Bags question, right one for two primes and body

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...(and less man purse like :))...<br />

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Hey, studly guy that I am, <i>I resemble that!</i> <br />

 

<p>I second the recommendation for courierware bags. </p>

<p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://courierbags.com/objects/20.itml/icOid/20" target="_blank">http://courierbags.com/objects/20.itml/icOid/20</a><br>

extremely functional and can easily serve multiple purposes. </p>

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<p>I second the Crumpler suggestion from Mike Bisom. I also have the 7-million dollar bag. It's a good size and one that would fit your needs. They make smaller sizes too, though, that would also work well.</p>

<p>One thing that people forget to consider is the weight of the bag. My personal favorite bag is the canvas Domke which I have used since 1977. We are always being asked to try products at the magazine, and some have even given them to us for free hoping for some free advertising or good review in exchange. One such company was Tamrac who gave us all bags, but they weighed 3+ pounds each! Domke has bags of many sizes and they last a long time. Also consider the fact that your "kit" may grow in the future, so best to get a bag with at least one more pocket than you think you need.</p>

<p>I also suggest the Domke F6.Nice layout with enough room for your equipment plus a little more room for future purchases.The F804 is also nice and will hold your stated gear easily.Looks more like a satchel than a camera bag.</p>

<p>Problem with "small kits of gear" is that they get bigger, faster than you'd think--trust me, most of us know why. Based on the inevitability of more gear, I'd say go for a Domke F2B(black ballistic nylon)--beautifully-made, tough, well-designed and not very-obviously a camera bag, thanks to minimal goofy labeling and low visibility materials. Buy a small bag now and you'll just buy another, larger bag later.</p>

<p>Has Crumpler changed their design? I tried their bags back around 2002-2003 and decided against them because the design didn't fit the name. I figured with a name like Crumpler they'd be similar to the Domke - soft sided, flexible, lightly padded. Instead, every Crumpler I tried was stiff, with excessive padding and the fit was too tight for easy access. It was like the difference between a brand new baseball mitt (which is pretty but useless) and a well worn, properly broken in mitt, which describes the typical Domke bag.</p>

<p>For an off the wall suggestion, try looking at Mountainsmith. They make hiking gear mostly, but they have a camera line too. Due to the big size of my F4s, I needed a large opening bag, and I wanted a waist bag. I ended up getting one , from REI, on about a 50% off sale, on the web. It's deeper than I wanted, but it works. With an D200, and short lenses, they have smaller ones, and the price isn't too bad. They have nice belts and straps for comfort. It has a shoulder strap and waist belt.</p>

<p>http://www.mountainsmith.com/products.asp?categoryId=13</p>

<p>For a smaller, over the shoulder , application, maybe one of the Reflex II. They are in the $40 to $50 range.</p>

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<p>I'd third the crumpler million dollar home suggestion. I have three of them: a five, six and seven. <br>

A four million or five million dollar home should be about the right size. I find them very easy to work out of and very secure, provided you can handle the sound of velcro.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.samys.com/product_detail.php?item=14993">Kenko Small Tropical Bag</a> in black and tan. My daughter just bought one of these from Samy's. She loves it. They do not look like camera bags, but are outfitted with velcroed dividers and padding. It will hold your D200, lens, and flash, plus papers, a thin book, money. If you want to get in touch with your feminine side, take a look.</p>

<p>Hey, those Kenko bags look nifty, kinda like Billingham knockoffs. I like the leather thong and brass stud design - my Beseler bead blasted canvas canteen bag has that type of lid closure. Good looking, discrete, and no Velcro closures. Does the Kenko bag seem durable?</p>

<p>Hi Robert, I'm with Bob on the Think Tank suggestion. I have recently bought an Urban Disguise 30 and I carry a D700 with a 24-70 2.8 attached, an SB-900 flash plus cards, batteries, phone wallet etc. I recently used it on a weekend trip to Kuala Lumpur and found it to be easy to carry and easy to use while walking.<br>

I also bought an additional strap from an Urban Disguise 40 which is wider and more comfortable to carry for extended periods. Fits perfectly on the UD30. Downside I would say is they are quite expensive but then construction feels bullet-proof.<br>

If possible I would recommend the suggestions from a few previous posters about taking your kit to a store and testing it, its the only way to really know its right without taking a gamble. But hey, a gamble can be fun!</p>

<p>I'd second the recommendation for the Domke F-5XB. I picked up the Tamron co-branded version (<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=423215&is=REG&A=details&Q=">link</a> ) on a whim a few years ago when it was on sale for ~$30, and now it is probably the bag I use most often when I want to travel light (which is most of the time). I don't have a 35mm f/2, so I'm not positive, but the bag can fit a D700 w/28mm f/1.8 (old sigma) + 50/1.8 + SB-800 (just checked!). Usually I have the D700 with a slightly bigger lens (24-60/2.8 or 85/1.4) attached, and then either the 28/1.8 (w/ the 85), or a 105DC/135DC sometimes (no flash). Used to be the D300 + 18-200 and another lens. There's just enough space to throw an extra battery and a couple of filters (or a colorright) in with any of the above (and pens/paper/gum or other small or flat things in the front pocket)</p>

<p>I disagree with Gary in that there is a purpose to having a small bag. Certainly this bag can't be the only bag for most people, and if I need more than this will carry, I have a number of other bags (crumpler, tamrac, tenba, lowepro, thinktank, etc). Which I use depends on what I want to carry (tho i don't use any of the square-ish, box-like camera bag styles anymore - except as storage (ie, my tenba & nikon bags), cuz they're not as comfortable to carry around. Also, the F-5XB is small enough to stuff into your luggage (empty w/dividers detached so that it flattens out), which was really convenient last trip I took where I flew out with my camera gear (and macbook) in a bigger bag (ThinkTank Urban Disguise 50), but mostly just carried the F-5XB with various lenses for day trips.</p>

<p>And yeah, it's my "lens-purse" -- oh, and that huge label/tag on the front comes off pretty easily with a small scissors or exacto knife.</p>

<p>I love the Crumplers but agree that the velcro is noisy. It does it's job though. If you uneed to pull out a flash or lens and then take a shot the velcro will hold the bag closed if you can't take the time to buckle the strap. I have the Four and Seven Million. I just ordered a Five.</p>

 

<p>I use Timbuk2 messenger bags with Domke inserts. It opens wide, it's comfortable, and it sheds water.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.maxpedition.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=4&idproduct=6">Maxpedition</a>, the jumbo versipack, though and durable, and they don't scream ' camerabag ' too much....</p>

<p>I use the Tamrac superlight 2 <a href="http://www.tamrac.com/hapa/5402.htm">http://www.tamrac.com/hapa/5402.htm</a> (discontinued, but comes up on ebay). Holds my D200 + 35mm f/2, a 135/2.8, bogen pocket tripod + slik ball head, and a SB-600 or lunch. And filters, batteries, memory cards, cell phone, a thin book etc. Looks simply like a big purse.</p>

<p>The Domke F-5XB might work for the gear you want assuming you stick to the smaller primes, though it may be a little snug for a camera as large as a D200/D300/D700. I suggest you look at how other people have used these bags in reviews at <a href="http://www.cambags.com/">cambags.com</a> . The review that most resembles how you would probably want to use this bag is the Canon 40D (listed as 10D) review #3.<br>

I have a few different Domke models, and have used the F-5xb with Pentax *ist DS2, K10D, and K20D. The bag is probably better-suited to the Nikon D40-sized *ist DS2 or probably a Nikon D80/90 but it can work OK with K10D which is larger--though probably not quite as large as a D200, it is somewhere in between the D80/90 and D200/300. If you use lenses larger than the ones you mention you will probalby not be able to fit the flash at the same time. <br>

The F-5xc and F-10 look a little roomier and may be better choices.</p>

<p>How about something a little less traditional, but serves the purpose with excellence and alacrity?<br>

I was in your same shoes: What sort of bag can I afford that will hold and protect all my stuff, doesn't look like a camera bag, is comfortable to carry and I won't look like a guy with a purse?<br>

I picked up a clearance Fossil messenger(ish) bag for $20 (usually $100 or so) and it is absolutely ideal. I shoot street and it definitely does not look like a camera bag. It's made of beige/tan canvas and leather and so won't cramp your style - looks rather military and nothing like a "man purse". It has no velcro, but brass closures, snaps and a zipper or two. It is large enough to carry your biggest DSLR and a few lenses and has several compartments to protect each from each other. It is soft sided, so don't drop it off a 10' ladder, but provides plenty of protection under normal use for my M6 and lenses, a G10 with all accessories, phone, smokes, bottle of water, bunch of film, etc...It is comfortable to carry with it's wide strap, and did I say it looks nothing like a camera bag???<br>

Give these Fossil bags a look. They change from year to year, but all are pretty much made in the same vein and there's plenty of deep discounts a the outlet mall I got mine at. I did a lot of searching and even bought a nice Domke F6, but this one outdoes every camera bag I looked at. For $20.</p>

 

<p>Oh - I just looked and here's a link to a close example of the bag I'm using. They're all a little different, so.....<br>

http://www.fossil.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=12052&catalogId=10052&departmentCategoryId=30001&categoryId=30011&productId=22035722&N=0&Va=27&Ns=p_subcategory_sequence|0||p_weight|0||p_order_history|1&rec=19&pn=c&imagePath=MBG1123250</p>

 

<p>Keep in mind, I dislike padded "puffy" bags.</p>

<p>Another vote for the Domke F6. With the 4 compartment insert squished to one side, my D300 and 18-70 or 105/f4 lays nicely on it's side and allows room for 3 or more other lenses and a flash.</p>

<p>If I want to take everything, I have various other larger bags that remain in the hatch of my car and use the Domke for portability.</p>

<p>Its hard to get the right bag. So far my favorite is the Urban disguise 35. Its small yet holds a lot of gear.</p>

<p>Normally I am a daypack kind of guy for camera gear, but I like the Crumpler 7mil home i got about a year ago. I got mine at huge discount at Adorama, get on their email list. I took the silly little stick figure off the bag and strap with a knife. I'd go bigger than what you need since you may get a flash, another lens, body, etc in the future, and the 7mil isnt that big. Tom</p>

<p>Lex, the Kenko bag does look good, but it isn't leather. It's "pleather." There is nothing natural about it except for the look. It is well designed though.</p>

<p>I used to use my messenger bag as a camera bag, but that became a real pain because everything would move around in there.... couldn't keep it organized. Also, since my stuff was getting heavier, it was getting harder to carry on one shoulder. I decided to go with a Lowepro backpack, and really like this bag (Lowepro Mini Trekker) a lot. I carry four lenses, a body, and either my flash or 80-200mm lens.</p>