It's a bit frustrating that no one company has developed bags specific for the m4/3 system. Almost makes me want to start a bag company just for this new system and make specific sized bags and accessories. The padded inserts out there are too big and bulky for m4/3 lenses.

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Dennis Lloyd Photography

I suspect the market for that is pretty small overall, and wouldn't be worth the effort from an economies of scale perspective for a company to build and design bags specifically for such a small percentage of the market. We're talking about tens of MILLIONS of Canon, Nikon, Minolta, Pentax, Sony, et al. SLR users and hundreds of millions of SLR sized lenses in existence, compared to what... optimistically a few tens of thousands (maybe a couple hundred thousand) m43 users? It's really not a big pie if you limit yourself to just that. If I'm the guy making decisions at LowePro, and I have to make a bag for either Canon/Nikon users, or m43/NEX users, I pick Canon/Nikon 9 times out of 10.

Just look for a good bag maker with a very flexible internal layout system, and you can completely custom tailor the inner layout to perfectly fit m43 gear. Do NOT look at SLR bags that are meant to hold huge 70-300mm lenses attached to pro bodies. Look for things meant for small SLR kits or rangefinders (i.e. Leicas). I like Crumpler if you're into more modern looking bags and tech fabrics, or Domke if you like something more vintage and Leica-appropriate.

Across the chest style messenger bags are amongst the best if you have a modest amount of gear. You can generally partition them off to provide a mix of storage space or buy insterts to hold your gear and keep it safe from other stuff.

Something that doesn't scream photo grear or laptop helps if you are travelling in areas that are a little unfamiliar.

After trying a few bags, I'm down to two, both Domkes, both ruggedwear, neither looks much like a camera bag. I wear both of them across the chest with the bag riding on my lower back and then I swing it around to the side when I want to get at something. I'm so used to messenger bags for various different uses that I'm just not comfortable with the bag just over my shoulder unless I'm just walking across a room or something.

As for bags that work for m43, there are PLENTY that shorter rather than deeper. The Domke F6 I just hauled all over Europe seemed perfect to me. Its functionally 6" deep. With the 14-150 mounted on a camera, laying on its back, the lens ends about an inch from the top. When you have the 17 or 20 mm lens in one of the compartments, they obviously don't take up much room and you have to reach down into the bag for it, but its short enough that its easy to see what's in there and its not like its a tough reach down to the lens. I can't realistically imagine a bag being much shorter and holding its shape.

The Domke 803, pictured earlier in this thread, is my other bag. Its shaped more like a traditional messenger bag (but much smaller than any messenger bag I've owned) and is a little deeper than I'd like, but, again, its not like its so deep you can't find stuff in it or reach things easily enough. Its just a lot narrower so it rides even more naturally on your back. I use that one when I just take one or two extra lenses out. But the F6, although it holds more than I sometimes need, carries really well, leaves the gear incredibly accessible on the fly, and is really my go to bag almost all the time. It seems like it was all but designed for m43 to me.

-Ray

The Gariz leather bag is on the expensive side at $107.90 on eBay, but wow is it gorgeous!

Gariz LZS Compact Camera Leather Case Bag Pen P1 P2 NEX - eBay (item 270588353720 end time Sep-30-10 21:45:43 PDT)

There's a larger Gariz leather bag for standard dSLR for $65, too:

Gariz CB-SXB Camera Bag Brown DSLR SLR Nikon Canon Sony - eBay (item 280516071254 end time Sep-30-10 21:28:40 PDT)

Oh dear, carbon fiber why are thou on a lens hood? Whoever took those product shots needs to learn that svelte leather cases are NOT complimented with carbon fiber embellishments!

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Olympus E-p1, Panasonic 14-42mm
Pentax K-5, K-x, K100d, 645
My Lenses | My Galleries

Wow, Gariz really do make beautiful bags: I also like this one:

Gariz XGL Compact Camera Leather Case Bag Pen P1 P2 NEX - eBay (item 280516073313 end time Sep-30-10 21:38:32 PDT)

Will something like this do?

MONGO VERSIPACK - New JUMBO Variants - MAXPEDITION HARD-USE GEAR Tactical Nylon Gear for Military, Law Enforcement, Tactical Concealed Carry; Tailored to Perform Tactical

Those leather bags are very cool but I just came back from Spain and portugal and I would think those things would pretty well scream "I HAVE A CAMERA IN THIS THING!!!"

My beat up frumpy Domke F6 is a bit more stealthy.

...I just re-read the OP and saw the NO MURSE part...I'd say the F6 is mursish but it really made a great carry all. FWIW I like to be able to get to my stuff easily and I find the Domke does that. That said the REI sling in also pretty nice.

Kevin

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E-PM1 - E-P1 and some lenses