Ask Slashdot: Laptop + DSLR Backpacks 282
I typically travel with a laptop and camera, but usually with a bag for each: a
backpack for the laptop and a lowepro top loader for the camera. I'd really prefer a single
backpack for both a 17" macbook and a DSLR with a larger 24-70mm or 70-200mm lens attached, as well as perhaps a few spare lenses and accessories. I've seen options from Case Logic (the SLRC-206), Kata (the DR-467), the Streetwalker Hard Drive, and LowePro (the CompuDay Photo 250, the CompuPrimus AW), but I'm not seeing a clear winner. I'm guessing a few of you have opinions on this subject, so share them so I don't buy a piece of garbage.
Think Tank (Score:3)
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Here's a better idea. Get a cheap airline ticket to New York City. Go to B&H Photo / Video [bhphotovideo.com], wander around the acre of backpacks and such and find the one that works best for you.
Then slowly back away from everything else, otherwise you may find yourself needing 2 backpacks and a Pelican case.
Really, it's such a personal decision and there are so many choices. NYC is really nice this time of year....
(Personally, I use a LowePro DryZone 200 (It's completely waterproof) and ditch the Lapzilla for a 13 i
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For a thousand dollars and several days off work, one can afford to buy the wrong back pack and even after buying a couple others still come out somewhat ahead financially.
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Shadow Conspiracy. (Score:2)
Nice backpack for lots of stuff [danscomp.com]. Lots of body hugging stuff too. /flame on!
Tamrac- Great for Traveling (Score:2)
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Same here, I have a large pack. And then I have a separate bealt with just a camera pouch. I've got several other cases I can swap between the pack and the hip case using Tamrac's M.A.S. accessories.
Packs
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/584104-REG/Tamrac_338501_3385_Aero_Speed_Pack.html [bhphotovideo.com]
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/544651-REG/Tamrac_558801_5588_Expedition_8x_Backpack.html [bhphotovideo.com]
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/425852-REG/Tamrac_554903_5549_Adventure_9_Backpack.html [bhphotovideo.com]
Belt pouch
http://www.bhphotovide [bhphotovideo.com]
Stick with two bags (Score:3)
Keep in mind that the laptop requires a power adaptor and, internationally, a plug adaptor. If you're like me, you might even include a mouse and other USB cables to charge phones and MP3 players. In other words, you might as well have a dedicated bag.
For bag advice, I strongly recommend that you go to a dedicated site such as dpreview. I've received excellent advice for people there.
Regards,
Keith
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Honestly, I can't see the argument for a single bag
You only have two hands. I could add to this argument, but it really comes down to this. Sometimes you need to have your bag in your hand plus have one hand free.
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You definitely want one bag: leaving your laptop in your hotel room is a bad idea unless you can be certain that you can robustly secureit while you're out sight-seeing. Some will argue that keeping everything in one bag is less secure because everything can be stolen in one "grab"; but, I manage that by simply wearing my camera plus laptop backpack at all times (unless I'm in the car). If I do have to put the bag down (like sitting in a restaurant) then I put one of my legs through a shoulder strap.
As a
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Just because you can't see the argument for a single bag doesn't mean that there isn't one. For example, when I recently traveled to Peru, I rarely let my backpack out of sight—I didn't random hostels enough to leave thousands of dollars of equipment there, nor did I have a vehicle. That said, I did very well with a single piece of luggage, the Calumet BP1500 Large Backpack [calumetphoto.com]. It fit my 13" Macbook Air (with plenty of room for a larger laptop), my DSLR with a couple lenses and requisite accessories, in
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But first you have to get the laptop *to* the hotel...
It also depends on shooting conditions - if you're headed out for a dedicated shooting expedition, leaving the laptop behind and/or having two bags sometimes makes sense. But a single bag does make sense if it's "daily use/daily carry"
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That just doesn't work for me. When I'm at conventions, I don't have ready access to a car or hotel room. Free time happens in spurts during the day, between events, and that's when I need the laptop. And I might need the camera at any time.
I really liked this bag when I saw it at the SXSW trade show this year:
http://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-NG-2475-Explorer/dp/B000FJ2OTG [amazon.com]
It would hold two camera bodies and a few lenses along with a 15" laptop, but it wouldn't hold a 17" MacBook Pro.
Does anyone
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You don't travel internationally much by air, I'm guessing. There are much stricter limits on carry-on bags in Europe than in the US (although the US has recently started to get a little stricter). You are not able, for example, to carry a briefcase for your laptop, a camera bag for your camera, *and* a roll-aboard. You would need to have at least one fewer pieces with you, sometimes two, depending on how strict the enforcement is, and how big your camera bag and briefcase are.
Having one bag for laptop a
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You put too much faith in hotel staff and even hotel safes.
Also, keep in mind many DSLR users carry three or more lenses since ultrazooms are a compromise at best; not good at landscape shots, not good at telephoto, and not good at macro. So, even if you choose quality zoom lenses, figure on one wide zoom for landscape shots, one zoom t
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No, I do not put too much faith in the hotel staff; that's why I include one of my backup disks *with* my camera bag.
The simple fact is that if I had to carry my laptop in addition to all my camera gear when I'm hiking up a mountain side, I simply wouldn't be able to cover as much ground. I'm not a professional so I can't afford a sherpa to help carry all the gear.
I'm prepared to lose my laptop. I'm not prepared to lose my photos.
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Two words: Gaffers Tape
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Ditto. I've got a LowePro Toploader that carries my light travel camera gear plus some form of backpack to carry all the rest of the stuff, including a notebook if necessary. The camera bag can go in the backpack if necessary (but it hardly ever is).
Go generic (Score:3)
Go to your favorite store that sells knapsacks for hikers and students. REI is great if you don't mind the price premium.
Bring all your gear.
Load all your gear into each and every pack they have, and put the pack on your back. Include the packs which you're sure wouldn't work.
You should be able to find something that comfortably fits everything and which doesn't scream, "Mug me! I'm carrying around thousands of dollars of easily-fencable equipment!" Instead, you're going after the "I'm a poor student lugging around waaay too many textbooks" look.
If you don't have cases for the individual items, you can get padded cloths with velcro to wrap them in; your local pro camera shop should have some. Winter socks also work great for lenses. The goal here is just something that'll keep stuff from scratching as it rubs against each other plus a very little bit of shock protection. No backpack will provide more than that, so there's no point in pretending. If that's what you really need, get a Pelican case and a custom foam insert -- and forget about carrying it on your back.
Cheers,
b&
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I agree. There's an almost universal pattern - backpacks that are "camera-oriented" have vastly inferior frames and suspensions to good hiking backpacks. There are a few exceptions but they are rare.
I strongly recommend a frontloader pack and not a toploader - unfortunately in larger sizes this is rare. The Kelty Redwing is one of the exceptions. It's an excellent frontloader that is VERY comfortable.
Put your padded cases inside, or possibly go "all out" and convert it to a dedicated camera backpack by
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I have to disagree - those stores are wonderful if you're hiker, student, or someone who needs a backpack for use on the trail or for daily use and who incidentally wants to carry a camera along. They're much less useful for the photographer who wants to carry a camera and incidentally some other stuff.
Visit REI or some other serious backpacker/hiker/student type store *first* in
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I think about the cost of the typical L-series Canon lens, and I cringe at the thought of taking it out of the original box.
Fixed that for you.
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I have L-series lenses including the ~$1000 24-105mm f/4L. I sometimes travel with them unprotected - not even with socks - in a jumble at the bottom of a small shoulder bag (I do usually keep them in bags with foam dividers, just not always).
These things are built to last - you'd never be able to tell how much abuse they've taken; they look brand new (and no mechanical issues either). On the other hand, many (though not all) less expensive lenses *do* get very beat-up looking, and fast. But even then, it's
You'll probably wind up with more than 1 bag (Score:3)
None are perfect but they all are pretty good, depending on your needs.
LowePro: quality construction, high price, thick padding. Photo Trekker AW has water resistant zippers. Bag (not me!) survived a tumble out of a minivan on the Kalahari desert when the hatch wasn't latched properly. Only damage was a slightly decentered 50-500 OS lens, 1DIV, 5D2, Sigma 12-24 and TCs flash guns unscathed. Bag didn't flinch with 42 pounds of gear. Bag is on it's way out with plastic stiffener bits coming out after 8 years of heavy weight use. No tears or rips in the fabric and looks perfect externally though.
Kata: lighter weight, innovative design. Love their sling bag 3N1-20. Just doesn't hold enough for me. Also evaluating Bumblee-222 and front pack but probably not the one I should have tried (220). Front harness system looks less functional than the Clik Elite, but the frame ventilation system seems the most comfortable and coolest (but takes up valuable space). Padding seems adequate but choosing the lightweight series makes me question the protection.
Clik Elite: lower pricing than LowePro, less padding, slightly lighter weight. Average fit and finish. Clean and innovative design. Pro Express bag not wide enough (center row lens hood gets squeezed with lenses in the outside lanes) compared to LowePro design but guaranteed for airline compatibility. Front harness system integrates well to pack.
I'm going to look at the Tenba shootouts as well, and the newer LowePro replacement for my older Photo Trekker, the 400AW (pricey, especially in Canada).
I carry around an iPad and a 13" MacBook Air so I don't need a 17" laptop carrier.
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Re:You'll probably wind up with more than 1 bag (Score:4, Insightful)
Sorry to hear about your death. I hope you feel better soon.
Lowepro Fastpack 350 (Score:3)
I have a Fullframe DSLR (implying large large and heavy lenses) and a MBP 17". Fits perfectly in the FP 350. I really like the good and quick access to the camera, that can be taken out without fully removing the backpack.
Negative point is that only slim laptops fit in it. Don't expect to put anything thicker than a macbook.
I've had almost 15 kg of gear in it, and was still comfortable. Fitted nicely, MBP 17, Western Digital mybook (one 3.5 HDD format), 1 extra tele lens, 1 extra fixed focal lense (small) , flash and various accessories (power supplies, cables, etc). The bag is still compact for all that content. The compartments are well organized and optimized.
Largest drawback is that you can't nicely strap a tripod or monopod to it. I miss that a lot.
http://products.lowepro.com/product/Fastpack-350,2087,14.htm [lowepro.com]
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Similarly, I have a Slingshot 300 that I love. I can stick a DSLR with either 24-105 or 70-200 lens in the "holster" part, put a few more lenses and flash in if I want. They make a 350 which is about the same size but with a laptop pocket as well. Should be good for traveling and then when you are out shooting, leave the laptop behind to save on weight.
These bags are really nice because they sit well and keep the camera in the bag, but you can have the camera out of the bag and ready to shoot in just a few
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Similar here. I have a 15" dell that's a little thick that fits in (it's tight) with a 7d and lenses / misc gear quite well. Works well as a carry on bag, but I find it too big for a day pack. Day pack, I use separate bags.
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Second the vote for the Fastpack 350 [amazon.com].
We were looking for something for travel, and this did just what we were looking for. My husband's 17" ACER laptop even fit in there, albeit it was a snug fit (i.e., we tore the flimsy zipper extender tag off while zipping it up...but it fit, and it wasn't going anywhere!). Lots of room for a couple of lenses, external flash and cables, even with the bulky battery extender/grip installed on the Canon Rebel. What I liked best is that we could stow the camera with a lon
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I'm going to pile on here. I have a 15" HP laptop that fits in it, plus my Canon XSI, plus 4 lenses, plus flash, plus filters and other crap. I took it to Washington DC on a plane, fits in the over-head bin. This is my main photography pack. (I also have a much smaller sling bag from Lowepro). My pack has worked GREAT for me, for about 3 years now. It has fallen out of a car, more than once, and kept things safe. I really, REALLY can't recommend this bag enough.
Oh, and with their sling design, it is
Crumpler all the way (Score:3)
Their backpacks are designed for this exact combo. Got my laptop, filters, lenses and body in one backpack.
Look for the "c list celebrity"
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They come with a "raincoat" these days, but they are water repellant, but I use the additional protection for heavy rain.
$400 is a drop in the bucket (Score:2)
Yeah, but it's got no less than $8000 of gear in it, even if he's a cheapskate when it comes to glass; maybe $20k if he's OEM all the way. $400 seems trivial in that light.
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As someone else said, who cares about $400 bag when you are carrying $5-6000 worth of equipment (or if you are a pro, probably $10-20.000).
I love my crumpler, I love the fact that even if it gets recognized as a camera bag, they still need to get it off your shoulders to steal the hardware.
Crumpler... (Score:2)
I think you're looking for something like this:
http://www.crumpler.com/us/Camera-Bags/Camera-Backpacks/C-List-Celebrity-L.html?LanguageCode=EN&SKU=CLC001-B00170
You can go smaller too, but that should carry everything you could possibly want and then some.
Manfrotto (Score:2)
Tenba Messenger (Score:2)
Lowepro Fastpack (Score:3)
I have & like the Lowepro Fastpack 350, and I think it will meet your needs. There's a full sized laptop sleeve along the back. The bottom part of the compartment will hold a DSLR+lens and 4 other lenses or 2 lenses+flashes. The camera compartment can be opened from the side, so you can get your camera out without taking the backpack off. There's a side pouch that can be used to carry a tripod (be careful with the mesh) if you add a strap at the top, or you can strap it to the bottom/back. The top compartment is large enough to hold a light jacket + other random stuff (MP3 player, chargers, mouse, grad filters, cleaning gear, filters, etc). Take a look at the pictures on Amazon to get a better sense of the layout.
I visited a local photo store to check out options before ordering this one, which met my needs and was reasonably priced relative to the alternatives.
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The Fastpack 350 is a good pack. I used it on a six month trip to India and a four month trip of mostly Madagascar. It does, however, have some significant issues:
1) Like virtually every other camera pack, security is a non-thought. Before I left on the first trip with it, I had a luggage repair shop replace all the zippers with metal lockable kinds.
2) The waist pack is a great, in theory, but it is not adjustable. Unless *you* are just the right size, all weight will be on your back rather than on your
LowePro Fastpack 250/350 (Score:2)
This is the first photo backpack I have been satisfied with after using for an extended period of time. All the others I found something to dislike after a while.
My recommendation is to not get one of those sling-shot-thingies, they are going to get uncomfortable if you are out walking for a while. Get a proper backpack. The LowePro FastPacks combine the one advantage the sling-thingies have, namely fast access to your camera, with comfortable carrying. It was on my back more or less constantly for a week i
I gave up (Score:2)
I don't
Get the Caselogic (Score:2)
I picked one of these up a couple months back, and it's been great so far. I don't have a ton of gear, but that means that I have quite a bit of flexibility in deciding what goes where. I have three main configurations:
Light. This is mostly for around town.
Canon 450D w/ Sigma 50mm 1.4
Canon PowerShot S90
18-55mm kit lens in case I want a wider angle
Luma Loop
iPad in the laptop pouch
MiFi
Cables, adapters, etc in the various pockets
Heavy, for when I leave town. All
Think Tank Photo (Score:2)
They make a variety of bags that look and don't look like camera bags. I use the urban disguisel line myself.
Wenger Swiss Gear ftw (Score:2)
this has room for my laptop and my DJ decks and external hard drive and associated accessories. nicely padded and protective from a solid reliable brand
Why do people buy manufacturer's bags? (Score:2)
Maybe you live in a utopian world where laptops are never stolen, and you have nothing to worry about - if so, congratulations. I would otherwise suggest y
Love mt Kata backpack (Score:2)
Are you stuck in the stone age? (Score:2)
More feminine (Score:2)
Others have recommended plenty of non-cute backpacks, so here are some more fashionable alternatives....
At Targét, this gal found the perfect solution [blogspot.com] for her laptop, camera and a few lenses, and for only $20!
Trey chic, this cotton bag [techiediva.com] with pink lace design Techie Diva found doesn't offer as much padding, but squee, cuteness!
Here are several other options [thefuntimesguide.com] Lynette compiled for us, not just purses, but messenger bag style as well, which would be easier to carry over the long haul.
For the future, just che
Tamrac (Score:2)
Has several nice camera back packs that have laptop areas. Best of all, they're compatible with Tamrac's modular component system. So you can buy additional lens and accessories pouches and mount them on the back pack for expansion.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/544650-REG/Tamrac_558701_5587_Expedition_7x_Backpack.html [bhphotovideo.com]
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Sorry, first one I posted was a 15"
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/584104-REG/Tamrac_338501_3385_Aero_Speed_Pack.html [bhphotovideo.com]
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/544651-REG/Tamrac_558801_5588_Expedition_8x_Backpack.html [bhphotovideo.com]
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/425852-REG/Tamrac_554903_5549_Adventure_9_Backpack.html [bhphotovideo.com]
Tamrac bag (Score:2)
I carry a Nikon D7000 and a 15" MBP every day in this: http://www.tamrac.com/3447.htm [tamrac.com]
The bag does well protecting its contents and also has enough storage for camera and computer stuff. I like this bag and I am glad I got it.
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Tenba Messenger Daypack (Score:2)
Lowepro whatever (Score:2)
I've got three Lowepro bags, for different situations.
1) An old holster-type bag, with a shoulder strap. Similar to the Toploader Zoom 50, but much older. I use it for day trips to the fair, things like that -- it'll take my SLR (with or without grip) with an 18-125 lens, and I can fit a 50mm in the outside pocket with a few extra memory cards and a spare battery.
2) A slingshot 200. This is my tool for all-day walks. I spent a few weeks walking all over Italy with it, I take it for day hikes, and I carr
Any bags like this? (Score:2)
I really liked this bag when I saw it at the SXSW trade show this year:
http://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-NG-2475-Explorer/dp/B000FJ2OTG [amazon.com]
It would hold two camera bodies and a few lenses along with a 15" laptop, but it wouldn't hold a 17" MacBook Pro.
Does anyone know of a similar-looking bag that could hold a slightly larger laptop?
ThinkTank Urban Disguise + harness (Score:2)
you really should just go to a store... (Score:2)
You need to take your stuff to a proper store and figure this out.. I have gone through a ton of bags before being reasonably satisfied w/ the lowepro 250 (which is fine with the 70-200/f4 and the 17" macbook pro), which is my day trip and airplane travel bag. Even with this I also use an old velocity 7 for wandering around with because it is lighter and I can leave my laptop @ the hotel / home. For international 3rd world travel / hiking I use the velocity bag as an insert to a normal camping bag. This giv
Just use an insert (Score:2)
The insert lets me do it with just one bag.
Buy a regular *huge* hiking backpack (Score:2)
When hiking around, stick both laptop (in sleeve), and camera (in its small camera bag) into your backpack.
Added bonus: there's also space for your lunch box, an extra set of clothes, water bottle, or whatever else you might need on a hike. And when you reach a scenic stretch of trail, take your camera out of the backpack, and put it around your neck (or on belt), so it's easily accessible without having to stop every 20m to take your camera... And when you reac
Random bag + an insert or two.... (Score:2)
My solution to this was to use a generic looking messenger bag that had a padded computer insert, and add an inexpensive camera/lens insert for around $20-25.
For example:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/509016-REG/Tenba_638_251_Pro_Digital_2_0_Photo.html [bhphotovideo.com]
That way, I can customize the bag for whatever I need to carry and save weight when needed. Let's say I'm going to a conference for work and sightseeing a few days afterwards. For the trip out, I put both inserts in the bag. When I'm at the conferenc
Lowepro Fastpack 350 or ThinkTank (Score:2)
I've got the CaseLogic bag. (Score:2)
Sorry: forgot to log in and posted this anonymously a few minutes ago.
And I've been reasonably happy with it. As you can probably guess, all of these bags are compromises. You can carry your laptop, and your DSLR, but you aren't going to carry much more. I've got my Canon 350D (with my "go-to" lens, the standard Canon 27-135 IS lens) mounted on it in the top spot in the camera area, then another 5 lenses (ranging from a Sigma 75-300 to a Canon 50 mm prime), along with a Sigma shoe flash stashed in camera ar
Lowepro Pro Roller x100 (Score:2)
Not the cheapest option, but this rollaboard is also a backpack -- it's basically a backpack inside of a rollaboard, so you get the best of both worlds, plus a bonus that if you buy a bunch of stuff while traveling, your one bag turns into two. I recently purchased it for business travel, and couldn't be happier.
http://www.amazon.com/Lowepro-Pro-Roller-x100-Camera/dp/B0027JM3B6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1313439687&sr=8-2 [amazon.com]
Eye-fi card if you don't -need- the laptop (Score:2)
Anyone know if there's some way one could automate cloud storage via such a system? I take a picture with my DSLR, it automatically sends it to the phone, and the phone automatically uploads it to flickr? Seems like there could be s
Tatonka and Tasmanian Tiger (Score:2)
I bought my Mission Pack MC at a military gear-specific post exchange at the Kandahar Air Field and paid $200 US for it, which is about 52 dollars less than what it goes for from the manufacturer. I've had it for about three months here at my base
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oh come on! The article is about a backup and all we get a few lines? You can do better Dr. Bob!
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I've also noticed a lot of the "show me evidence" science-cultists, too. They can't argue Chiropractic's merits so they attack me.
Asking for evidence isn't an attack, it's called being rational. I think you're the one that can't argue Chiropractic's merits, no one from from Big Whatever-a cares.
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We, in the scientific community, call this a charade and dismiss it.
Crack doctors are laughable, a trolling crack doctor... hilarious.
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Re:Don't go cheap! (Score:5, Informative)
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One bag is just easier to keep up with than two. I'm not going to think "well, even though it's easier for someone to steal one of my bags, at least they'll only get $2500 worth of equipment from me instead of $5000". I'm going to keep track of my stuff and make damn sure they get none of it.
I shoot Q&As and celebrity events at film conventions. Free time occurs in spurts between movies, not at the end of the day, so leaving my laptop in my car or in a hotel room just doesn't work. And there's simpl
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Re:Seriously? (Score:4, Funny)
That would be a good Ask Slashdot question.
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You gonna be doing photo editing in the field with a tablet? Come on...
Nowadays, a computer capable of storing the enormous amounts of data generated by shooting in RAW at 20MP, as well as running CS5, Lightroom, and a host of other photo apps is pretty much a necessity for any serious photographer. My mother generates between 80-100 GB of data a day on a typical shoot. Granted, she's a professional photographer, so she's probably at the higher end of the spectrum, but still, once you get into the SLRs y
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In the field, just about any computer will do. The main thing you're wanting is something that's going to allow you to take a look at the composition in full and get a fair amount of the composition at the pixel level. Also, you're not going to be performing a proper back up in the field, so all you're going to get to do is copy the cards to the laptop and keep the originals still on the card until you get home.
The other thing is taking notes, and you're probably going to be better off taking notes on a wri
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I've thought about getting a 15" laptop just to fit in a field bag with my camera, but honestly I prefer the 17" screens and I'd rather just use the same laptop on short- and long-distance events.
kata bag (Score:2)
If Taco is like me (and in this respect I expect that he is), he intends to do some editing during his downtime while on vacation. At present, that's just not something that a semi-serious photographer is going to be able to take on using a tablet.
CmdrTaco, consider something from Kata, maybe the R-106 [kata-bags.com]. I'll vouch for the feel of the thing - I have a 105, and the weight distribution when loaded is pretty good.
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As a biker (motorised or not) who needed to lug around a lot of gear, I have to say that a 15" courier-style bag has served me very well. In it, I can fit a lot of different combos, depending on what kind of thing I intend to shoot:
- 40D + 200mm zoom lens, 40D + 50mm lens and 13" macbook pro for candid/street photography.
- same photo gear, but instead of the 13" mbp, a manfroto tripod (for night street photography).
- 80mm zoom + tripod for timelapses.
The handy part of a courier bag, is that I can switch be
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That reason might have been made moot by the advent of different and more interesting tablet options.
I will be dumping my netbook for an Android tablet very soon because of this.
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That reason might have been made moot by the advent of different and more interesting tablet options.
I will be dumping my netbook for an Android tablet very soon because of this.
So which tablet has the 1920x1200 screen, like my 8-year-old laptop (Sony VAIO VGN-A117S)? Which ones also have a mouse and keyboard for effective interaction/editing at the pixel level? When you're dealing with pictures from a DSLR, you don't want to go below this sort of resolution. Image quality can reach the individual pixel level using a DSLR with 14Mpixels and a good lens, with data at 12-14 bits per pixel in the raw image. It's not some crappy phone camera with a miniscule detector and tiny lens, wh
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Which laptop can you buy now that has a 1920x1200 screen?
Since HDTV has taken over the monitor market, Hi-res displays have become almost impossible to find, especially in laptops.
We have the odd situation that older laptops are actually better than newer ones, at least as far as their displays go.
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I'm not so sure about that..
My iPad + iPad Camera Connection Kit [apple.com] + Filterstorm Pro [apple.com] & Brushes [apple.com] have worked nicely for me.
If you're out hiking there is no need perfectly touch-up a photo. You can do all this when you return home on your powerful desktop or laptop. When you're out in the field you just take the photos and save them to an external storage device so you can free up space on your memory cards.
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Price of a 32 gb ipad: ~$600
Carrying around ipad: er... bulky and potential for damage/theft.
Price of another 32gb sd card to use when you've filled up the first one that you can then manipulate on your home computer with a mouse: ~$30.
Not having to carry an ipad with you when you're taking pictures: priceless
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Yes, Crumpler has a very nice range of these things:
http://www.crumpler.com/us/Camera-Bags/Camera-Backpacks.html [crumpler.com]
Tough fabric, nice designs and less boxy than much of the competition (though this means that clearances can be tight, so make sure your gear will actually fit). Some are designed so that the main compartment can only be accessed when the pack is removed, which makes things more difficult for pickpockets.
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The XL is a great laptop bag for carrying from one place to another, but it's a poor camera bag. The main deficiency is lack of a good way to strap a tripod to the side.
I own an XL for my laptop. I have never put my camera into it. That's what my Kelty Redwing is for.
I have put my laptop into the Redwing using a neoprene sleeve though.
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I recently used a Lowepro Pro Runner 450 AW DSLR Backpack (http://www.amazon.com/Lowepro-Pro-Runner-450-Black/dp/B0036B67B6/ref=sr_1_24?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1313425697&sr=1-24) on a two week holiday trip through India. It did a great job carrying my laptop, camera, accessories. To lighten the bag, I would often leave the AC adapters for the laptop and camera in the hotel room; but, I always carried the laptop, camera, and lenses (that is, the expensive items).
The Lowepro 450 does not pro
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"Again, a backpack of this size is NOT going to be light, you will NOT want to carry it very much and you WILL have a sore back/neck afterwards."
Wrong. A properly made backpack can allow you to carry a LOT of weight without getting sore.
Unfortunately, 95%+ of backpacks from the camera bag manufacturers are not designed well in terms of how they are worn on the back. There are some exceptions but they're rare.
Look at Kelty, North Face, Osprey, and their brethren, not Kata, Lowepro, Tamrac, etc.
It's a lot e
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A good backpack distributes the weight into your hips and shoulders where you can bear it without getting a sore back/neck. Humans can carry weight more easily in some places than others. If just carrying weight made your neck sore, the 70% of Americans with beer bellies would be aching daily.
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As another poster said - It's not about defeating gravity, it's about how the weight and pressure are distributed. Bad backpacks put most of the weight onto the shoulders in such a way as to cause a sore back/neck. Nearly all photo backpacks are in this category. Good backpacks put a lot of weight onto the hips.
There's a reason military personnel can carry 40-60 pounds of gear - it's not just about the shape they're in, it's the design of the packs. An external frame backpack can allow a human to carry
You just keep shooting your Kodachrome old timer (Score:2)
...oh, right - you can't. Sorry 'bout that!
(FWIW, I have a D3 and an F4s. It's hard to justify the cost of shooting film these days.)
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You seem to have the wrong backpack for your setup and needs. If you only have a single lens to carry around, you would be much better served with a normal laptop fitting backpack and a shouldered top loader for the camera. Considering your equipment, my feeling is that would be more probably more adequate for your likely use of the camera (which I can only guess).
Camera backpack fitting laptops are often too large to be useful if you have a single camera or a single lens. Plus, their second compartment is
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That only holds a 15" laptop. I would love a NG-style bag that could hold a 17" but haven't seen one.
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I think the NG logo actually says "wannabe" more than anything, though depending on where you travel with it I suppose you may be able to pretend that you're a NG photographer :)
I don't think their bags are bad, in fact quite the opposite - a friend has one and it seems quite nice, and she likes it a lot - but yeah, definitely cover or remove the logo.