neil_fraser1

I'll second (or third?) the Think Tank Urban Disguise family. They're available in 6 sizes with the 2 largest ones (50 and

60) carrying a laptop too. Personally I don't think the 2 smallest ones (10 and 20) are worth looking at as they lack some

of the features that make this bag so good. I have the UD 30 and, considering it's size, it holds an amazing amount of

gear. Inside I carry a Canon 400D (the 40D will fit just fine) with the 24-105 f/4 L fitted - 50mm 1.4 - 70-300mm f/4 and

17-40 f/4. This takes up pretty much all of the space in the main compartment but there is plenty of room for bits and pieces in the other pockets.

They are fantastically well designed bags and the quality of construction is better than anything else I've used. The

attention to detail is great with things like having 2 sets of d-rings for the shoulder strap which allows you to have the bag

sitting at slightly different angles to your body for whichever suits you best. They come with more inserts and dividers

than you could probably use so can be customized in any number of ways on the inside.

If you are in London (I don't know if you're even in the UK!) then Jacobs on New Oxford St stocks these as well as the

Domkes so you can compare.

www.thinktankphoto.com

Hi everyone,

Does anyone have any real life experience with this bag that they could share? In particular, what is it like to carry for longer periods of

time. Lots of Think Tank's range seems to be aimed more towards the traveling pro photographer who needs to get hit or her kit through

airports (I guess the clue is in the name!) etc with the least amount of hassle rather than being designed to work out of in the field. Is it

possible to attach one of Think Tanks belts to the pack in place of the standard wait-strap? I would like to put on the Pro Speed Belt as it

looks like it would hold weight better on the hips than the unpadded one.

I have the Think Tank Urban Disguise 30 shoulder bag as my standard carry around bag. It's the first Think Tank product I've had and it is

absolutely fantastic. The build quality is better than I have seen on any other camera bag and it comes with more dividers and inserts than

you could possibly use. I'm really considering the Airport Antidote as a carrying solution for when I want to take more kit or larger lenses

but they are rather difficult to find in the UK so I'd like to hear some peoples opinion of it.

Many thanks,

Neil

I'm really very sorry to hear about your loss. I don't suppose you had camera insurance or could claim under your

household insurance? You mentioned that you had the kit lens from the digital rebel - does that mean that you are using

the rebel body? If so and you want something really wide then your only real choice (if you want to use Canon lenses)

would be the 10-22mm. I've never used it myself but from all accounts image quality is excellent.

On the other hand, if you will be thinking of upgrading to a full frame body at some point and want any new lenses you

buy to be compatible with it, you could look at the Canon 17-40mm f/4 L or the 16-35mm f/2.8 L (the latter being rather

more expensive). The 17-40mm L can be bought new for around the same price as the 10-22mm EF-S. It wouldn't be

super-wide on a crop sensor body (27-64mm?) but if you upgrade to full frame in the future it will probably be as wide as

you would need for many applications.

As for macro I'm afraid I can't help much as I've never owned one but from what little I do know I think the 65 ME-P is a

100% dedicated macro lens so you wouldn't be able to quickly switch to use it to take a spur-of-the-moment shot. The

canon 100mm 2.8 macro (which I guess is the one you just lost?) is much more versatile in this regard.

All of the other Canon 70-200mm lenses are rather more expensive that the f/4 non-IS. In fact the 70-200 f/4 is the

cheapest canon L lens available I think. Anyway, I hope all of this isn't necessary and you get your own lenses back!

If you decide to go for the 5D I don't think there is any reason that you have to buy a second hand one. Here in the UK at

least you can buy a new 5D for less than the pre-order cost of the 50D. Although I expect that when the 50D actually

appears in stores it will retail for less that the current RRP of 1199 pounds. If you do decide to stick with the small sensor

bodies then I would wait a couple of months for the price of the 50D to come down a little. Can anyone remember how

much the 40D cost when it was first released last year? You can now get one of those for around 500 pounds.

VP,

I'm also a student in the UK and I know what you mean about trying to balance a hobby like photography with annoying

'essentials' like food and rent. I think the advice you have already had concerning the hood and UV filter for the 50mm

1.8 is pretty sound. Don't bother with the hood (it'll probably cost about 20 pounds if you want the genuine Canon one)

and don't buy a cheap and nasty uncoated filter just for the sake of it - it WILL degrade your image quality. And if you

want to buy a really good filter that stands less chance of impairing quality then you're going to be spending almost as

much as the lens costs anyway! Much better of just to be careful with the lens in the first place and use the forty or so

pounds you save for the other lens. Incidentally, are you just getting the 50mm 1.8 because it's such a bargain?

Remember it'll be an 80mm on your camera - do you need this focal length? If you don't then maybe you should just buy

one lens for the time being. And going by what you said about your subjects - animals indoor and outdoor - I suggest

that one lens should be the best telephoto you can afford. I can't speak about the 70-300 as I've never seen or used one

but if you were to not buy the 50mm 1.8 would you be able to afford this?

Have you looked at buying equipment second hand? Which part of the UK do you study in? If you are in or near london

there are several good second hand camera shops around the area of the British Museum. Aperture Photographic

especially has a good reputation.

I'm seeing the suggested retail price for here in the UK as being GBP 1199 (body only)! That's USD 2205! And if you want

their kit lens with that (a catch-all 18-200mm)? That'll be USD3000! Has anyone seen anything on the US price? There

are sellers in the UK currently taking pre-orders at GBP1199. The street price had better be a whole lot less than that or I'll

be picking up a second hand 5D.