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Share your bags!!

thrice

Active member
I just waxed my F-5XB and 5 other domke's. Very easy, very waterproof.

Does make the bags look older, and makes them quite a bit stiffer, but this is the price we pay not to worry about the rain :)

I'll post pics later.
 

roanjoh

New member
I just waxed my F-5XB and 5 other domke's. Very easy, very waterproof.

Does make the bags look older, and makes them quite a bit stiffer, but this is the price we pay not to worry about the rain :)

I'll post pics later.
Cant wait to see them.........did you do it yourself or had somebody do it?
 

thrice

Active member
Cant wait to see them.........did you do it yourself or had somebody do it?
All done by me :) I haven't had a chance to take pictures. The colour got a tiny bit darker, but otherwise looks good, and I think it'll wear wonderfully!

I used pure bees wax I bought on ebay, melted in the microwave and painted onto the bags, then I used a heat gun to heat up the bags so that the canvas "sucked" the wax into it. Smells wonderful :) Oh and don't do this outside, there are no bad fumes, and bees really like the smell :LOL: I had to run inside very quickly once they got the scent, so the project continued indoors.
 

BeeWee

New member
Reposted from FM forums..

With the start of hiking season quickly approaching, I've been on a quest to find a flexible, lightweight, well built daypack for hiking with some camera gear and I've finally found the perfect bag!

It's the Miwok, the largest of the trail running bags from Gregory Packs (No personal affiliation with the company, just a happy customer). It's designed for moving fast and it is not specifically designed for photographers in mind but there are some very simple modifications that you can make to turn this awesome daypack into an even more awesome camera bag.

Here's a pic of the front, back and side...


Front


Back


Side

Although the Miwok looks quite small in person, it can hold a ton of gear and provide very good support so that the weight is well distributed between your waist and shoulders. The pack comes with both a wide and well padded waist belt as well as a sternum strap which can slide up and down along the shoulder harness to adjust to your fit. The shoulder harness and waist belt has a mesh fabric that provides good ventiliation. When wearing the pack, there's a slight arch in the back which loads the weight of the pack onto your shoulder and waist. This also gives you lots of ventilation for your back since there's a small gap between the pack and your back when worn.

Now for the part that makes this daypack an awesome camera bag. There are pockets everywhere inside and out! With so many pockets, I was able to fit the following without having any camera body, lens or accessory touching anything else:

Canon 5D2 w/ 16-35/2.8
Canon 70-200/2.8IS
Leica M8.2 w/ 28/2.8 Elmarit
Leica 50/2 Summicron
Leica 90/2.8 Tele-Elmarit
Rocket Blower
ThinkTank Pixel Pocket Rocket
2L Platypus Hydration Bladder

...and there was still room for more accessories.


The bag can be broken down into a larger main pocket and a slightly smaller secondary front pocket.

The secondary front pocket has two small mesh inner pockets that will fit small rangefinder lenses, card readers and memory card holders. One of the pockets even have a little attachment clip that can clip onto memory card holders like the ThinkTank Pixel Pocket Rocket. The main empty portion of the secondary front pocket is big enough to hold a rangefinder camera with the two small range finder lenses located in the internal mesh pockets shown below. Note that in the image below, the two lenses appear to be spilling out but the mesh pockets are actually quite deep.



In the main pocket, will hold a medium sized SLR and some zoom lenses provided you put in a camera holder insert. I just happen to have a ThinkTank ChangeUp and the insert from this bag fits perfectly into the main compartment of the Miwok. You can see this below with the empty insert as well as with a Canon 5D2 with a 16-35/2.8 II mounted as well as a 70-200/2.8IS right beside the body.





Inside the main compartment is another mesh pocket that will fit extra accessories such as a rocket blower, filter cases and memory card holders. There's also an external fleece-lined pocket that can hold an mp3 player, lens or cellphone to keep it from getting scratched.



One really nifty feature of this pack is that there are pockets in the waiste belt too! And they're big enough to fit a rangefinder lens on each side.





Notice that there are elastric straps inside the belt pockets to keep things from spilling out while you're opening the pocket with the pack on.

There is an additional large internal pocket in the main compartment that will fit up to a 3L hydration bladder. The bag actually has two exit points for the hydration bladder hose and this can be fed through either the right or the left shoulder harness.



And lastly, some other nice features that you might find handy are:

- Compression straps that can be tightend on the fly while wearing the pack. As you empty your hydration pack, there will be more room in your bag and you can tighten the compression without having to take off your bag.

- Expandable outside mesh pocket that can fit a bike helmet

- Compression strap on the side to keep your gear from sloshing around and it can even serve to keep hiking poles or a small tripod in place. I tried putting in a 2-series Gitzo and it was way too big but if you have a 1-series Gitzo traveller tripod or smaller, it will fit without being top heavy.

- It is light at 1.5lbs. When empty, it can be made completely flat and takes up about as much room as a light fleece sweater which means you can stuff it into a suitcase and use it on location without having to worry about the bag taking up half your suitcase.


Some minor quibbles that I think would make the bag even better are the following:

- The sternum strap and skinny strap that attaches the two belt straps are fairly long but when tightened, they tend to just dangle around. It would be nice if there were some elastic bands clips that held onto the loose ends of the straps to keep it from getting caught on things.

- This bag is not water proof and although it is design to shed water in a light rain, it will get wet during a downpour. This means that you'll need to keep a bag cover around if you're out in places where you're expecting to get wet.

So there you have it, an amazing photographer friendly daypack that, with very minor modification, will be one of the most versatile camera bags on the market!
 

BeeWee

New member
I also got the Thinktank Skin 50. Fits the M8 w/ 28/2.8 ASPH mounted + 90 tele-elmarit + 50/2 v4 in leather case. It weighs 5oz and it's very thin but there's a rain cover on the bottom which acts as padding. You'll need your own shoulder strap.
 

mathomas

Active member
I second (third, fourth?) the Domke F5XB. I just got back from several days of shooting, and carried my M8, Zeiss 25mm, Zeiss 35mm, and Konica 90mm lenses, plus a Chapstik, a tripod plate, and my cell phone. This was a very lightweight and practical kit, and I could carry it all day no problem. I can squeeze in one more (small) lens by stacking, though I prefer not to. When I'm actively shooting, I carry it with the flap folded against my body (easy access to toys).

I think I paid $25 for the bag off eBay. Love it.
 
T

thinkfloyd

Guest
Anyone try the Domke 5xc? I've the 5XB, and though it's perfect for the M8 + 3 lenses, I find myself wanting a larger sized bag to accommodate my wallet, phone and ipod. And if there's a paid shoot, can alternate to carry my DSLR + zooms and maybe the M8 and one lens...
 

mathomas

Active member
To me, the F5XC seems a bit too deep for M-usage (like a deeper 5XB from the pictures I could find). Of course, what can you tell from pictures?

I have to say I wish the 5XB had a slightly roomier front pocket, but that's about my only complaint.
 
D

drxcm

Guest
Once again, a strong vote for the A&A ACAM-7200. The best camera bag I've owned, very very very happy with it.

Plenty of pics around of this on the web..
 

jonoslack

Active member
I'm still a Fogg Bag man - they are expensive, but compared to an M9 and a few lenses it pales into insignificance.
This bag has been in continuous use for over a year now (a miracle for a bag whore like me).

I'm not keen on 'fat' bags, but I did want a bag which would fit 2 leica bodies, each with lenses, with space for a spare lens. More importantly, I wanted to get one body in with both the WATE and the frankenfinder fitted. This had been too much for every other small bag I'd tried.

Anyway, here are some pictures:
this gives you an idea of the size:

here is the front:

here is the back


and here are a couple of shots of it packed and ready to go:





These pictures were with M8s when the bag was new - now it would be with M9s, and the bag is a little more used - but it's just as functional, and rather nicer looking!
 
Jono, which Fogg bag is this? I really like it. Do you think an S2 would fit? I seem to recall my M8 with Frankenfinder to be about the same hight as an S2, maybe a tad less.

Mark
 

mathomas

Active member
Whoa! For real? I guess I see them for affordable prices but shipping to Australia usually kills the value.
Yes, and I believe it had free shipping, even. I wonder if it's because it's the black model (and with the ugly Tiffen/Domke label -- I still need to cut that off). I looked at an olive one yesterday at a camera store and it looked much nicer (and was $79).
 

jonoslack

Active member
Jono, which Fogg bag is this? I really like it. Do you think an S2 would fit? I seem to recall my M8 with Frankenfinder to be about the same hight as an S2, maybe a tad less.

Mark
It's a b-laika. it might fit an S2 with one lens (I can get the A900 with the 70-300 in, but it's not ideal, definitely a squeeze). it seems that the A900 is 4.6" high and the S2 4.7"

The b-sharp might be a better bet - still, why not email bee berman at:

[email protected]

with the dimensions and she'll tell you what you need to know. It's always a pleasure communicating with bee!

all the best
 

jklotz

New member
I have a Domke j803, but also picked up a Safrotto on ebay. I like the padding inserts better on the Safrotto. Other than that, it's identical to the Domke, and 1/2 the price. Worth a look.
 

ashwinrao1

Active member
I second the B-Laika. Lovely bag, and my last one in that size (2 cams with lenses, or 1 cam with a few lenses, nick-nacks, etc...). For a smaller set up, I take my Billingham Pola (Body and 2-3 lenses comfortably), and for the large kit, it's the Artisan & Arist Image smit. The B-Laika is the best for size/versatility. The Pola is best for compactness.

On a second note, I just ordered a Fogg M8-Flute, which looks like it will fit my X1 with strap, viewfinder and grip attached, nicely.
 

roanjoh

New member
Wonderful suggestions everyone!!

Went to B&H and got confused over what bag to get - there are just TOO many options!! In the end, decided on the Domke F4-af because it can fit a DSLR/LeicaM set-up (Especially important when going on trips). On the way to the cashier however, I saw this bag on it's own glass case with a lock!!: HAHA!!

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/592387-REG/Domke_701_83A_F_803_Waxwear_Camera_Satchel.html

................and I fell in love. So I think that will be my next purchase.

:)
 
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