Camera Bags

[Stevedevil]

Hi

I am looking to get a new camera bag, rucksack style I would hope, and would like to ask anyones advice.

I have an Orion Trekker II ( Lowepro ) at the moment, and have outgrown it quite quickly with the equipment I carry in it..

I could keep this bag, as it is very good, and just leave a couple of things behind each time, eg lenses / flash etc, but this weekend I found myself having to use the flash as we encountered a NICE weekend in UK, and the sun was out, and my Subject for photo shoot ( my Wife ) could not help but to squint as the sun was fairly low, and unfortunately I missed the best time of day for the shot I was looking for, so I used my flash to give fill in on the shaddow that appeared with the sun to one side ( also had a great time playing with my newly brought Light Meter, Sekonic 308 )

I feel that you should take all your equipment out for a days Shoot, and also I like to carry my tripod, of which my bag does not, also its nice to take a Bite & Drink, of which I think on some bags you can ADD bottle holders etc.

So any advice is greatly appreciated, also I use my Laptop a lot when away from home and always take camera, cos you never know when " That Photo " could suddenly be, and have read that some bags have PC options, but are they a seperate part of bag that can be left behind, the PC thing is not a factor that will make me choose a bag though.

I have only ever seen Lowepro bags in UK, so maybe some links to US sites with world wide postage could give me a better option.

Thanks for putting up with me

Steve

 

[JIP]

I have always been a big Lowepro fan and have the same bag that you do but recently I have seen a very promising line of Tamrac bags called the Adventure series that are very similar to the Orion (camera bag/daypack) but have alot more space in the camera bag side. I know the space is not HUGE but it is larger than the Lowepro and they have several sizes.

http://www.tamrac.com/

 

[Stevedevil]

My first concern with the Tamrac bag, is the camera being so close to the rear of the bag, the Orion Trekker II does seem to give a lot of padding around the Camera Compartment, I will have a good look at the site though, Thanks a Lot

Steve

 

[portersangel]

I use the Computrekker aw (Lowpro). I am able to fit all of my equipment plus my laptop, monopod, & tripod. It's a great backpack. Extreamly comfortable too.

 

[Stevedevil]

Thanks all, I went for the Computrekker AW

Cheers

Steve

 

[Stevedevil]

Got the new Bag today, and very impressed, rugged and WELL padded

Also my 17" compaq fits easily so no need to pay for the Computrekker II if you have 17" laptop..

Thanks for advice

Steve

 

[Jeremy Z]

I had been a Tamrac guy since I started shooting seriously about 10 years ago. It is very good stuff, but in general, it is not quite as well thought-out as LowePro. My last two bags were LowePro. They have better grades of zippers, velcro, and stitching; so good call on the bag.

Don't get rid of your small bag just yet. Many people believe that the less equipment you carry, the better the photographer you will become. Also, backpacks let you carry stuff comfortably, but not get to it quickly. It's give & take.

A lot of the fellas over on rangefinderforum.com go out with a $40 35mm fixed-lens rangefinder, some B&W film, and come home with the most amazing photos you can imagine. Don't get me wrong. Most things you can do with a rangefinder, you can do with an SLR, but there is a certain charm in the neander way of doing things.