Domke F-3XB shoulder bag

[GeneMan88]

I was looking for a bag to carry my most commonly used gear... basic stuff I would use, say on a day trip or just going out and about. The Tamrac Expedition 5 backpack is great, but after owning it for a while, I found the pack to be too heavy for general everyday use. And as much as I love my EF-70-200, I don't use it all of the time, so why lug it around? I looked for a viable option and figured that a shoulder bag might be what I'm looking for. I checked out many bags at the local stores, and on-line. I decided to give the Domke F-3XB a try. It just arrived from B&H today... hmmm... this bag is pretty light in weight while empty (a lighter bag was one thing I looked for). Wonder how it'll feel with some gear in it? And very little padding... I'm wondering if I'm gonna regret this. I loaded it up with my 10D w/grip & Tamron 28-75 attached, Tokina 12-24 w/hood in one compartment, EF-50 f1.8 MkI, and EF-85 f1.8 w/hood stacked in the other. In one side pocket, my 420EX w/extra batteries, and the other with extra BP-511 batteries & charger. So far, this set-up IS lighter. But I'm still a little worried about the lack of padding everywhere... there is padding on the bottom of the bag, but it does feel rather thin.

My plan is to use the Domke to carry the gear listed above most of the time, and to use the Tamrac when I need to carry more gear and on longer trips. I'll have to see how this works out.

[bolantej]

i believe that most bags have too much padding. i got the crumpler 6 million dollar home, and it's almost too padded. feels like i'm carrying a suitcase. i baby my stuff, so padding isn't always on my mind. i jsut add a peice here and there where i see fit, to keep things from clanking around. i like my domke 5xb. it's smaller than the 3xb i think, but it's enough to hold my xt with grip and 50, my zenitar 16mm and i believe my new 85 1.8 when it gets here. very nice, well made bags.

[GeneMan88]

Yeah... you can see that I added some padding around the lens compartments to help quiet things down and to protect the gear from each other a little better. And with all that I have in it, it's still way lighter than with my Tamarac Expedition 5. Overall, a nicely built bag that's simple & functional. I also like the shoulder strap... stays on the shoulder pretty well and is wide.

[chtgrubbs]

I've been using Domke bags for 20 years, and took one similar to yours to Europe to travel for a year and haven't had any problems. I agree with Bolantej above. I think most camera bags are over-padded which makes them too bulky.

[Jon]

I've been using Domkes almost since they first came out, slinging loads of gear in them, and I haven't had any problems due to absence of padding. They just work.

[fetching]

i have been searching for a bag for awhile now.

i have come to realize the following:

i will need more than one bag for different situations.

1. a backpack type bag with a section apart from the padded gear section that will carry a jacket, water bottle, snack, etc, and also has a tripod strap on the outside. Lowepro makes a model that a friend of mine has and it's pricey, but functional.

2. a lightweight bag to shoot from. I have checked out Lowepro, crumpler, tamrac etc, and wasn't impressed with any of them. too much padding, it's like carrying my camera around in a diaper.

3. I checked out my friend's Domke the other night and fell in love. I like the canvas (it's going to age wonderfully i bet), it wasn't flashy, and it didn't seem like overkill in the padding dept.

I'm ordering one tomorrow. :)

[fetching]

oh and PS, I'm wondering what the main differences are between the Domke F-2 Original Shoulder Bag and the Domke F-3X Super Compact Shoulder Bag. The photos I've seen aren't really that clear.

[GeneMan88]

The F-3X is smaller than the F-2... search B&H's website, they have great photos of the bags and list the interior & exterior dimensions of each.

[GeneMan88]

The Domke F-3XB is serving it's purpose very well so far. My kit feels much lighter and easier to carry around... minus the EF 70-200 f/4 lens, luckily I don't need this lens much of the time. This bag is really well built... I love that I can just reach in & grab my 10D. I lined the bottom of the bag with a terry cloth hand towel to give it just a little more padding in case I'm not paying attention to how hard I'm placing the bag down. I bought a CF card carrying case to help keep them all in one place. Now I just gotta figure out a way to keep the batteries (AA's & BP-511's) organized, but without adding too much weight. I love the shoulder strap, very comfortable when carrying the bag for long periods. Thus far I would say that this bag carries everything I need for now.

[Jon]

oh and PS, I'm wondering what the main differences are between the Domke F-2 Original Shoulder Bag and the Domke F-3X Super Compact Shoulder Bag. The photos I've seen aren't really that clear.

They do age well. My oldest (original Sand with the chrome hardware) is still going strong.
The F3X holds a camera and a couple of lenses, with room for an outside pouch on each side, plus small stuff in the outer front pocket. The F2 holds (stuffed) 2 bodies with lenses, a couple of more lenses, a flash in each outside pocket, and plenty of cards & batteries in the outside front pockets. My typical F2 lens tally is 100-400 (on the 20D), 24-70 (on the D60), Sigma 15-30, EF35 f/2, EF 1.4X TC II, and the ZR-70MC mini-DV camera.