Beginner Bags

Roy1212

Roy1212

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Roy Newport
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i have a Lowepro haversack back but to tell the truth I don't like it,can anyone recommend a good shoulder bag to carry a few lenses and accessories. Many thanks
 
Tenba messenger, not cheap but i've had mine since I started and it's legendary
 
I've a lowepro Nova bag - they do different sizes - and it's great. Had a Tamrac one previously and it was built like a tank and superb, but was heavy without anything in it ...
 
Think tank retrospective, I use the 5 and the 10 the 5 fits camera and one lens and the 10 fits camera with lens and upto 4 lens or other bits.
 
They often say photography is the never ending quest for the right bag! Seriously though I always have loved the ThinkTank Urban Disguise bags.
Many sizes but all great quality
 
I have the Lowepro Event Messenger 150. It's £33 on Amazon currently. I can fit my 6D with 24-105 mounted, 16-35 f/4, and 50mm in the main pockets and have a filter holder and 10 stop in the front pocket with memory cards. I also have ND filters in the tablet slot. There's room to fit my compact on top of the 50mm.

My flash has a velcro strap on it which wraps around the bag strap easily or you could leave a lens out and have it in the bag. I like the bag a lot and is my main carry. There's a smaller and bigger version too if required.
 
Ever go out in the rain? I doubt there's much that's more durably waterproof than a Billingham. One of the Hadley range? But it's partly about the look, I imagine, and one of the Think Tank Retro series or a Domke can be more 'canvassy' and informal ...

Many synthetic fabrics look a bit 'pervy' to me. And regardless of that, when a bag made of them's done for and gets binned, it's going to end up bulking out landfill far beyond your lifetime ...
 
I have used Manfrotto agile, Lowepro etc and was never happy. I now use a Tramrac Evolution 9 (5788) backpack or sling and its the best bag I have ever used. Its big enough to carry my Canon 7D2 with a 150-600 lens attached but its not too big and small enough to use in town or city.
 
Think Tank are the ones for me. I have a SuburbanReporter. Capacious and not that expensive compared to some of their others.
 
Think tank retrospective, in the pine stone, you wouldn't know they were camera bags. I have the 30 and the lens changer. Used instead of my billing ham as that was quite noticeable as a camera bag. Tad more expensive as deadhead says but build to last so worth the money
 
I use a Bagaboo or Timbuk2 cycle messenger bag for my camera gear with various padded inserts depending on what I'm carrying! The bonus of the cycle bags is
they have the extra strap that goes across your chest for stabilising the bag and distributing the weight evenly when you're lugging your kit around but you stil
l have the easy access of a shoulder bag when you start shooting when you unclip the extra strap.

Even better is the fact that neither of my bags look like a camera bag so I'm not advertising the fact I'm carrying expensive kit at 3am walking home from a gig :)
 
I've got the Lowerpro Transit sling, can take accessories, few lenses plus camera. Got a smart side zip to access camera at a moments notice. Good Bag, think i'll be keeping with it for a fair old while.
;)
 
I can't really comment on this as I've had around 20 bags/slings etc over the years and I'm still searching for the perfect bag - Good luck with your quest.
 
When i first got my DSLR i looked at loads of bags and couldn't decide which one i wanted so just ended up using a messenger bag i bought from Argos a couple of years ago. I'm still using it a year later lol. It works pretty well to be honest. I do only have a D3200 and a couple of lenses but i think if i was to buy a much more expensive camera setup then i probably would go for something more expensive with more protection.
 
There is so much choice out there you might want to rule a few out to narrow your options. I hate velcro fastenings and I don't like the synthetic fibres most bags are made from. So that pointed me towards Billingham, Millican and Domke bags. From there it is more a question of how big a bag you need (from experience don't buy too big as they get heavy quickly). And there is something to be said for buying a bag that doesn't scream "I am a camera bag" if you are likely to be in more dodgy areas. I saw a guy in just such a place yesterday carrying what was quite obviously a large laptop bag and to my non-criminal mind at least it made him an obvious target. When a need a wheeled case for lugging my big lenses around I ended up buying a camera bag insert and sticking it in a standard roller bag. I figured a bag of my potentially used underwear was less attractive than a bag full of lenses.
 
This is the actual bag i use. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Billabong-Projectic-Digital-Messenger-Bag/dp/B009X3WRG0 . Obviously you wont be able to carry your camera in it with the lens on but i've managed to get a D3200, kit lens, 70-300mm Tamron, 35mm 1.8 DX, Yongnuo 565EX Speedlite and 4 x 500 ml bottles of Pepsi Max in it lol

And it is pretty water resistant. I was on a photowalk on thursday and had to shelter from the rain but with the bag hanging behind me the rain was hitting it, didnt realise until the rain had stopped. The outside was soaked, the inside was still dry. I use it because i don't really need much else but if you can afford it go for a purpose built version for cameras.
 
If you can possibly go and have a look before you buy then do so, when I have bought blind in the past they have always been bigger or smaller than I expected.

Maybe that's just me
 
Royroy1111 said:
i have a Lowepro haversack back but to tell the truth I don't like it,can anyone recommend a good shoulder bag to carry a few lenses and accessories. Many thanks
Click to expand...

I just got a backpack to try it out, but I can't get on with it and have stuck with a shoulder bag. Check out what I manage to pack in my Lowepro, hope it helps :)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lowepro-Classified-250-AW-Shoulder/dp/B001H33VW8

And in it I put:-

5D2 + 24-105mm f4 IS L - packed with lens attached
40D + 70-200mm f4 IS L - packed with lens attached
17-40mm f4 L, 50mm f1.4
Lee Filter System with filters: 0.6 Soft, 0.9 Soft, 0.6 Hard, 3 Stop, 10 Stop
Screw in Hoya ND, Screw in CPL
B+W CPL 105mm
Shutter release/timer
Flash cable
Spare batteries x6, Spare memory cards
Lens cloth/blower
1m 5-in-1 reflector - which does protrude a little!

Depending on on the shoot I can switch out the filters for a Speedlite and even add a couple of Yongnuo 622C flash triggers.

I love the bag. Everything is so accessible, it's easy to carry and it's like a tardis. I can't get all of this gear into a Lowepro 300 AW Flipside which is supposed to hold more.
 
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If it's camera plus 1 or 2 lenses then I use a Tamrac Rally 4 although the Rally 5 or 6 will take a bit more. As has already been noted the quest for the holy grail is easier than that for the camera bag. I'm still hopefully awaiting a Mary Poppins carpet bag coming up on ebay to get all my stuff into a bag I can carry :)
 
If you've got the budget - F-Stop. I had all kinds of Lowepros before getting my F-Stop Loka; it's extremely comfortable (I carried 12kg of stuff around central London all day a couple of weeks back without issue), well-designed, versatile and they don't scream 'camera bag'. The only trouble is they're top money and can be hard to find.
 
I prefer camera bags to not obviously look like camera bags so I have the think tank retrospective 20 and 10. Alternatively have you considered buying a camera bag insert from Amazon or eBay and just use a normal bag you already own? I have found that works very well.
 
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