Yes, Bill, it's the Domke F-803 that I often tout, but it is a somewhat limited bag. It's not that good for carrying large, or "chunky" cameras with big lenses, and, for some situations, it can be a difficult bag to work out of. It's not the bag to use if you want to travel with a few bodies and a plethora of lenses - it's a bag to use on the street or when walking around with an appropriate "daily kit".
However, the up side is that if one is using a small amount of gear, lenses of moderate size, and learns a few tricks to packing the bag, it becomes an almost indispensable photographic tool, as valuable as the cameras and lenses which it contains. One of my F-803s is ready to rock and roll right now, and it contains two Leicas and four lenses, with no crowding. There's also room for plenty of film, a light meter, grey card, several filters, caps, and hoods, a note pad, pens, stickers, blower brush, cable release, maps, leader extractor, and probably a few more odds and ends. A little trick I learned from reading "On Being a Photographer" by David Hurn and Bill Jay (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) is to use two bags, especially when carrying a fair amount of gear, or heavy gear. Hurn says that he works out of two small camera bags of the same type, one on each shoulder. He comments that many photographers suffer from back strain, or bad backs, because they are always carrying their gear on one shoulder, causing tension and stress, even if the gear is not particularly heavy. He suggests that carrying two bags balances this tension, evening out the unequal pressure. Base on Hurn's comments I've purchased a second Domke F-803, and the results are fantastic. The bags are small enough that they don't really get in the way of shooting, and I can work faster, as well, not having to rummage through one bag to find something tucked away in a corner or buried beneath another item. I highly recommend the two bag approach to carrying gear if the situation warrants it. The other thing that might be considered is that no one bag is suitable to all situations. While that's been mentioned here before, it seems like a good time to bring it up again. Most photographers would do well with several bags, to be used in different situations or when carrying different equipment. The Domke F-803 is not the best bag for Taka, although, down the line, it might be one to consider. "Peifer, William [OCDUS]" wrote: > Not sure if you've already made a decision on bags, but Shel has pointed out > on several occasions some of the advantages of the Domke satchel-style bags > (F-803, if I remember correctly). Sturdy, washable, and doesn't scream, > "Steal me! I'm loaded full of expensive camera gear!" If you do a lot of > street photography, might be a very good way to carry gear. -- Shel Belinkoff mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.earthlink.net/~belinkoff/ http://home.earthlink.net/~belinkoff/darkroom-rentals/index.html - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
