New shoulder bag

[Photog]

It is definitely time for me to invest in a new bag, since my current one is barely better than a plastic shopping bag. I've got a very specific idea of what I want and looked around quite a lot, but not found what I'm looking for.

I'm going travelling soon, and so need a shoulder bag, preferably with a zip and velcro flap to prevent theft. I'll probably only be taking my 450D and 18-250 Tamron because I want to avoid taking too much expensive equipment.

So I'll need quite a small bag, quite flat, that would have a compartment for my camera with lens mounted, and maybe a bit of space for other items like wallet etc.

All the bags I've seen either don't have a proper compartment for a camera and lens, or have way too many compartments for equipment. All suggestions would be much appreciated!

 

[tsaraleksi]

Check out some of the smaller models from Domke. They tend to be really intelligently thought out bags without stupid extra frills.

 

[blash]

In all honesty, if you're just carrying the one body and lens, you're probably better off just packing it in bubble wrap in your carry-on suitcase and then carrying it around on your neck once you're out and about - cheaper, still effective, and you'll shoot more because you don't have to fetch the camera out of your bag and you're carrying less stuff. Even for P&S's, I don't see why people get what amounts to a protective case for it - just slip the darn thing in your pocket, that's why it's so small...

I bought my camera bag from a Ritz Camera retail store, just went in, picked the largest bag they had that wasn't a backpack but still shoulder mounted, made sure the padding was OK because all I need it to do is survive some bumps and scrapes (not a tornado), and that was it. Think it only cost me $40 too, and none of my glass has broken yet.

 

[Photog]

Thanks a lot for your suggestions guys, I've looked into Domke and the F-5XB doesn't look too bad. I wouldn't really want to carry it round my neck because I'm travelling into areas where muggings are common, so want to stay as inconspicuous as possible.

 

[bhop]

I use an army medic bag that I got from the surplus store. It's small, but big enough to fit my camera plus a lens or two, a few rolls of film/filters/etc. It's got a big compartment, plus a few smaller ones inside. I can fit my 70-200 if I keep the camera around my neck. The one I have is water resistant too. It doesn't really have padding, but it's easy to stick some from my bigger bags in there if I need to. I don't really feel like I need it though.

If you want a "real" camera bag, I second the domke suggestion. They don't really look like your typical camera bags. Maybe the f5 or f802 models

 

[bdavis]

Lowepro, Tamrac, Kata, Think Tank, Crumpler all make good camera bags, some for a lot less $ than Domke.

 

[tsaraleksi]

Having handled and used bags by several different brands, the only shoulder bag that I've been really happy with is the Domke that I use now. It's my view that you're better off buying right once than switching around several times and burning money.

Either way, in order to buy a camera bag, you'd really be well advised to find a place that sells them in person. A bag can sound great online and be totally awful because of some small thing.

 

[table1349]

Take a look at the Crumpler 6 million dollar bag. It sounds like it fits your needs.

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Crumpler-MILLION-DOLLAR-Shoulder-Oatmeal/dp/B000W8ZDWA]Amazon.com: Crumpler 6 MILLION DOLLAR HOME Shoulder Photo Bag (Dark Brown/Oatmeal/Light Olive): Camera & Photo[/ame]