My Vertex Big Lens Bags arrived a lot faster than I had expected. John Stanford, the owner of Vertex Photographic, had undergone an operation that was delaying the making of these bags. Each one is made to order by hand plus the fact that John is in Texas and I am in Montreal Canada, there should have been a lengthy delivery time. The bag arrived in less than a week. USP and Canada Post were playing nice this week.
When john contacted me last week saying the bag was shipped, the last thing he said to me was "Read the instruction first thing!"
Enclosed on top of the bag were 4 pages of instructions, detailing how the bag works, how to attach it to a car/truck seat, what the various pockets had been designed for as well as how to properly adjust the padded shoulder strap and optional removable hip belt. I did not order the hip belt since my days of forced or unforced 20 miles hikes have pretty much ended.
The bag, empty-
Back of the bag showing the really well padded shoulder strap on their adjustable system-
Front shot with the 5D MK lV and 500 f4 with hood in shooting position. Enough room to have the 1.4TC installed since the "lid" is adjustable in height. Note the inner security velcro strap just below the body wrapping around the lens.
Side shot with the flap opened. The bag will be strapped to the seat back and it will be very easy to withdraw the rig by pulling it towards me rather than having to lift it up vertically. There are zippers on every corner of the bag so it can be set up on the passenger seat of a right or left hand drive.
Bag with all 4 zippers unzipped. You can see the security strap on the inner back panel of the bag.
Also included are 4 long attachment straps that allow securing the bag to the seat back and bottom of the seat. There are multiple attachment points on the bag so it will be very easy to secure it.
The bag is extremely light, much lighter than any of my other back packs. There is sufficient padding in the bag to cushion the lens but the bag was not designed as "carry on luggage" but rather a bag to protect the lens from dust and the rough roads in Africa. It is perfect for travelling around secured in a truck or car. There is a stiffening plate in the back panel which gives the bag some stiffness. The padded shoulder straps are very comfortable and easy to adjust. I have tried it on loaded and it sits very comfortably. No problems using it over the distances I will be walking.
There are also 5 accessory pockets that have been designed to carry extenders and extension tubes, flash and flash brackets as well as extra camera batteries and memory cards. There is a 1 1/2" strap on the front of the bag that can be used as a carry handle as well. All attachment points are done with quality Fastex type buckles.
This is a hand crafted bag that will last me a long time. John offers the same bag but even longer for folks who have the really, really long glass.
I'll set the bag up in the pickup this weekend and post a couple of pictures then.
Ian
