Searching for the Holy Grail
Or more specifically the perfect camera bag. Why does my wife have dozens of handbags? I think I am beginning to understand. After six years of serious enthusiast photography, I find I am the owner of eight camera bags. Of those I normally only use two: a sling bag for doing events and a small messenger for street. Sometimes, I use a backpack when I need ‘all’ my kit. That leaves five bags I never use. One of the five is the Manfrotto Bumblebee M-30 PL. It is a wonderful bag, but in use it was a bit too heavy, too hard and inflexible for comfort. Which bag is suitable depends on the size and type of kit you need to carry. What bag feels right depends on weight and comfort. You can assess the former on paper, but the latter can only be assessed in use.
When I bought my first camera bag the guy who sold it told me it would be the first of many. I now know what he means. I finally got the three bags that suit me, but at a cost. What is surprising, is that even though I have bags by Vanguard, LowePro and Crumpler, the nearest to my perfect bag, is one that costs £21 from AliExpress. It is strong, comfy, well padded, easy to access, lightweight, shower-proof, has zipped pockets and has space for two bodies with zooms attached, flashes, light modifiers, batteries, water bottle, etc. Rick Corbishley
I too have a large collection of shoulder bags, messengers and backpacks of all shapes and sizes, and the one I still use the most is over 20 years old. I’m sure every photographer is the same in this regard. I’d love to hear other readers’ views on the perfect bag – Nigel Atherton, editor