Photofocus

One of my readers recently suggested I do a round up of my favorite camera bags. I’ve reviewed many bags here on Photofocus, but as I often say, there is no perfect bag.

Just as I wouldn’t think of owning just one camera lens, I wouldn’t think of owning just one camera bag. You need different bags for different tasks.

Here are my favorites, in no particular order.

The BODA V3 Lens Bag

I reviewed this bag here – http://photofocus.com/2010/02/01/mini-review-of-the-boda-v3-weatherproof-lens-bag/ – it’s a working bag. I wouldn’t use it to ship my gear from Seattle to Florida, nor would I use it to store everything I own. But as a bag you can work out of, it’s tough to beat.

Tenba ProDigital 2.0 Messenger

I reviewed this bag here – http://photofocus.com/2010/01/07/tenba-prodigital-2-0-messenger-mini-review/ – it’s a great gadget or computer or compact camera bag. When you want a bag that doesn’t scream “CAMERA BAG” this is it. It works well as either a laptop/briefcase or a small gear bag for things like flashes, compact cameras and other accessories.

Domke 700-10B F-1X Little Bigger Bag

I reviewed this bag here – http://photofocus.com/2009/06/01/mini-review-of-the-domke-700-10b-f-1x-little-bigger-bag/ – when I have a bit more gear than the BODA V3 Lens Bag will carry, the next best choice is the Domke. Again, this is a shooter’s bag. It’s not for transporting your gear. You work out of this bag. It is an old design but still works very well.

Gura Gear Kiboko

I reviewed this bag here – http://photofocus.com/2008/11/04/wildlife-photographer-launches-new-photo-bag-line-twip/ – it’s a traveling/transport bag. Is it my imagination or are airline overheads getting smaller? If you want a bag that (if not overstuffed) will fit in almost ANY airline’s overhead bin, the Kiboko is for you. It’s light weight and is the best bag I’ve tried at getting my gear TO the field. It also works well for simply storing gear in at my studio.

Think Tank Photo Airport Addicted

I haven’t formally reviewed this bag on Photofocus although I’ve talked about it in almost every article I’ve written about photo bags. It’s too old to have made the review list here, but there is a newer version (V2.0) that I hope to review some day. This bag is the standard benchmark bag for me. It’s no longer sold, but you can find out more about the new version at http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/airport-addicted-backpack.aspx – in short, my original Airport Addicted is one of my all-time favorite bags since it does probably the best job of providing all the things you might need in a bag. It’s good at transporting, storing and in a pinch, you can work out of it if you have enough room. It’s not perfect either, but if I could only have one bag, this would probably be it.