Camera bags? (Shoulder)

JohnS. · Nov 18, 2010

I'll be acquiring my 3rd lens next week which will make my current Tamrac shoulder bag no longer good. I could technically make it work but everything wouldn't fit as comfortably as buying a bag meant to hold more.

I know nothing about camera bags. The only bags I've heard about are Lowepro. And the Tamrac one I have now came with the camera. I've spent the last hour or two just googling stuff and looking at various websites but there are just too many choices out there.

I want something reasonably priced. IMHO, I think $100 should be more than enough. If it's not, tell me otherwise and I'll re-consider my options. I really want to stick with a shoulder bag. I don't like backpacks. I keep a lens on my camera body at all times and joining them would be 2 separate lenses and small accessories. Such accessories include body/lens caps, memory card wallet, several filter cases, charger & cable, and a couple cleaning products. It'd be a plus if the bag could hold a speedlight as I do plan on getting one for my photography "career". Not anytime soon though. It's just something I want to invest in later when I get more serious.

TheOtherBob · Nov 18, 2010

It's a very personal choice -- I recommend going into a camera shop and trying a few on. I like the Tenba bags, and also Crumpler -- in both cases because they don't look too much like camera bags (and therefore don't scream "steal me"). Both have tons of pockets.

But what I actually use is a little odd. I took the insert out of this bag: Tenba Laptop Messenger Bag, Small (Olive Green) 638-222 B&H

and put it in this bag:

Olive Drab - Classic Army Paratrooper Shoulder Bag - Army Navy Store Military Shop

It's not waterproof, it's not padded on top, the strap doesn't have any padding at all...but it's light, the lack of padding keeps it from being bulky, the padding in the Tenba insert keeps everything (relatively) safe, and it doesn't look like a camera bag (because it's not). It's not a perfect solution for everyone -- but I've been happy with it.

Light Artisan · Nov 18, 2010

Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home is where it's at.

Josh66 · Nov 18, 2010

I've always liked Domke bags.

I think the F-2 would fit everything you have comfortably with room to spare.

The black and tan ones are on sale right now at B&H for $130. The olive drab one (what I have

) is $145. (No idea why that one isn't on sale too... They must have too many of the black & tan ones or something...)

It might be a little more than you wanted to spend, but I guarantee you it will last forever. Very rugged bags.

The only reason you'll ever need to replace it is for a bigger bag - these things are indestructible.

helen · Nov 19, 2010

Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home is where it's at. It's a very personal choice

Ub3rdoRK · Nov 19, 2010

thinktank retrospective 20 more than $100 but worth it.

JohnS. · Nov 19, 2010

Someone told me about crumpler ones. I looked at the 5 and 7 million dollar home ones but to be quite honest, they don't feel that "secure" to me. I prefer to have individual compartments for all my lenses instead of having them rub on each other.

That Tenba doesn't look too bad. And I'll look into Domke and ThinkTank when I get a free minute here at work

. Now that ThinkTank is mentioned, I reading about it yesterday. Are they LowePro's competetor or something?

Thanks guys! I'll consider any other recommendations!

Village Idiot · Nov 19, 2010

Has anyone mentioned Crumpler yet?

amej8 said:
Someone told me about crumpler ones. I looked at the 5 and 7 million dollar home ones but to be quite honest, they don't feel that "secure" to me. I prefer to have individual compartments for all my lenses instead of having them rub on each other.

That Tenba doesn't look too bad. And I'll look into Domke and ThinkTank when I get a free minute here at work . Now that ThinkTank is mentioned, I reading about it yesterday. Are they LowePro's competetor or something?

Thanks guys! I'll consider any other recommendations!

What are you talking about? I have dividers in my last gen 7MDH, the new ones have them as well. I have a compartment for my 70-200 f/2.8L IS, 24-70 f/2.8L IS, 580EX II, 15 f/2.8 Fish, 3 Pocket Wizards, 5D MKII with grip and 17-40 f/4L, as well as additional cables and such that I need.

Do you honestly think I'd put thousands of dollars in gear in a bag if they were rubbing up on against each other?

Brick · Nov 19, 2010

I'll throw in my vote for Crumpler as well. They definitely do have dividers and are quite secure. The 6mdh is plenty of space for 3 lenses.

minpingurl1 · Nov 19, 2010

I have this bag. Canon 200DG Deluxe Gadget Bag 9320A003 B&H Photo Video Love it. I just have 1 body and 1 lens, but it can hold 1-2 bodies and 2-3 lens kits.

JohnS. · Nov 19, 2010

I own a Nikon.

I guess the pictures of the Crumpler bags I looked at didn't show dividers or something. Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention. I'll look again.

Thanks guys.

Vinny · Nov 19, 2010

Look at Lowepro and Kata. They have various types of bags that my fit your needs. Take a look at sling bags and Kata has the 3N1 series which can be a slingbag or backpack. I realize they're not shoulder bags but I owned a shoulder bag years ago and I like the slingbag or backback better. I picked the Kata 3N1 because of it's versatility. I believe the Lowepro 300 series is larger than the largest Kata. Take a look at Tamrac as well, not sure how they compare to the others that were mentioned but they seemed like they may be OK.

Naphtali14 · Nov 19, 2010

I like the lowepro slingshot series personally, they make everything accessible quickly. I believe the 2nd largest one in the series would fit your needs. Also, don't go by the prices on manufacturer sites. Often times they're much cheaper if you check google shopping. Good luck finding your new bag!

PS don't forget that this bag is protecting some expensive stuff! Don't skimp out

mjhoward · Nov 19, 2010

I like my Domke F-5XC. Its fairly small but can hold up quite a bit. I've posted this before, but this video demonstrates quite well just how much you can fit in it...

JohnS. · Nov 20, 2010

The only problem I see with that Domke is that it opens from the side. If I was walking around and needed to grab a lens, I could see a lens(es) potentially falling out accidentally if I were to open that bottom pocket. I would rather be able to have access to all my gear from the top.

And that's also why I want a shoulder bag and not a backpack. I want to have quick access to all my gear right then and there. I don't want to have to stop, take the bag off, kneel down on the ground, set it on something, etc. I will consider a backpack if/when I get more gear (which I definitely will in the future) for generally transport of all my gear and use a shoulder bag when carrying to shoot.

I'm going to a photo store right now to check out some bags. I think there may be a few other photo supply stores but I'm not sure. We don't have much where I live (no I don't live in NYC. No where near it. I'm on the opposite side of NYS).