Boda Bag

[Bob Charnier]

I normally wear a suit w/jacket while shooting the wedding ceremony and don't feel comfortable carrying two cameras over my sholders for fear of banging them into things. I have been looking for a bag to carry around my waist like a fanny pack only large enough to carry my second camera with a lens attached. I saw a thread here a couple of weeks ago and someone mentioned the Boda Bag. It looks pretty good although pricey. Since you can't see one anywhere other than the website, does anyone have one and do you like it???

[Wedding Shooter]

I should be getting mine this week sometime - will post a mini review when I get it.

I also asked them to send me some more pictures of the inside - they were very helpful.

[Bob Charnier]

Thanks Wedding Shooter! I guess no one else uses one........

[Wedding Shooter]

I think it is pretty new on the scene.

[Docsknotinn]

Did any one ever get this bag???? How's it working? What's the interior like?

[andyscott]

I love the boda bad its great.

I now shoot with one body and change lenses as I go. But tend to use the 5d (or 1d MKIIn) with the 24-70, for at least 80% of the day.

Andy

[MichaelTree]

I spent two days with David Beckstead, he uses one and recommended it.

[caught14]

This is my second season using the Boda Dry for weddings and portrait sessions. It comes with a shoulder strap, but for the money it should also include the accessory waist belt. The design of this thing gets two thumbs up as it has a compartment for just about everything. Jim definitely did a nice job designing it for the active photographer. Unless you carry more than 3-4 lenses, you could pretty much have everything you need in here for an entire wedding.

Another nice feature is that it holds the 70-200 comfortably. Which is also a downside since the bag becomes very heavy over the course of a day carrying that thing around. So I usually leave that lens in the Pelican case and only take it out for the ceremony or for a portrait session of the B&G later in the day. Nevertheless, it can still get heavy if you load it up with a couple lenses, a flash, and extra batteries, cards, water bottle, etc. A lot of times if I'm going to be in the same location for a little while, I'll just set it down. I will also switch shoulders periodically throughout the day to more evenly distribute the load.

Jim has the lens change mastered and with a little practice it can be done just as efficiently, so much so that you can just carry one camera. It does help to have the neck strap on your camera though for changing lenses. I really like using my wrist strap, but it's hard to change lenses when your camera has this on (without having to set the camera down).

The only downside is the cost. It isn't cheap, although it's not that much more than the Shootsac which is pretty popular, and incidentally what my wife uses. I will say that the build quality is excellent though, and you definitely get a solid, quality product for those hard earned clams you'll need to shell out.

I am thinking about ordering the accessory belt and would have a long time ago if it wasn't so pricey. I'd be curious to see if I would feel less restricted by not having the strap come across my chest.

Overall there are cheaper ones out there, but if you have the $$ I think it is worth it.

[newgenphoto]

I will second the BODA bag. LOVE it and yes, I have to use my neck strap again but whatever, I'm not yelling at an assistant to bring me my lenses and cards anymore. It's brilliant. Mine came with the waist belt (got it at WPPI as a promo) and I used it for a while but found I actually prefer the shoulder strap now. I lay down quite a bit and it's just easier for me to lay the boda down and then put it right back on when I get up.

[caught14]

Hey newgenphoto, do you still have your waist belt? Would you be interested in selling it?