Your Camera Equipment

[AxlxA]

it woudl be if you're aiming for SLR....

Hits you at $700USD for a rebel xt + lens.

[ryosuke]

Originally Posted by monkeymax

Possibly a bizarre question, but that bag... Who's the manufacturer and how pricey is it? And obviously how good is it? Is it actually your camera bag?
It's just that I've been looking for a bag like that for a while - a bag that you can carry you camera in easily and reasonably safely while not looking like a traditional camera bag (i.e. an obvious target when you're walking around London). I'm loving my normal shoulder satchel thingy at the moment for laptop or folders but would love a good camera version even more - but have been unable to find it. So, details please?!

thats exactly what i have been looking for, and i have found it in this bag.
its a crumpler "loyal chap" and its very good indeed. extremely robust, customizeable interior, swallows my dslr and two lenses, as well as my old fuji s5500 and still has some space for a third lense. of course there is also space for everything else you could need, like filters and whatnot. cost 130€, but i think its worth it.
crumpler has a great variety of bags in different sizes, even one or two that take a laptop and a dslr together. they all come with a life-long warranty, and in contrast to eastpacks, i belive that this one will actually last that long.
the one i've got also has a neat feature called "third leg", which you can use to hold the bag firmly in place, so you can basically go downhilling with your bike or do le parcour without loosing it.

you can find the whole range of their photo-bags at http://www.crumpler.co.uk/2.0/site.html

[AxlxA]

wow pricey for a bag. I'd rather just buy something cheap that just has enough space.

[monkeymax]

Originally Posted by ryosuke

Discussion about his bag...

Sweet - thanks for that!
Definately gonna have to get me one of those...

Originally Posted by AxlxA

wow pricey for a bag. I'd rather just buy something cheap that just has enough space.

Ummm, no. I've been down that route before and it almost got me in trouble (as in minus a lens...).
If I'm gonna spend 500 quid on a camera and hundreds more on lenses, spending around a hundred quid on a good bag is not really an issue for me.
(and I'm the sort of person that's not sure if he wants to spend 50 quid on a new PSU for his computer (which it needs) or not - that is, I'm not flush with money so it wouldn't be an impulse buy. But I think it would be something sensible to get...)

[AxlxA]

I guess I see your point monkeymax. Coming from my background, I want cheapest of everything and as long as it "functions" then i dont need to spend more on something better.

But again, I have to justify $1000USD to spend on a dSLR + lens + bag + memory + what not.

[monkeymax]

Originally Posted by AxlxA

I guess I see your point monkeymax. Coming from my background, I want cheapest of everything and as long as it "functions" then i dont need to spend more on something better.

But again, I have to justify $1000USD to spend on a dSLR + lens + bag + memory + what not.

I'm exactly the same. I've always worked damned hard to be able to afford anything. And this is partly the reason I'm still to replace my 8year old laptop and 3 year old MP3 player - they still work etc etc

I'm also having trouble justifying the expenditure on a flash new camera and all the kit for it when I've got the compact that does the job. (even though it's no where near as good as a proper camera - and I know this from experience)

But yeah, at the end of the day if you're gonna spend that much on the kit, the last thing you want is to skimp on the place you'll be storing it all, and the thing that'll be protecting it all from pretty much everything...

[AxlxA]

Very true on that. If it's a nice car, you tend to take care of it more. Just like the STI sitting in my garage. I haven't given it a proper wash in a month due to the rain.

When I am finally able to justify a dSLR, I'd get a camera bags + carrying bag! Double protection!

[ryosuke]

double protection? maybe for a small entry-level dslr with one kit lens...but you don't want your second lense to fly about in your bag. and any cheap bag would not give you as much protection as a good camerabag, because those are usually secured against rain, hits and allow for organizing the content so that everything has its firm place. and in the end of the day, you can take the stuff out and just use it as a bag...
i did not intend spending so much on a bag at first, too, but i want my expensive cam to be safe...

[BerserkerCatSplat]

I considered buying a Pelican case, but I decided they're a little obvious (I'm carrying expensive, fragile equipment. Please rob me.) and quite expensive.

So, instead, I ordered some Pelican replacement foam from BH and got my hands on a brand new case from a DeWalt random orbital sander. These cases are for use on construction sites and whatnot, so it's very, very strong. It's also very light, which is a good combination. It has a strong handle and latch, and it currently single-lockable. It will be double-lockable when I have time to Dremel out a new lock slot. The strap came off a Roto-Zip bag, and works perfectly and has metal clips for added strength. It holds my D50 with 18-55 just fine, and has room for a 50mm and a 70-300 or similar telephoto. And, back to the original reason, it's quite inconspicuous. It looks like just another tool case with somebody's beat-up sander inside, so the likelyhood of someone going out of their way to steal it is minimal.

I'm actually quite proud of it. Here's some quick snapshots:

[ryosuke]

isn#t that quite uncomfortable to carry? i prefer to be hugged by a soft bag.

[AxlxA]

heheh berserkcatsplat! that's a good case..... if you're a professional assasin.

[Paddy]

I've got a Lowepro Mini Trekker AW, looks like a normal backpack ..



But Holds tons of stuff !!!



It's comfortable and waterproof, a very essential thing when living here ...

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Originally Posted by ryosuke

isn#t that quite uncomfortable to carry? i prefer to be hugged by a soft bag.

It's actually quite comfortable. Obviously not as cushy as a bag, but lightweight for a hardcase. It's at just the right height to rest my arm on.

Originally Posted by AxlxA

heheh berserkcatsplat! that's a good case..... if you're a professional assasin.

!

I could proabaly fit a handgun if I changed the foam a bit.

[AxlxA]

cowsowrth that's an awesome backpack. I'd get something liek that if i were a pro photographer like you.

[Blind_Io]

I'm old school when it comes to photography.

Minolta X-700
Minolta XG7
Konica C-35
Rollie 35
And some newfangled Cannon digital point-and-shoot I got for Christmas.

[Skoshi]

I've got a Lowepro backpack as well. It's the smaller version which has two compartments: The top opens like a normal backpack and you can fit what you want in there (a 6-pack of beer pretty much fills it up ), and then on the bottom there's an inconspicuous padded compartment for your camera and lenses. It fits my 350D, three lenses and my flash. The best thing is, I usually like to take the padded compartment out and put it in my shoulder-bag! This way you just carry around a normal 10€ bag but it's got padding and different sections for you camera stuff!

This backpack cost me 80€

[Paddy]

Originally Posted by AxlxA

cowsowrth that's an awesome backpack. I'd get something liek that if i were a pro photographer like you.

Me Pro ?? lol ! Not at all dude !! Thanks for thinking that tho !!

Yea, my bag cost me the bones of €120 but its been worth every penny !

[AxlxA]

I think I am caving into my own obsession. I think I might buy the 350D this week!

$630USD for the 350D kit... good? I hear terrible things about the kit lens but I am not willing to dish out $300 for a better lens right now. I also want this camera so I can realize my full potential as a photographer while I backpack through Europe.

[ryosuke]

i'd take the d50 or the e-500 (well, i did in fact...), but thats just my opinion.

[monkeymax]

Originally Posted by AxlxA

I think I am caving into my own obsession. I think I might buy the 350D this week!

$630USD for the 350D kit... good? I hear terrible things about the kit lens but I am not willing to dish out $300 for a better lens right now. I also want this camera so I can realize my full potential as a photographer while I backpack through Europe.

I've seen photos from the kit lens and it doesn't seem super sharp, and having used it I noticed it's not as fast as some of the better Canon lenses. But frankly I also reckon that as a new DSLR user you won't notice the niggles of the lens...
But then, lets see what owners of the kit lens have to say about the thing...