[Russt]

think crumpler.com.au has the 5MDH for $110 including shipping... I also found around $90-95 but without shipping at centre.net.au and digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au...

The reason I ask is when I was in the local camera store I enquired about the price of the 5 million.............$79.99 so I ordered one! The best I could find on the net local was $95 + post. They might be on special.............worth a look!

[shuttertalk]

Wow! At that price, you should have bought me one too!

I'd be interested to see how much gear I could realistically fit into them. According to some opinions on the net, crumpler gear is built very solidly, but always seems to carry less than people assume because of the padding.

[Dan]

Hello-
Sorry to drudge up an old thread, but I have some questions about bags as well. First off does Crumpler sell bags in the U.S. or just Australia, I have never heard of them before but some of their designs look interesting. Also for Toad (great review btw), the KATA T-212 torso pack, can it be carried on the back as well as the torso or do the straps not work for that application. Thanks!

-DRN

[shuttertalk]

Hey Dan,

I quite like crumpler bags too - very stylish and well designed.

I'm not sure if they sell it in the US, but they have a NY site, so I'm assuming they do...
http://www.crumplernyc.com/home.php

By the way, I'm currently doing a review on their sinking barge - stay tuned for that one.

[Kombisaurus]

I have a Lowepro Computrekker AW Backpack.

http://www.lowepro.com/Products/Backpack...er_AW.aspx

It (just) fits all my gear in it with a couple of buckes and straps on the outside to attach a monopod and compact tripod (big tripods will attach, but are usually a bit impractical to walk around with).
It also has a pocket for a 15" notebook computer.. but its pretty tight and my laptop (a 17") doesn't fit. But its still a handy pocket for storing reflectors, plastic bags, paper, and other things that fold flat.

Overall I'm very happy with it. Its big enough to carry a camera, flash, half a dozen lenses, filters, external HDD, and basically everything you'd need for a full photography trip spanning several days. Its also comfortable and secure and has a waterproof poncho tucked away which has been handy once or twice. I have no problem riding my bike around with this on my back, and it still fits into overhead lockers in planes.
But... compared to many other bags it is bulky and gets in the way, and can be inconvenient to use if you need to walk, change lenses, walk, change lenses, etc... It also usually means I'm carrying around more gear than I actually need at any one time.

So I'm also on the lookout for a good sling bag to use as a compact walk-around alternative to my backpack. The 6MDH looks great, but one of the main reasons I'm looking for another bag is to keep it compact and portable.. so the 5MDH might be a better choice. Can anybody confirm if its likely to fit... say 2 lenses the size of something like an EF 70-200 L in it? (not necessarily with the camera in there as well). When using it I'd be spending most of my time with the camera around my neck, but might want to carry 2 or 3 spare lenses plus a flash and external HDD in the bag. Is this doable with the 5MDH do you think?

Thanks
Adrian

[Kombisaurus]

when I was in the local camera store I enquired about the price of the 5 million.............$79.99 so I ordered one! The best I could find on the net local was $95 + post. They might be on special.............worth a look!

Great price Russ! Any chance of mentioning the shop you ordered it from? (especially if they are a national chain)
Although it probably wouldn't be worth me buying it from your local shop, I might be able to get a local store here in Perth to price-match them if I have some details.

Cheers
Adrian

[adam]

I'm using Kata R-103 it's wonderful
but also would like to get a sling-type bag to carry camera + maybe 2 lenses - instead of the backpack with everything!
sometimes I just want to change between 2 lenses - the wide and the telephoto, then have to take off backpack, and do the lens change...!

[Russt]

Any chance of mentioning the shop you ordered it from? (especially if they are a national chain)

http://www.ndfcamerahouse.com.au/ this is the shop in Newcaswtle I bought it from. Part of the Camera House chain. Good bag I have been very happy with it. Mine is the brown and olive hmmmmm very trendy

[Kombisaurus]

Cool, thanks Russ

I'll wander around a couple of shops and take a look at them in the flesh, and then perhaps try to haggle a bit

I need to take my camera gear into the city tomorrow anyway (the welcome home for the WA athletes who competed at the Comm Games is on at Forest Chase - I'm the "official" photog.. lol).

Cheers
Adrian

[NT73]

What's wrong with Netto bags? Nobody's gonna pinch one of those off you.

I have a lowepro shoulder bag for the lumix, and a zip up, battery holder case(2 of which came free with the fuji) and It holds the fuji, plus 4 AAA size batts and two fuji NP20s, plus 2 or more SD cards.. And it still fits in an anorak pocket.
Travelling light.

[Toad]

Also for Toad (great review btw), the KATA T-212 torso pack, can it be carried on the back as well as the torso or do the straps not work for that application. Thanks!

-DRN

Thanks Dan. I use the T-212 almost exclusively now because I rarely carry any other lens than my 18-200 VR - so the T-212 is big enough to hold my D200 with 18-200 attached and a few accessories such as my SB-800, polarizing filter, extra flash cards, lens cleaning kit (the essentials). When I want to carry more gear - I use my Kata R-102.

The webbish strap that is supplied with the T-212 doesn't allow it to be used on the back very well. What I have done is remove the web strap and take another shoulder strap (anything with clip attachments will do - I use the shoulder strap from my W-92) and attach it to my T-212. That allows me to use the T-212 as a sling type bag. I used this setup exclusively wandering around NYC, and it is comfortable, easily accessible, small, light, and security-conscious. I have always liked the T-212 and now I love it.

It has size limitations though. If you are planning to store much more in it than I described above, you may want to look at a larger bag. I am becoming a big fan of sling bags now, and there are several available.

BTW: I also have a Crumpler laptop bag which I ordered online which I think is exceptional. They are available in the USA, Canada and most other countries, but they are really hard to look at in person unless you get really lucky and have a retailer in your area. What I did is order from a online retailer that guaranteed satisfaction or would allow me to return the bag without penalty. Needless to say, I did not return the bag.

I am a big fan of both Kata and Crumpler. If you want more info - ask.

Other people here can tell you about other bags. There are some really great ones out there.

[matthew]

While I'd like to own a Crumpler bag some day, in the meantime I'm using a Tamrac Velocity 7 sling-style bag. I chose it because I like the sling styling, and it has an attachment point for my water bottle. (I carry a translucent white bottle, it makes a great flash diffuser.) The build quality is excellent; my only complaint is that the velcro attachment tabs for the dividers cause the lenses to get hung up when I'm moving them in and out of the bag.

The universal truth is, you'll never think "I wish I bought a bag just a little bit smaller..."

[Peted]

I'm using Kata R-103 it's wonderful
but also would like to get a sling-type bag to carry camera + maybe 2 lenses - instead of the backpack with everything!
sometimes I just want to change between 2 lenses - the wide and the telephoto, then have to take off backpack, and do the lens change...!

Like the look of the Kata R-103. I have recently bought a Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home ( http://www.cambags.com/nikon/d70/shoulde...n_desc.htm ) bag for the very reasons you mentioned, I have a larger backpack (Mini Trekker Copy) but the Crumpler over the shoulder bag is very convenient when you don't need a lot of gear yet it will handle quite a bit if needed.

Pete

[wulinka]

I've been coming back to this thread after getting the 5D and needing a new bag.

Looks much like the 5 million would be alright to carry the 5D with battery grip, an extra lens and a flash,
but is it also big enough to fit accessories like batteries for both cam and flash, cards, potentially a small card reader / harddrive...

plus of course a mobile phone, wallet, tissue, a map, stuff like that?

How much bigger is the 6 Million? and are these bulky to carry around?

thanks for advise,

Uli

[Kombisaurus]

I can't tell you about the 5 and 6 mil homes Uli, but I have a $7mil home and it can fit heaps into it!
I think the photos on their website showing gear that will fit into the bags are fairly conservative.

They show a body + batt grip + spare lens + flash fitting into a $5mil home on the website, so I'd imagine you'd have no problem doing that + phone + wallet + small HDD + accessories.
Packed the way they show it in their photos, you'd have heaps of room left over in the comparment where they store the flash, plus you still have the front pouch and top mesh pouch empty.
I also manage to store my portable HDD in the same compartment as the camera body (divided by one of their foam divider-thingies), as there is room beside the lens which is attached to the body.

If you do run out of room, you can always attach a lens pouch to the strap. The soft suede Canon pouches are useless IMHO, but the padded nylon Canon ones are great (ie EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS pouch). The Sigma EX pouches are also great.

[Don Schaeffer]

I bought a small soulder bag (faux leather black) from Future Shop. I can pu my two digicams and my wicon in it plus batteries. I'll have to get something for my new SLR. When I ride my bike, I put the camera bag inside my napsack.

[matthew]

It's great to come back to these threads.

I have the Crumpler 6 Million Dollar Home, and it works as my "Big" bag. (The other bag that I use these days is the Domke F-6, which is a "little bit smaller".) I tried the Crumpler 5M in the store when I bought my 6M, but it was too long ago for me to remember the size difference.

I have the 6M set up to hold my biggest lens which is the Oly 35-100 f/2 zoom. This lens is slightly bigger than its 135-format counterpart, the Canon 70-200 f/2.8IS, and goes in the bag with its hood reversed and tripod collar on. (Yes, 4/3 lenses are supposed to be smaller... they lied.) The hood has a 12cm (4.75") diameter, so it takes up just over one-third of the bag when it's sitting vertically. The other end of the bag holds my E-1 with the battery grip attached, and the middle holds a two more normal-sized items, such as a small camera body, flash, or lenses.

I don't carry my camera attached to the lenses, which gives me a little more flexibility in storing things, but the main reason is that there's no way to keep the body on the 35-100 and still close the bag. If I want to keep the camera and body attached, like I did on my recent road trip, I need to use a Lowepro Micro Trekker 200. It holds about the same amount as the Crumpler 6M, but with more room for "Stuff" and with both bodies attached to their favourite lenses.

The 6M is bulky to carry around. There's no real way around that -- it's a big bag that fits a massive amount of stuff, so it needs to be boxy and big. The Crumpler also is heavily padded, with foam all around the outside of the bag, and the movable foam dividers inside. This makes it the same size and shape no matter how much is inside of it. (The weight, unfortunately, does change. ) I've never been surprised by how much I can fit into it -- if anything, from its size, I'd expect it to hold more than it does. But I also think that's typical for camera bags. If you want a heavily padded bag, they're great.


...but if I'm not carrying that one monster lens, then I use my little Domke F6 instead. It's canvas and very lightly padded, and gets easier to carry as I carry less stuff. I'm regularly amazed by what it can comfortably fit -- E-1 with grip, four lenses (with the single exception of the 35-100, every other lens I have can be carried in any combination) or more if I stack them, a flash, and various small odds and ends. If I didn't have the Crumpler already, then I'd be looking at one of Domke's bigger bags.

[wulinka]

I have a Lowepro boxy thing for storage, which fits most of the gear I own, so I am definintely looking for something to carry around, and I am small!! so 6M defin. sounds too big.

what I would most often be carrying is probably the 5D with 24-70L attached, a flash and potentially one spare lense. I might shop around a little more for something other than a crumpler, just for comparison. the Domke you mention, Matthew, also sounds interesting.

I usually have a lense attached in this extremely dusty environment.

Kombi, my 24/70 came with a "useless soft suede Canon pouches", also bought at B&H, how did you get to get anything different? :mad:

Uli

[Wedding Shooter]

My wife and I joke about my fetish for camera bags.

Crumpler (don't know the name) but it is a big shoulder bag I have had for years (mentioned on the first page of this thread)
Lowepro (Nature Trekker I think - biggest Lowepro bag that you can carry on a plane without checking it).
Boda Bag - this is a fantastically designed bag for shooting weddings (it was designed by a wedding photographer). You have to see it to believe how functional it is. It hangs from hip and acts like a holster for your lenses - check it out www.goboda.com
Tamrac Velocity 8 - nice sling type bag that holds my 1D3, flash and two good sized lenses plus accessories.
Lowepro Toploader - I don't like this bag very much.
Storm Case (similar to Pelican case - but even more indestructable).
About 4 other smaller bags lying around.

[matthew]

Uli, the one catch about the Domke bags is that they work best when the camera is carried without any lens attached. I just tried my F6 with my E-1, grip, and an attached lens that's about the same size as the 24-70. It dominates the bag, and there's really no room in the main compartment for anything else. (For an idea of how much it can carry normally, I have a photo of it showing what I took to Australia here. The 24-70L will fit into the standard compartments in the divider.)

Chris, I'm also addicted to camera bags. That Boda bag looks awesome.

[NT73]

I use mainly a Samsonite, a double bag, which clips and velcro's together.
The top bit holds a 350D body and kit lens or similar plus a 70 300 lens. I also managed the nifty fifty as well although a bit tight.
The bottom clip on bit will hold probably three 70 300s side by side. One divider in each.
I think it would be too small for a large body.


I also have a Lowepro backpack but the camera drops out if you are not careful

[wulinka]

thanks Matthew!

NT, I used to have one of those samsonites, but the metal clips that link the bag to the strop wore through over time!

[BELLERBY]

The 6M is bulky to carry around. There's no real way around that -- it's a big bag that fits a massive amount of stuff, so it needs to be boxy and big.

just my few cents worth... I too have a 6m dollar Crumpler, but I have to disagree and say that I do not find it bulky to carry around. It's absolutely perfect to either cram loads of stuff in for a travel trip, or to reorganise the inner soft walls and just use it as a big compartment that you can easiy whip the body+lens in and out every time you want a shot. Just one action to rip the main flap open and away you go in about 3 seconds.

It just slings over your shoulder and is very comfortable, whether using it regulary on a shoot, or filling up and carrying long distance.

Oh, and I took the logos off, so it's just a 'black bag'. Suits me great, and cost me $150 in Hawthorn.

[NT73]

thanks Matthew!

NT, I used to have one of those samsonites, but the metal clips that link the bag to the strop wore through over time!

I will keep an eye on them, but being a jack of all trades, I can buy stronger clips and sew them on if they break. ( I am handy with anything I can get my hands on.)

[Irma]

This is the bag I use when I go to take landscpes or go to the city.

Micro Trekker 200

Here is a picture of this bag with two short lenses, a 5D without grip, flash, filters. The pocket infront is roomy to take my personal effects. You can see it in the pictures of the site.



I personally like it because it is small and I can carry everything I need for this kind of photography.