Recommend me a good bag for carrying 8 small lenses and ... NO CAMERA!

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Andy
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Strange request, huh :cuckoo:?

Now that I'm often using only small, manual-focus primes with my D700, I'm finding it difficult to get them all into a normal camera bag, without stacking them on top of each other :(.

I don't know if it will be the best solution yet, but I was just wondering if there is such thing as a shoulder bag which is designed to hold just (small prime) lenses, with about 8 separate compartments :shrug:? Something with a flip-top lid would probably be best.

In fact, it doesn't even have to be a photographic bag - if anyone can think of a similar kind of case, regardless of what it was designed to hold but which would do the same job, I'd love to hear your suggestions :).

Thanks in advance for any help :thumbs:.
 
I've got a lowepro stealth reporter. That has 6 compartments and an extra divider so I reckon you could get 7 in there with one pair stacked. With one on the camera that wouldn't be too bad.

Personally I'd wonder if you really needed *all* 8 primes everywhere you went!
 
How about something like this?

You Sir :naughty:, are a genius! Yes, that's exactly the sort of thing that I had in mind.

Depending on the exact internal dimensions, that very case could be just the thing and the price is much better than it would be if it was made as a camera bag, I'm willing to bet ;).

Thanks a lot, Steve :thumbs:!
 
You Sir :naughty:, are a genius! Yes, that's exactly the sort of thing that I had in mind.

Depending on the exact internal dimensions, that very case could be just the thing and the price is much better than it would be if it was made as a camera bag, I'm willing to bet ;).

Thanks a lot, Steve :thumbs:!

According to the page its £24.99
 
I've got a lowepro stealth reporter. That has 6 compartments and an extra divider so I reckon you could get 7 in there with one pair stacked. With one on the camera that wouldn't be too bad.

Personally I'd wonder if you really needed *all* 8 primes everywhere you went!

Hi Suz,

Thanks for the recommendation :). Actually, I already own seven camera bags :( and although I can easily get all of the primes into the largest two, it involves stacking them two or three deep in the side compartments. What might be neater, quicker and smaller would be to have a case like the one in Steve's link, which is just big enough for the lenses and nothing else and (importantly) allows me to see at a glance which lens is stored where. I could then take just my smallest camera bag over the other shoulder :).

It would also be much easier to change the lenses if I could just drop a case like this flat on the ground, pick out the lens I want and very quick switch lenses over (with two hands free), so that as little dust as possible gets in to the camera.

I've been shooting out with an all prime line-up for a couple of weeks now and I'm finding the constant changing to be a pain when I have everything buried in a bag around my neck. I usually stand up to change lenses and often wind up with the camera (D700) in one hand and two lenses in the other hand, whilst I try to screw in one and hold onto the other. Luckily, I have very big hands :p. It's only a matter of time until I drop a lens, a camera, or both :'(.

Would I need to take all 8 primes with me anywhere :shrug:!? No! Four, five or six, yes, but I also want a case to keep all of them in at home (instead of spreading them around in my numerous camera bags) - hence the idea of getting a bag with many compartments.

I'm going to Venice shortly to try and shoot some winter landscapes and as the streets are (mostly) made of water, there's not much scope for 'zooming with my feet' - which is why I want to be able to take more than just two or three primes (and I'm not taking my zooms because they are bigger and heavier and all have less sharpness and more distortion than my MF Nikkors, in case anyone was wondering ;)).

So, much more explanation than you wanted, I expect, but there you have it!
 
According to the page its £24.99

That's right, Ed :thumbs:!

What I meant was, if exactly the same bag had 'Lowepro' written on the side, it would cost twice that (or five times that, if it said 'Billingham' :p)!

;)
 
I've just ordered one of those reel cases. I think it will be great for my new Olympus film outfit. From the specified size (14" x 10" x 6.5") I am hoping that it will take an OM4Ti, OM2n, 24mm f2.8, 50mm f1.4, 50mm f1.8, 35-70mm f4, 70-150mm f4 and if I can find a nice one at a sensible price 100mm or 135mm f2.
 
7????? Thought I was bad having 3 :D

Lowepro one is quite good as you can flip the top off and all lenses are easily available in the 6 compartments. And you can unzip a top zip and reach in for one. Wouldn't need to have any lenses in the side pockets. I actually generally use mine for storage as I either take my tamrac backpack out or a smaller lowepro little bag.

Fishing thingy looks quite good though. Wouldn't surprise me if they were re-branded as camera bags and sold for more.

I can see why Venice might be a problem unless you learn the art of levitation or walking on water :)
 
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Found these today on the bay, item numbers:

400112991144 £22.59 + £4.50

310263361035 £4.99 + £2.95

I bought one of each, I can always find a use for them.
 
Update to my previous post, Both lens cases arrived this morning, the £4.99 one was not particularly padded and the dividers were not a good fit.

The one at £22.59 plus £4.50 p&p ebay number 400112991144 was a completely different animal. I have submitted a mini review here.
 
Update to my previous post, Both lens cases arrived this morning, the £4.99 one was not particularly padded and the dividers were not a good fit.

The one at £22.59 plus £4.50 p&p ebay number 400112991144 was a completely different animal. I have submitted a mini review here.

Ed, great review and good to hear about the 'not so good' case, too ;).

I'm still lens shopping right now, but unfortunately my gaze has turned to some wider max aperture primes :suspect:, so I may not be able to squeeze everything into a compact bag afterall :shrug:.

My latest strategy is to use individual polypropylene lens bags and just throw them all into a large section of my 'normal' camera bags :shrug:. Seeing as these are all-metal Nikkor lenses, with tank-like construction, I don't think that I will break any. Mind you, unless I label all of the bags, it's still going to be a pain in the hole to figure out which is which :gag:.

Still, what I am I complaining about - a bag full of Nikon's finest primes is really something to be happy about :lol:.
 
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