Posts in the Camera bags category

The search continues

The ongoing search for a practical, good looking and discreet camera bag recently led me to this nifty number from the very smart folks at Think Tank. The Retrospective bag is specifically designed to blend in with the crowd and remain inconspicuous in any situation – perfect for travel. But just because it looks basic doesn’t mean it isn’t full of features. It can fit a DSLR with a couple of lenses or a Micro Four Thirds system (like the Olympus Pen pictured here) and has heaps of other space for bits and pieces. Think Tank are rapidly encroaching on the professional camera bag market too – keep an eye on them!

The search continues…

If you haven’t already noticed, the search for the perfect camera bag is a slight preoccupation here at Skip Town. That elusive mix of style, practicality and discretion is something we’re always keeping an eye out for. This Mt. Rainer Designs camera bag, spied over at Inventory, may not check all of the boxes (I want one that I can fit other, regular, stuff into while travelling) yet it’s nineties-style charm is still working for me.

Any bag camera bag

Here is an idea that is so simply practical and obvious that I wonder why it didn’t exist earlier. It’s a protective bag for your camera gear that can be inserted into your regular bag. The kind folk at Photojojo put me onto it after I featured their Sloop bag in my camera bag round-up a little while back. Check it out here.

A bag for all timezones

I did something silly a couple of years ago when I was traveling with my old digital SLR.

I’d been on the go for three months by this stage and had staunchly refused to use a camera bag, instead stashing my camera in my shoulder bag along with wallet, snacks and god knows what else. So anyway, on this day I’m in the cliff-top village of Oia on Santorini, waiting to watch the famously beautiful sunset, when my camera dies. Dead.

I know – I had it coming! But there were several reasons for my neglect, some of which were more sensible than others. Firstly, if you’ve got anything bigger than a compact camera, the usual cases are quite bulky which means you end up carrying two day bags instead of one. Secondly, they’re very recognisable as camera bags and depending where you are it may not be a good idea to advertise the fact that you’re carrying expensive gear. Thirdly, *shame* camera bags are usually so ugly!

I’ve since learned my lesson, but I still don’t like big camera bags. I currently use an Olympus Pen which I carry in one of those snug leather cases, so I can still fit it in my shoulder bag. But if you’re a digital SLR user and want to fit everything (camera gear plus personal stuff) into a stylish but protective bag while traveling, here are some ideas.

For the ladies;

Man I love these! Emera do classic designs, with quilted and canvas styles available.

If you like a bit more colour, check out the Epiphanie range featuring such styles as the ‘Clover’ below.

For everyone;

The Cloak camera bag suits those stealth shooters who don’t want to miss a thing – it doesn’t have a base which means you can shoot out the bottom! Okay, so you can’t fit anything else inside, but it’s still very cool.

The reliable folk at Photojojo have designed their own camera bag – the SLR Sloop.

But for something more utilitarian, try the Incognito camera bag from Courierware.

And for the record, I did get a few nice shots before the ‘incident’. Here’s one.