I'm looking for a new camera bag. Anyone have any recommendations? I used a small timbuk2 messenger bag before as a camera bag but I want something with some kind of padding/form to it. But I liked the ease of whipping the bag around my shoulder and getting the camera out quick. I guess I should just buy a bag actually meant for cameras. I just kinda want something a little snazzier looking and if it was waterproof thatd be rad. If it was something reasonably priced, I would just sew in some of my own dividers to make it work. Oh, and this would be too hold a dSLR with an 18-135 plus a flash, a small 20mm lens, and a larger 80-300 lens.

Adam, you can always go ghetto fab and get some foam padding or styrofoam (two pieces), carve out the shape of all your equipment, enclose, rubber band together, put in waterproof mess bag.

Or the even classier, grab all your ****, wrap it in a hoody, put it in bag, and roll.

As a fellow photography nerd, I feel for you. I searched on this for a while and settled on the Lowepro Mini Trekker backpack. I figured a backpack would distribute the weight on my shoulders well and offer the capacity I wanted. I've been able to fit the following into mine: Canon 20D with 200mm f/2.8L attached, Canon 85mm f/1.8, Sigma 50mm f/2.8 Macro, Voigtlander R2 rangefinder body with Konica 50mm f/2 attached, Leica 35mm f/2 M-mount lens, Rolleiflex f/2.8D TLR camera, Canon 580EX flash, Canon 1.4X telephoto extender, 2 quick release tripod mounts, many lens filters, Polaris light meter, misc tools and attachments for the above, misc rolls of film.

A backpack works well for a photo bag because it carries a lot. The Lowepro is nice because it has configurable velcro-configured compartments for everything. A backpack is somewhat inconvenient as a photo bag because you have to take it off, put it down, open it up, and sort through it to find what you want every time you want to change equipment. That said, I wouldn't think twice about buying one again. Give it a look.

Yes, photo backpacks are amazing and a worthwhile investment if you love your equipment.

Also, I just noticed you're also in Philadelphia. If you want to check out my backpack to see if it looks like something you'd be interested in yourself, let me know. No problem.

Domke inserts?

My buddy Trevor rode with a crumpler bag all through photo school. One morning he got hit bad on the way to class, he had all his equipment on him. Long story short hes fine now, the drivers insurance covered his hospital bills and to get back on topic none of his stuff had a mark on it... 2 bodies, 3 lenses , 3 flashes. As a bonus he was able to take the bag to their store in NYC and for free they fixed the strap the paramedics had to cut off

Domke **** is so ugly. We had an old jacket at the camera store I worked in. I wanted to take it because it will never sell. They gave me an old Domke bag too.

Glad to hear your friend was ok.

I use one of THESE to carry my Nikon D70. With both the shoulder strap and hip belt, it is very stable.

I have this one.
https://www.lowepro.com/Products/Belt...f_Trail_1.aspx

It worked well for hiking and camping, I'm not sure how well it would work on the bike.

I have looked at those packs before but its not exactly what I want. I did find this though which I think might work well. https://www.adorama.com/LPSS100AW.html It solves the inconvenience problem at least. Anyone ever used or seen one? Natron, did you find your lowepro to be pretty high quality? No ripping of straps, broken zippers, seams coming apart, etc? Sounds like you have a pretty sweet bag full of photo equipment. And since we are photonerding out our equipment lists, heres mine (although probably wouldn't be carrying it all at once in this bag)...
Nikon D-80 dSLR, Nikkor 18-135mm, Tamron 80-300mm, Nikkor 20mm, Nikkor 55mm, generic flash, Nikon fm2 SLR, Nikonos III uw rangefinder w/ 28mm lens, and all the little accessories.

ryand, I was tempted to go with the ghettofab option on a clearance mess. bag style laptop tote by clive at EMS but it didn't seem very waterproof. My bag is bigger than I want, and the price I would pay for a good mess bag in a smaller size, I could probably buy a photo bag I don't need to ghettofabify.

Japhyrider, I found this crumpler bag which looks perfect for what I want. https://www.adorama.com/CLCUBKBGM.html but its 190.00. Like 120.00 more than I can afford to spend.

Yeah that would solve the inconvenience thing. It never really bothered me but I can see it being a hassle if you change lenses a lot.

Also, is that an old manual focus Nikkor 55mm? I have one of those for my Nikon film SLR kit and it's amazing..

yes sir, MF all the way.

For quick access, durability and weather resistance you can't do better than:
https://www.lowepro.com/Products/Shoulder_Bags/quick/
I own way to many camera bags, and use 3 of these regularly.

I would recommend this backpack even if it doesn't whip around your back as easily. It's made for a laptop. camera and lenses. Here's a pick:

https://farm1.static.flickr.com/153/4...919cee2e_b.jpg


If you're interested this one's for sale.

I carry a lot less photo **** than that (rangefinder and one or two lenses) but in general, I stick a small padded bag or domke insert (yes some of the bags are ugly but the inserts are useful and not too expensive), inside whatever bag I'm using. The inserts don't have padding on the buttom but this is easily solved with a ubiquitous mouse pad cut up.

Backpacks seem like way too big a hassle if you actually might want to take a picture while you're carrying it, and photo bags seem mostly overbuilt and scream "I've got a bunch of expensive camera stuff in here". I had a Domke F3XB which was really nice to carry a Mamiya 6 around with plenty of room for extra lenses and stuff (although of course, I couldn't afford any but that 50mm looks so sweet). It's pretty plain sits well and you can cut off the Domke labels easily if desired. Comes in either "ballistic" nylon or canvas which wears in nicely. Also you can usually find one on eBay or a knock off for around $70. Also if you want to take a photo while carrying it, it's super easy to work from, just a flap with a clip to secure it. No velcro even to alert people you are whipping it out.

This is relevant to my interests.

I mean.... oops.

As another fellow camera nut the best thing I can recommend is this site:
https://cambags.com/

It has reviews of most major bag mnfd as well as pictures showing what each bag can hold. This is invaluable IMHO.

My current setup consists of 4 different bags. 3 Mountainsmith bags (1 backpack, 1 rectangle bag, and 1 top-loader (triangle shaped). I also have a Lowepro Nova2 AW.

Depending on how you plan on using the bag, consider water proof covers offered by Lowepro's AW serries as well as Kata bags (I would recommend the R-102 for a super nice backpack). Many Mountainsmiths also come with rain covers. When you are carrying 3-4k worth of gear in your bag it is nice to know that if you do get caught in rain, the only things that will get wet is you and not your gear.

Good luck. Searching for the perfect bag is near impossible because according to many, there is no such thing as 1 perfect bag that is right for all conditions.

Jeff