mathomas
Active member
A few weeks ago, I outgrew my Domke F-5XB (the 'B') by just a bit. I've spent hours perusing bag reviews and was almost positive that there just wasn't a bag for my needs. As it turns out, the Domke F-5XC (the 'C') did the trick. Originally, I just wasn't "getting" the 'C', but with the help of a review on another forum, I could finally see its utility.
First, the 'B'. I used the 'B' to hold the following for a day's shooting:
The 'B' handled this quite well. The problem arose when I added another body a few weeks ago (a Leica M2). You can fit two bodies + lenses + additional lens in the 'B', but it's all way too close for comfort. So, I started shopping for a bag similar to the 'B', but one compartment "wider". Long story short, it doesn't exist in the Domke lineup. Everything else seemed to be deeper or broader.
Deeper seemed goofy to me -- I don't want to stack more stuff up, I want it to be accessible. As I saw it, the 'C' fit into the deeper category, as did the Domke F-803 which everyone seems to love for some reason. Puzzlingly, the 'C' did have this odd little door across the bottom that Domke described as "giving you access to items that have fallen to the bottom". I remember thinking "geez, Domke, if you just made the bag wider rather than deeper, you wouldn't need that door!"
I was bummed about all this until I read a review where someone mentioned that they use one of the bag dividers to split the 'C' into two "stories". That's when the odd little door at the bottom of the 'C' started to make sense (so, Domke, you could have communicated that a bit better!).
So, I bought a 'C' to try out. I split the bag into stories with one divider, and split the bottom floor into three compartments using the other divider. I then used the dividers from my 'B' to divide the top floor. Now everything is golden (except that I probably shouldn't carry this much stuff ).
I can use the 'C' to hold the following:
The above weighs exactly 8 lbs, a pretty easy load to shoulder, esp. across the chest.
The 'C' offers the same general features of all Domkes: solid canvas construction, quality zippers, a nice long shoulder strap, a low-profile funky look, etc. I also like the fact that, like the 'B', you can flip the flap over the back of the bag, against your body, and shoot out of the bag pretty easily.
Note: the "waxwear" version of this bag, the 'Z', looks very similar but does not have the lower door for some goofy reason. Keep that in mind if you think the 'C'-style bag might be for you, and find yourself attracted to the wax finish.
First, the 'B'. I used the 'B' to hold the following for a day's shooting:
- Leica M8 + 25/35 lens
- 25/35 lens
- 90 lens
- light meter
- extra M8 battery
- cell phone
The 'B' handled this quite well. The problem arose when I added another body a few weeks ago (a Leica M2). You can fit two bodies + lenses + additional lens in the 'B', but it's all way too close for comfort. So, I started shopping for a bag similar to the 'B', but one compartment "wider". Long story short, it doesn't exist in the Domke lineup. Everything else seemed to be deeper or broader.
Deeper seemed goofy to me -- I don't want to stack more stuff up, I want it to be accessible. As I saw it, the 'C' fit into the deeper category, as did the Domke F-803 which everyone seems to love for some reason. Puzzlingly, the 'C' did have this odd little door across the bottom that Domke described as "giving you access to items that have fallen to the bottom". I remember thinking "geez, Domke, if you just made the bag wider rather than deeper, you wouldn't need that door!"
I was bummed about all this until I read a review where someone mentioned that they use one of the bag dividers to split the 'C' into two "stories". That's when the odd little door at the bottom of the 'C' started to make sense (so, Domke, you could have communicated that a bit better!).
So, I bought a 'C' to try out. I split the bag into stories with one divider, and split the bottom floor into three compartments using the other divider. I then used the dividers from my 'B' to divide the top floor. Now everything is golden (except that I probably shouldn't carry this much stuff ).
I can use the 'C' to hold the following:
- Leica M8 + 25/35 lens
- Leica M2 + 35/50 lens
- 25/35 lens
- 35/50 lens
- 90 lens
- light meter
- lens pen
- extra strap
- extra M8 battery
- cell phone
The above weighs exactly 8 lbs, a pretty easy load to shoulder, esp. across the chest.
The 'C' offers the same general features of all Domkes: solid canvas construction, quality zippers, a nice long shoulder strap, a low-profile funky look, etc. I also like the fact that, like the 'B', you can flip the flap over the back of the bag, against your body, and shoot out of the bag pretty easily.
Note: the "waxwear" version of this bag, the 'Z', looks very similar but does not have the lower door for some goofy reason. Keep that in mind if you think the 'C'-style bag might be for you, and find yourself attracted to the wax finish.
