What is it with photographers and camera bags? Seriously.
The stereotypical reference to ‘over-indulging’ needlessly
on frivolous things used to be about women and their shoes. I’d like to suggest
that we are doing women an injustice (no surprises there). We should, instead,
use the term ‘photographers and their camera bags’ for over-indulgences. We
simply have too many.
So, when I purchased my Olympus OM-D E-M5 MkII and started
putting a kit together, I then needed a camera bag to put it all in. Of course,
as I’ve just stated, I already own quite a few of them. But that’s the thing
about camera bags and camera gear – you have to match them perfectly for the
best ‘fit’. Just like a meal with a fine wine (ok, maybe that’s going too far –
but you get the idea). Then there’s the question of what ‘type’ of camera bag are
you after? Backpack or shoulder bag? Messenger style or Sling-type? Decisions,
decisions.
To make matters even worse, the market has become flooded with
new players in the camera bag game. It used to be reasonably simple, since you
had a choice between Lowepro and Tamrac – take your pick. But now there are
literally dozens of company’s making exceptionally good bags for photographers.
Peak Design Messenger Bag. Overpriced hype or camera bag nirvana? |
Want an indication as to how popular camera bags are to
photographers? Recently, the company Peak Design, who have made some excellent
camera straps (see my previous post on the Cuff Wrist Strap), decided to enter
the camera bag market. Being a reasonably small company, they opted for the
crowd-funding model to kick-start the project, hoping to make about $100,000 so
they could start production on a messenger style bag. Want to know how much
they actually ended up with? 4.8 million! That’s right folks – 4.8 million from
photographers keen to get their hands on a new camera bag! Now granted, they
did have Trey Ratcliffe on-board as a spokesperson for the project (what a
stroke of marketing genius), but still – 4.8 million! Shesh…..
Crumpler 6 Million Dollar Home. Stupid name, great bag. |
Anyway – back to reality, and the purpose of this post. My
review of the bag I actually got for
my Olympus E-M5 MkII. I prefer a Messenger style bag if I’m traveling light or
just going out for the day, and my bag of choice for my DSLR gear has been the
Crumpler ‘6 Million Dollar Home’. Yeah, I know – stupid name, but great bag.
Crumpler are actually an Australian company (almost local J) and were one of the
first companies that really took the big two on in the camera bag market.
But while it’s been a great bag for my Canon 50D with two or
three extra lenses and a flashgun, it’s a little too roomy for my micro four
thirds kit. So I wanted something similar – but slightly smaller.
I also already own a Lowepro Nova 120 Shoulder bag, which
unfortunately goes the other way, and is a little too small. The E-M5 MkII was
just a little too tight to fit comfortably into the bag sideways and still give
me space for extra lenses – so that was a no-go.
Tamrac System 2 Shoulder Bag |
While in Christchurch recently (the largest city in the
South Island of New Zealand) I decided to have a look for a camera bag, and
ended up buying the Tamrac System 2 – an ideal bag for my growing micro four
thirds Olympus kit. While it’s not strictly speaking a Messenger style bag, it
is a shoulder style bag, and that’s really what I was looking for.
Of all the camera bag manufacturers out there, I’ll admit to
liking Tamrac the most. They just have incredibly well made, no-nonsense camera
bags that make sense. They tend to be well thought out, with reliable zips and
straps, and unique features like their card viewing system and clear plastic
sections that protect your gear extremely well, while still giving great
visibility.
The bag itself only came with a couple of dividers, but this
is enough to separate the camera with kit lens from the other lenses I own.
My Mirrorless configuration. 1 Body, flash and 4 lenses + extras |
As it stands at the moment, the Tamrac System 2 fits the
OM-D E-M5 MkII body with 12-50mm kit lens – with space for adding the extra
grip in the future. Then the 40-150mm and 45mm fit lying down in the two sections,
with the 17mm and E-M5’s flash placed on top of them (with cloths that I always
carrying providing the necessary protection in between). A blower brush (minus
the brush bit) and lens/body caps go in the top clear section of the bag; while
filters, spare battery, extra SD cards and wrist strap live in the front section.
This doesn’t leave much more room for ‘extra’ bits and
pieces (wallet, keys, cellphone, water bottle etc), but if I want to carry
‘everything’ then I have the Crumpler, or even my Kata backpack for long day
trips with extra gear.
For every-day use, and small trips in the car (which is 90% of
my photography), the Tamrac System 2 is perfect for my needs. If my lens
collection grows much more (which I’m sure it will), I may have to leave one or
two lenses at home and prioritise what I will take with me (which is never a
bad thing anyway), although the bag does have the option of attaching extra
cases to the side – which I have already begun to do. This makes it even more
versatile. A small bag when I need it – a modular system if more is required.
This gives me the best of all worlds, and makes the Tamrac System 2 bag a winner
in my books.
An easy 4 out of 5 stars.
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Thanks for your reply. I really appreciate you taking the time to comment on this post. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Thanks again
Wayne