Ideal camera bag for the A7RII kit

[JMaher]

Maybe interested in the guru bag. I need a system bag. Trying to stay small as much as possible but need 2 cameras, 5 lenses and maybe even 2 flashes bag. Mostly for gigs type of bag. I'm usually after function than style bag whore.

Guy, if you want something practical I can recommend this bag from Home Depot. Husky 14 in. Rolling Tool Tote-GP-44316AN13 - The Home Depot

It's definitely a gig bag (with no sex appeal) but it's tough, it rolls and holds a lot. Also inexpensive. $60.00

I own one and it goes from my car to a location when I need to carry a lot -rolls down the street and over grass with no problem. I even stuff mine with a light stand and modifier when it is being rolled around.

Jim

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Guy, if you want something practical I can recommend this bag from Home Depot. Husky 14 in. Rolling Tool Tote-GP-44316AN13 - The Home Depot

It's definitely a gig bag (with no sex appeal) but it's tough, it rolls and holds a lot. Also inexpensive. $60.00

I own one and it goes from my car to a location when I need to carry a lot -rolls down the street and over grass with no problem. I even stuff mine with a light stand and modifier when it is being rolled around.

Jim

Now thats a gig bag for sure. Love it

 

[Pradeep]

Guy,
I found an inexpensive suitcase at Costco. Its carry-on size with wheels. The newer kind with a wheel set at each corner so it can stand up on them.
I put lenses, bodies, speedlites into it, each in a foam padded sleeve. The gels, batteries (in their own pouch) and other ancillary stuff goes into the zippered topside. I then use the Domke J-803 to carry the two or three essential lenses and stuff. It will also hold the camera with lens and two others.

Easy to move everything around. Have what I need for the job and still stay light and mobile when shooting.

On my last two trips I too carried a roller suitcase and the Gura Gear Chobe. The roller can be compartmented(?) with dividers from other bags and the lenses and bodies do stay safe inside Lenscoat pouches. Makes a great combo with the Chobe on top, rolling along merrily all over a large airport.

However, the problem starts in the field.

If you are in a vehicle in Africa, shooting at a frantic pace, changing lenses and cameras, things do not stay well separated in the roller and there is usually no time to put everything back in their sleeves and the dividers fall apart.

If you are on a hike it is even worse. Cannot take the roller anywhere and have to resort to carrying things separately in another bag.

A compromise solution (which some friends have tried) is to put a medium/large Bataflae type bag in your checked suitcase, take the roller on board, and at destination transfer things to the Bataflae. However, I found I could not fit the backpack in the suitcase without losing a lot of space. So it is back to the drawing board.

There is no easy answer. We are trying to fit the maximum amount of weight in the lightest and smallest possible bag with the ability to weather every possible stress and survive.

 

[Pradeep]

Pradeep, like you I own and love the Gura Gear Bataflae 18L. Great for hiking and travel, but a bitch for walk-around photography.

I ordered both the Billingham Hadley Pro and Hadley Small from Amazon, knowing that I could return either. The Small was...well...small. Tiny in fact. With the size of the a7RII and 2-3 lenses, it was simply too small for my needs. I'm now evaluating the Hadley Pro versus the Wotancraft Ryker. Stay tuned.

YMMV.

Joe

Uh oh! Might be a problem then Joe.

Will just wait and see when it arrives. Be interested in your evaluation of the Pro vs the Ryker.

 

[Pradeep]

It probably won't. One lens on the camera, plus two more, is about it. (The 55mm might fit in one of the front pockets, but they are unpadded.)

There is one thing that goes in my favor. I always wear my Billingham photo vest in the field.

This past week in Iceland for example, I had the A7R2 on a BR strap with a lens attached - usually the Batis 25. Additionally, I had the Pentax 645z on another BR strap on one side, with the 45-85 lens on it (I was wearing the dual strap). Often this would be quite enough for a long hike and doing waterfalls. I had the RRS tripod with the Cube on top and had no problems overall.

I also had the following items in my vest.

Two additional lenses - usually the Batis 85 and the 16-35 f4
My iPhone 6+
Small Moleskine notebook and pen
Four A7R2 batteries and two Pentax batteries
Two additional SD cards
Giotto rocket blower, small microfiber cloth, lenspen
Smartwool balaclava (for when it got really windy)
Pair of Heatsmart gloves - unless I was wearing them
Singh-Ray 10 stop ND filter in its case
Lee 0.6 and 0.9 GND filters in a cloth pouch
Lee filter holder with 67mm and 72mm rings
Small Allen wrench
Sony lens back cap and camera cap in case I had to take the lens off the camera.
Packet of gum
Small ziploc bag with a few of my favorite teabags
Small rain cover in a pouch.

Believe it or not, the vest had room for more!

The only problem I had was it was not easy to take the lenses in and out of the vest pockets and I was afraid of dropping them especially when wearing gloves. Also, there was nowhere to put the camera if it started raining. In addition, I had to be very careful climbing in and out of the vehicle and negotiating the lava rocks in case I bumped the cameras against something.

So, at least for me, the Hadley Small may be quite adequate.

 

[hcubell]

On my last two trips I too carried a roller suitcase and the Gura Gear Chobe. The roller can be compartmented(?) with dividers from other bags and the lenses and bodies do stay safe inside Lenscoat pouches. Makes a great combo with the Chobe on top, rolling along merrily all over a large airport.

However, the problem starts in the field.

If you are in a vehicle in Africa, shooting at a frantic pace, changing lenses and cameras, things do not stay well separated in the roller and there is usually no time to put everything back in their sleeves and the dividers fall apart.

If you are on a hike it is even worse. Cannot take the roller anywhere and have to resort to carrying things separately in another bag.

A compromise solution (which some friends have tried) is to put a medium/large Bataflae type bag in your checked suitcase, take the roller on board, and at destination transfer things to the Bataflae. However, I found I could not fit the backpack in the suitcase without losing a lot of space. So it is back to the drawing board.

There is no easy answer. We are trying to fit the maximum amount of weight in the lightest and smallest possible bag with the ability to weather every possible stress and survive.

For my recent Africa trip, I brought an A7RII, an A7R, the Sony A Mount 70-400 zoom, the Sony FE 70-200 and the Sony FE 24-70. I put everything into an Osprey daypack that had no separate compartments for cameras and lenses but weighed next to nothing and I carried it on board all of the flights. After I arrived at each camp, I pulled out the A7RII and attached the 70-400 zoom. I put the 24-70 on the A7R and threw it back in the Osprey pack with my binoculars. I carried the A7RII with the 70-400 zoom back and forth to the Safari vehicles. Once inside the vehicles, I pulled the A7R out of the Osprey and left it on the seat next to me with the A7RII. I shot 95% of the time with the A7RII and rarely had occasion to use the shorter zoom. The 70-200 zoom served as a backup.
This would not have worked with a FF Nikon or Canon system.

 

[frozenbb]

I haven't heard it mentioned yet, so I'll throw in a vote for the "Bare Bones Bag - Evolution," or BBB-E.

http://figitalrevolution.com/bare-bones-bag-camera-bag-leica-lomo-lca-zeiss-rangefinder/

It's a made-to-order bag that I find perfect for my A7r and a couple of lenses (or more if they're smallish). It's light (1 pound), durable (I've used mine for 3 years and it's still going strong), and doesn't look like a camera bag. It's got a nice long strap for tallish people, but if it didn't you could always ask the creator to add one.

Definitely worth a look if you're looking for something light and inconspicuous.

 

[dandrewk]

Just a bit of sarcasm. No offense intended. We are a bit spoiled, with relatively low crime rates and fewer cases of street "strong arm" robberies (http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Cary-North-Carolina.html). Being a largely rural state, our urban centers tend to be smaller, with fewer pedestrians and tourists, compared to San Francisco, New York, Chicago, etc. Lately, there have been more car break-ins, with items in plain sight stolen (laptops, smartphones, jewelry, etc.). When I travel to the NC coast or the mountains, I usually don't have to worry about theft, but am conscious of my surroundings and don't leave my gear unattended. I also insure all my gear for its replacement value.

Having traveled and photographed all over the world, I understand the need to be inconspicuous. Usually I carry a nondescript black backpack (for DSLR and medium-format), but lately have been shopping (as has Pradeep) for a shoulder bag for my Sony mirrorless kit. This thread has helped immeasurably. I'm going to try the Billingham Hadley Pro and the Wotancraft Ryker and don't mind the weight of either bag. I'll be selling a Gura Gear Bataflae to keep the bag shelf "balanced" and my conscience clean.

Thanks to those [enablers] who have offered suggestions and photos of their bags. :thumbs:

Joe

No worries at all Joe. I agree with the above.

Tourist meccas will always attract tourists, most have cameras. The same places also attract thieves, who like to pick on tourists (they have expensive stuff, and generally won't wait around for judicial hearings). With most smartphones now locked (and worthless) when they get stolen, the thieves will be looking for other items. Expensive cameras would be a juicy score, so (sadly) we should take that into account when shopping for new bags. Even if you are local, you will STILL look like a tourist if wield a camera.

I don't want to leave the wrong impression - I still make many photography trip to San Francisco, and easily walk around most areas with no fear. The incident I mentioned was unusual enough to land on the front page, but is illustrative of what I was referring to. As an aside - the perps in this case were quickly arrested.

 

[Pradeep]

For my recent Africa trip, I brought an A7RII, an A7R, the Sony A Mount 70-400 zoom, the Sony FE 70-200 and the Sony FE 24-70. I put everything into an Osprey daypack that had no separate compartments for cameras and lenses but weighed next to nothing and I carried it on board all of the flights. After I arrived at each camp, I pulled out the A7RII and attached the 70-400 zoom. I put the 24-70 on the A7R and threw it back in the Osprey pack with my binoculars. I carried the A7RII with the 70-400 zoom back and forth to the Safari vehicles. Once inside the vehicles, I pulled the A7R out of the Osprey and left it on the seat next to me with the A7RII. I shot 95% of the time with the A7RII and rarely had occasion to use the shorter zoom. The 70-200 zoom served as a backup.
This would not have worked with a FF Nikon or Canon system.

Howard, I am assuming that the two cameras and their attached lenses did not bang against each other while in the bag. Because usually when you have two lenses or cameras in the same bag, even if it is big enough, the jostling and bouncing around that goes on in a typical African safari vehicle is enough to cause damage to the items just from contact, unless you have them in a bag like the Bataflae with separate dividers and slots that you can simply slide the camera or lens into.

 

[hcubell]

Howard, I am assuming that the two cameras and their attached lenses did not bang against each other while in the bag. Because usually when you have two lenses or cameras in the same bag, even if it is big enough, the jostling and bouncing around that goes on in a typical African safari vehicle is enough to cause damage to the items just from contact, unless you have them in a bag like the Bataflae with separate dividers and slots that you can simply slide the camera or lens into.

I packed the Sony A Mount zoom in the padded lens case that it came in from LensRentals and put it in the bottom of the Osprey daypack. I did the same with the 24-70 and 70-200 lenses. The camera bodies without lenses were just wrapped in a bit of bubble wrap and put into the daypack. This is how I traveled to and from Africa and between camps. Once I got to a camp, I took out the 70-400 and put it on the A7RII and hand carried it back and forth to the Safari vehicle, leaving the A7R with the 24-70 mounted on it wrapped in a cotton shirt to protect against scratches. In the Safari vehicle, I kept the A7RII either on my lap or on the seat next to me on a folded blanket. I either put the A7R on the same blanket or left it in the Osprey daypack. We had our own Safari vehicle at each camp with private guides, so I had lots of room. You are right about it being a rather rough ride. However, it is MUCH worse if you sit beyond the first row of seats. I tried that a couple of times. It would probably have been even more comfortable in the front row passenger seat, but the vehicles in Zambia had NO doors in the front row. I was astonished, given how close we were to predators both day and night.
The areas that we visited were surprisingly not that dusty. I probably would have missed a dedicated camera bag to protect my equipment if dust had been a big problem or I was switching between multiple lenses.

 

[jfirneno]

When I'm carrying a goodly number of lenses (typically 200mm macro, 135 1.8, 35 1.4, 55 1.8, 28 2.0 and 35 2.8), extra batteries and adapters and other doodads along with the A7S I use a sling bag that allows easy access without putting down the bag. The nicest bonus is that it has a second shoulder strap that converts it into a comfortable back pack for longer trips. Definitely not stylish but very practical. I add a removable box shaped inset pouch to organize and stabilize the lenses.


http://www.amazon.com/Case-Logic-DSS-103-Luminosity-Backpack/dp/B00IDYRZ0S

 

[MikeEvangelist]

Think Tank has just made this choice a bit harder -

New small bag aimed directly at the A7 - http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/mirrorlessmover25iblackchar.aspx

Leather-trimmed versions of some of their classics - http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/retrospective7leather.aspx

 

[Guy Mancuso]

I may just get the Think Tank Streetwalker Pro. I need a system bag. I had the Streetwalker for years but I could use a little bigger.

Not fancy but functional

 

[Guy Mancuso]

I should lock this thread it just cost me 200 bucks. LOL

I got another TT Streetwalker Pro this time.

Why go the Pro route its the depth I can fit the Minolta 200mm with LA-E4 straight down instead of laying it down. Also I can do the same with my flashes and i could also double stack with the VC15mm and get more space. That one extra inch of depth between the streetwalker and streetwalker Pro gives me a effective extra 2 to 3 lens spots open. Thats huge

I maybe a bag whore but I do my bloody homework on them. LOL

Actually I bought a returned one at Amazon. Im getting cheap these days. LOL

 

[Hausen]

Funny how much of a bag whore I am. Was looking a getting a larger bag so I can carry 3 TSE lenses and maybe a 200 prime with my A7rII and was looking at a Wotancarft, my wife said don't you have that big Crumpler downstairs? Low and behold I have Crumpler 8 million dollar home and it all fits perfectly.

 

[Pradeep]

Coming back full circle!

So the bag arrived yesterday. Looks beautiful and stylish without being too obvious as a camera bag.

I did manage to fit the following in it:

A7rII with both base plate and vertical plate, with the Batis 25 attached (hood reversed).
Batis 85, hood reversed
Sony 16-35 f4, hood reversed
Sony 55 1.8 hood reversed.

All of these in the main compartment, then I have some batteries in the front flaps with the remote control. If I wear my photo vest, the filters etc can go in there.

So basically my entire landscape kit now fits in the Hadley Small. Couldn't be happier.

 

[freaklikeme]

I got another TT Streetwalker Pro this time.

A friend of mine has that pack, but he just calls it "The Whore" because he finds Streetwalker Pro redundant (people raised on 70's and 80's era cop shows will get that).

 

[Guy Mancuso]

A friend of mine has that pack, but he just calls it "The Whore" because he finds Streetwalker Pro redundant (people raised on 70's and 80's era cop shows will get that).

Than its a bargain at 200. LOL

 

[freaklikeme]

I've been looking for better solution for my Actus, a7, and VC lenses, so I bought this...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=invoice&A=details&Q=&sku=568934&is=REG

What about a little yellow plastic suitcase that floats in salt water and has a built-in pressure control valve doesn't say sexy and stylish?

 

[uhoh7]

Wotancraft - I want a Ryker but certainly can not justify it with everything else I have.

Jim

Hi Jim.

I never thought I'd pay 375ish for a bag. Then I read alot of threads like this one and realized many are buying multiple bags in search of "the one". That's what happened to me with lenses LOL

I had not spent anything over 40 bucks for a bag. When I got a good look at the Ryker--I have to thank Huff for this--, I thought well, maybe I try to cut to the chase.

I don't regret it. My Raven is used for walks etc, but the Ryker is my work horse and literally goes everywhere with me.

OK I didn't have it here:


L1038897 by unoh7, on Flickr

But it was back at the car, waiting patiently

Probably relived it was under cover LOL

a7m_st_f1c4 (1 of 1) by unoh7, on Flickr