Hello all,
My first post as you can see, newbie to these forums and even to photography. Without boring you so much into my bio and into where I've been, I'll just cut to the chase.
I have searched and read numerous forum threads but I would like some personal(to my problem) advice.
I am going to India for about a month in August to early September. What I have been told will be the warmest months and with quite a fair bit of rainfall. I will travel from South to North with a friend and I've decided to bring my camera and gear with me.
Gear;
Nikon F2 Photomic or Nikon F801s(I have not decided because most of my lenses are old.)
20mm f/4 pre-AI lens. (I assume it's pre-AI because it does not have the second set of f/stop numbers)
85mm f/1.8 pre-AI lens.
Either a 50mm f/1.8 AF lens or 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 AF lens.
Approximately 10 rolls of B/W film
Approximately 2 rolls of colour slide film
A flash unit and a small Sekonic light meter
Tripod
Nikon Coolpix S8(for those self-timer moments)
So all in all,
1 body
3 lenses
12 rolls of film
Flash unit
Light meter
Tripod
1 P&S
I need a bag to carry all of that, maybe minus the tripod all the time. Don't think I want to set that up in a busy street in the morning.
I am eyeing a Lowepro Versapack 200 AW at the moment and a Domke F6/F3X.
Of course it's the usual backpack vs. shoulder bag debate. But I hope to narrow down the usual arguments. I am concerned of course with weight distribution. Film cameras are not usually very light and neither are their lenses, especially the 85mm(I decided against the 80-200mm MF lens because of that).
With the shoulder bags, I can't carry the tripod with it, this much I know. But it's not a huge issue. I am concerned with;
- Weight distribution(are the Domke bags THAT great at not making my shoulder feel worn after a day of touring, assuming I have quite a heavy load mentioned?).
- Camera bag visibility(I could cut away the Domke tag, and even if I will take my gear out, I can be assured no one is going to know I'm carrying a camera when I move to a new location versus something that screams "expensive gear inside!").
- Carrying my needs for the day(map, raincoat, water bottle, maybe a bite-sized snack, passport, papers i.e. travel brochures, tourist brochures that type of thing).
- Weather resistant(usually if I go to Europe, I don't mind this so much but with what many people are saying may turn out to be the wettest and most humid months in India, I'd rather a bag that could resist light rain and of course I'd use a weather cover in a downpour).
That's about it, sorry for the long post, and many many thanks to those who reply! On a side note, I am leaning towards the Domke because it doesn't look like a camera bag and is lighter although I know I cannot hold as much as I could with the Lowepro, but I am willing to let go of a few things if it is the better solution.
Thanks again for reading!
My first post as you can see, newbie to these forums and even to photography. Without boring you so much into my bio and into where I've been, I'll just cut to the chase.
I have searched and read numerous forum threads but I would like some personal(to my problem) advice.
I am going to India for about a month in August to early September. What I have been told will be the warmest months and with quite a fair bit of rainfall. I will travel from South to North with a friend and I've decided to bring my camera and gear with me.
Gear;
Nikon F2 Photomic or Nikon F801s(I have not decided because most of my lenses are old.)
20mm f/4 pre-AI lens. (I assume it's pre-AI because it does not have the second set of f/stop numbers)
85mm f/1.8 pre-AI lens.
Either a 50mm f/1.8 AF lens or 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 AF lens.
Approximately 10 rolls of B/W film
Approximately 2 rolls of colour slide film
A flash unit and a small Sekonic light meter
Tripod
Nikon Coolpix S8(for those self-timer moments)
So all in all,
1 body
3 lenses
12 rolls of film
Flash unit
Light meter
Tripod
1 P&S
I need a bag to carry all of that, maybe minus the tripod all the time. Don't think I want to set that up in a busy street in the morning.
I am eyeing a Lowepro Versapack 200 AW at the moment and a Domke F6/F3X.
Of course it's the usual backpack vs. shoulder bag debate. But I hope to narrow down the usual arguments. I am concerned of course with weight distribution. Film cameras are not usually very light and neither are their lenses, especially the 85mm(I decided against the 80-200mm MF lens because of that).
With the shoulder bags, I can't carry the tripod with it, this much I know. But it's not a huge issue. I am concerned with;
- Weight distribution(are the Domke bags THAT great at not making my shoulder feel worn after a day of touring, assuming I have quite a heavy load mentioned?).
- Camera bag visibility(I could cut away the Domke tag, and even if I will take my gear out, I can be assured no one is going to know I'm carrying a camera when I move to a new location versus something that screams "expensive gear inside!").
- Carrying my needs for the day(map, raincoat, water bottle, maybe a bite-sized snack, passport, papers i.e. travel brochures, tourist brochures that type of thing).
- Weather resistant(usually if I go to Europe, I don't mind this so much but with what many people are saying may turn out to be the wettest and most humid months in India, I'd rather a bag that could resist light rain and of course I'd use a weather cover in a downpour).
That's about it, sorry for the long post, and many many thanks to those who reply! On a side note, I am leaning towards the Domke because it doesn't look like a camera bag and is lighter although I know I cannot hold as much as I could with the Lowepro, but I am willing to let go of a few things if it is the better solution.
Thanks again for reading!
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