Camera Labs

There are several great camera bags out there.
I like very much my Canon 200DG, but it "looks expensive", it's like walking around with a sign saying "I have an expensive camera and lenses".


Instead, I got a "SwissGear GA-7866-02F00 ZINC Messenger Digital SLR Camera Bag". Quite inconspicuous, handles a body, 3 lenses and a flash with ease.

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quality = preparation + attention + luck

Very compact, I notice.

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Canon EOS 500D
Lenses: EFS 18-55mm IS, EF 50mm F/1.8 II

@Canon 500D
Yes, it is quite compact, lightweight and comfortable to carry. Try one.

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quality = preparation + attention + luck

how much is it( in euros maybe) and where can you get it?

Hello Sunnyhope. I bought mine in the USA, BestBuy store at the Minneapolis' Mall of Americas - but you might find it also at Amazon. I paid ~US$70 for mine. I would like to update that after using the bag daily for about six months now, it is still in perfect condition. I took some heavy rain a couple of times, and not a drop of water passed through. I use it to carry a D7000 w/ a battery grip, a SB-600 flash, and either one long lens or two short ones. I'm really satisfied with this bag - but for the price. Guess it would cost much less if it wasn't from a "famous" brand (Swiss Gear).

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quality = preparation + attention + luck

all of the above look like a camera bag basically.


u should have a look at ThinkTank Retrospective series though they r quite expensive...

They all look like old College bags but they're all made for photojournalists/ street photographers

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http://www.AnderssonPhoto.com
Cameras: Leica M8, Nikon FE-2, Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, 5D Mark II, 40D
Lenses: Voigtländer Nokton Classic 35mm 1.4, Ultra Wide Heliar 12mm 5.6 ASPH II, Nikkor AI-S 28mm 2.8, Canon 24-70 2.8L, 85mm 1.2L II, 300mm 2.8L IS, TS-E 45mm 2.8, Sigma 105mm 2.8 Macro
Canon 1.4x/2X TC II, Canon 580EX II X2, Gitzo + Manfrotto.
Wishlist: Leica Monochrom, Summilux 50 ASPH, Voigtlander 35mm 1.2 ASPH II

Now I come to think of it, how about these ?

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Sony α77V/VG-C77AM/α350/18-70/70-400 G SSM/NEX-5/18-55 OSS/Lowepro Pro Trekker 600 AW/CompuTrekker AW/Nova 140 AW/Street & Field gear/Toploader Pro 75 AW. And a huge wishlist...

My photos on Flickr...

Very nice, indeed!

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quality = preparation + attention + luck

Hello Andersson,

I respectfully disagree that the mentioned Swiss Gear bag looks "like a camera bag". It looks so much like a messenger bag, that most people get surprised when I pull a SLR system out of it.

But I agree when you mention the excellent ThinkTank Retrospective series, they are very beautiful - shame they are SO expensive...

Kind regards,
PF.

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quality = preparation + attention + luck

Maybe people are surprised to see a camera come out because they expected a laptop? That's what I would expect out of a messenger bag in North America/Europe. To me, messenger bags says "expensive stuff" in there. The only time I think nothing "expensive" is in a messenger bag is when it's being worn by a tattooed hipster on a single-speed bike wearing a CB on his shoulder.

Anyway, I agree most non-photographers wouldn't think messenger bag = camera bag. But so many camera bags have come out now in messenger bag styles, it's becoming more widely recognised, especially by people who are familiar with camera gear or camera people.

Not that I don't like messenger bags, or these ones in particular. I just don't think they're quite as inconspicuous as you do.

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D: iPhone 4S, Canon 5DmII, Panasonic DMC-LX3, Fujifilm F30, Canon 30D, Nikon CoolPix 8700 | A: Leica M3, Holga 120N, Contax Tvs, Polaroid Spectra, Canon 50E, Rolleicord, Canon AE-1P
Canon lenses: 16-35L II, 24-70L, 50 1.4, 70-200 2.8L IS, 10-22

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Bonjour Margaux (my wife's nickname, BTW).

I might agree with you regarding North America/Europe - but these places are safe enough to wear whatever you want, anyway. I recently spent a whole day at the San Diego's Zoo with a quite large/expensive kit just hanging around my neck (not even in a bag), and people simply didn't notice: not a single look. Same happened in Germany and Holland. While in France and Italy sometimes "awkward" people would pay me some attention - but nothing more than that.

But the places where I want the most to be unnoticed are "the rest of the world". I live in Brazil (and believe me when I say that Brazilian thieves have very large eyes for tourists with expensive gear), and around here students carry paper notepads and photocopied books in their messenger bags: you can hand count the ones that can afford real books, never mind a portable computer (and these fortunate ones mostly use those "computer backpacks", to better protect their investment). Therefore, around here a M.B. is quite inconspicuous, while dedicated bags like the sling bags (which I find so practical) and the real camera bags (like my beloved Canon 200) are the ones that shout out loudly.

In my defense, I placed a bunch of ugly stickers on my bag, leave the outside as dirty as I can (while the inside is spotless), and try not to wear photographer wear like vests and/or clothes with photo company logos (actually, I try to dress badly when I'm with my equipment, old & cheap stuff). I also try to minimize the time my camera stays outside the bag (take it out, shoot, and back in the bag it goes), thinking a lot about the shot *before* I take the camera out. Finally, if I'm really exposing myself (like street shooting at late hours and/or "exposed" places), I try to bring some friends with me (preferably the ones who are large and know how to fight well .

I liked the way you expressed your point. Would you have some other inconspicuous camera bags to show us?

Kind regards,
PF.

PS. What's a "CB"?

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quality = preparation + attention + luck

Oi, olá, Paulo.

I see where you're coming from of course. I suspected you weren't talking about North America. I know the situation you're referring to. I'm pretty sure I was minutes away from being mugged in a back street in Granada. Luckily, there was a lost French couple also in the back streets that I caught up with before the teenagers caught up with me, so I got out of it. Since then, I've been a lot more carefully to hide equipment when travelling alone.

I've got at least 10 camera bags, most of them really typical and obviously camera bags. The only ones that are inconspicuous are the ones made by women for women.

Here's one:
http://drehartmann.com/shop/the-cameron-hobo/

Only downside is it doesn't carry very much, and it's awkward taking things out and putting them away.

For a recent hiking trip to Peru, I wanted to get something like this, which looks like a regular hiking pack:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/8 ... lack_.html

I didn't get it because they weren't available when I needed it, and I got a LowePro Photo Sport 200 AW, which was a bad compromise because the camera compartment is too small for my gear:
http://products.lowepro.com/product/Pho ... W,2271.htm

Still thinking about getting a Clik Elite backpack at some point, but only when I've planned my next trip.

My more immediate need is for a backpack that will carry at least three lenses and flash +accessories, and a 15" laptop. I also want it to look like a nice backpack. Rather than trying to avoid getting mugged (I live in Toronto and I never worry about that, thankfully), I want to avoid looking like a photographer to other photographers, pro or amateur. I know that sounds strange. I just see so many novice and amateur photographers showing off their gear in public, it makes me want to not look like one of them. I need this bag for moving stuff from place to place, not as a shooting bag. So luggage, really.

I’d really like this one:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/8 ... kpack.html

But it’s rather pricey. We'll see.

"CB" refers to citizen's band radio, but the kind of radios bike couriers use (or used to use) were more two-way radios.

Cheers,
Mx

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D: iPhone 4S, Canon 5DmII, Panasonic DMC-LX3, Fujifilm F30, Canon 30D, Nikon CoolPix 8700 | A: Leica M3, Holga 120N, Contax Tvs, Polaroid Spectra, Canon 50E, Rolleicord, Canon AE-1P
Canon lenses: 16-35L II, 24-70L, 50 1.4, 70-200 2.8L IS, 10-22

Thieves WILL target messenger bags! Laptops (and similar electronic items) are one of the most-stolen items in the USA, and any bag a thief thinks may hold a laptop will be a target. I know, as I am a police patrol officer, and see the scenes of many such burglaries and thefts. In my opinion, at least in Texas, a laptop is more likely to be targeted for theft than a camera, though of course, any valuable item is vulnerable to an opportunist.

I have several of the small to medium Crumpler bags, in various sizes, which are not obvious camera bags, but have come to favor Think Tank products, after purchasing a Sling-O-Matic 10. I am not sure what a thief would think would be inside a Sling-O-Matic bag, which are a bit more elongated, and narrower, than a typical messenger bag, but the sling system is supremely comfortable, and instantly adaptable to being worn on either shoulder. In my opinion, the sling system makes this product worth paying Think Tanks' price. I specifically bought mine to carry a DSLR with my EF 400mm 5.6L, but like most camera bags, the interior padding can be re-configured quickly.

Think Tank has discreet cases specifically intended to look like briefcases, but briefcases are much-targeted by thieves, too. Attentiveness is paramount when out and about with valuables!

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Canon 7D/5D/40D/1D2N; Nikon F6, FM3A, & Coolpix A; Canon 40mm Pancake, 135L, 50L, 35L, pre-II 50mm 1.8, 100mm 2.8L Macro, 10-22mm EF-S, 28-135 EF, 400mm 5.6L; Nikkor 50mm 1.2 AI-S, 50mm 1.4G, 50mm 1.8D, 16mm 2.8D Fisheye, 180mm 2.8D, 100-300mm 5.6 AI-S; Tokina 17mm & 100mm 2.8 Macro