A Bag for all Occassions

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I have another confession - I seem to do a lot of that here - I have a thing for camera bags.  If you are serious about your photography, you will spend a fair amount of money on camera gear (I do anyway) and then you need something to carry it around in.  You've just invested a good proportion of your disposable income on equipment, so why skimp on the thing that it going to protect said investment? 



Over the years I've been a photographer I have found that Lowepro make some of the best camera bags on the market and I currently have three of varying sizes.  'Three?' I hear you ask, yes I have three for different occasions - well actually I have five, because I have a black Nikon shoulder bag and a 20-year-old CCS SLR pouch system as well.

Let's start at the top with my Lowepro Pro Runner 350AW back pack.  This bag will take my entire Nikon kit (two bodies both with battery grips, six lenses, 1.4x converter, flash gun) plus laptop, filters, spare batteries, lightmeter and my Slik tripod strapped to the outside.  It will take the proverbial kitchen sink but even fully loaded it is comfortable to wear with heavy duty padded straps and waist belt.  However I very rarely take every single piece of equipment when I head out to take photographs, I decide before I go what equipment I will take and then pack accordingly.  The good thing about the 350AW is I can fit everything in and I can take it on an aircraft as hand luggage, it doesn't have to go in the hold.  The 350 AW is also pretty resistant to water ingress, but it also comes equipped with an all weather rain cover so if you do get caught outside in heavy rain, the camera gear stays nice and dry.
Lowepro Pro Runner 350AW

Lowepro Pro Runner 350AW

Lowepro Pro Runner 350AW

My second Lowepro bag is also a backpack but this one, the Lowepro CompuDaypack, is a lightweight version for carrying one camera body, a couple of lenses, a flash and spare batteries and filters.  The CompuDaypack also has a top area for putting notebooks and other items, plus a padded slot at the back for a laptop.  This is my 'travel light' camera bag and I normal fit a camera body plus the 17-35mm f2.8, 50mm f1.4 and 80-200 f2.8 in this bag for travelling back and forth to France on business.
Lowepro CompuDaypack

Lowepro CompuDaypack
The Nikon shoulder bag is even lighter, with room for a camera plus two lenses and a flash gun.  There is room for a spare battery and filters but that's it.  I use this bag when I need to take a DSLR out and about for something like a formal dinner, or when walking about a city when a backpack would draw too much attention.  I have to admit this bag is the one I use the least because the CompuDaypack does the same thing in a handier size.  I sometimes pack the Nikon bag in my suitcase just in case I need a shoulder bag when I'm away.

Nikon Shoulder Bag

I have a small camera bag for my Fuji X100 and again is made by Lowepro.  This is a Apex 100 AW shoulder / belt bag for a compact camera.  It is really well designed and can fit my X100, the WCL-X100 wide angle converter, two spare batteries, spare memory cards, manual cable release and other sundry items.  Like all Lowepro products the 100 AW is resistant to water ingress if you get caught out in a shower but it also comes with an all weather cover to protect the camera from heavy rainfall.
Lowepro Apex 100AW

The final bag system I have is also the oldest in my collection as I bought the CCS 'Classic' pouch system in 1993 to house my Minolta X700 manual SLR camera and lenses. CCS are British made from rugged materials and my 20-year-old 'Classic' bags are still in great condition even now. The water resistant pouches have draw strings to keep the rainout and the pouches either fit on a belt or the SLR pouch has a shoulder strap.  The camera bag will fit a DSLR + a short zoom but it is a tight squeeze if the battery grip is fitted to the camera.  The long lens pouch will take my trusty Nikon 80-200 f2.8 lens and the flat pouch will fit spare batteries, filters and memory cards with ease.  
20 Year Old CCS Classic Pouch System
As you can see I have a bag for every occasion and as I've invested a significant four figure sum of money in my camera equipment then I need something that will protect it when I'm out and about. I think every photographer should do the same.


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Comments

  1. Monty11 July 2013 at 14:34

    Hi there. Just wondering does your D800 fit OK in the Pro Runner 350 AW? . . . The specs for the bag say that the inside is 11.5cm deep . . . The D800 is 12.5cm high. Does the top of the camera fit on OK? Regards JM

    ReplyDelete
  2. Macsport11 July 2013 at 14:44

    Monty, the D800 fits fine with the MB-D12 grip fitted. The bag is actually 13cm deep not 11.5 (i have just measured it), so without the grip it sits inside the space. If you look at the image above the D800 is the camera at the bottom of the image. It sits proud in the bay but the top of the bag has a lot of space available in the flap. I can fit both the D800 and D700 with battery grips into the 350AW. I can highly recommend this bag if you are looking at it for a Nikon system. Thanks for reading the Blog and taking the time to comment. Jeff

    ReplyDelete
  3. Monty19 July 2013 at 05:14

    Hi Jeff. Thanks so much for replying to question! . . . I'll be ordering the bag this afternoon! Regards John M. PS. Nice blog. And I like you automotive work too. Cheers

    ReplyDelete

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