Help with bag selection

Ozzwald

As the title says i need a bag to carry my camera around when im shooting. Unfortunately i am limited with stores that carry bags i am interested in and have no way of physically seeing them to gauge if the bag will suite my needs. So i need a bag recommendation.

What i plan on carrying around is a Nikon D90 with a Grip mounted with a 50mm, a wide angle nikon dx 10-24 and if im out a night a SB600.

I really like domke bags, was really looking into the shoulder bags, but i dont know which one will hold my gear snugly...was thinking the Domke F-3x or the Domke F-8.

I am also open to other brand and bag choices. I like simple designs, not really a fan of bags like lowpro flipside, where the compartment is on the other side of the bag.

Art Scott

Shoulder bags put undo strain on your shoulder and neck....a good sling bag is a good compromise between a shoulder bag and a backpack......You ALL THAT GEAR YOUR HAVE.....the LowePro 200 would be a good choice....it igves room for a bit of growth and you never have to remove to get at gear...so sling bags also are much more safety orientated for your gear.

It was 2 of my doctors {my Physician and my Chiropractor} that told me to get rid of the shoulder bags.........


I have bought several bags from thses guys over the years

Sell-N-Send located in Centennial Co....great company....ALL THEIR BAGS ARE ON SALE....HUGE SALE.

Ozzwald

Im just really a fan of the meesanger style i wont be lugging it around all day, just something to keep my gear in for the car with minimal travel. Has anyone ever use any of lowepro's stealth lin messanger bags?

i like the simplistic and minimalist style of the domke bags.

Scott_Quier

I took a Lowepro 350 slingshot to the Acadia shootout. I found the zippers to be less then robust. I slightly overstuffed the top section of the bag and ended up completely destroying the zipper - very disappointing.

I read eoren1's review of the Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home] and had an opportunity to actually put my hands on his bag at the Acadia Shootout. When I got home, I bought one for myself. I've since used that bag for a number of paying gigs, sometimes carrying 2 cameara bodies and a couple of lenses. One can carry it as a shoulder bag. Or, if shoulder bags tend to slip off your shoulder (like they do mine) one can extend the strap and carry it as a messenger bag.

photogreen

I'm looking at Tamrac sling bags. Any expirience with those? Thanks!

skysailor

Same boat. Bag hunting. Really like the look of the Domke f2. More bag than I need, space wise, but it'll take all my carry on goodies on airplanes, plus the camera will have a place in which to "grow"....and we all know how they tend to "grow".
Saw one on eBay go for 20$ over retail! What's wrong with these people?

Ozzwald

thats why they are so hard to choose, they are 100$ investments...

ziggy53

I do like the "slinger" style single strap backpacks and my current favorite is the Pro Slinger from Adorama. ($70USD) I added an Op/Tech S.O.S. strap for "normal" shoulder bag usage and the combination gives the bag tremendous versatility.

http://www.adorama.com/GBSLPBK.html?searchinfo=pro+slinger

http://www.adorama.com/OTSOS.html?searchinfo=optech+s.o.s.

The bag is a top loader and I created a suspension method to keep pressure off of the lens while carrying the camera, a Canon 40D in this case, in the bag with a lens attached. The bag is a single main compartment with 2 vertical dividers and one front pouch that can hold a couple of flashes or something like that.

Using it as a backpack you can undo the waist/hip belt and swing the bag around to the front, allowing for access without putting the bag on the ground. The bag also has some "D" ring attachments and I can add a lens pouch to one side or the other if needed.

Using it as a shoulder bag the Op/Tech S.O.S. strap is a stretchy neoprene and absorbs shock that would otherwise be transmitted to my shoulder, making the bag seem lighter.

I normally carry the following inside the bag:

Canon 40D
2 - Sigma 500 DG Super flashes
Sigma 10-20mm, f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM
Canon EF-S 17-55mm, f/2.8 IS USM
Canon EF 70-200mm, f/4L IS USM
Canon EF 50mm, f/1.4 USM
Tamron 1.4x teleconverter
Canon 1.4x teleconverter
Close focus adapter, 3.3 diopter, to fit the 50mm, f/1.4, gives about 1/2 lifesize.
Canon 500D, 77mm, 2 diopter lens with 67-77mm ring to fit 70-200mm, f/4L, gives almost 1:1 at MFD.
Charger and spare camera battery.

Around 15 pounds

mehampson

I've been using a Domke F-6 for a few months and love it -- from what I've seen, it has a similar capacity to the F-3X, but I think the F-8 would be a bit tight for you, and I'm not sure you'd have any room to grow with it. I haven't seen the F-3X or F-8 in person though. The F-6 could definitely hold what you're carrying with room to spare for another lens or two, but it's not terribly bulky. Everything is snug and pretty immobile even when I'm not carrying a full load.

I blogged about it here if you're interested in a longer piece, but the short version is that if you like the look and style of Domke, go for it. Incidentally, I have the Ruggedwear/Waxwear finish and like it a lot, in case that was on your mind at all.

Oh, and apparently there are some fakes on eBay. Seen people complaining about them on Domke's forum.