Camera and Accessory Storage

[Ski-man]

Ski-man has a new 10D! :-D

I decided to go with the EF 28-135 IS USM Lens for now and will expand the glass collection over the next year.

My question is -

what camera bags do all you guys use ? Im after some quality gear that im going to be able to expand into. What are the good brands ?

Any suggestions for lens storage ? Should i bother with Pelican cases or is there better gera out there ?

All suggestions are very much appreciated. Thanks to all who helped with my decision on this awesome camera and lens.

:D

[Cadwell]

In no particular order Lowepro, Tamrac, Billingham and Crumpler are all popular on the forum.

I have two Lowepro bags.

[Digital Prophet]

I think that I am the only person here, but I use a hard case. In fact I have one of those aluminum cases with the foam "dice" inserts that you tear away to make opening for your gear. I keep my 300D, 18-55mm, 70-300mm, car charger, lens cloth and blower, strap, 4 filters and I still have room for the IS lens I plan to get at the end of the summer (or year depending on available fundage).

It double latches shut and has a shoulder strap you can use. The latches have little suitcase locks which won't keep out an adult but do keep out kids and various size chimps. The outside aluminum sided and has reinforced corners and rubber feet.

All in all I really do love it. It won't stop a bullet but it has stopped the following: Damage from a 10' drop
Football flying at my head.
Damage from storage in the trunk.
My dog sleeping on it.
My dad dropping coffee on it.
Friend slamming airplane door on it. Plus it looks kinda cool.

The case only cost $59 at Wolf Camera. I plan to get a second one for my laptop. And if I get one of those flat panel flashes I can slip it in there with it.

The only real problem is that it isn't very convienant to tote around with you while shooting. So I plan to get a Tamrac bag for that. I will transport and store my gear in my current case and use the Tamrac for carrying the cam and lens(es) while I am shooting.

- Digital Prophet -

[DaveG]

Ski-man has a new 10D! :-D

I decided to go with the EF 28-135 IS USM Lens for now and will expand the glass collection over the next year.

My question is -

what camera bags do all you guys use ? Im after some quality gear that im going to be able to expand into. What are the good brands ?

Any suggestions for lens storage ? Should i bother with Pelican cases or is there better gera out there ?

All suggestions are very much appreciated. Thanks to all who helped with my decision on this awesome camera and lens.

:D

I've been using Domke F1X bags for years (I have three), first with Nikon 35mm stuff and now with the Canon DSLR system. I found that the canvas models lasted about 18 months in day to day photojournalistic use but the nylon versions are much better. I can carry two bodies, five lenses, a 550 + two 420's, and of course a bunch of stuff.

I do have one of the Domke Journalist bags that I use with my Mamiya medium format gear. The bag is a bit taller than the F1X and probably handles taller lenses like the 70-200 f2.8 a bit better. I don't particularly like the new lens pouch that comes with the J bag and I just use one of the lens pouches from an old F1X.

I also have a LowePro (I like their back packs, I don't like their camera bags.) Nature Trekker II AW backpack. It'll hold about 80% of my stuff which means no extra body, leave a 420 home, and that kind of thing. But that's all I want to carry into the bush. It also allows you to attach a tripod and that can be useful if you want to keep your hands free during a hike.

Of course you will always be torn betweeen protection and functionality. A nice alumium case with foam padding will really protect your stuff and that might well be something to use when transportation is your primary goal. But using it in the field requires access and that's always a compromise.

[Jon]

Domke F1X, falling back to the F2 (Original) for a bit smaller bag. Domke inserts in a regular backpack or Domke Quest Spider 10/Toad for hiking, or the Adorama Slinger if I'm just taking a little stuff anywhere. The F1X handles 2 bodies, 5-6 lenses (I'm losing count), 2 flashes, spare batteries and cards, a flash bracket, table pod, cleaning gear, filters, . . ., so things all live there (except the 100-400) and migrate to whatever other bag I may be using at the time, or to make room for the 100-400. Semi-redundant stuff (supplanted lenses, the old Vivitar 283, etc. lives in one of the Domke F2s. Hard cases only if I'm heading to wet conditions for which I have a couple of Pelicans.

[SnJPhoto]

Like Dig. prohet - I also have a hard case (pelican 1620) for use on road trips. I read a few reviews on the ue of the pull-pluck foam stuff and heard that it leaves a fine black power. I saw this a bit when I first got the boxes and was dissapointed by it. So I opted for the photo insert. The insert costs nearly as much as the box, but has proven to be very usefull. I also would recommend the photographers lid organizer if you are looking at one of the larger cases. This works really well for smaller suff.

In the 1620, I have one that is just for lights, barndoors/gels/cables etc. The camera box holds a tom of equipment (thank god they have wheels). it has enough room for 4-bodies, 2-300 F2.8, 4-long zooms, a half dozen smaller lenses and parts/pieces.

I also have a couple other bags like the Tamrac 614 but find they are on the shelf more than in use.

I got my pelican boxes from an ebay dealer in Texas. Sailtech or similar name. The inserts I got from www.cases4less.com.

both were really excellent dealings, and I would recommend them again.

Scott

[MTAtech]

I'm with Digital Prophet on this one. I've used a Zero Halliburton aluminum case for almost 20 years. I've travelled all over, in cars, boats and planes and my equipment stayed mint.

I first bought it for my Minolta XD-11 and lenses. When I upgraded to the 8000i (1990) I kept the lenses and the space for the body was about the same size as XD11 body.

Now that I have just sold off all the Minolta equipment and replaced it with Digital Rebel stuff, I needed new foam. Zero Halliburton wanted $75 just for the foam! I thought that this was not the same "Halliburton" ripping off the U.S. Army in Iraq - but $75 for a few feet of foam rubber has me wondering.

I was able to find an on-line supplier of foam rubber that sold me 4x as much in a roll for about $15. True, I must cut it out myself to fit the case but I save a bundle.

[psk4363]

I have an aluminium case with the foam inserts into which I store all of my lenses and the 550EX flash. The two camera bodies are kept in a AW Lowepro bag.

Barry

[Ski-man]

Thanks heaps for all the advice guys. I really appreciate your time and effort. A combination of cases looks like the go. Something hard like Pelican for travelling and something softer for during the shoot.

I suppose you all have those little sachets of moisture removers throughout your cases as well ? I have a real concern that my lenses will grow fungus. I live in a fairly humid environment. Any tips for longterm care of those expensive lenses ?

Is the best way to store lenses in an airtight case like Pelican ? A friend of mine uses something like a cigar humidor :)

[MTAtech]

You may also want to use a camera vest for a shoot too. I use one to avoid carrying everything.

[Digital Prophet]

I am glad to see that I wasn't a hard case freak.

Foam for these things can be outlandish. It is true. The next rearrangement of my gear in this box is going to see alot of my stuff go vertical instead of horrizontal. And instead of buying the foam dice insert I am going to go to a fabric store and buy foam there. It is butt cheap.

Like so many other things that are marketed for photography you can get similar items for much less elsewhere. That and I figure that the solid foam gives me the chance to cut slots that are perfectly shaped instead of "nearly perfect".

- Digital Prophet -

[MTAtech]

I am glad to see that I wasn't a hard case freak.

Foam for these things can be outlandish... And instead of buying the foam dice insert I am going to go to a fabric store and buy foam there. It is butt cheap...
- Digital Prophet -I bought a piece ( 1" x 24" x 108") of Good Std Poly Foam for only $10.38 (UPS shipping was $7.00) from http://www.foamcenter.com/standard.html It is a decent replacement for the stock material and is easily cut with a single-edge razorblade. 108" is enough for five cases.

[DaveG]

I am glad to see that I wasn't a hard case freak.

Foam for these things can be outlandish... And instead of buying the foam dice insert I am going to go to a fabric store and buy foam there. It is butt cheap...
- Digital Prophet -I bought a piece ( 1" x 24" x 108") of Good Std Poly Foam for only $10.38 (UPS shipping was $7.00) from http://www.foamcenter.com/standard.html It is a decent replacement for the stock material and is easily cut with a single-edge razorblade. 108" is enough for five cases.

When my kids were little they had these foam plastic bath toys in circular and square shapes. They were made from a wonderfully light and very high density foam. So I swiped a bunch of them and they sit in the bottom of my lens pouches to this day. This adds auxialliary padding under the lenses and that can't be bad. Most foam that I've seen for sale is to low in density as far as I'm concerned, at least for these purposes.

You should also use your newly configured bag as soon as possible. A very nicely layed out bag plan is very impressive to see. The problems often come when you actually need to use it. A friend with an aluminum case stopped using it when he had to carry it around a bit. The corners kept snapping him in the backs of his legs/butt when it swung.

I used to have solid bag bag in the 70's and I found after my first day at a newspaper that the stuff I had on top should go on the bottom and the stuff ... well you get it. Just plan on a bit of a shake down cruise with the bag so you see how it works in the real world.

[MTAtech]

DaveG, good point. I like those bath toy foam letter material too. Interestingly, the 3rd party material I bought is denser than the stock foam that Zero H. wants 75 bucks for. I think any material that isolates the equipment from any shock absorbed by the aluminum case is adequate.

I lugged the aluminum case all through Europe and I know the pain (I used the camera vest with lots of pockets on the next trip.) I also lined it with lead to protect the film in airports. As an aside, although most of the case was shielded - showing only a deep green area on x-ray scanners, I was only asked to open it once for a hand inspection! That was the pre-9/11 world.

[duke]

I have a Pelican 1600. with foam uncut yet still in the Box .. color Silver Brand new just order , still in the box
It's too big for me I want to sell for US $ 95.00 , plus shipping.
if someones interested shot me an email
dtt507@hotmail.com