The Eternal Quest for the Perfect Camera Bag

A DSLR bag is one thing photographers cannot get enough of.


I am in the market for a new one now for two things:


         1. my Lowepro Nova 170 AW bag can no longer accommodate the existing gear that I have and


         2. I plan to expand my gear collection sometime soon.


I have a Lowepro Flipside 300 but I am not completely happy with that bag for exactly just one thing: no easy access to my camera whenever the need arises. I love this bag and the number of stuff that I can put in but I am now looking for something which may have almost the same capacity as the Flipside but something that will provide easy access.


I am considering three bags:


1. The Lowepro Classified 200 AW - This is a very nice bag and very professional-looking. I love the way the fabric glides under my hands. It feels very sturdy, can hold up to two prosumer DSLRs and have plenty of spaces for everything else. This feels like it’s designed for the savvy professional. And, most importantly, you can just open the zipper at the top of the bag and get to your camera really quickly without exposing to the world what more you have inside.



2. The Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home - The Crumpler brand is something of a love-hate relationship. It can be too flashy for your taste, or you can fall in love with the very green color. For me, I love it, though I wouldn’t go for the green one (not my favorite color). It can fit a lot of things: two speedlites, lenses, a gripped body. And just open up the flap and start shooting.


3. The Tenba Messenger Photo/Laptop large - a prosumer DSLR can fit inside, two to three lenses, and at least one speedlite. The big plus is that I will be able to fit my 15-inch Macbook Pro together with my camera gear, though I don’t see that happening often. Also, like the Lowepro Classified, you can quickly get your camera by just opening the top portion of the bag.


So, these are my choices. Which will I most probably get? I think I am leaning towards the Tenba because of the laptop compartment. I know that there are bags from both Crumpler and Lowepro with laptop compartments but I feel that that addition will add considerably to the dimensions of the bag. Also, price-wise, the Tenba is the cheapest among my three choices.


I will update this when time comes that I buy whatever bag I choose.


(Disclaimer: I am not very sure about the stuff that you can put in each of the bags. I was able to check these out in camera stores, but of course, there’s nothing more sure than actually using the bags to know what can fit inside.)