Good bag for a M 4/3 camera

i bought my bag for my canon at the source for 30 bucks i rarely use it.

Billingham.

+1

If you want style as well as decently made bags with good protection they're probably the best bet. LowePro is very decent from a practical point of view, but styling is pretty functional...

Wow, this thread was well timed for me. I've gotten an SLR recently (took tons of shots, though it's gonna be weeks of non-stop heavy cloud cover where I am right now), and I use a LowePro when the conditions might get rough. It offers good protection, but it's not the most attractive bag.

Another vote for Billingham. Although I no longer use a SLR, that bag has served me well for 10 years

Can't beat Billingham.

Don't buy one. Camera bags fall into two categories: 1. Utilitarian but fugly. 2. Cool looking, but mad expensive and not versatile. Get any decent-looking bag and invest in a $25 padded insert. You save some money and you don't have to walk around with a bag that screams: "Expensive camera in here, please rip off my shoulder!" when abroad or in Baltimore.

That's assuming you never actually use your camera to take pictures, because as soon as you do your cover's blown anyway whether you're using a $300 Billingham or a $5 diaper bag. Besides, micro 4/3 cameras were designed around size. If you're going to carry a Billingham, Lowepro, or whatever, and stuff it full of crap, why bother with M4/3? Just get an SLR and be done with it, and have better image quality to boot.

I own a Panasonic GF1 with a 20/1.7... two of them, actually, as I like the camera enough to use it professionally in certain situations (and being in a professional situation means having redundancy) and I can stick that thing in a coat pocket or carry it over one shoulder and forget about it on the days I want to go light, while sacrificing little on the image quality front as long as the light levels are good. If I want to be bothered carrying around a bag, I might as well take my 5D and 35/1.4.

I do have a bag that I use to carry all my M4/3 related stuff for storage at home or when I travel -- a Domke F-803 satchel. But I'm not going to waste my time or money with a $300 Billingham when all I need when out and about on foot with micro 4/3 is the camera with its pancake lens over one shoulder and a spare battery in my pocket.


Protection from what, exactly? I've flung my (famously sparsely-padded) F-803 across the room in a rage, twice, with both my GF1 cameras inside, hitting the wall and then landing on concrete. Both my cameras still work perfectly. If it was only one camera in there then I guess you could say I was lucky. But two cameras still working fine would suggest that I'm either extremely lucky, or camera gear is a lot tougher than most mint-condition-obsessed amateurs would give them credit for.

Back on topic for styleforum purposes:

I would further suggest that a Billingham is more MC-appropriate. A Domke (or something like it, such as a surplus military satchel with an insert as someone else suggested) wouldn't look as out of place with SW&D attire. I treat my Domkes like raw denim -- use the bag hard for a year or more then wash it to get fades just like my favorite jeans. A well worn Domke looks just as good as a well worn pair of raw jeans. On the other hand a worn Billingham looks like a worn suit -- i.e., shit.

I agree with this, I've a F-803 copy, Safrotto CF700. It's Chinese, but surprisingly better quality bag with better padding. I use it with my e-p1, 20mm f1.4, leica 50mm f1.4 + adapter and 7-14mm f4 lenses (used to own 35mm f1.2 lens, but I've sold it). Everything fits nicely. with lots of room to spare for charger, batteries, memory cards, a book. Even tiny laptop when I went overseas.

Speaking as someone who has had several attempts on his Nikon, I colored in my strap with black permanent marker and use a basic, nondescript camera bag from my local place. If that's far from your types of worries (eg: I travel a lot), Billinghams are good, as others have said. I also just have a smaller Lowepro one, and it's held up well also.

Timbuk2, if you are going for a younger look, and their bags do last forever.