Camera Labs

Here's a question. In general, what do you all prefer? To be a bit more specific, The bag/backpack will be large enough to carry a couple of lenses, flash, and the camera. Basically the stuff in my signature. I'm not necessarily looking for specific recommendations, but if you have some feel free to mention them.

The reason that I ask, is because I prefer the way bags look over a backpack, but I thought that they might jostle a bit more than a backpack, and are also more easily stolen come to think of it. The plus is the easy accessibility of just unzipping the top and pulling out what you need.

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Sony A300 || 18-70 Kit Lens || Minolta 70-210 f4 Beercan || Minolta 50mm f1.7 || METZ 48-AF1 Flashgun || flickr

I picked backpack, as I carry the camera around on my back when riding my motorcycle

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Canon 50D, EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS, EF 50mm f1.8, SlingShot 100,
MyFlickr

In my opinion, you should go with a backpack.

Past experience tells me that shoulder bags (I think that's what you mean by bag), while they may look better, do move around a lot and when you are trying to shoot from a lower angle, they swing around.

Capacity is not an issue as there are quite a few bags that will hold your gear. Although something you might want to consider is comfort. Shoulder bags put all the weight on to one shoulder and if you shoot for a long period of time, your shoulder can begin to feel uncomfortable. Backpacks, however, spread the weight across your whole body (if you use all the straps).

I suggest you look around at the lowepro website:
Backpacks - http://products.lowepro.com/catalog/Camera,14.htm
Shoulder Bags - http://products.lowepro.com/catalog/Camera,20.htm
And go to a store and try them out....Most stores will let you put you gear in there and try them on.

My suggestion on the backpack is either:
Lowepro Flipside 400 AW or,
Lowepro Mini Trekker AW

As always, if you end up buying over the internet support the site by buying from one of the affiliate stores.

Hope this helps,
Daniel

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Canon EOS 450D ~ Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS ~ Canon 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM
deviantART
- Daniel

It will depends on how heavy are your gears. for beginner dslr and 1 or two extra lens, shoulder bag is better because you have greater accessibility.

Backpack is better if you carry a lot of gears and have to walk a long way.

to carry all your gears (in sig), backpack will be a better choice.

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RadiantLite - Cameras and Lenses Comparison Reviews, buying guide, photo taking techniques and other tips
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I'm for shoulder bags. They allow you to quickly access your gear, something that I've found very useful. A backpack is normally designed for carrying loads of gear while a shoulder bag is designed for quick access.

The only downside to a shoulder bag is you might end up with aching shoulders at the end of the day.

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PhilipGoh.com

Shoulder bag because it keeps all my gear within easy reach. Backpack designs are getting more clever but I carry almost everything in a shoulder bag (uni books, laptop) so I'm used to it. It's easier to get around without hitting things in a shoulder bag.

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Graham
Flickr

Wow, I'm quite surprised at how even the divide is. 10 people isn't a huge sample or anything, but I still didn't expect it.

I really wish that there were more camera places in my area... I went down to the Ritz/Wolf Camera and was terribly disappointed in the selection. They had maybe one large backpack, and only a handful of large bags. I think that perhaps they cater more to the typical compact shooter...

I've been to Fry's and even they have a better selection. I think I'll take a trip to Best Buy to see what they have as well.

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Sony A300 || 18-70 Kit Lens || Minolta 70-210 f4 Beercan || Minolta 50mm f1.7 || METZ 48-AF1 Flashgun || flickr

Sling bag?

I am considering the Lowepro Slingshot 200aw:

http://products.lowepro.com/product/Sli ... 2035,4.htm

In theory, you get the best of both worlds. But I suspect that it'll move around quite a bit when fully loaded.

Voting for a backpack. Probably because I carry more gear around (laptop when going to uni), but I still think its a lot better, esp for longer trips. The Lowepro Fastpack range still gives you pretty fast access to your camera, but is more comfortable than a sling bag.

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» Nikon D90 | Nikon D7000 + MB-D11 | Nikon 18-55mm VR | Nikon 17-55 f2.8 | Nikon 80-200 f2.8D | Nikon 35mm f1.8 | Nikon 50mm F1.4 | Sigma 85mm f1.4 | Nikon SB-600 | Think Tank UD-60

Very interesting. For the record, I just purchased a bag from Amazon. Depending on my experience with it I might get a backpack.

It's the Canon 200DG. I saw it at Best Buy "on sale" for ~$80. On Amazon, it's only $41.95!! It appears to have a fantastic build quality to it. I was hesitant to get a bag with a camera brand name on it, but oh well. I think people are going to know a camera is in my bag regardless. Might be surprised to see me pull out a Sony though.

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Sony A300 || 18-70 Kit Lens || Minolta 70-210 f4 Beercan || Minolta 50mm f1.7 || METZ 48-AF1 Flashgun || flickr

I prefer shoulder bags. I just can't stand bags on my back for a longer time.
OK, at the moment I need a bigger one as my camera doesn't fit with the battery grip added.

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Canon EOS 500D + Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Canon EF 24-105mm 4L IS USM + EF 100-400mm 4.5-5.6L IS USM + EF 100mm 2.8L Macro IS USM + Sigma 12-24mm 4.5-5.6 EX DG HSM + Canon Speedlite 580 EX II + Nissin Speedlite Di 466

sling bags definitely are the deal since you can bring there more things than the camera, and you have quite good access

problem: they can be quite expensive though

example Kata 3N1-20 http://www.carmans.com/ebay/images/maink2.jpg

hi all, i have the slingshot 200aw and im extremly happy with it before i used a lowpro cirrus 140 and i used a rucksack, rain jacket in the bottom of the rucksack and camera case in the top it didnt advertise the camera but just wasnt practical, as for the slingshot its quick access has come in handy a few times already, for example riding through a rural area and suddenly a buzzard was hovering above, in seconds i had the camera ready, so far the only downside ive noticed is the straps tend to adjust themselves but im rectifying this with black tape to stop any play in them

just to recap very happy overall

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equip/canon50d/55-250 is/ tamron sp 70-300mm vc usd/lowepro aw200 slingshot

Maybe this new bag from Think Tank is the answer...

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/ ... kpack.aspx

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Nikon D90
Nikkor AF-S DX; 18-105 f/3.5-5.6G VR, 55-300 f/4.5-5.6G VR, 35mm f/1.8G
Speedlight SB-700

http://keystrokesukimages.com

I always used a shoulder bag (not specific for cameras) for the fast access, now that I got a DSLR I bought a backpack too because the bag will not fit the new camera, lenses plus my compact gear... got the fastpack 200, will make a comparision of usability in the field after it arrives

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Canon 450D, S5 IS and A510
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