New lenses = New bag?

I'm thinking of a reconditioned EM1 so I won't accidentally lose the new 25.:smile:

 

Well, my wife has far more bags than I do - camera or otherwise. Perhaps that's the secret?

 

There is no cure. Storage space is variable. No bag ever really works. My wife also has way more bags than I do (so far). And she's pays little attention to mine.

Also ... the bags for m43 are generally small enough that I don't actually mind having a selection.

The two I use the most these days are all ThinkTank: Hubba Hubba Hiney if I'm carrying a camera and a couple lenses, and the Mirrorless Mover if I need to bring my iPad. For one camera and a single lens in tough conditions (skiing, etc) it's the Holster 10. Fortuitously, I had this last one from my DLSR days.

 

Bags are a hopeless pursuit. At least the price of a new camera keeps me at bay. Bags are just cheap enough to accumulate until you spend the equivalent of the cost of a new camera.

 

You could even make your own. That stopped the bag-purchasing for me. I'm pretty satisfied with what I have.

 

Multiple bags is half the fun! Some end up never getting used, but that's almost inevitable. I have a Crumpler Zoomiverse XL backpack (bulky, padded heavily, heavy, with a padded insert big enough to fit my full 5DII setup) which never gets used, ditto a red crumpler shoulder bag (the removable insert gets used a lot, the bag not so much). The bags I use are both F-Stops right now; really liking the Bandon shoulder bag and looking forward to using the Loka backpack with the small ICU for trekking. I basically want lightweight, flexible, but not super camera bag-y. I may add a Domke eventually. For comfort and a larger kit, backpacks win every time. If I'm swapping lenses out or have a lighter setup the messenger/shoulder bag

 

The cure is Billingham bags, you won't need anything else.

 

Horses for courses. While I'm sure they're wonderfully crafted and (in some ways) useful bags, I personally find them extremely unappealing aesthetically. Just completely not my style - old-fashioned, and not in a good way. I have the same feelings about a lot of the Domke bags. I prefer a more modern bag with 'cleaner' lines, like the Think Tank Retrospectives if only they weren't quite so deep (which we don't need for our systems) and bulky.

Besides, shoulder bags on a backpacking trip? Ouch...

 

That F-Stop Bandon looks very much like what I'm looking for. What m43 equipment do you put in it comfortably without it bulging?

 

Billingham are the only bags I would consider over my Domke, they are both good simple bags but another Billingham keeps a calling along with a digital Leica M.

 

On my recent trip to London I had an E-M1, 12-40 (mounted), 7-14, A7R, 55/1.8 (mounted), voigtlander 35/1.2II. Plus chargers and batteries all in the main compartment/insert, which can be removed. Had space for another smaller prime. I can add the MacBook Air (13") to the front pouch as well. This setup is verging on a little too heavy and the bag is full, but not stuffed to the gills. I did add some inserts from another bag to accommodate it all. Can take some pictures tomorrow if you'd like.

If it came in black it would be close to perfect for me.

 

That should be more than enough room for me. I have an E-M5, both kit lenses, Panny 20 1.7, Samyang 7.5 and Canon FD 50 1.4. I don't tend to bring everything with me but it sounds like it should fit (and I think a small water bottle which I usually bring as well).

Thanks for the offer to take pics, if it's not a bother than it would definitely help since I've only seen pics on the web with DSLR's packed but don't worry about it if it's a hassle at all.

 

A few shots of the bag, filled. Adding the laptop makes things overly full; anything even slightly larger than the 13" air won't fit, and the air with the camera gear makes for a boxy bag.



I added a horizontal divider across the middle, creating a 'shelf' with access down one side, where the two non mounted lenses go. There's ample room for another lens, maybe two (or three if they're pancakes) but accessing them easily becomes a hassle. The one of me wearing the bag has everything except the e-m1 in it (use to take the picture), and even with it in the bag is soft enough to mold a little to the body. With the camera in hand it certainly does. The only downside to this bag is the lack of serious weather proofing, although a third party rain cover would remedy that and fit in the 'magazine' pocket along the back. An iPad would fit perfectly in either inside (front of the bag under the flap) or back pocket, and the front pocket is perfectly sized for an ereader (kobo glo in my case).

 

Thanks for the useful info and pics . It looks like it should fit what I'd typically bring along. I don't want to carry too much stuff with me (it's main use would be my walks around the city) so I think size wise it's right about at the sweet spot for my needs. I don't think I'd need to pack a laptop, even on vacation I don't bother, so that will hopefully keep it from getting out of hand.
I like that it molds a bit to the body too, I prefer that to carrying a rigid box.

 

You can never have enough bags. Different sizes & configurations for different assignments... If there was ever one "best" bag we would all have it.... That said, I like Think Tank bags (although I have several other brand bags as well) & I am an affiliate with them... You can get a free gift with any purchase over $50 thru my link. I'll PM anyone that may be interested with the link...

 

It is a relatively soft bag, fairly narrow, and does mold to the body. So that's very practical.

 

The best bags money can buy is the Billingham Hadley series. If one has too many lenses for a given Hadley size, reconsider what lenses are needed at any given time. Just because you have many lenses doesn't mean you need them all right?

I found buying Billingham a great way to deter from buying too many bags because they're expensive.

 

Excellent advice