Camera Bag Craze (Part 1)

Looking back at year 2006 when I just got my first DSLR, one question hit me: What kind of camera bag do I need? Since photographic equipment is quite a heavy investment, so I need a bag which can provide good protection and comfortable to be carried around for long hours. During that time, Tamrac had just launched their latest Adventure Series Backpacks. I was quite attracted by its design, since it doesn't look like a camera bag, the top half can be used to carry things like a jacket and the bottom half is dedicated for equipments. This model was too new, the local distributor had not brought it into Malaysia. By just viewing the photos online, I chose Tamrac Adventure 7 and purchased it from Adorama's online store in the States. After waiting for a few weeks, the bag finally arrived Malaysia via my friend's friend who worked in Colorado Springs. This bag fitted the EOS350D, EF17-40mm F/4L USM and SpeedLite 580EX nicely. It's a great daypack for travelling. As usual for most camera backpacks, the accessibility is poor. To get the equipment out from the bag, I have to put it down and unzip the compartment to reach for them. This isn't really convenient if you plan to take street photos. You either have to carry your camera all the time, or find a proper place to take it out when you want to shoot.

Tamrac Adventure 7


Due to the accessibility issue, I started to seek for a shoulder bag. Traditional shoulder bags with Canon/Nikon logos are out from my list as I never want to announce to the public that I'm carrying a camera inside. Crumpler caught my attention. To fit the same amount of equipment which I had during that time, I chose Crumpler 5 Million Dollar Home. The outlook of this bag is absolutely simple yet trendy. People who do not know this brand will never know it's a camera bag. With this bag, I carried my equipment with more confidence in the crowd.

Crumpler 5 Million Dollar Home


In the late 2006, I got my very first telephoto zoom: EF70-200mm F/4L IS USM. This is the smallest white lens in the Canon EF range. By fitting it on the EOS350D, the total length is around 24cm, which easily exceeds the height of the Tamrac Adventure 7 and Crumpler 5MDH. To reduce the frequency of detaching lens, I prefer to store the body with lens attached in the bag. Here comes my interest on the classic Lowepro MiniTrekker AW. It's one of the most popular Lowepro model among local photographers. This backpack's main compartment is purely for equipments. The remaining front pocket are for accessories. This bag offers plenty of room for majority of the photographers without overloading their back. The "AW" along with the model name denotes All-Weather. It has a built-in weather cover which can be unfolded from the bottom of the bag just in case you encounter less favourable weather during your outing.

Lowepro MiniTrekker AW


Again back to shoulder bags, I chose Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home which can fit the camera body with telephoto zoom lens attached in the vertical position. The design is pretty much the same as 5MDH, except it's alot larger. Crumpler's X Million Dollar Home series of shoulder bags have average padding. The main flap itself is very thin, fastened by a single buckle and some velcros, and there's no padding at all. There's also no weather cover and extra zips to completely seal the camera compartment from the elements. If you're using this bag for city usage, it should be fine. I would not recommend it for outdoor activities.

Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home


More stories to be shared in Part 2...