Teacher's Corner: Camera Bag Versatility

Words and pictures by Darlene Almeda

As I was assembling my Fuji X-Pro2 kit, I began looking for a lightweight bag to store it all in. I wanted the bag to carry my lenses in cases, and be easy to work out of from the back of a vehicle. I also use the X-Pro2 in the studio, so the bag had to offer something there as well. Would it be possible to find such a versatile bag?

My Fuji mirrorless kit

Kit packed inside lens cases and pouches

I use a silver metallic Sharpie for writing the focal length on the top of each lens case. This helps me easily find what I am looking for and helps to keep my gear organized. The lens case sizes I use for my Fuji mirrorless lenses are the Lowpro 8x6cm and 9x9cm, and the 9x13cm case for the X-Pro2 camera body. Lowepro offers a good selection of lens case sizes and I like the protection they offer.

Fuji XF 56mm ƒ/1.2 APD lens, hood and ND filter Inside Lowepro 9x9cm case

When B&H Photo had the Think Tank Photo CityWalker 30 Messenger Bag on special, I decided I would give it a try [the link is to Amazon because B&H is closed for Shabbat this afternoon and during the daylight hours tomorrow. Here is the link to B&H. —Ed.] I find the removable main insert very convenient and work out of it when shooting in the studio. I own several Think Tank bags, and the City Walker is the lightest of their bags I have, but it has the same quality and design I have grown to appreciate from them. I have used backpacks in the past, but I do not want the weight of a backpack for this kit. I have been using this bag for six months now and so far, it is working out well. It is lightweight, well made, and accommodates my gear the way I like to organize it.

Think Tank CityWalker 30 with my kit inside the removable main insert

When scrambling to grab gear out of the back of a vehicle, I do not worry if the gear rolls around in the lens cases as I toss them in and out of the bag, plus I can easily see if I might be leaving something behind when it is time to pack up. When working on the road, I will often place a lens on the camera and another on my fanny pack for easy reach. The lens cases I use allow me to securely add lenses to my fanny pack or belt.

Think Tank CityWalker 30 packed with Fuji mirrorless kit

My mirrorless system bag is not too heavy to carry, but more importantly, my gear is organized to my needs. No matter what type of shooting you do, taking care of your gear should be number one, and being organized is the first step towards creating the versatility you may need.

Darr
(illustrations made with the Fuji X100t)

©2017 by Darlene Almeda, all rights reserved

Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

Organize!
Give TOP a “Like” or Buy yourself a bag

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Lance Evingson: "Hilarious—I used some white nail polish my wife had on hand to label the exact same lens cases. For a moment I thought I was looking at my own kit! Some of the same lenses too. I use a variety of bags, from messenger to day-pack-size backpacks, depending on what I want to carry. I never use photo bags that telegraph 'Here's $$$ in the form of cameras' at a distance.

"I will have to get that silver Sharpie pen though. Thanks, that was fun."

Trecento: "Oh, I like those lens pouches, particularly the silver marker on them. I've been using a combination of 1980s padded drawstring pouches (Nikon, maybe?) and the Panasonic drawstring pouches that sometimes come with their lenses.

"Ah, but for a bag to put them in...you know those cheap trade show drawstring backpacks? Like this thing.

"Yeah, I put my lenses in a pouch into a gallon Ziploc bag (generic ones to boot), and my camera into another, and carry the whole thing in one of those polyester drawstring bags. If I carry water or snacks, they get their own gallon bag. When the weather permits, I prefer to keep a lens in one coat pocket, a camera in the other, and a battery or two in a mini Ziploc bag in small pocket. When I travel, I use this, an L.L. Bean kids' book backpack that has been in continuous use for thirty years. (Though it is showing faint signs of chemical deterioration of the fabric.)

"But, my kind of work is as different from Darlene as could be imagined. My task is documenting the world I come across and the daily lives of my family, so my gear is almost all compact Micro 4/3 bodies and lenses. My goal in using these cheap bags is mostly that they work and I already have them, tempered with the idea that I don't want to carry around my camera stuff in anything that looks like it might hold camera stuff. I really enjoyed using a diaper bag when the kids were smaller. Nobody is tempted to walk off with one of those. The other design factor that I'm sensitive to is that I get lower back spasms when I use shoulder bags instead of backpacks.

"I'm certainly open to looking at better alternatives, and this article was helpful for that. Thank you Darlene."

Eric Perlberg: "I always struggle with articles about gear which don't refer to the kind of photography one does. Natural landscape photographers who shoot from cars have much different needs than street photographers who walk, not to mention that sports, wildlife or wedding photographers have yet different needs that require different solutions.

"As someone who walks with his camera and photographs situations in an urban landscape, I prize light weight. I hate that camera bags with all of their padding and dividers often contribute more weight than my cameras which I carry around. I doubt if any TOP readers use my solutions so I'll mention them here.

"My cameras are lightweight mirrorless cameras. Some have fixed lenses and others are interchangeable-lens cameras. I keep my smaller cameras and my lenses in rock climber's chalk bags. Rock climbers keep powdered chalk in nylon padded bags with pull string closures, which are very light weight. When climbing, climbers need their fingers to securely grip tiny rock crevices so they dip their hands into the chalk in their chalk bags to dry their fingers to get better grip. These chalk bags come in an array of different colours and sizes. Many of them are nicely padded and are perfect for small cameras or their lenses. At home I hang these bags by their drawstrings (lens or cameras inside them) from S hooks hanging from a metal rail. I grab the chalk bag or bags I need for the day (I'm basically a one lens/camera/day shooter but occasionally I'll carry two small cameras or a few lenses) and toss the chalk bags into one of my Freitag messenger bags.

"What I hate about normal camera bags is there is no real room for a jumper/sweater, some food, a scarf and knit hat, etc. I also hate that camera bags look like camera bags. YMMV. Freitag bags are made in Switzerland cut from tarpaulins from large lorries, are quite well made and don't look like camera bags. They're not too heavy, have a wide carrying strap and very water resistant. You can look at them at Freitag.ch and Freitag ship anywhere."

kirk tuck (partial comment): "You can be too careful...."

Patrick J. Dodds: "I have a horrible, expensive and bulky Kata backpack. I've disliked it almost since leaving the shop with it. Since rolling my car on the way back from a wedding a while ago I've liked it a bit more however: the car was a write-off, I found my glasses somewhere under the seats in the back, but cameras and lenses were unscathed."

Darlene Almeda adds: Thank you everyone for responding. I think I’ll add a few more comments that may answer some responders’ questions and give more reasons reasons why this bag system works for me.

The lens pouches are how I store my gear between shoots on a shelf or studio cart. It is not unusual for me to grab one or two lenses from the shelf or cart and toss them into a smaller bag for a shoot elsewhere. Having the lenses identified in the pouches makes my life easier, and keeping them protected from drops and rough transport is another reason.

I use light-weight bags, not padded bags, and if anyone uses a Think Tank City Walker bag, they understand these bags are not padded, except for the main insert which is removable. I work out of the back of a vehicle a lot, and I am rushed because we are usually on the side of a road. I do a lot of small town and rural shooting, so being able to toss lenses in and out of the bag while grabbing a tripod and other stuff just frees me up. Believe me, the back of the vehicle can be a mess by the time we call it a day.

I do not change lenses a lot. If I did, I would resort to zoom lenses. I know pretty much what lens I want to use when I see what I am going to shoot. I will have the next focal length available just in case the perspective changes.

In the fourth photo, the camera bodies are stored underneath the 23mm (X-Pro2) and next to 56mm (X-E2) outside of the removable insert.

I do use Domke bags. I use the F-5XB for my X100t kit with the conversion lenses and enjoy it a lot. I have an older Domke Journalist (J-?) bag but find the metal clasp to be a poor design choice. It makes it hard to get into the bag, and I have scratched the back of a camera with it in the past. So even though it is a cool bag in some respects, I only use it to transport things other than cameras.

@ Kenneth Tanaka: Ken, I googled “bandalero” but could not find anything that would help with the lenses. Instead, I saw pictures of guys wearing Spanish cowboy outfits. Although I enjoyed looking at those handsome dudes, my boyfriend would probably frown upon them when we travel. But, I do appreciate the suggestion. Now I know you would never carry all that gear, but neither do I! The bag sits in the back of a vehicle. If I am walking around and shooting from the hip, it is the x100t I am using. I do use wraps mainly with my medium format lenses, but I see your point. By the way, it is not my sock drawer, but another drawer.  :-)

Thank you again everyone!

Comments

[Kirk Fisher]

Glad it suits your needs - this is just way too much padding and hassle for me, either in studio or for travel. I want to reach into my bag, grab a lens and use it without having to find/open a pouch. But whatever works for YOU!

[Stephen Gilbert]

But Mike, it's only $79.95 at B&H.

[B. Collinson]

I love the ThinkTank product line, and totally agree with your approach of protecting each piece of equipment individually. For shoots outside I especially like the extra protection. Think Tank's Lens Changer bags are nice as well, but a bit bulky for the lighter weight approach you've demonstrated.

The classic Tenba photo messenger bags are also nice, though I can only speak to the previous generation, I haven't tried the newer ones yet.

In general, bags for gear sit on a pivot point between useful accessories and dangerous obsession for me, so I loved the article!

[Colin W]

I think the City Walkers are great bags. I was looking for a bag for a trip to Paris. On vacation I typically walk for 8 -10 hours a day, so I needed something light. I rejected the 30 because it would tempt me to take too much gear and went with the 20 instead. It easily held my Canon 6d, 24-105 zoom, and a Samyang 14mm, and it was comfortable to carry all day. On other occasions, I've substituted a 70-200 F4 zoom for the Samyang.

[Dave_lumb]

"No matter what type of shooting you do, taking care of your gear should be number one, and being organized is the first step towards creating the versatility you may need.

Oops...

I store my lenses in one bag.

And use another when out and about.

Things like this still happen.

[Peter Wright]

Can't say I understand this. Why put lenses in padded cases, put those cases in a padded insert and the insert in a padded bag? I must be missing something.

[Dave Jenkins]

I use zoom lenses for two reasons: one, because I hate to waste time changing lenses; and two, because with a zoom I can choose exactly the field of view I want. With a prime, the lens dictates the field of view, which may not be exactly what I want. "Zooming with my feet" works sometimes, but not nearly always.

With all due respect to Ms. Almeda, doing things as she does them would drive me totally bonkers. All of that taking lenses off cameras and putting them in cases and taking other lenses out of cases and putting them on cameras!

[Joe in L.A.]

I too am a longtime, satisfied Lowepro user. I recently began using a Think Tank CityWalker 10 bag though. It is smaller than the 30 the author uses, but I actually love that.

It "forces" me to limit my kit to my camera (a full-frame Nikon SLR) with lens attached and only two other larger items, usually one lens and a flash unit or two other lenses. There is also plenty of well-designed room for other accessories such as filters, batteries, snacks, water bottle, etc.

I find the CityWalker 10 to be the perfect street photography shoulder bag.

By the way, that Fujifilm gear looks great. Keeping an eye out for what I hope will be their upcoming X-E3, which could be the beginning of a new, more lightweight street and travel kit for me.

[Bill Pearce]

Almost a year ago I got a Think Tank Mirrorless Mover 30i for my mft outfit, as it was compact and light as the gear. It's fifth (yes, I'm a bag whore) Think Tank bag I own and it hits the mark the best of all of them.

[david Lee]

Am I the only reader who likes Fogg bags? I also like Billingham, of course...

[Rev. Heng Sure]

Glad to see somebody else keeps lenses in pouches in bags. I like bulletproof Lowepro Dashpoint 20s and 10s for my Olympus zooms and primes. I can also toss the lens in its pouch into a backpack, confident that it will come out unscathed. The silver sharpie labeling is a nifty trick.

[Del Bomberger]

Perfectly timed article-for me at least. I'm going through this exact same search process for my new Xpro 2 and expanding lens collection. I like the approach a lot. Thanks!

[Kodachromeguy]

Those little LowPro pouches are nice, but they are pretty bulky. And by placing the pouches within a ThinkTank messenger bag, in effect you have double padding. Great protection but I think it might be overkill. I like the old-fashioned Domke canvas bags which have relatively thin interior dividers. They hold a lot.

[A. Dias]

A 50Mpixel 5DS/R and 3 zoom lenses covering the same range or wider, pack in less space.

[Bill Poole]

Reminds me what we used to call those fold-over leather camera cases that came with cameras in the middle decades of the last century—marketed as "ever-ready cases," we called them "never-ready cases."

Those wee Fuji lenses comes with handy lens bags, which give them about as much protection as I need shoved into a pocket, waist pack, back pack, Domke bag--or, I suppose if I was going to turn the rig over the baggage handlers, a fully padded camera bag or backpack.

This is an impressive set up, but it looks like a lot of unpacking to make a photo or change a lens.

[Dogman]

Unfortunately, I think the City Walker line of bags has been discontinued. Or not...I'm not real sure at this point. At one time they disappeared from Think Tank's website but now they're back. Sort of.
They no longer appear when checking under the Shoulder Bags category although they can be found with a search. The City Walker 20 is now the only model missing in action.

I have all three City Walker models--10, 20 & 30--and they are very attractive designs with lots of easily accessed storage space in each model. You can also remove the inner padded insert to change the configuration into a simple one-compartment shoulder sack. Handy as a carry on, overnighter or a diaper bag (if absolutely necessary). I like the fact that the bags are lightweight but sturdy and priced economically.

Despite my admiration for the Think Tank bags, I keep returning to Billinghams as my primary carry bags. I've yet to find better designed or better built shoulder bags than the Hadley Pro and the small L2.

[Richard Tugwell]

Where are the camera bodies in bag in that photo?

[Steve Higgins]

I don't know what make my camera bag (didn't they used to be called gadget bags, back in the day?), as it is a no-name one I bought back in the '80s for my Pentax MX. It held that with the 50mm f1.8 and, separated by a movable divider, a 135mm lens. It wasn't in use much as I soon acquired more lenses and stuff and replaced it with something twice the size.

But it quite easily holds my E-M10 with the kit lens (14-42mm II-R), the 40-150mm lens, the 9mm body-cap lens and a set of extension tubes. It's padded, slightly weatherproof and has external pockets to hold accessories, phone, bars of chocolate and so on.

It was cheap and it's old, but it does the job. A bit like me, I suppose...

[Gordon Brown]

Another approach to lens protection would be using lens wraps, Domke and Tenba for example, in bags that are already well padded. A silver Sharpie could mark the wraps.

Going slightly off topic, a silver Sharpie is great for marking camera batteries and flashcards.

[kirk tuck]

Another vote here against excess padding. Another vote here for the canvas Domke bags. You CAN be TOO careful....

[Roger Bradbury]

My smallest and oldest bag is a WW2 gas mask bag, with the broad arrow and year 1945 stencilled inside. I've had it for years. There's usually no padding except for a square of camping mat in the bottom.

It is 4.5 x 5 x 8" tall, and will hold a DSLR with 24 and 50mm lenses with the lens off the camera wrapped in a cloth, or (just) the same DSLR with a 16-50mm lens. I used to go out with just the camera and the 24, but the 50 makes no great difference to the weight so that comes too, now.

My biggest bag was made from one and a half canvas bags to go abroad with, as hand luggage. It held the camera gear, and a survival kit for the journey or if I was separated from my luggage. It weighed a ton.

I don't use it as a camera bag now. Instead, I use it for work. It holds a drill and lead, and other tools. It still weighs a ton, but as I don't have to carry it more than a hundred feet at a time, I don't mind.

[Ilkka]

I like Fogg bags, too, but they are hard to get where I live. So I have 3 Billinghams. I also have a big brown paper box full of those little padded cases that some lenses come in when you buy them, and I have never used them since taking the lens out of them the first time.

[Michael]

I'm curious:does anyone have any actual evidence that camera bags are stolen more often than, say, laptop bags? Or any bags that look like they've got a lot of stuff in them?

[Tom Bell]

I love the look of Billinghams but you can buy good lenses for all that money!
For walking I am often in bad weather. I like walking in good weather on the moors with nothing on my back. In bad weather I ilke to keep camera and wet weather kit separate.
I love using the little Lowepro Inverse 100 AW. This belt bag is small, waterproof and with an extra small shoulder belt very comfortable.
By glueing two back lens caps together you can fit EM5 12-40/2.8. But the advantage of m43 is those tiny primes. And I can fit 12/25 and 45/60 macro primes in two pairs with their back caps stuck together.
Small and light. With a little Panasonic GX85 it would be even lighter.

[Alan Carmody]

I went through a bag mania phase, an affliction Mike has referred to in the past.

My best bag? For my Leica M6 and three lenses, and sundry other doo-dads, including a small tripod, a flash and a compact camera was the Domke J-803 ballistic nylon satchel bag, which was small on the outside but otherwise capacious.

But mostly I'd carry an extra lens in a jacket pocket, and make do with one camera with one lens on a shoulder strap.

Worrying about packing is not my thing. All is do is ensure that gear doesn't ding against anything hard and get dented or scratched. Usually, a layer of cloth suffices, whether that is a pocket, or a cleaning cloth wrapped around a lens.

[Ken N]

Lens pouches are the fungus petri dishes of the camera world.

[paul logins]

I cary my whole camera kit every day in my pants left pocket
with my handkerchief. It's an iPhone 7plus.

[david Lee]

I recently got a handbag in Muji amd ordered the Billingham Hadley insert for it. Perefect. One body with a lens and space for my other 2 in case I decide to carry them. I never carry the caps for the lenses. Just a filter and hood. I can carry my Moleskine, sunglasses, reading glasses. The only thing missing is a shoulder pad.

[Kenneth Tanaka]

Darlene, have you considered using a bandalero instead of a bag to carry those lenses?

Seriously, if this works for you, great!. If I carried this much gear I'd be miserable. The more I carry the worse my work. But to protect lenses from bag bangs I use Domke wraps. These thin pad squares come in three sizes and several colors. Velcro corners enables them to be quickly shaped in any manner and the colors make i.d. a snap.

Now about my sock drawer...

[Kusandha]

The only GAS worse than for cameras and lenses is for camera bags. I was just at B&H yesterday buying a padded insert for my non-camera bag that I use to carry my gear on a day to day basis (https://www.tombihn.com/products/the-makers-bag?variant=21668006023). The person who helped me at B&H said the number of bags they carry easily outnumbers the number of cameras they carry, which is not a surprise to me.

I've tried bags by
- camera gear makers (Domke, Think Tank)
- non-camera gear makers (Tom Bihn, Patagonia) I've tried
- backpacks and shoulder bags (never a sling as I don't find that style workable)
- padded bags and unpadded bags
- camera wraps and inserts
and ultimately have to accept that there is no one bag to hold them all, just as there is no one camera to take all pictures.

[Chris]

I am afraid I just do not understand why one would want to put lenses both in cases and then in another bag. It must take 10 minutes to change a lens? A shoulder bag is, surely, designed to take naked lenses. Each to their own I suppose, but this approach strikes me as somewhat strange.

[david Lee]

Agree with Chris. Naked lenses, just the rear cap. I carry an extra one, by the way.

[scott kirkpatrick]

From about 1968 to 2008, when it finally disintegrated, I used a surplus gas mask bag to hold an M2, four lenses, light meter, half a dozen (more or less) cans of home-wound Tri-X, viewfinders and the odd pen, pencil or scrap of paper. For the camera when not in action, padding was provided by a shoe bag. Lenses were in socks. Can't find a 480 pixel wide shot, but here's a link to the evidence:https://flic.kr/p/Pk9ZrR.

[Matt]

The trouble with lens pouches (I have the same) is the zipper: you cannot leave it unzipped and not risk the lens falling on the ground. You need to perform two additional actions (opening and closing) compared to a bag or fanny pack with a velcro strip.

The trouble with marking pouches is that you cannot exchange lenses because each lens fits into a particular case/pouch. Changing lenses becomes a tedious procedure that requires FOUR additional actions (opening and closing both pouches). Way too much trouble.

It seems like the author tries to combine two purposes. There are padded bags for travel and there are bags for shooting.

The best shooting bags are small with little padding. The smaller the better. There are specific bags to accommodate mirrorless cameras, like this one:

https://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/mirrorless-mover-10

I've found bags with just two compartments to work best. Three or more compartments spoil the shooting experience.

[Jim Hughes]

Darlene: I think Ken may have meant bandolier, sometimes spelled bandoleer, a leather cartridge belt with pockets usually worn across the shoulders and chest, rumored to have been worn by Spanish-speaking bandits, known as bandoleros. At least, that's what they were called in our Western movies...

Best,
Jim Hughes