While in the camera store this afternoon, I also bought a new camera bag. It’s the fourth bag that I’ve ever purchased. The first goes back to my Minolta SRT-201 days, a little Sundog that was great for a small film camera and an extra prime. I think that I may have put the Olympus E-1 in it from time to time, but the E-1 basically just had the really nice Zuiko 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 on it all the time (28-108 equivalent). I’ve bought two camera bags since, but neither has seen real service. I picked up a Mountainsmith waistpack on sale at Campmoor in NJ once, but it seemed to be all padding and too small inside for it’s bulk. I took it out once or twice, but it mostly moved from car to house holding two lenses and a flash. I moved up in size with a bigger Kata bag, but it was just a bigger waste. I held my full nikon kit, but again just seemed too bulky to be useful as anything other than a way to transport kit from one site to another.
I have a little collection of Domke wraps that cushion equipment enough to put it into whatever I’m carrying for travel- laptop backpack, currently a nice Patagonia Lightwire or hiking pack. My philosophy has been that the camera should either be out and being used or put away.
One of the problems is that these packs are all too big for daily use. I have a small list of items that pretty much go everywhere with me:
1. iPhone
2. Small notebook
3. Fountain Pen
4. Camera.
I can fit 1, 2 and 3 into pockets. I the winter, the DP1 can go into a jacket or coat pocket, but not at other times. No way to bring the Nikon DSLR other than hand carried. Which I can do if there’s just one lens, sitting on the camera.
I’ve looked for a small simple messenger style bag over the years for a DSLR plus one lens. This Lowepro Terraclime 100 is a small, unpadded messenger bag that comes with a Domke-like camera wrap. It looks like a perfect fit for either two extra lenses plus flash if lens number three is on the camera and the camera is not in the bag or for a camera plus one lens.
Lets see whether it increases my image output by making it easier to have the camera with me more often.
