Been debating about investing in a new bag. At the moment i just have a swing everywhere fall off the shoulder jobby >:(.
looking at those that belt round your waste are they any good? and are they comfortable? they do seem to be "hands free" :tup:
A lot depends on how much you want to spend & how much kit you carry, I am a cheapskate and bought a canon eg200
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/248295-REG/Canon_6229A003_Deluxe_Backpack_200_EG.html
For the money its a perfectly good bag but in retrospect I probably should have spent a bit more on something better.
Good points are - comfortable, large enough but not so big its cumbersome, lots of straps on the outside to hang things from, lots of moveable dividers, like the look of it apart from the Canon logo which is like an advert for tea leaves.
bad points - no waterproof cover, causes a sweaty back, varied reviews ( mine is ok but some people report poor quality).
Simon
big enough for 1 DSLR with lens attached and storage for 1 other lens £50 budget.
Quote from: Trickee on August 22, 2009, 11:05:31 PM
Been debating about investing in a new bag. At the moment i just have a swing everywhere fall off the shoulder jobby >:(.
looking at those that belt round your waste are they any good? and are they comfortable? they do seem to be "hands free" :tup:
I have three 'belt around the waist' bags. Yes they are comfortable for long walks, up hill and down dale. They also have a sternum strap which is all I normally use with my DryZone 100. You have to adjust the shoulder straps until it sits tight to you back for best results. With the Lowepro Pro Trekker AW II Black then I use both the sternum and waist belts. The latter may be a bit too big if you haven't got many big lenses. I would suggest the DryZone 100 might be all you need, and it's great if you are caught in the rain, as it has an inner zip for dry days and an outer zip if it rains, but tend only to use that if it's bucketing down. :tup:
You just posted whilst I was writting this reply. The two I suggested are way over your budget, suggest you look at the Tamrac range. ;D
Like OB said... For decent quality bags for £50 Tamrac are your best bet
Looked at lowepro inverse 100 AW, it has a little rain mac.has anyone used this particular bag.
http://www.harrisoncameras.co.uk/productdetail.kmod?Productid=8800&gclid=CLqgi_zygpwCFd4B4wodJ05TAQ
OK, I know they are not cheap, but I won a ThinkTank Rotation 360. This is by far the most comfortable and handiest bag I have ever used/seen.
It is a bit like the Tardis and got loads more space inside than the dimensions might indicate. The swivel bag is so easy to use and can be used on its own as well.
If you have the money, you will not regret this. Although I always fancied the National Geographic backpacks.
OOps, Sorry I just noticed the £50 budget and agree with the Tamrac pointed out. The title "Whats on your shoulder" threw me.
I've had a few types of bag, but for a while now I work with 3, a slingshot 100 which has a rain cover, big enough for 40D and 18-200 plus flash and bits and bobs, wallet keys etc great size for use when on my mountain bike, I also have a slingshot 200 which is comfy and holds just about everything I need, cam and 18-200 couple of other lenses 10-20 etc, flash gun, spare stuff, cards batteries, blower, cleaning stuff and room for wallet, keys etc.. I love the way you can swing them round and get to the camera, especially on the bike..
Quote from: Simple on August 23, 2009, 10:12:41 AM
OK, I know they are not cheap, but I won a ThinkTank Rotation 360.
Oooo - where did you win that....? ;)
Personally I doubt I'll but Lowepro again - their quality has really slipped to being only "OK" and the fabric isn't what it was. It will cost more but a ThinkTank or Kata will last longer and work out cheaper in the end.
I've just had the zip come away on my current Lowepro walkaround bag [bought second hand off ebay for £20 a couple of years ago so I should'nt moan!]the zip broke on my last one so I think it may be time to get another make. Got a nice little Tamrac one that can take camera plus 70-300..just. Only problem with that is the tendency to turn upside down!
I have mentioned this one before elswhere from 7dayshop
http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_1&products_id=101013
Me and a mate have ours 3 yrs + and not had any issues.
Great little bag for price and plenty of room in it
I take mine on the plane when on hols and get the D200 with 70-300 on and also the D50 with the siggy 10-20 as well as me grads and batteries etc
I still have the lowpro slingshot 200 and tend only to use it if I need just a wide angle lens and the 100mm prime with one body. Can get a bit heavy on one shoulder if you put too much in it. Orgie and myself found the best use of it was that you could roll your baccy on it when you swing it round off the shoulder. ;D If I want to take more equipment I use the tamrac expedition 5x but still find that not everything fits in it. ::) Good sturdy bag though. :tup:
jim
I've probably had more camera bags than I can remember.
I currently use a Crumpler Muffin Top 7500 and a Kata DC-465.
I've gone off Lowepro as I've had a Slingshot, a Fastpack and a couple of others and never kept one for mre than 6 months. The Crumplers are cracking and the Kata is superbly built. Also I can fit everything in. It's a bit of a weird fit in the Crumpler but I can get the D90, grip, 18-105, 70-300, 10-20 and 35mm f/1.8 plus filters and cable release etc in without needing a huge bag.
:tup: from me
Domke bags have a fairly good reputation, and also have a couple of bags that don't scream "CAMERA GEAR!!".
I now use the belt around the waist type pretty much exclusivly.
I use the Think Tank version with their "Lens Changer" lens bags which are roomy enough to accept bulky f2.8 lenses. As the name suggests they are designed to shove your hand in and grab your lens. They can be fixed in place on the belt or set to rotate around the belt, I find this set up invaluable when I am doing my gigpiccery!
I also have the padded shoulder straps for the full on "Ninja Photographer" look! (Great after a long day, you can just unclip the belt and take the weight on your shoulders.)
I also have the Lowepro belt (Lots of padding and lumber support.) and half a dozen lens bags I no longer use If anyone's interested.
Graham. :)
I've used half a dozen different bags over the past couple of years but I've recently changed to a LowePro Flipside 300... it's big enough for me to put the 40D in with the Sigma 150-500 on it and still have room for four other lenses and a flash (as well as other bits).
I keep everything at home in a Tamrac Pro 12 'cos it's huge and all of my flashguns, lightmeter etc go in one of those padded aluminium cases.
I got a new camera bag about a 18 months ago from Jessops (i'd done quite a bit of research on thew web too). I went to get a LowePro but ended up coming out with a Centon:
http://cameras.pricegrabber.co.uk/bags-cases/Centon-Trek-Backpack-2/m701191509.html/search=centon/st=product/sv=title
I'd never heard of them before, but as it was only £35 I thought I'd give it ago rather than spend the £120 on the LowePro I was going for as the Centon was actually little bigger.
Although the Centon was low cost I must say that I have been mightly impressed with it. It is very configurable internally with strong padding (and plenty of moveable bits) and velcro and has loads of space to fit all of my camera gear. Theres padded belt and chest straps to help distribute the weight, and various smaller pockets to keep things like batteries, CF card etc.
The downside is that there isn't anywhere to fix a tripod or monopod, also it's waterproof to a degree and although I've never had any problems with it whilst out in the rain I have bought an extra rain cover which was about £5 which I put over the rucksack in heavy rain.
As mentioned, I've had it for about 18 months and it has been everywhere with me and it still looks in great condition and hasn't lost any of it's strength\structure.
Best £35 I've spent in a long while....
Steve
My last bag was courtesy of the lovely Zenmer!
Lowepro Trekker 100 AW.
Brilliant bag, although it weighs a ton when loaded up!