After close to 3 years of using clones and inferior camera bags, my body is able to tahan no more. Despite being a manpacker, I've spent 100+ on sinsehs just to twist my spine back into position. I'm feeling the effects of poor ergonomics. Today I finally gave in and got myself the ultimate... the PRADA of camera bags. It's a brand I never thought i would buy. It's a thought I'd dismiss as insane a year ago. It's a ThinkTank bag!
Show me any established photographer, and I can show you his dirty closet of bags... tried, tested, and laid aside. Camera bags to photographers are like handbags to ladies... there is NEVER a perfect bag. It is always a balance of agility, capacity, speed, comfort and of course, your image (as in what people view of you)
I knew of this long before I bought myself a proper bag, and hence have always researched and researched before getting any bag. The bag must be useful, and would not go obselete. I'll never buy another shoulder bag after my Safrotto stealth reporter D400 clone, just like i'll never get another backpack after my Tamrac Adventure 7 clone. At least not in the near future. Bags don't hold their value... so you will have to leave them to rot once they lose their purpose.
There are many considerations when choosing a bag. And i've broken it down into 2 different phases, followed by priorities to be considered:
Travelling to location - Be it on the train, bus, bicycle or just plain walking down the street. Comfort being the most important, followed by gear protection. No way you want to feel tired before you get there, and no way you want to damage your gear before the shoot. Image is of great importance too... you dun want to look like a 可疑人物. Accessibility to gear is not really important here. Too accessible, and it could well be stolen.
On location - Accessibility to gear is the most important, followed closely by comfort. You have to be able to run and gun, and swap lenses in seconds. You cannot get tired too easily too... Protection is not so important since your gear is already in your hand. Image... it depends on what you are shooting, but people will first look at your camera then your bags.
See the problem? Despite the plethora of bags available on the market, none have been able to satisfy everyone. You simply can't have everything.
There are those who would go all out for image. They are almost everywhere. The richer ones would go and get brands like Billingham, Domke or Crumpler. These bags either make you look up-market, young and chic, or for Domke users, retro and pro. Problem is, these bags are usually ergonomic failures (at least for total load >4kg). I've seen people lugging Crumpler "sinking barge", an obtrusively enormous shoulder bag... and unless he has it all stuffed with newspaper, I wonder if he would have any shoulder left at the end of the shoot. But hey... the bag matches his flambouyant outfit, so at least he doesn't look nerdy/geeky when he goes out with his girlfriend(s). Maybe his gear is just there to shoot photos of himself.. who noes?
Domkes are canvas bags. They are not cheap too. People using it will probably claim that they've shot/developed film. They speak of "hey, i'm an old bird... dun play play hor..." I've never found any of their bags attractive, at least in terms of usablity. They may be softer and slightly more comfortable, but they don't distribute heavy loads well enough. Beware your spine.
For those who are not so well off (or think that money could be better spent elsewhere) they would either get clones, or lowepro bags. Lowepro offers a huge variety of bags, but they all have a common problem - too stuffed with padding. Even when your gear is out, your bag still occupies the same bulk, and you will tend to bang into people/stuff. I've knocked down glasses at a wedding before, and have also problems going through MRT gantries with their stealth reporter series. They are only great when it comes to backpacks... all the protection you'll ever need, at a reasonable price. For ergonomics... you'll have to look elsewhere.
And then there is this rare minority that are willing to sacrifice image for the ultimate in agility, accessibility and comfort. This is where Newswear, Kinesis and Thinktank bags comes in, the ultimate being Newswear. You know SBO? The tried and tested concept derived from wars, the SBO concept fully distributes loads around your body while providing unparalleled access to equipment. Journalists swear by them. Heck, you could go run SOC with your gear! The biggest drawback - Image. You simply don't belong in the civilian world. But to a real events photographer, that might just be the ONLY way to go.
A week ago, I finally found what I thought would be the best compromise. The ThinkTank Change Up. It is like the transformer of bags. It can be used as a SBO on location, a shoulder/back pack for travelling, or a belt pack for comfort. Offering near SBO accessiblity and agility, it also has adequate padding while being flexible, and when coupled with attachments, is able to contain all my gear. Last but not least, it does all these while maintaining a somewhat civilised appearance. It is the most adaptable bag i've seen so far, and hopefully, after putting it into use, is able to deliver. I don't want to buy anymore bags!
Disclaimer: I'm entitled to my own opinions. If you find that my stereotyping might have offended you, then kindly ignore this post
Show me any established photographer, and I can show you his dirty closet of bags... tried, tested, and laid aside. Camera bags to photographers are like handbags to ladies... there is NEVER a perfect bag. It is always a balance of agility, capacity, speed, comfort and of course, your image (as in what people view of you)
I knew of this long before I bought myself a proper bag, and hence have always researched and researched before getting any bag. The bag must be useful, and would not go obselete. I'll never buy another shoulder bag after my Safrotto stealth reporter D400 clone, just like i'll never get another backpack after my Tamrac Adventure 7 clone. At least not in the near future. Bags don't hold their value... so you will have to leave them to rot once they lose their purpose.
There are many considerations when choosing a bag. And i've broken it down into 2 different phases, followed by priorities to be considered:
Travelling to location - Be it on the train, bus, bicycle or just plain walking down the street. Comfort being the most important, followed by gear protection. No way you want to feel tired before you get there, and no way you want to damage your gear before the shoot. Image is of great importance too... you dun want to look like a 可疑人物. Accessibility to gear is not really important here. Too accessible, and it could well be stolen.
On location - Accessibility to gear is the most important, followed closely by comfort. You have to be able to run and gun, and swap lenses in seconds. You cannot get tired too easily too... Protection is not so important since your gear is already in your hand. Image... it depends on what you are shooting, but people will first look at your camera then your bags.
See the problem? Despite the plethora of bags available on the market, none have been able to satisfy everyone. You simply can't have everything.
There are those who would go all out for image. They are almost everywhere. The richer ones would go and get brands like Billingham, Domke or Crumpler. These bags either make you look up-market, young and chic, or for Domke users, retro and pro. Problem is, these bags are usually ergonomic failures (at least for total load >4kg). I've seen people lugging Crumpler "sinking barge", an obtrusively enormous shoulder bag... and unless he has it all stuffed with newspaper, I wonder if he would have any shoulder left at the end of the shoot. But hey... the bag matches his flambouyant outfit, so at least he doesn't look nerdy/geeky when he goes out with his girlfriend(s). Maybe his gear is just there to shoot photos of himself.. who noes?
Domkes are canvas bags. They are not cheap too. People using it will probably claim that they've shot/developed film. They speak of "hey, i'm an old bird... dun play play hor..." I've never found any of their bags attractive, at least in terms of usablity. They may be softer and slightly more comfortable, but they don't distribute heavy loads well enough. Beware your spine.
For those who are not so well off (or think that money could be better spent elsewhere) they would either get clones, or lowepro bags. Lowepro offers a huge variety of bags, but they all have a common problem - too stuffed with padding. Even when your gear is out, your bag still occupies the same bulk, and you will tend to bang into people/stuff. I've knocked down glasses at a wedding before, and have also problems going through MRT gantries with their stealth reporter series. They are only great when it comes to backpacks... all the protection you'll ever need, at a reasonable price. For ergonomics... you'll have to look elsewhere.
And then there is this rare minority that are willing to sacrifice image for the ultimate in agility, accessibility and comfort. This is where Newswear, Kinesis and Thinktank bags comes in, the ultimate being Newswear. You know SBO? The tried and tested concept derived from wars, the SBO concept fully distributes loads around your body while providing unparalleled access to equipment. Journalists swear by them. Heck, you could go run SOC with your gear! The biggest drawback - Image. You simply don't belong in the civilian world. But to a real events photographer, that might just be the ONLY way to go.
A week ago, I finally found what I thought would be the best compromise. The ThinkTank Change Up. It is like the transformer of bags. It can be used as a SBO on location, a shoulder/back pack for travelling, or a belt pack for comfort. Offering near SBO accessiblity and agility, it also has adequate padding while being flexible, and when coupled with attachments, is able to contain all my gear. Last but not least, it does all these while maintaining a somewhat civilised appearance. It is the most adaptable bag i've seen so far, and hopefully, after putting it into use, is able to deliver. I don't want to buy anymore bags!
Disclaimer: I'm entitled to my own opinions. If you find that my stereotyping might have offended you, then kindly ignore this post
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