Please Post Your Billingham Bags!

freitz wrote in post #16817238
Search on B and H its their. I might buy the Hadley pro large I have a black on Black one I might be selling.

if you do, i call dibs!!

Has anyone tried out the new Hadley Pro Large? I was thinking about picking it up with anticipation of getting a 70-200 MKII, since that clearly will not fit in the pro mounted.

Also trying to see if anyone has a 70-200 and 24-70 in their Hadley Pro.

Hadley Digital

what a perfect small bag. Today's carry:
Olympus OMD M-5 with Oly grip mounted, and 12-50 weather sealed kit zoom
Olympus E-MP2 with kit zoom, lens hood mounted
Olympus toy 40-110? moderate zoom in the pouch

camera, back up and 3 lenses. small. lightweight. weatherproof. light.

oh my!

I think im going for the Sage/chocolate in the HAdley Large Pro

freitz wrote in post #16830544
Has anyone tried out the new Hadley Pro Large? I was thinking about picking it up with anticipation of getting a 70-200 MKII, since that clearly will not fit in the pro mounted.

Also trying to see if anyone has a 70-200 and 24-70 in their Hadley Pro.

I just got a Hadley large (non pro) and the 70-200 2.8 is ii mounted fits perfectly height wise with the hood reversed. The 24-70 will also fit fine along with a couple more lenses. The bag is surprisingly big.

Xyclopx wrote in post #16837409
I just got a Hadley large (non pro) and the 70-200 2.8 is ii mounted fits perfectly height wise with the hood reversed. The 24-70 will also fit fine along with a couple more lenses. The bag is surprisingly big.

I've been trying to tell people this for the last 15 pages or so. Hopefully your testament will help spread the word.

Xyclopx wrote in post #16837409
I just got a Hadley large (non pro) and the 70-200 2.8 is ii mounted fits perfectly height wise with the hood reversed. The 24-70 will also fit fine along with a couple more lenses. The bag is surprisingly big.

Yeah I understand it fits in the large hence why I am switching to the large pro. Just trying to see how people that have just the pro got a 70-200 and 24-70 in the bag.

Unfortunately, the Hadley Large Pro loses out on the almost instantaneous opening that the clog-ball and leather strap system provides. This is what made the Hadley series of bags some of the best shoulder bags on the market. Once that instant opening/closing system is gone, the shoulder bag is nowhere near as practical. The Hadley Large Pro is most probably going to make a great transport bag, but for a working bag, I'd still pick a Hadley Large over anything else with a different closure system.

I agree don't get me wrong. Im just trying to get information from someone that uses the hadley pro (original) with a 70-200... I would find it cumbersome to constantly having to take the 70-200 off the camera to put it back in the back. I also do not do this professionally. So usually when I take my camera out of the bag it is out for a good amount of time, so I dont think what you stated above would effect me to much beause removing two buttons is the same as un-doing two clog-balls in my book.

Rudi wrote in post #16837701
Unfortunately, the Hadley Large Pro loses out on the almost instantaneous opening that the clog-ball and leather strap system provides. This is what made the Hadley series of bags some of the best shoulder bags on the market. Once that instant opening/closing system is gone, the shoulder bag is nowhere near as practical. The Hadley Large Pro is most probably going to make a great transport bag, but for a working bag, I'd still pick a Hadley Large over anything else with a different closure system.

this is why I went with the large.

but... I've been trying to figure out what kind of closure the large pro has--just know it's not what the normal bags have. bh says "type of closure" = "press studs". does that mean buttons? it looks to me like it might just use buckles?

Xyclopx wrote in post #16837958
this is why I went with the large.

but... I've been trying to figure out what kind of closure the large pro has--just know it's not what the normal bags have. bh says "type of closure" = "press studs". does that mean buttons? it looks to me like it might just use buckles?

Not the 14.6 B and H is saying.

My main reason I want it is to fit the 70-200 MKII mounted without being to much taller then the Pro and a couple inches wider.
When I travel for work the Hadley Pro is too small and I usually end up taking the F-stop Guru since I can stuff my laptop in it along with other things. So this will be a nicer bag to carry when walking around in my suit, feels funny to have a backpack on.

freitz wrote in post #16837969

Looks like buttons to me. Actually doesn't look as bad. I think I'm going to try it out. B and H has the wrong dimensions for the bag.

Directly from Billingham

Not the 14.6 B and H is saying.

My main reason I want it is to fit the 70-200 MKII mounted without being to much taller then the Pro and a couple inches wider.
When I travel for work the Hadley Pro is too small and I usually end up taking the F-stop Guru since I can stuff my laptop in it along with other things. So this will be a nicer bag to carry when walking around in my suit, feels funny to have a backpack on.

oh!--the closure is purely by the handle at the top of the bag!? interesting... I've never seen that kind of design before. hmm...

Xyclopx wrote in post #16837958
this is why I went with the large.

but... I've been trying to figure out what kind of closure the large pro has--just know it's not what the normal bags have. bh says "type of closure" = "press studs". does that mean buttons? it looks to me like it might just use buckles?

Even if it's just press studs on the leather handle, it's going to be much slower than a Hadley clogball and leather closure. I used to have a Billingham 445 (a long time ago), and it was not as quick or painless to get in and out of as my Hadley Large. The Hadley line of bags really excel at this... the Hadley Large Pro might not be quite as good in that regard. But then it most probably needs that extra support, so an exception had to be made. Life is full of compromises.

I have the D800 with a 14-24 and 70-200 VR2. Will it blen.. I mean, fit the Hadley Pro?!

I also plan on getting a 24-70 further down the road.

Perhaps with the 24-70 lying horisontal at the bottom, tucked to one side, with the 70-200 mounted on camera on top of the 24-70, and the 14-24 on top of that again..

Torn between a Pro and Large Pro... I'm a smallish guy, 174cm (5'7-5'8), and I'm afraid the Large Pro will look too big on my frame.

Also, the Large Pro had the less than ideal opening mechanism compared to the Pro.

Why, oh why...

I don’t think the Hadley Pro Large will be that much of a bother on opening and closing. How often do you open and close during a shooting session? The bag is sufficiently deep that you’re not going to up end it and spills it’s contents. The top flap can relax with gravity until it’s time to affix it before leaving the site.

What the Hadley Pro Large closure design addresses is the ability to handle weight when carrying by handle. Which the regular Hadley Pro is not that suited for. The Hadley Pro Large is taking cues from, for instance, a 307 model. With the addition of greater adjustability than the 307 for when you’re really stuffing the Hadley Pro Large to practically beyond capacity. Given sufficient weight, it’s often better on the human body to hand carry the load until which time you’ve extracted some gear to shoot, which happens to distribute the load around the photographer’s body.