Billingham Hadley Pro capacity.

[bill hart]

I'm looking for a good bag which doesn't look like a camera bag and

which will hold an M outfit. Those of you who have or have used a

Billingham Hadley Pro, will it hold 2 Leica m's, with a 35 summicron

and 50 summilux attached, along with a 24 elmarit and 90 summicron?

Thanks for your help, Bill Hart

[________1]

Doesn't a Billingham Hadley Pro just scream, "expensive camera equipment inside"?

[terry_rory]

Hmmm not sure. I have a black Hadley that comfortably holds a D-70 (with 18-70mm attached) plus Leica CM plus spare battery/film/mobile phone/50mm f1.8 AF-D/wallet/keys/change/spare CF cards etc etc and a pocket with cleaning stuff and filters.

 

I used to get a Contax 139Q + 50mm f/1.4 Planar and Contax 137MD + 28mm f/2.8 Distagon and filters/films and Ricoh GR1-V into my old Khaki Hadley. (Or I could subract 1 SLR + lens and slip a Rolliecord VB in its place.)

 

I should think you will be OK. (If not, the Pro version will easily take extra pouches.)

 

They are suprisingly capacious. All the above combinations included the padded lining and seperators.

[todd_phillips1]

Bill,

 

I don't own a Hadley Pro (but might in the future), but I think it "might" hold your kit. I have a Hadley small, and I can get two M's with 35 preA, and another with a 50 Elmar, plus one or two lenses (depending on which ones...not a 75 or Noct.), plus some un-boxed film in the front pockets. If I put the film somewhere else, then a hand held light meter goes into the front pocket.

 

This is really the limit for the "small", but the pro should (I hope) hold all this, plus film, and maybe another lens.

 

I'm also, interested in replies to this question.

 

Thanks...

[terry_rory]

Jamie, Billinghams (especially old Khaki or tan ones that are a bit grubby) scream game bag or fishing bag. They made of canvas and leather and brass (or nickel) and last thing anyone expects me to have inside is a camera. Dead rabbit or pheasant maybe, but not cameras.

[des adams]

Take a look at the Domke f803 or f4af. B&H have them. Excellent.

[________1]

Oh, ok.

[jorge]

Bill,

<br><br>

I have one and it can hold very comfortably two M cameras with medium sized lenses attached (for example a Nokton as I don't have a Summilux) plus several other lenses by themselves and lots of other stuff. Right now, my Hadley Pro is stuffed with the following:<br>

M2 with 35 summicron and CV meter.<br>

M6 with 75 Heliar.<br>

MP with 21 Skopar and finder.<br>

50 Summicron.<br>

15 Heliar and finder.<br>

Leica tabletop tripod (disassembled).<br>

Body cap and extra rear lens cap.<br>

Ten film rolls in their cans.<br>

Film leader extractor.<br>

Four filters.<br>

Assorted small items.<br>

<br><br>

<i>>>Doesn't a Billingham Hadley Pro just scream, "expensive camera equipment inside"?<<</i>

<br><br>

No, I think a Temba or LowePro bag scream "expensive camera inside". The Hadley doesn't look at all like a camera bag, specially if it's a little worn.

<br><br>

--Jorge.

[________1]

The Domke bag. http://w1.320.telia.com/~u32008343/domke.htm

[george_b1]

Trevor - I can agree with the very dead rabbit, ot three or four quail (my preferred game) - - but a pheasant?? The tail feathers would stick out.

[________1]

I myself once used a Scottish Trout Bag, Ambercrombie and Fitch, for lugging my cameras here and there. I always assumed people knew I was photographer and not on a fishing expedition.

[la]

I have a black Hadley Pro in which I carry two M's, 28, 35, 50 & 90. Also have a Vivitar 283

flash, hand held lightmeter, assorted filters in a filter wallet and a Leica polarizer kit

in the bag. I travel with it all over California at least twice a year, took it to New York City a

couple of times and France recently. Love the bag. Looks like a soft briefcase maybe with a

laptop in it. Oh yes I forgot you can carry about 10 rolls of film after all that equipment. I

became aware of the Billingham bags about 5 years ago and to this day have never seen

anyone carrying one, not just the Hadley Pro but any model Billingham. I don't think there

are too many out there so most people won't know that the Hadley Pro is a camera bag.

They are of excellent quality and are perfect for carrying around your Leica's. Billinghams

are rather steep in price but you get what you pay for in this bag.

[bill hart]

Thanks to all for your help. Think I'll order the Pro since it appears it will do nicely. Bill

[dan flanders]

I have fitted case for my basic Leica outfit, but I carry it in an outer cover made from heavy burlap and stencilled "Finest Vidalia Onions". I have never had it stolen and people usually give me dirty looks as well as a wide berth.

[huw_finney]

Poaching coat, loads of pockets. You can get 'fake' ones from most garden centers for 40 quid or so.

[boris_chan1]

Billinghams last forever, but you wouldn't want them to, they

balance terribly. As others have suggested a Domke satchel is a

lot more practical as well as being a lot more realistically priced.

 

Huw, interesting suggestion from you. "Poach", a dictionary

definition: take or acquire in an unfair or clandestine manner.

You just can't stop yourself can you? My apologies to those who

haven't been following the Huw Finney thread.

[andy m.]

I have a satchel-type camera bag. Nicely made and it balances really well. I use it all the time for M gear and would recommend them. However mine, in black looks rather like a laptop case.

 

In terms of security, it is most probably less safe to appear to be carrying a laptop than a bunch of film cameras.

[lee_shively]

Domke satchel bags are okay but the canvas wears easily and they offer little in the way of padding or protection from moisture. I ordered a Hadley Pro the day I got caught in a downpour with a Domke satchel. Billingham bags are pretty much waterproof and they have a lot of padding. They also don't look much like camera bags these days since most people are carrying around digital do-hickeys in nylon and plastic pouches or nylon bags with "Sony", "Panasonic" or "Canon EOS Digital" plastered all over them.

 

I have a Hadley Pro. I carry two M6's, one with a 35mm pre-aspherical Summicron and one with a 50mm Summicron. I carry a Voigtlander 21mm with finder in a Voigtlander case and a separate Voigtlander rectangular lens hood. I also have a 90mm f/4 Elmar-C with flimsy rubber lenshood in a padded OpTech pouch. Other stuff includes a Brinkmann mini-flashlight, a Sekonic Twinmate L-something or other light meter, a Tamrac filter pouch that hold 8 39mm filters and adapters to fit other sizes to the lenses if I need to, a cleaning kit and blower brush, a Manfrotto tripod quick release adapter, anywhere from 12 to 20 rolls of film, a notepad, 2 pens and one marker, a cell phone, several plastic bags, a box with antacids and analgesics, 2-4 small terry cloth towels, occasionally a small two-way radio and, if I'm walking the dog, a trowel and a roll of plastic poop bags. I still have lots of room in the bag with all this stuff in it--the front closure straps are only in the second notches and the front pockets are not expanded.

 

It's a great camera bag.

[terry_rory]

Boris, not quite sure what you need to balance your bag on. I dont understand. My Billingham bag has never fallen over when placed on the floor or desk/table/chair whatever.

 

The Hadley is very realistically priced for such a well made item. (Completely rain proof also). Here in the UK you can get them for 90 pounds which is peanuts compared to the cost of the items protected within.

 

I am suprised you are carrying the subject of another thread into this one. a) Confusing b) Irrelevant.

[nesrani]

Since the Hadleys are quite deep, you can store a large amount of film underneath the cameras - I used to walk around with twenty ro thirty rolls of film in the bag along with the two cameras, flash and other stuff (even a rain jacket on occasion). They're much more capacious than they look from the outside.

 

I think what Boris means is that the larger, box-like bags are not well balanced when you carry them, which is true. they are bulky and hard to work out of. Having used both, IMO the Hadley bags are much nicer to carry around.

[karl_heinz_strohmeier]

Hi William,

I do use the normal Hadley (i.e. not "small", not "pro") since

1998, which hold my following M equipment: M6 classic, M6 ttl

with new M-motor attached, leica lenses 24mm, f2/35mm asph,

f2/50mm, 135mm Apo, SF20 leica flash, polariser set M, up to

10 film cassettes and other small stuff. The Hadley is "my" bag,

unattractive to others and easily to carry around. I prefer the black

version btw.

Your stated equipment should have enough space in a "pro"

version.

 

Best regards, Karl

[karl_heinz_strohmeier]

Hi again William,

I'd like to agree with all of th above said regarding to price,

durability etc. Please take the shoulder pad, in Germany approx.

40 Euro, much money for a little piece of foam, but worth every

cent, because it makes your Hadley so "lightweight".

 

Best regards, Karl

[simonpg]

I'm new to Leica M and saw Billingham Hadley Pro. Definitely lots of room but not so wide as other bags which is good. Does any one know of the "false" bottom padding I hear some Billinghams have? This allows easy storing of things like film and filters under cameras and lenses.

 

Sadly here in Australia Billingham's distributor is a retailer who won't hold a full stock range (great concept - how to sell stock we don't have!!). Billinghams web site is an example of how not to run a web site! Seems like an old hat UK company that is expert in making it hard to seel its own products. Lowepro has copious info on all its products.

 

However I'll get a Hadley pro if I can add that false bottom to take advantage of its height.

 

Totally agree that "boxy" camera bags of any sort are a pain to carry. But why is everyone so hung up about "scream expensive camera gear". Bag snatchers typically snathch all bags and toss what they don't want. Realistically, I would have thought any bag is at risk of being stolen or snatched in a public place. Also, even if we think the bag is subtle, thieves typically spy on their prey - so they know what you may have or just take their chance. So in any case I hug my bag regardless of what is in it or where I am. Am I missing something here?

[jorge]

Simon, you're right about tha false bottom. It can hold an amazing amount of stuff; nominally 20 or more magazines of 35mm film in their canisters. However, that's not the ideal place to carry them. I would suggest getting a pair of romovable AVEA pouches that can hold an amazing number of film or even an M camera with compact lens each.