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Camera bags for MF or camera with grip. What's your favorite?

What do you look for in a camera bag? which characteristics make you say" I'll buy it"?
In particular I'm not looking for a gigantic bag or case for all my lenses, but say for short trips.... carrying the essential, like a camera and 1-2 lenses + small accessories (say filters or SD cards)

I'm asking both because I seem I cant find my ideal one, always struggling (whether is the shape or colors)... so maybe there are brands out there I never heard before

Thanks
Francesco
 

Mexecutioner

Well-known member
What do you look for in a camera bag? which characteristics make you say" I'll buy it"?
In particular I'm not looking for a gigantic bag or case for all my lenses, but say for short trips.... carrying the essential, like a camera and 1-2 lenses + small accessories (say filters or SD cards)

I'm asking both because I seem I cant find my ideal one, always struggling (whether is the shape or colors)... so maybe there are brands out there I never heard before

Thanks
Francesco
The ideal one doesn't exist. If it did I wouldn't have 8 in my closet. I have different ones for different kits/situations.
 

tcdeveau

Well-known member
I also don't think the ideal one exists. I have a couple that I like for different reasons but nothing is perfect.

The last two I got were the Mindshift Backlight 26L, which is great for longer trips, and a Peak Design Everyday Messenger 13, which is also great for a messenger bag.

I also have a Gura Gear Bataflae 32l for trips when I need more gear.
 

algrove

Well-known member
Agree no ideal one.

Assume by "Bag" you mean shoulder bags not backpacks, but that is my assumption.

So for MF there are many cameras to fit. If say for the Fuji 50R plus a couple of walk around lenses, I like the Oberwerth William dark brown leather bag. Nice leather and hold say the 50/3.5 mounted on camera with Hong Kong grip I have and the 100-200 or 110/2.0 put in vertically if that FL lens wanted.
 

kdphotography

Well-known member
Another one for the multiple bags or cases.

I use a Pelican 1510 with top lid organizer for local shoots or where protection is a premium and weight is not an issue. This case is usually for my Phase XF kit.

Otherwise, I like to use backpacks. I've reduced my bags down to a Mindshift 26L which holds a surprising amount of gear (Cambo and lenses). I have an old Think Tank Airport Ultralight day pack (fits in the Pelican 1510 with dividers removed) for quick grab and go local stuff.

ken
 

vjbelle

Well-known member
I also have the 1510 - in fact three variations of them - which I don't use much. I do use backpacks which I much prefer over anything on my shoulder even if the shoulder bag is tiny. Like Ken I also have a liking to Think Tank of which I own two. They pack my Actus/4150 and or Sony/GFX extremely well and are lighter and better designed than others I have looked at.

Victor B
 

Shashin

Well-known member
For a backpack: Osprey Far Point 40 with inserts
For a shoulder bag/lumbar pack: Mountainsmith Tour or Day Pack with inserts.
 

Shashin

Well-known member
G'day Will, what can you fit in the Tour?
For medium-format, my Pentax 645D with 55mm and the Pentax A 35mm. When I use my Fuji x-series gear, X Pro2 with 23mm, XF14, XF50, 90mm M-Rokkor, and XF10 compact camera. Naturally, I stick odds and ends like spare batteries, filters, etc...
 

Shashin

Well-known member
Perhaps I should add I prefer climbing/hiking gear rather than gear specifically designed for photography. I find climbing gear better designed for comfort and lighter.
 

bab

Active member
If you need a choice of cameras and lenses while hiking or on a multi day trip you be hard to beat a great back pack and a belt to hold lenses. For medium format as the title of your post unfortunately your choices for ideal backpacks and or bags is limited because the 9” deep is mandatory need to pack lenses vertically.

Most of the camera bag manufacturers think in term of two 35mm bodies with a 70-200 attached to one body and a wide zoom to the other, laying flat in the bag this uses the most space and is very inefficient.

Measure your lenses they are 6-9”, the best place for a medium format camera is near the top of a backpack. When a backpack can be used in a way you can stand your lenses on end you will have more room then equipment you want to pack and carry.

My two choices are backpack Atlas and Barber Shop Shoulder bag Secondly the waist belt with the lens holders can and will eliminate the need for a huge backpack and it will give you faster lens changes without going into you backpack or shoulder bags. Think about the waist belt use standing in water, on a steep hill, at an event, standing on a rock in a river you get the idea.

What I think others referring to hiking packs are referring to is balance and comfort due to the waist belt, shoulder straps and internal frame....so simple yet major camera bag manufacturers change bags, colors, zippers yet have yet to crack the code.
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
Camera bags are very individual choices, and even then, most of us seem to have several. I haven't counted mine lately, but I guess there are between 5 and 10 of them. For medium format, I used the TT Airport Addicted II for years. It's basically a huge brick with shoulder straps and lacks any features other than raw space and a big pile of dividers. I bought it for two reasons:

- It rooms four small studio strobes plus lots of accessories.
- It rooms the GX680 plus a couple of lenses, an extra film holder and the AE finder.

For anything else, it's pretty useless.

My favourite bag that can room a MF camera is the Lowepro ProTactic 450 AW (I also have the 350 which is suitable for m43). It takes my Mamiya 645 and as many lenses as I care to carry and a couple of film holders, has 3 openings to the main compartment in addition to the fully opening back and you can run over it with a truck. The only real disadvantage is that there isn't any room for non-photography gear (a warm jacket, extra clothing etc.), so there are limitations when travelling.

Because of those limitations, I recently bought the Lowepro Whistler 450. I considered many alternatives, and the Whistler was the conservative choice. It's not very flexible, but the layout suits me and there's an expandable front pocket that is suitable for extra clothing etc. It also has a top compartment that rooms one m43 camera with lens plus my rather large headphones. One disadvantage is that the waist strap can't be removed. I rarely do long treks, so actually consider cutting it off. The main alternative was the TT Backlight 45L.

All of the above backpacks have very rigid, flat surfaces towards my back. While that isn't the most ergonomic solution, I live and travel in a tropical environment, and don't want more contact with my bag than necessary, since I will sweat and want as much sweat as possible to evaporate even when I carry the bag. No, I don't believe in fancy air channel solutions. Not anymore. Had I been living in a colder climate, I might have chosen differently, but I'll probably never find out.

The Whistler can take the GX680 in a pinch, but I will probably buy a big shoulder bag for that. There are many bags for large video rigs that are suitable.
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Re: Camera bags for MF or camera with grip. What's your favorite?mad

The "ideal bag" depends on the specifics of use: What shape/size/weight equipment do you need/want to carry? How will your carry happen ... walking? Traveling by car? Riding a bicycle or motorcycle? What duration do you need to be able to handle carrying the equipment? What is your physical condition? And so forth.

I have a bunch of different bags that fit a variety of different equipment kits and activities. Like others have said, no one bag does everything best ... at least not if you don't also have only one camera kit and do only one type of thing in carrying/using it.

One of the excellent bags I have that I have not yet tried with my Hasselblad kit is a Tenba Cooper 13 DSLR. This is a largish messenger bag style shoulder carry that looks to have enough space for the 907x with up to three lenses and a bunch of accessories as well as maybe the 907x + 500CM and up to three lenses and accessories, along with iPad Pro or 13" slim laptop. It's very nicely made and looks like it will work well for some uses when I want more than just one camera and one lens. It also looks to be a good bag to use if I want to take the kit on a longish travel expedition.

For casual walking about with just the 907x fitted with XCD21mm lens, I've found the Billingham Alice L2 bag suits it well, with the camera and lens consuming most of the main compartment and a big open pocket in front for carrying a small kit of accessories (remote release, spare battery, etc).

Hope that helps a little.
G
 

MGrayson

Subscriber and Workshop Member
The best camera bag is the one you are about to purchase. That lasts until it arrives, is unpacked, and is set up for your camera system. Then it is just short of the best camera bag.

Rinse and repeat.

:ROTFL:

Matt
 

D&A

Well-known member
How true Matt! That's what keeps the camera bag manufacturers in business, even though there are a zillion ones in the marketplace and more being designed each year.

Dave (D&A)
 
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