Bag suggestions for EOS 450D

[davidei]

Hi there,

I am relatively new to the whole photography business but I have always had a large interest in getting into it. So far I have simply been using point and shoot digital cameras, never really delving into anything more complex than using the automatic settings.

I just took the plunge and decided to learn more about photography, so I invested in a Canon EOS 450D camera. It is a great machine and I have had a lot of fun in the last week learning the ropes and studying new concepts such as exposure time. So far all I have is the body and the lens that came with it, and the next purchase I foresee myself as needing to make is investing in a bag to carry the camera and all the accessories that I will be buying in the future.

I plan on going on a trip this summer, there will be a fair bit of hiking done, so it is important that the bag I buy is able to protect the camera well, it is also essential that the bag be waterproof in case it rains. I'm in the market for a shoulderbag right now, but I am not quite sure which one I should go for due to being relatively new to all of this. I do foresee myself buying at least one or two extra lenses in the near future, and perhaps a battery grip as well, so it would probably be ideal that the bag I buy can hold all of that so I don't need to buy a new one within a few months.

Another thing that I feel is rather important is that the camera fit snugly inside the bag, but still be quite easy to get out on short notice to snap some pictures. It is also a huge bonus if the surface inside the bag is designed to protect the LCD screen as well so that it does not get scratched.

I have been looking over Amazon and reading some bag reviews, but I haven't really been able to come to a conclusion as to what bag would suit me best, which is why I turn to you.

The bags which I looked at first and rather liked were the Lowepro Rezo series, specifically:

Lowepro Rezo 160
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lowepro-Rezo-Shoulder-Digital-Lenses/dp/B0007X2GIO/ref=pd_sim_ce?ie=UTF8&qid=1210738300&sr=8-1

Lowepro Rezo 170
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lowepro-Rezo-Shoulder-Digital-Lenses/dp/B0007X0T5Q/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1210739534&sr=1-11

Lowepro Rezo 180
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lowepro-Rezo-Shoulder-Digital-Lenses/dp/B0009W8WDQ/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1210739534&sr=1-8

Those three all seemed like rather decent choices, although the 160 might not have enough room for the accessories I might acquire in the near future, so I am leaning towards the 170 and 180. Problem is that there do not seem to be any testimonies there from owners of the 450D, so I am not really sure how well it would fit in the bags. There was one from a 400D owner for the 160, as far as I understand it, the dimensions for the 450D and the 400D are rather similar so I assume it would fit well. Is this right?

I also checked out the Lowepro Nova series, as far as I could see, the Nova 4 seemed like a great choice, while I heard that the Nova 1 was kind of small so I pretty much rules that one out.

Lowepro Nova 4
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lowepro-Nova-AW-Shoulder-Lenses/dp/B0000AL2GH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1210742601&sr=1-1

The Nova 4 seems to be rather big, but I thought it could be a good idea to plan ahead and get a decent bag. Would it increase the chance of damage to my camera if I used this bag and didn't really fill it up at first, as I don't have any accessories yet? If that is the case, I would probably settle with a smaller one and upgrade later on when I have gotten some more lenses.

But as I said above, I am pretty much a complete newcomer to this scene, although I already know that I am here to stay, so it would be great if you could recommend me a bag which should suit my needs, either from the selections above or something I have overlooked. Price is not really an issue for me, I am willing to pay for quality in order to keep my baby safe.

Thanks a bunch in advance!

-David

[daikatana]

Nova 4 you won't be sorry

[_aravena]

Nova is good, I had the 3 and I did a review.

I don't like Lowepro's shoulder bags too much but their backpacks are awesome. How much gear you plan on carrying.

Planning ahead s not always smart. The Crumpler 7MDH was my first bag before I had a lot because I got a $130 bag for $70 so of course I jumped on it. Too big though so I used a cheaper bag till I got the Slingshot 200AW. Having a big sucks when you can barely fill half of it. Just search through the bag review thread and www.cambags.com to get an idea of what's out.

[davidei]

Thanks for the replies.

I checked out that site _aravena, thanks a bunch, it is a really nice resource.

I was leaning towards shoulder bags mainly for the ease of access to the camera if I suddenly see something and need to snap a picture fast, figured that it would be a pain to have to take the backpack off to get anything done. I am not quite sure how much gear I plan on carrying eventually, but I am planning on buying at least one better standard lens and a macro lens before my trip this summer. Will likely add some more lenses later on. The battery grip is also something I have my eyes set on.

It does seem to me that the Nova 4 is a decent starting choice for me, should hold the camera and the extras I already plan on getting and some more as well, so I will probably go for that. Am going to check out some of the other brands for shoulder bags on that page first before I make a final decision though.

Thanks again!

[Jethro790]

Hey, welcome to the foum!

Good luck trying to find the perfect bag. As you accumulate more and more gear, you'll find that the perfect bag one day is not the perfect bag the next. I have about 6 bags so far and depending on what I plan on shooting determines which bag I pack.

[_aravena]

Nova 3 is quite large enough trust me so that you won't seemed overwhelmed. I was surprise how large it was when I got it and was quite please.