Good camera bags?

KCAZ wrote:

Funny how great minds think alike. I have used the Lowepro Event Messenger 150 as my lightweight inexpensive bag (often within a daypack or carryon luggage), and the Tamrac Apache 4.2 as my small bag for one body with one or two lenses and a small strobe. For two bodies and up to four lenses, I like the Tenba Cooper 13 Slim - very comfortable and does not look like a typical camera bag. However, I do think it is quite overpriced new, but I am happy with the one I found barely used for less than half of the new price.

Yes!  I have some large bags and some small ones, and I find that the small ones get used most often.  After all, we typically dont use all our lenses and accessories in each outing   I outfit my bag with what I know I will need that day and leave the rest at home.

gary0319 wrote:

Although I have a few expensive Bellingham bags, my favorites for most all occasions are the Think Tank Mirrorless Mover series. I have the smaller 25, the mid size 25i and the larger 30. Which one (or two) I take depends on what I plan on shooting, but even the little 25 model will accommodate my E-M1 III with the 12-45 Pro mounted and the 8mm f/1.8 FE Pro for a small about town trek.

Sounds like a small bag that can hold 2-3 lenses is the ideal kind of bag for most situations.

Jan Chelminski wrote:

Sling-O-Matic 10.

It can carry the 1X, 1mk2, four lenses, PCM audio recorder, small Sirui travel tripod and a tripod-style folding seat. Very heavy load capacity for a sling, it has a thick, well padded and contoured shoulder strap, as well as good heavy duty construction overall.

Other times, I can use it to take more basic 1X + 1/2/3 lens kit (with plenty of room for drinks, etc) out, and it feels very lightweight.

Love how I can very quickly slide it from my back to front (while walking, if necessary) to remove or replace the camera, etc.

Best all-around bag I have ever used.

I have too many other bags to count, including the (Domke, mostly) stuff I used in the 80's. My huge bag of bag dividers is like one of those rubber-band balls, slowly, but always growing...,

Rgds,

Jan

I have an old Domke too!  I unpacked it the other day and the memories came streaming back.  I actually used it when I got my first camera back in the 90s and it was my favorite bag for 10 years or so, not getting replaced until the mid 2000s.

Trolleyman wrote:

ThinkTank Retrospective 5. Its a nice size for a mirrorless kit, well made and a sdnsible design.

Also very water resistant even without the supplied cover. I got caught in the mother of all storms, so bad we had to be rescued by the police. Soaked to the skin, the bag was too, but all the gear inside was bone dry.

ah water resistance (and maybe being well padded and shock resistant) is important to me.  Can it hold 2-3 lenses?

amipal wrote:

I've been using the Retrospective 5 ever since I bought my Lumix GH1, and it has served remarkably well as the GH bodies grew. I now use it with my G9 kit, though it is starting to be a bit of a squeeze - I usually have two Voigtlander f/0.95 primes in there, and the PL50-200mm, and those three lenses are neither light nor small.

Saying that, I don't feel in any great need to upgrade the bag to a larger size. I still have room in there for a variety of screw-on filters, the Laowa f/2 7.5mm prime, the Lumix 12-32mm pancake zoom, and the 1.4TC for the aforementioned PL.

The only time I use another bag is if I'm going to an airshow, as, if I hire the PL100-400mm, it doesn't fit comfortably in the Retrospective 5.

Link

Cheers,
Paul

I see that bag recommended often....it's water resistant and maybe shock resistant too?  If it can hold 2-3 lenses that'd be ideal.

Jon Schick wrote:

I find the Think Tank Retrospective 5 perfect for my m43 system. Compact, well made and doesn't shout camera bag. For my other system I have a Billingham bag which is used in all weathers several times a week, is now a few years old and looks even better with age. I can't recommend it highly enough and it was worth every penny.

That Retrospective 5 is getting recommended a lot- I'm going to look into it (weather resistant and shock resistant), if it can hold 2-3 lenses thats perfect.

G Dickson wrote:

My m4/3 bag is a Billingham Hadley Pro. About 3 or four years in the African bush, in and out of boats and vehicles, in rain and blazing heat. I have beaten this thing and it looks like new. I love it. It also makes me look fairly normal if I take out the camera insert and use it as a messenger bag on super rare visits to travel agents in Europe. It looks more classy in a rural gentlemanly way (when paired with a barbour jacket and a shave) than most of the geeky techno bags. Or the ones that look like Italian man purses.

My 'big bag' is a F-Stop Tilopa. It can swallow a 6dii, 100-400ii, 24-105, 16-35, 85mm F1.8, Sigma 20mm f1.4, Pana G9 and 12-60, Oly 40-150R, viltrox adapter, Peak Design travel tripod in one side pocket, Zeapon motorized slider in the other side pocket. ND grads, filter holder, remote release, batteries, ball head for the slider and all that stuff in the lid pockets. Jobu design tripod strapped to the side. And a DJI Mavic air drone kit in the space on top of the internal camera section. Like this it weighs about a small hippo but works very well to stagger from a vehicle or boat to a spot. Despite appearances the bag material is not as durable or robust as the Billingham, but as it can carry the contents of a small house that is a compromise that I can live with!

The Billingham sounds like a great bag and weather resistant and shock resistant too! It's large enough to hold up to 3 lenses I take it?

Brian Chichester wrote:

It very much depends on the gear I'm carrying. As this is the M4/3 forum we can assume it will be an M4/3 body and a couple of lenses.

My current favourite is the Lowepro Nova Sport 7L AW. This holds a small body (e.g. Pen E-PL6) and 2-3 lenses, plus odds and ends which I'd rather not have in my pockets.

Living as I do in England, I've found the pull-out rain cover useful.

A larger option, for my G80 and bigger lenses, is the Lowepro Slingshot 100 AW. Not so convenient as a shoulder bag but more comfortable when you are carrying some weight.

Sounds a lot like my LowePro Adventura 170!  I actually moved the divider so that it can hold both my E-PL6 and E-M10 Mark 2 (the former at the bottom the later on top).  That and my three listed lenses (two of them on camera).

richj20 wrote:

OutsideTheMatrix wrote:

I like the small size and unobtrusive nature of those bags. I need something for my "garden outings" too, as I find that when I'm watering, different kinds of birds seem to become less shy

That second bag I showed is water resistant/repellant: a few bumps up against wet foliage while watering doesn't hurt it.

I used to carry my camera on a neck/shoulder strap when I was in the garden watering, but a hard bump against the house when I was backing up made me decided to carry the camera in a bag.

I also catch the occasional cottontail munching on my grass.

Here. it is the occasional squirrel chewing on flowers!

- Richard

I have deer for that   But I dont photograph them, I consider them pests

OutsideTheMatrix wrote:

nice colors there!

It’s gotta be fun!

I was a Macaw in a former life. 😃

OutsideTheMatrix wrote:

Trolleyman wrote:

ThinkTank Retrospective 5. Its a nice size for a mirrorless kit, well made and a sdnsible design.

Also very water resistant even without the supplied cover. I got caught in the mother of all storms, so bad we had to be rescued by the police. Soaked to the skin, the bag was too, but all the gear inside was bone dry.

ah water resistance (and maybe being well padded and shock resistant) is important to me. Can it hold 2-3 lenses?

That's a loaded question, depends what lenses you want to carry. If its a camera with zoom attached and couple of primes then the answer is yes.

OutsideTheMatrix wrote:

amipal wrote:

I've been using the Retrospective 5 ever since I bought my Lumix GH1, and it has served remarkably well as the GH bodies grew. I now use it with my G9 kit, though it is starting to be a bit of a squeeze - I usually have two Voigtlander f/0.95 primes in there, and the PL50-200mm, and those three lenses are neither light nor small.

Saying that, I don't feel in any great need to upgrade the bag to a larger size. I still have room in there for a variety of screw-on filters, the Laowa f/2 7.5mm prime, the Lumix 12-32mm pancake zoom, and the 1.4TC for the aforementioned PL.

The only time I use another bag is if I'm going to an airshow, as, if I hire the PL100-400mm, it doesn't fit comfortably in the Retrospective 5.

Link

I see that bag recommended often....it's water resistant and maybe shock resistant too? If it can hold 2-3 lenses that'd be ideal.

Not sure about "shock resistant" but it does come with a waterproof liner to attach if the weather becomes inclement.

Cheers,
Paul

OutsideTheMatrix wrote:

Jan Chelminski wrote:

Sling-O-Matic 10.

It can carry the 1X, 1mk2, four lenses, PCM audio recorder, small Sirui travel tripod and a tripod-style folding seat. Very heavy load capacity for a sling, it has a thick, well padded and contoured shoulder strap, as well as good heavy duty construction overall.

Other times, I can use it to take more basic 1X + 1/2/3 lens kit (with plenty of room for drinks, etc) out, and it feels very lightweight.

Love how I can very quickly slide it from my back to front (while walking, if necessary) to remove or replace the camera, etc.

Best all-around bag I have ever used.

I have too many other bags to count, including the (Domke, mostly) stuff I used in the 80's. My huge bag of bag dividers is like one of those rubber-band balls, slowly, but always growing...,

Rgds,

Jan

I have an old Domke too! I unpacked it the other day and the memories came streaming back. I actually used it when I got my first camera back in the 90s and it was my favorite bag for 10 years or so, not getting replaced until the mid 2000s.

Like many people here, I have way too many bags for different occasions and various camera/lens configurations. However, the one I take with me the most when traveling, vacations, or walkabouts is the Domke F-5xb which I have had for roughly 7 years. It is light, but rugged, and water-resistant. To me it is similar to the Think Tank Retrospective 5 but much lighter, a little smaller and less bulky.

I definitely prefer the Domke over the Think Tank Mirrorless Mover series because the Domke's canvas drapes and fits to your side making it feel natural and less obtrusive, whereas the Mirrorless Movers are hard, jut out, and bounce on your side uncomfortably.  This, of course, is just my personal experience based on having tried out these bags.  The more I used it, the more I found myself enjoying the comfort and security of the Domke.  It even survived being rained upon for several hours in Cologne, Germany with my equipment remaining bone-dry!

In theory I have bags that I should like more because they are lighter, quieter (no velcro) and more configurable.  In practice, however, I somehow always seem to reach for my Domke.

Regards,

Bernard

I rotate 4 bags depending on where I'm going. My aesthetic is clean lines, not camera bag looking (for security), not retro (cause I'm not into nostalgia or a hipsterish), and just big enough to fit my stuff. Lightweight water-resistant materials.

Peak Everyday Sling 3L (Rangefinder body, 3-4 lens kit) It fits:

• Lumix GX85
• P 12-32mm (mounted on body)
• P 40-150mm
• OR P14-140mm and...
• P 20mm f1.7
• P 42.5mm f1.7
• Mini-tripod strapped to bottom
• Peak capture clip

Peak Everday Sling 6L (DSLR body, 4 lens kit,) it fits:

• Lumix G9
• PL 15mm f1.7
• Sigma 30mm f1.4
• Sigma 56mm f1.4
• PL 12-60mm OR P14-140mm OR 100-300mm II (mounted on body)
• MS Surface Go 2 or iPad Mini in tablet pocket
• Compact tripod strapped to bottom
• Peak capture clip

Tenba Solstice Sling 10L (3 bodies, 6 lens kit)

• Lumix G9, GX86, G7
• 6 of the above lenses (primes mounted on all bodies)
• G9 battery grip
• iPad Mini in accessory pocket
• Compact tripod strapped to side

Tenba DNA 15 Slim Messenger bag (Rangefinder or DSLR body, 4 lens kit) It fits:

• Lumix GX85 OR G9
• P 12-32mm (mounted on body)
• P 40-150mm
• PL 12-60mm OR P14-140mm (mounted on body)
• PL 15mm f1.7 OR P 20mm f1.7
• P 42.5mm f1.7 OR Sigma 56mm f1.4
• 15" Laptop

Just a long shot, but can anyone please suggest a bag to take an E-M1ii with an Oly100-400mm attached with lens hood? I reckon it's 33cm (13") end to end. The LowePro Mini Trekker mentioned above looks to be just a bit too short.

stevevp wrote:

Just a long shot, but can anyone please suggest a bag to take an E-M1ii with an Oly100-400mm attached with lens hood? I reckon it's 33cm (13") end to end. The LowePro Mini Trekker mentioned above looks to be just a bit too short.

Possibly answering my own question, the Tenba Solstice Sling 10L, mentioned above, might do it?