8 supported by a Sony RX100. This covers a huge range of situations, thanks to the incredible RX100, it's a remarkably good camera in a tiny package.

The vest is for when I want a full selection of lenses. These are rarely social occasions where I care about how I look, they are journeys and excursions with the intent to visit places and take great photos. There are often other considerations regarding dressing appropriately for the trip, warm, waterproof, climbing shoes, sun protection, keeping both hand free, keeping items secure, and so forth. I have to say I never felt out of place with the vest. Perhaps seeking great photo ops is just the domain of the dorks.

Enjoy being cool.

-Najinsky.

Click to expand...

Don't get so offended that you come up with a wordy oddball rejoinder, however long that might have taken. Most guys I see wearing a photo vest sport a gut, further weighted down by heavily loaded pockets.

Savas Kyprianides said:

Savas Kyprianides wrote:

Savas Kyprianides said:

Najinsky wrote:

Savas Kyprianides said:

Savas Kyprianides wrote:

I'm a bag guy and confess that I have lost shots out of laziness. Camera in hand is a different story. But rather than look like a dork wearing a vest, I'll continue carrying a cool-looking bag and just have a camera out and in hand. It's not all or nothing as far as I am concerned,

Click to expand...

Well, as anyone who's been to a summer ball will know, you can dress people in all manner of finery, but dorks and the socially inept will soon reveal themselves through their opinions and words.

But that aside, I agree it's not something to be worn everyday. As mentioned, my walkaround is the OM-D with the 35-100/2.8 supported by a Sony RX100. This covers a huge range of situations, thanks to the incredible RX100, it's a remarkably good camera in a tiny package.

The vest is for when I want a full selection of lenses. These are rarely social occasions where I care about how I look, they are journeys and excursions with the intent to visit places and take great photos. There are often other considerations regarding dressing appropriately for the trip, warm, waterproof, climbing shoes, sun protection, keeping both hand free, keeping items secure, and so forth. I have to say I never felt out of place with the vest. Perhaps seeking great photo ops is just the domain of the dorks.

Enjoy being cool.

-Najinsky.

Click to expand...

Don't get so offended that you come up with a wordy oddball rejoinder, however long that might have taken. Most guys I see wearing a photo vest sport a gut, further weighted down by heavily loaded pockets.

Click to expand...

Out of the mouth of babes.

-Najinsky