Gadget Bags

[bob_bell]

I am having an issue with my Tamrac 608. The lens sections aren't

large enough for zoom lens with hoods. My 28-70 has a 4 inch

diameter hood.

 

Is there a good larger bag that will hold 3-4 canon 2.8L zooms, 2-3

primes, a flash, a meter, a filter pouch, etc... plus 2 bodies

w/drives/grips.

 

 

I will keep my 608 for a walk around bag, so this one can be a

storage / all in 1 bag.

 

Thx -Bob

[awahlster]

Bob have you thought about going to one of the big one line dealers like B&H or Adorama and looking throught the hunderds of bags they sell?? Once you find some you think you might want to know more about then go to the manufactures site. Most have very detailed write up on their bags Tamrac and Lowe-Pro for sure even have cutaway and transperant views so you can really tell what the bag would be like. Once you have narrowed down to a couple of models then try to find a real store in your area with that model and take your Kit down and stuff the bag in the store.

 

When we bought my wife her new bag we loaded her gear in it as soon as we got to the store and she wore it arround the store for about a 1/2 hour while I shopped. That way she had some better idea what the bag would be like in use.

 

She has been very happy with her little Tamrac Explorer II

[bob_bell]

I have looked extensively at B&H along with tamrac and lowepro's websites. The problem is, they talk about a bag that can hold 4-5 lens, but they dont talk about how large the comparments are. Thats why I was hoping someone with a few 2.8L zooms could let me know what they have. I am looking for a bag that could accomodate a 28-70/2.8L w/ hood, a 70-200/2.8L with hood, a 16-35/2.8L with hood, 24/2.8, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, and a 100mm macro + 550ex, D60, Elan 7e +room for filter bags, light meter and other small item storage. The only problem with 2.8 L glass from Canon is the hoods are gigantic. So let me know.

[b_b13]

You said it: the hoods are too big. I have a Tamrac 5612, and manage to fit in the following:

 

Canon 10D with Tamron SP 28-75 2.8 lens & hood attached (a much smaller lens than your Canon 28-70 L); an Elan 7E With Canon 28-135 USM IS attached; a Canon 100-400L IS and hood; a Canon 70-200 F4 L; a Sigma 12-24 EX; a Canon 50/1.4; two filter pouches; a 550 Flash; plus a beanbag, spare batteries, film, etc. I probably still have room for two smallish primes in there if I wanted to be creative.

 

I was able to do this because I ditched the lens hood for the 70-200 and went with a collapsible rubber one instead, which fits both the 70-200 and the Tamron 28-75. The rubber lens hood isn't quite as good as the plastic one that came with the lens, but it generally does the job, and the collapsible feature is a huge space saver. The rubber probably does a better job of protecting the lens from bumps, to boot. You might want to look in to getting a couple to replace those huge plastic things Canon gives you.

 

BTW, I made a conscious decision to stop buying Canon L zooms for the reason you are running in to: they are simply big and ungainly. The Tamron lens I have is small and takes great pictures, plus it has a 67mm end, which allows me to share filters and the lens hood with my other workhorse lens, the 70-200 F4. Obviously, this also saves space.

 

Other than re-thinking your gear, the only suggestion I can make is to get one of the big Tenba or Lowepro backpacks. I know the Lowepro SuperTrekker would swallow the amount of gear you have whole without a burp and still want more, but it's ungainly and a pain to get around with.

 

Good luck!

[akajohndoe]

Many of the Tamrac backpacks and the larger daypack will work with the L lenses and hoods.

 

As you know, there is no 'perfect' bag, which is why many of us have a few for different uses.

 

The best method I have found is to lug in the equipment and try fitting it into bags at the store.

[akajohndoe]

...and you are reversing the hoods on the lenses while they are in the bag, correct?

[bob_bell]

Thx John. I am going to try the collapsable hood trick. My hard plastic hoods are causing the most grief.

 

 

BTW, I still haven't bought the 16-35 and was wondering what you think of your 12-24?

 

DN, I have tried to nest them in 1 spot and reverse them, they are just too huge :)

[akajohndoe]

I can get the 17-35/2.8L, 28-70/2.8L, 70-200/2.8L, several primes, 2 EOS bodies with vertical grips/winders, filters, flash, and more into a Tamrac Daypack 752. With lens hoods attached (reversed on the lens).

[b_b13]

It's an OK lens. The picture quality is pretty sharp, although it is a little slow and you can get a lot of distortion with it at 12. I don't seem to use it often, so I've been thinking about going to a 14 or 20 mm prime instead, and saving the space and weight, plus the picture quality of the prime would obviously be better. One thing that really bothers me about the 12-24 is that you can't use normal filters with it. I have no idea how to use gelatin filters and don't have the time to learn right now, so I end up taking shots unfiltered and photoshopping them mercilessly. Again, this is a problem you'd avoid with a prime.