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Q2, camera bag (s) in person observations

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LenRivers

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Camera Bags are the hardest thing to buy sight unseen. You really need to put Your camera gear in the bag and take it for a walk... I have many bags and kept many but do occasional have to make a return.
  1. Think Tank Retrospective 6
  2. Think Tank Retrospective 5 v2.0
  3. Ona Bowery - Nylon (just acquired to see if I like)
  4. Billingham Hadley Small Pro v2 (has top handle)
  5. Ona Rockaway - sling (just acquired to see if I like)
Here at the camera bag store I own all of these bags, LOL. The Ona's were just acquired for me to test. Only so much reading you can do on any aspect of photography gear.

The short answer. Both Ona's will be getting returned.

** Note hood is attached and I am using the Match Technical Lens Cap. This makes the camera a hair longer with the cap.

At the moment I have the Q2 with RRS grip, flash, couple table top tripods, filters, extra battery in a Domke F2 with the added shoulder pad and a couple extra inserts.

I want options for a smaller carry bag. Not in any order

Think Tank Retro 6

Well padded inside, padded & comfortable shoulder strap, velcro silent closure option. It fits the Q2 with, Leica SF flash, a TT tripod, filter or two, xtra battery.

Think Tank Retro 5 v2.0, same padding, but smaller not as long of a bag. The V2.0 bags have an extra zipper flap you can further seal the bag. That flap can tuck away into a built in pocket in the bags lid. Easy access in use!

Ona Bowery, Nylon version. About the same size as the think tank retro 5. No padded strap, less pockets, not the best lid closure which makes it harder to work out out of the bag. The lid is not really flexible.

Bilingham Hadley Small Pro version 2

Has top handle, bag is well structured, not too hard not too soft. It is sized similar to the Ona Bowery, both think tank bags with the retro 6 a bit longer, but not a big deal that is that much more. Like the Domke bag the Billingham you will want to buy the shoulder pad accessory, Maybe they have that for Ona, but that is only part of the deal breaker. The Billingham has expandable front pockets and like Domke you get used to non-velcro non-zipper closures. Again, we all have deal breakers.. Domke I am not a fan of the clasps they use, but the bag benefits outweigh it for me.

Ona Rock-a-way sling. A positive is the handle on the side of the bag for a quick way to grab the bag from your back to bring front. The bag does open away from you as it should much like the Think Tank Speed demon does. I think now discontinued.

The Ona rock a way, is sized similar to all of these bags. Problem for me is the pockets are too shallow, the zipper mechanism is not smooth.

********

Potential follow up is for me to check out more of the Think Tank bags like the urban access I think its called.

IMO Think Tank is the best camera bag made with the working photographer in mind.

Billingham is quality but some of the bags are too narrow for larger system cameras. Like it is not for my Sony or when I shot Nikon. I will never use a camera bag without the lens attached forgetting the Q2 for the moment. Each of my items I prefer to have its own compartment as I dont like to stack. I want to grab the item, in and out of the bag efficiently.

ONA is fine, I have tried the Prince Street years ago and when weighted down the bag fell in on itself. The bag just needs more structure if i recall correctly.

I did give ONA a fair shake, but its not for me. I am never opposed to trying a new model in the future.
 
Last edited:
Try a Compagnon bag.
 
Joshsx said:
Try a Compagnon bag.
Click to expand...
I looked them up and if I cant get them easily in the USA as a non special order cant do that. There is always a chance I will have to return a camera bag. It may look good on paper and video review but till I get the gear in the bag in person I wont know.

B&H these bags are special order and not worth the trouble to import from Germany..

I would be curious to see a Billingham vs Compagnon comparison as they seem to be like price point. For me function over fashion is what I would go for... I also stay clear of leather at all costs. I am not interested in maintaining leather..
 
LenRivers said:
Camera Bags are the hardest thing to buy sight unseen. You really need to put Your camera gear in the bag and take it for a walk... I have many bags and kept many but do occasional have to make a return.
  1. Think Tank Retrospective 6
  2. Think Tank Retrospective 5 v2.0
  3. Ona Bowery - Nylon (just acquired to see if I like)
  4. Billingham Hadley Small Pro v2 (has top handle)
  5. Ona Rockaway - sling (just acquired to see if I like)
Here at the camera bag store I own all of these bags, LOL. The Ona's were just acquired for me to test. Only so much reading you can do on any aspect of photography gear.

The short answer. Both Ona's will be getting returned.

** Note hood is attached and I am using the Match Technical Lens Cap. This makes the camera a hair longer with the cap.

At the moment I have the Q2 with RRS grip, flash, couple table top tripods, filters, extra battery in a Domke F2 with the added shoulder pad and a couple extra inserts.

I want options for a smaller carry bag. Not in any order

Think Tank Retro 6

Well padded inside, padded & comfortable shoulder strap, velcro silent closure option. It fits the Q2 with, Leica SF flash, a TT tripod, filter or two, xtra battery.

Think Tank Retro 5 v2.0, same padding, but smaller not as long of a bag. The V2.0 bags have an extra zipper flap you can further seal the bag. That flap can tuck away into a built in pocket in the bags lid. Easy access in use!

Ona Bowery, Nylon version. About the same size as the think tank retro 5. No padded strap, less pockets, not the best lid closure which makes it harder to work out out of the bag. The lid is not really flexible.

Bilingham Hadley Small Pro version 2

Has top handle, bag is well structured, not too hard not too soft. It is sized similar to the Ona Bowery, both think tank bags with the retro 6 a bit longer, but not a big deal that is that much more. Like the Domke bag the Billingham you will want to buy the shoulder pad accessory, Maybe they have that for Ona, but that is only part of the deal breaker. The Billingham has expandable front pockets and like Domke you get used to non-velcro non-zipper closures. Again, we all have deal breakers.. Domke I am not a fan of the clasps they use, but the bag benefits outweigh it for me.

Ona Rock-a-way sling. A positive is the handle on the side of the bag for a quick way to grab the bag from your back to bring front. The bag does open away from you as it should much like the Think Tank Speed demon does. I think now discontinued.

The Ona rock a way, is sized similar to all of these bags. Problem for me is the pockets are too shallow, the zipper mechanism is not smooth.

********

Potential follow up is for me to check out more of the Think Tank bags like the urban access I think its called.

IMO Think Tank is the best camera bag made with the working photographer in mind.

Billingham is quality but some of the bags are too narrow for larger system cameras. Like it is not for my Sony or when I shot Nikon. I will never use a camera bag without the lens attached forgetting the Q2 for the moment. Each of my items I prefer to have its own compartment as I dont like to stack. I want to grab the item, in and out of the bag efficiently.

ONA is fine, I have tried the Prince Street years ago and when weighted down the bag fell in on itself. The bag just needs more structure if i recall correctly.

I did give ONA a fair shake, but its not for me. I am never opposed to trying a new model in the future.
Click to expand...
IMO, I would get two different bags if I were you, just because you own a Leica, LOL.

The first one is a premium bag that matches the vibe and character of Leica. For that, it gotta be a leather bag. The second one is a very low-profile bag for everyday and safety.

The Retro 5 or 6 should fit everything you are carrying. I have the original version of the 5. I used it with my Canon DSLR with lens and hood attached, my Olympus system later and Fuji ( X-pro3) system now. I guess it will serve my Leica well ( I am not yet a Leica owner as I am still deciding if I should get the Q2, M or M10). It works super well and I carry it everywhere for multiple years and it is still serving me currently.

But for me, my Thinktank is already wearing out and I want to try something different. So I am back to bag shopping recently.

After some searching, I bought a Brown ONA Berlin II Leather bag Leica limited edition. It is a close-out item so it is not widely available but you may still be able to find one on eBay or some stores. An alternative is the on-going Prince street, basically the same bag without the red dot, front zipper compartment and red interior. I figure that the bag matches the vibe of the RF cameras very well. It looks very beautiful, elegant but not formal and not too high profile. Padding is thick and protective. Dividers are good as this bag is designed for 1RF and two extra small prime lenses. Great bag for people who wear sport jacket, shirt, jeans and care to be stylish and minimal...

It's heavy ( relatively) since its leather but With one camera and 1 extra lens and 2 extra batteries and a small external battery pack. It's not too bad at all to carry for a full day.

Of course, You mentioned you tried prince Street already and did not like it. So, I guess that is off the table.

Some pictures from Leica shop.

https://www.leicashop.com/brandnew/at/en/ona-bag-the-berlin-ii-leather-vintage-bourbon

Then next one I plan to buy is the Peak Design Everyday Sling 6L (Black) to replace my Think Tank Retro. This will be used for everyday carry, trips or when I am going some places that I don't feel comfortable to bring my ONA Berlin II . The PD everyday sling is practical, flexible, well-secured, light, well padded, good design of pockets, divider and compartments and cheaper than ThinkTank Retro 6. 3 different sizes and you choose what best fits your need. For everyday use, I find that it will be either 3L or 6L.

Peak Design Everyday Sling page:

https://www.peakdesign.com/products/everyday-sling?variant=29742302068780

Good Luck on shopping

--
https://www.flickr.com/photos/183079213@N06/
 
Last edited:
I have the Peak design 10 L first gen. I tried the 2nd gen bags and did not like the zipper.

Still, bags like I said are really hard to figure out and you just have to try for yourself to decide.

I still shoot my Sony A7iii and want to pay attention to that system. I have my eye on two lenses I'd like to get and am interested in what the next A7 will be (A7IV) non R version.

So can that $500 or so be better used on something like that or maybe even a tripod upgrade... etc...
 
LenRivers said:
I have the Peak design 10 L first gen. I tried the 2nd gen bags and did not like the zipper.

Still, bags like I said are really hard to figure out and you just have to try for yourself to decide.

I still shoot my Sony A7iii and want to pay attention to that system. I have my eye on two lenses I'd like to get and am interested in what the next A7 will be (A7IV) non R version.

So can that $500 or so be better used on something like that or maybe even a tripod upgrade... etc...
Click to expand...
Yeah, It's its all personal priority. If you were all set with your gear and trying to find a nice bag to suit your need, that will be how you should spend your money first. But if you are still upgrading your gear and expanding a DSLR-like mirrorless system with certain budget in mind, it will be your job to prioritize what makes more sense to your money. But with what you said, you are considering Billingham and Compagnon. They are not particularly cheap, I think.

To me I am set for Fuji Xpro and primes as my main system. I probably will just add an M/M10+one lens as a second camera for fun. So, buying couple satisfying small bags works for me well as my budget is flexible.

Good luck on buying the right bag and upgrading the Sony. ! It's a fun process anyway.

--
https://www.flickr.com/photos/183079213@N06/
 
Last edited:
DOMKE F2 is too bulky for a single camera setup. Check out the DOMKE J803.
 
Vetteran said:
DOMKE F2 is too bulky for a single camera setup. Check out the DOMKE J803.
Click to expand...
With a single P&S plus couple batteries and a table tripod, I think even a smaller bag like the F-5XB can work.
 
True. Personally I prefer the form factor of a small messenger as well as a little more real estate
 
Every time this subject comes up, I put in a plug for the Think Tank Mirrorless Mover 25i bag. It holds my hooded and capped Q2 securely in one compartment and a flash & charger in another, with zippered storage in the top and in a separate exterior 'pocket,' for cards and cables. I tried a 20, but the 25i offers a little more space. Unlike leather, this nylon 25i is not stiff or heavy, yet I believe it offers adequate security, for the price.
 
LenRivers said:
Camera Bags are the hardest thing to buy sight unseen. You really need to put Your camera gear in the bag and take it for a walk... I have many bags and kept many but do occasional have to make a return.
  1. Think Tank Retrospective 6
  2. Think Tank Retrospective 5 v2.0
  3. Ona Bowery - Nylon (just acquired to see if I like)
  4. Billingham Hadley Small Pro v2 (has top handle)
  5. Ona Rockaway - sling (just acquired to see if I like)
Here at the camera bag store I own all of these bags, LOL. The Ona's were just acquired for me to test. Only so much reading you can do on any aspect of photography gear.

The short answer. Both Ona's will be getting returned.

** Note hood is attached and I am using the Match Technical Lens Cap. This makes the camera a hair longer with the cap.

At the moment I have the Q2 with RRS grip, flash, couple table top tripods, filters, extra battery in a Domke F2 with the added shoulder pad and a couple extra inserts.

I want options for a smaller carry bag. Not in any order

Think Tank Retro 6

Well padded inside, padded & comfortable shoulder strap, velcro silent closure option. It fits the Q2 with, Leica SF flash, a TT tripod, filter or two, xtra battery.

Think Tank Retro 5 v2.0, same padding, but smaller not as long of a bag. The V2.0 bags have an extra zipper flap you can further seal the bag. That flap can tuck away into a built in pocket in the bags lid. Easy access in use!

Ona Bowery, Nylon version. About the same size as the think tank retro 5. No padded strap, less pockets, not the best lid closure which makes it harder to work out out of the bag. The lid is not really flexible.

Bilingham Hadley Small Pro version 2

Has top handle, bag is well structured, not too hard not too soft. It is sized similar to the Ona Bowery, both think tank bags with the retro 6 a bit longer, but not a big deal that is that much more. Like the Domke bag the Billingham you will want to buy the shoulder pad accessory, Maybe they have that for Ona, but that is only part of the deal breaker. The Billingham has expandable front pockets and like Domke you get used to non-velcro non-zipper closures. Again, we all have deal breakers.. Domke I am not a fan of the clasps they use, but the bag benefits outweigh it for me.

Ona Rock-a-way sling. A positive is the handle on the side of the bag for a quick way to grab the bag from your back to bring front. The bag does open away from you as it should much like the Think Tank Speed demon does. I think now discontinued.

The Ona rock a way, is sized similar to all of these bags. Problem for me is the pockets are too shallow, the zipper mechanism is not smooth.

********

Potential follow up is for me to check out more of the Think Tank bags like the urban access I think its called.

IMO Think Tank is the best camera bag made with the working photographer in mind.

Billingham is quality but some of the bags are too narrow for larger system cameras. Like it is not for my Sony or when I shot Nikon. I will never use a camera bag without the lens attached forgetting the Q2 for the moment. Each of my items I prefer to have its own compartment as I dont like to stack. I want to grab the item, in and out of the bag efficiently.

ONA is fine, I have tried the Prince Street years ago and when weighted down the bag fell in on itself. The bag just needs more structure if i recall correctly.

I did give ONA a fair shake, but its not for me. I am never opposed to trying a new model in the future.
Click to expand...
Check out the Wotancraft Pilot 7L bag. At the moment it’s my favorite camera bag due to size and flexibility. I can fit my Q2 easily with another small mirrorless camera and lens like xpro. Additionally, it doesn’t look like a camera bag and I feel like it has other useful pockets for carrying other random knickknacks.

The other bag I like to mention is the Tom BIHN co-pilot. It’s not a traditional camera bag but the back pocket fits an Ona Roma camera insert perfectly. Before getting the pilot 7L this was my go to and still is for times when I want the flexibility to remove the camera insert on the go.
 
tangfj said:
LenRivers said:
Camera Bags are the hardest thing to buy sight unseen. You really need to put Your camera gear in the bag and take it for a walk... I have many bags and kept many but do occasional have to make a return.
  1. Think Tank Retrospective 6
  2. Think Tank Retrospective 5 v2.0
  3. Ona Bowery - Nylon (just acquired to see if I like)
  4. Billingham Hadley Small Pro v2 (has top handle)
  5. Ona Rockaway - sling (just acquired to see if I like)
Here at the camera bag store I own all of these bags, LOL. The Ona's were just acquired for me to test. Only so much reading you can do on any aspect of photography gear.

The short answer. Both Ona's will be getting returned.

** Note hood is attached and I am using the Match Technical Lens Cap. This makes the camera a hair longer with the cap.

At the moment I have the Q2 with RRS grip, flash, couple table top tripods, filters, extra battery in a Domke F2 with the added shoulder pad and a couple extra inserts.

I want options for a smaller carry bag. Not in any order

Think Tank Retro 6

Well padded inside, padded & comfortable shoulder strap, velcro silent closure option. It fits the Q2 with, Leica SF flash, a TT tripod, filter or two, xtra battery.

Think Tank Retro 5 v2.0, same padding, but smaller not as long of a bag. The V2.0 bags have an extra zipper flap you can further seal the bag. That flap can tuck away into a built in pocket in the bags lid. Easy access in use!

Ona Bowery, Nylon version. About the same size as the think tank retro 5. No padded strap, less pockets, not the best lid closure which makes it harder to work out out of the bag. The lid is not really flexible.

Bilingham Hadley Small Pro version 2

Has top handle, bag is well structured, not too hard not too soft. It is sized similar to the Ona Bowery, both think tank bags with the retro 6 a bit longer, but not a big deal that is that much more. Like the Domke bag the Billingham you will want to buy the shoulder pad accessory, Maybe they have that for Ona, but that is only part of the deal breaker. The Billingham has expandable front pockets and like Domke you get used to non-velcro non-zipper closures. Again, we all have deal breakers.. Domke I am not a fan of the clasps they use, but the bag benefits outweigh it for me.

Ona Rock-a-way sling. A positive is the handle on the side of the bag for a quick way to grab the bag from your back to bring front. The bag does open away from you as it should much like the Think Tank Speed demon does. I think now discontinued.

The Ona rock a way, is sized similar to all of these bags. Problem for me is the pockets are too shallow, the zipper mechanism is not smooth.

********

Potential follow up is for me to check out more of the Think Tank bags like the urban access I think its called.

IMO Think Tank is the best camera bag made with the working photographer in mind.

Billingham is quality but some of the bags are too narrow for larger system cameras. Like it is not for my Sony or when I shot Nikon. I will never use a camera bag without the lens attached forgetting the Q2 for the moment. Each of my items I prefer to have its own compartment as I dont like to stack. I want to grab the item, in and out of the bag efficiently.

ONA is fine, I have tried the Prince Street years ago and when weighted down the bag fell in on itself. The bag just needs more structure if i recall correctly.

I did give ONA a fair shake, but its not for me. I am never opposed to trying a new model in the future.
Click to expand...
Check out the Wotancraft Pilot 7L bag. At the moment it’s my favorite camera bag due to size and flexibility. I can fit my Q2 easily with another small mirrorless camera and lens like xpro. Additionally, it doesn’t look like a camera bag and I feel like it has other useful pockets for carrying other random knickknacks.

The other bag I like to mention is the Tom BIHN co-pilot. It’s not a traditional camera bag but the back pocket fits an Ona Roma camera insert perfectly. Before getting the pilot 7L this was my go to and still is for times when I want the flexibility to remove the camera insert on the go.
Click to expand...
Thanks will have a look.
I have am testing out the think tank photocross 13 I think it’s called. The urban access 10 I did not like per se.
 
What do you think about going to the Wotancraft medium the 10L size over the 7L ?
 
LenRivers said:
What do you think about going to the Wotancraft medium the 10L size over the 7L ?
Click to expand...
I don't have the 10L so can't speak to it but I suppose it would depend on what you plan to carry... the 7L works perfectly for my Q2 and I could also fit in another small mirrorless camera with maybe 1-2 small lenses with room to spare in all the zippered pockets/etc for my wallet and daily carry stuff... The 10L is bigger all the way around so would fit more.
 
tangfj said:
LenRivers said:
What do you think about going to the Wotancraft medium the 10L size over the 7L ?
Click to expand...
I don't have the 10L so can't speak to it but I suppose it would depend on what you plan to carry... the 7L works perfectly for my Q2 and I could also fit in another small mirrorless camera with maybe 1-2 small lenses with room to spare in all the zippered pockets/etc for my wallet and daily carry stuff... The 10L is bigger all the way around so would fit more.
Click to expand...
Thank you. Been weighing this idea.
 
I tried an Ona bag at some point and returned it. I wasn't confident in the design of how the strap was affixed to the bag and how the stresses were distributed.

I've had and used a couple of Think Tank bags over the years, still have a couple of them. I haven't found the ones I had to be a favorite, but the ones I still own have been serviceable and sensible. They often seem a bit too bulky for their carrying capacity to me.

I prefer simpler bag designs. What's been working well for me for a very long time ...

Billingham L2 "Alice": simple, nice big front pocket, and versatile enough for a wide variety of small kits.

Black Label Bag Oskar's One Day Bag Mark II: This has been my main travel bag for a decade or more. It's big enough to handle a three lens kit plus my iPad Pro 11" and does double duty as a day bag when I only want a single camera/lens along. It's a nice balance of size, capacity, weight, and non-descript appearance.

Pelican hard case/rollaway: when I want to carry a full medium format kit plus a small Leica kit and slam it all through planes, trains, and automobiles, this is the one I take. Waterproof, drop proof, practically explosion proof...

But lately I'm much more likely to be riding a bicycle or walking. I usually carry a minimal kit (just one, maybe two lenses) and it has to stay put on my back but be fast to get in and out of. The Peak Design Everyday Sling 5L does wonderful service for my Leica CL and a three lens kit; the Wotancraft Mini Rider is a bit more square in dimension and will handle even my Hasselblad 500CM with Planar 80mm comfortably without moving around. The larger version of the Peak Design Everday Sling v1 and Wotancraft Easy Rider both can handle more gear as well as a light weekend's worth of travel gear plus the tablet.

Lately, however, I've gone even more minimalistic and sometimes just carry the equivalent of a Q2 (Leica CL plus Summilux 35/1.4 (1972)) or a Polaroid SX-70, or my Light L16, all with a tabletop tripod. A Patagonia Atom 8L sling bag that I picked up recently handles any of those along with my other cycling necessities easily in a light, cheap, and easy to deal with form factor.

The fundamental problem is that I have a lot of different kinds of equipment that gets used in all kinds of different carry situations, so I have a freekin' closet full of different kinds of bags ... some of which get very little use but are just the right thing in some specific circumstance or another. Better to have the right thing when you need it most of the time, and make do when you only need a specific thing once in a while, I suspect. :D

G
 
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