Amita, In response to your request, here are some thoughts about photo bags. Bob W. has described two types of bags. Those are for the people who make their living as photographers. For hobbyists, like myself, bags of some other types might be needed.
For many years I've been using Lowepro Nova 3. My "standard" set was a camera (ZX-5N or *istDS), Tokinas 19-35, 28-70/2.6-2.8, Tamron 70-300 or Pentax F70-210, Pentax 50/1.7 or /1.4, AF 500 FTZ flash, polarizing and a close-up filter. This was universal: for travel, for most local events, etc. Sometimes, for well-defined shootings (city exploration, local event, ..) I was taking one of the lenses or the flash out of the bag - to make it more convenient for the work (and lighter). What I was missing in the standard Nova 3 is the dividers similar to those used in Tamrac 603-610 bags. I was able to adapt the native Nova3 dividers to make two layers: the bottom layer with the flash, 1 zoom, and 50mm lens, and then a divider that was allowing access to the bottom layer from two long sides, and then on top of the divider the body with a zoom lens attached, lying horizontally. What was the problem in this setup (yes, wishful thinking) is that it was hard to fit the body with the flash attached and close the flap, even if a few lenses were removed from the bag. Then, I wanted to have a few other bags: one larger shoulder bag - for local events, - so that I can fit what I need in a more comfortable way, with easier reach, and probably with the ease of fitting the body with the flash attached. I would also use this for car-trips when I want to have a larger set of lenses with me. I still want it to be padded, as I need the opportunity to throw my bag into the car trunk or back seat and be sure that the equipment will be safe. Then, I realized that very often I fly somewhere with both laptop and camera, and then I need to take two bags. Since I usually prefer to fly with carry on only, this would consitute 3 bags. This motivated the purchase of the Fastpack 250. Prior to that, I spent a lot of time at the local stores and with web-based catalogs. For a while, I could not choose between a backpack and a shoulder bag. ThenI realized that the shoulder bags with the "dual" functionality were either too wide or did not have good cushion. (When the shoulder bag is too wide, it is hard to fit it under the aircraft seat or in the overhead compartment of a small turboprop/regional jet). Some backpacks were too heavy. CompuDaypack was providing almost the right balance. Fastpack 250 was better in two ways: the camera compartment was larger, and the quick side access was a great addition. Amita, you mentioned the internal zipped pockets. Along the same lines, I think, an urban-environment bag should provide some balance of easy access and secure closure. The latter is to prevent accidental or mischievous opening of compartments in a crowded space (e.g. subway, bus) unnoticed by the owner. Backpacks from infamous Crumpler (barges and others) is an example of a reasonable level of secure closure. Good luck in your endeavor! Feel free to contact me off the list, especially if you will want to get a feedback on your design. Best, Igor -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
