Ultimate camera bag ??

[peregill]

Hi I am looking for the ultimate camera bag. I have used different types of domke and lowepro bags. Now i changed all my Canon gear for Nikon. and I now look for a bag. I have 2 D3 camera. 1 14-24 , 24-70 , 70-200. + a 85 1,8 and 2 flashes. Is there anything that would fit this .

[DierkHaasis]

Nothing like an ultimate camera bag, you need different ones for different occasions. After LowePro, self-made, none-specific small rucksack, and Billingham [still a favourite] I've now settled for ThinkTank bags. They are well thought-out, very well made, and come in a sensible range. For the big trip or as storage at home I own an Airport Addicted.

I also have an Urban Disguise 40, which holds a lot but is slightly overwhelmed by a camera of D2x/D3 form factor, while it does fit, the zipper is just so closable. Just a few weeks ago ThinkTank came up with a slightly bigger Urban Disguise, designed especially to hold a bigger camera with a longer lens, the Urban Disguise 70 Pro, which I am thinking about getting.

[Martin_Doudoroff]

I second Dierk's endorsement of ThinkTank. They offer a wide range of well-designed and well-made bags that actually feel worth the price. I use an Airport Antidote for travel, and it has served me well. I have one of their original should bags that has been solid, but I think the model has been superseded by the more elegant Urban Disguise line. My favorite ThinkTank bag, however, is the Digital Holster. I use that all the time—any time I'm just carrying one or two walk-around lenses.

[David_Buzzard]

I'm travelling in South Africa at the moment, and carrying a Think Tank Airport Addicted Camera bag for storage of all my gear. It's great, but very heavy (+/- 50lb's). I've got two bodies, a 17-35, 28-70, 70-200, 300 f/2.8, a 28mm PC, 2 SB flash units, an SU-800 controller, plus some Honl snoots and flags, a digital sound recorder and mic, and all the batteries, chargers, cords, and power adapters for the above. Carrying it through the airport is a tough haul, so unless you're really strong, get one of the wheeled bags.

For walking around, I have a belt pack that has one of the large pouches, big enough to hold the 70-200, the pouch for the SB flash, and the speed changer bag, which I ripped all the dividers out of for extra room. With the two cameras, one lens is always in the pouch, the other two mounted on cameras. I have an old Domke pouch for the recorder, plus anything else I might want to to take along. I find the Domke canvas belt more comfortable than the Think Tank padded one, as it kept slipping off my hips. For casually walking around, I tend to sling the belt pack over my shoulders like a shoulder bag, and for more intense stuff, I wear it around my waist.

I've also got a Airport ChecK In computer bag that I can't say enough about.

If you want a pure over the shoulder bag, the large Billingham is the very expensive ticket. That's what I use for my wedding work, but again, you need to very strong to carry that kind of an unbalanced load on one shoulder for the whole day. The Domke's were designed before digital cameras came along, and just don't hold those big cameras and lenses very well.

If you want to check out some snaps from my current African trip (I'm writing from Durban, South Africa), check out my blog.

David Buzzard

[DierkHaasis]

When going for Billingham, you might be better of with the 445, which is a little smaller than the 550 - and already quite a haul, particularly in any space more confined than a three-lane motorway [that's 3 in both directions]. The two real downsides of the Billinghams is the padding, which is a little on the soft side and breaks down after a few years.

[Ashley_Karyl]

I am pretty certain there is no ultimate camera bag but I am tending to favour Kata these days. I wrote a blog post on the subject a while back at Camera bags for the professional photographer | Nude Photo Pro