Hard Case or Camera Bag????

[Kaye68]

My equipment is out growing my camera bag and recently I have had my external flash damaged due to the crampness. I am looking at the hard case camera cases and am considering since my husband thinks that is what I should get.

So not knowing anything about them or even if I will like them, my husband also tells me that if I don't get the right kind it will casue my camera and lenses to sweat when moving from indoor to outdoor or vise versa. That is something I clearly do not want so can someone educate me on the types of cases that are available that do not cause the camera/lenses to sweat?

I currently have a Nikon D80, Nikon 18-70mm, Nikon 50mm, Nikon 105mm Macro VR, Nikon 70-30mm, SB-600 flash, extra battery, cards, cleaning supplies, battery charger, plus a few other misc. things.
Any help or advice as to what would better suit me other than a Canon 12x8 soft bag would be really great.

I am just not sure what to look for anymore... can anyone help?

 

[Garbz]

Sweat? I mean I push my equipment hard but it never sweats. lol ok bad joke. Is he talking about condensation? This isn't an issue with any kind of bag as long as you're not coming in from the cold and opening the bag straight away.

Case wise this is a bit of a lifestyle choice more than anything. I have a hard case AND a camera bag. The hard case still just fits everything I have but I'll need a second one shortly. I normally take a hard case with me and leave it in the car. If I'm doing a modelling or product shoot I'll take the case with me. But that's where it stops being practical. The case is useless as soon as I need to walk somewhere, so a camera bag it is for trips though the mountains, gardens, the beach, or through the city, or generally anywhere where I will be more than 100m from my car.

I also rarely take all my equipment at once. Normally camera + flash + grip + a lens, the bag will contain 1 or 2 other lenses, and few beers (important!) and a tripod slung over my shoulder.

 

[Big Mike]

A hard case is good for rough travel and when working 'on location'...but they are a pain in the ass otherwise. If you do want a hard case, Pelican is a great brand.

I agree with Garbz. 'Sweating' or condensation isn't really a problem with a bag or case...it's caused by environmental conditions. If you have the camera gear (or anything) in a cold dry environment and take it into a warm & humid enviroment...you will get condensation. So avoid doing that...or else take precautions like sealing the gear in zip lock bags...or just let it warm up gradually before you take it out. I guess an air-tight case may cause some mold on the gear if it's damp...but I always keep some desiccant (silica gel) in my bags to absorb moisture.

As for bags, I have several. They each serve a different purpose. There doesn't seem to be a 'best solution'. If you can, go to a well stocked store and have a first hand look at some different ones. I really like Lowepro bags. Crumpler is a good brand that has bags that don't look like camera bags.

 

[JIP]

Good post Mike you always catch them before I do but to help a little here the 2 industry standards are.

Lowepro... http://www.lowepro.com/

Tamrac... http://www.tamrac.com/

but another choice for more classic type pro bags might be Domke.... http://www.helixcamera.com/camerabags/Domke/domke.html


One thing to remember though is that alot of times camera bags look alot bigger in pictures than they actually are so if you can't actually hold them before you buy them be prepared you may have to ship them back to wherever you order them from.

 

[RyanLilly]

If I actually had enough money to fill a camera bag with gear, I would probably go with a setup like Garbz. A case would be nice to transport/ store everything in, but I'll bet there are several items you wont use in every situation. In would probably also bring a bag or two that i could tailor to the specific needs of the job, while having the rest of my gear close by in the car if the necessity for it should arise.

 

[HatMan]

I suspect I'm not the only one who thought of this, but I gather up all the little silica gel packs that come with a lot of electronic equipment and try to always keep one or more in my bag. They are supposed to absorb moisture so I figure it's got to help at least a little!

 

[Rick Waldroup]

I too, use both. I use Zero Halliburton cases when I have to travel or for on location photo shoots. And for when I am just out shooting, I wear a vest always, and I just use a very old Lowepro waist pack that I converted to a shoulder bag. It will hold my D2H, 3 lenses, and a flash. So, that is how I do it.

 

[kundalini]

One thing that may have been missed above. Although I consider myself fairly fit, I have had two spinal surgeries. The "big one" was a spinal fusion at 18 years old. I am well beyond that now. The thought of carrying weight has always been a consideration for me. When I traveled on holidays, I used a backpack rather then luggage, distribution of weight. My first real camera bag was a top-loading Lowepro that sat on my chest and has lasted over 15 years and is still in good shape. I now have completely new gear and more of it. I recently bought a Lowepro Slingshot 200 AW and it works really well for me to walk around with and has the built-in rain cover (comforting). I carry the D80, 3 lenses, SB-600, filters, extra battery, monopod, flask of tequilla, manuals and bits and pieces.

If I had a hard case, I would have to equalize the weight distribution with a case of beer (important) in the other hand. The slingshot series may not work as well for women though, as the strap comes across the chest diagonally, but their backpacks look pretty nice.

 

[neea]

The slingshot series may not work as well for women though, as the strap comes across the chest diagonally, but their backpacks look pretty nice.

Ah.. I don't know what this is implying but I am a woman and have a slingshot and love it. If you're not self conscience than it wont bother you.
My only complaint is that it makes my one shoulder really really sore from carrying the weight all on one side.

I've said it on here before and I'll say it again... I fully recommend lowepro. I have found out that they float and will not let water into your bag

 

[JIP]

One way to go might be something like this http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/150691-REG/Lowepro_1920510_Pro_Roller_2.html the Lowepro roller system is kind of pricey to get into like $399 for the roller 3 but if you start out with a big shoulder bag you can expand into the roller system and have unimited possibilities. The shoulder bag will mount on to the top of the roller bag.

 

[usayit]

For a case to protect equipment in transit (plane for example) NOTHING beats pelican.. in my opinion. They develop strong hard cases for the military that are water proof, shock proof, and extremely durable. They are also impossible to cut into via a knife during a possible theft. The quality of their product is 1st rate.

Another plus... Pelican cases are much cheaper than the soft cases made by Lowepro and Tamrac. I recommend the Pelican 1510 roll around (specifically designed to carry-on planes) with a padded divider set (instead of pluck foam). You should plan on checking out the 1510 in person and verify that all your stuff will fit.

When traveling, I usually pack extra cloths and stuff in my camera bag while my Pelican packs all the camera equipment. Once at my destination/hotel room, I pack just the stuff I want to bring in my camera bag and the rest stays in the pelican and pad locked. I have a bicycle chain that I use to lock the case to a solid object (the drain pipes of a sink for example).


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...alSearch=yes&O=product.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t

Pelican 1510 roll around case w/ divider set.. about $160.

 

[kundalini]

Ah.. I don't know what this is implying but I am a woman and have a slingshot and love it. If you're not self conscience than it wont bother you.
My only complaint is that it makes my one shoulder really really sore from carrying the weight all on one side.

I've said it on here before and I'll say it again... I fully recommend lowepro. I have found out that they float and will not let water into your bag

No implications were intended. It was a comment I read on reviews of the slingshot made by a woman. I have to agree that my right shoulder does get a bit sore after a while. That's why I always pack the flask of tequila .

 

[Naicidrac]

I have about the same equipment that oyu have. I bought a nice Kelty back pack and made my own cermera bag with padding in it and it works great. As far as sweating goes. Just place the cemrea in a ziploc and the sweat will builld up in the bag and not in the camera.