Sarah CB Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 I found this site: http://www.jototes.com/collections/alltoday and fell in love with the idea of having an easier way to carry my camera with me. I find I don't take my camera with me at all and I'd really like to. I almost bought one of the bags today and then thought I'd better shop around before spending that much money. Does anyone else have a non-camera-bag camera bag that they love? I'd like to be able to put my wallet, my iPad mini, and a few other purse things into the camera bag - maybe even enough room for a book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockhopper Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 (edited) This may still be too camera-bag-y -- but it really rocks! I bought it for an overseas trip. Daily I carried my camera, lenses, wallet, sunglasses + miscellaneous things like lip balm, lotion, etc. And a water bottle in the outside pocket. (Oh, and my Kindle, and phone. There's an expandable section if you need it.) I had a Canon 60D with a 50mm lens on it, and a 24-70mm in the padded compartment. Occasionally I carried my 70-300 also but that got tight/heavy and it couldn't fit in the padded part. I now have the 6D, which is a full-frame but a very small full-frame, and it fits too. At home I still use it lots - whenever I want to take my camera with me - and the stuff stays pretty much the same, maybe just without the water bottle and I usually only take one lens. It distributes weight really well and I thought the price point was pretty great for what it was. I had an older LowePro sling before this and it was SO much heavier. I like that the inside isn't black -- easier to find things. Mine is black. I liked the green better but my guys were more willing to carry the black one for me. Edited April 11, 2016 by Rockhopper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 http://kellymoorebag.com/ I bought a padded insert that I stick in a regular bag. Similar to this one: http://www.amazon.com/Koolertron-Shockproof-Camera-Partition-Padded/dp/B00F27IEI6/The leather or pleather pretty camera bags were too heavy for me, and I didn't want to spend that much. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah CB Posted April 11, 2016 Author Share Posted April 11, 2016 This may still be too camera-bag-y -- but it really rocks! I bought it for an overseas trip. Daily I carried my camera, lenses, wallet, sunglasses + miscellaneous things like lip balm, lotion, etc. And a water bottle in the outside pocket. (Oh, and my Kindle, and phone. There's an expandable section if you need it.) I had a Canon 60D with a 50mm lens on it, and a 24-70mm in the padded compartment. Occasionally I carried my 70-300 also but that got tight/heavy and it couldn't fit in the padded part. I now have the 6D, which is a full-frame but a very small full-frame, and it fits too. At home I still use it lots - whenever I want to take my camera with me - and the stuff stays pretty much the same, maybe just without the water bottle and I usually only take one lens. It distributes weight really well and I thought the price point was pretty great for what it was. I had an older LowePro sling before this and it was SO much heavier. I like that the inside isn't black -- easier to find things. Mine is black. I liked the green better but my guys were more willing to carry the black one for me. Sounds great! Link? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockhopper Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 Sounds great! Link? *insert forehead-slap smiley* Sorry! The LowePro Passport Sling II Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah CB Posted April 11, 2016 Author Share Posted April 11, 2016 http://kellymoorebag.com/ I bought a padded insert that I stick in a regular bag. Similar to this one: http://www.amazon.com/Koolertron-Shockproof-Camera-Partition-Padded/dp/B00F27IEI6/The leather or pleather pretty camera bags were too heavy for me, and I didn't want to spend that much. :) I was looking at those, too. I'll have to measure the bags I have and see if I already have something that it would work well with, but I think my current bags are so small. There were some really nice bags on the kelly moore site - thanks for the link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah CB Posted April 11, 2016 Author Share Posted April 11, 2016 *insert forehead-slap smiley* Sorry! The LowePro Passport Sling II That is really cute and the price is much better than a lot of the other options. I think it's less purse-y than I'd want, but it's pretty tempting. I watched the video on the site and I love how customizable it is and how much it can hold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 Pricey but very pretty: https://www.loandsons.com/camerabag-crossbody 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My4arrows Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 I got ones of these a few years ago. https://epiphanie.co Yikes! I think they went up significantly in price or I spent a lot more than I thought. They are great quality though. I've had mine I think 5-6 years now and it looks brand new. That is after taking it everywhere with me, on photo shoots, bring left on the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My4arrows Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 That is really cute and the price is much better than a lot of the other options. I think it's less purse-y than I'd want, but it's pretty tempting. I watched the video on the site and I love how customizable it is and how much it can hold. I also have this one and I do really like it. I got it free when I bought my new camera a few months ago and it has been my go to since I have 4 kids and it's so easy to carry while pushing a stroller, dragging along a diaper bag, holding hands, etc. it's also really nice and compact for taking to sports, but still being able to carry everything (I can carry my canon 6d, external flash, and 1-2 extra lenses, battery pack, extra battery, cards and even my wallet and keys without a problem). It also washes off dirt and stuff easily which is why I've been taking it more and more over my leather one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UCF612 Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 I have a Kelly Moore bag. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carla Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 (edited) I bought a medium Case Logic Reflexion bag, and I love it: https://www.caselogic.com/en/sg/products/camera/shoulder-bags/reflexion-dslr-ipad-medium-cross-body-bag-_-flxm_-_102_-_anthracite It is somewhere between a purse and a camera bag in my opinion. It feels a little large to me but it's still a tight fit to get my camera in and any other accessories like an iPad. I can fit a lot in it, though. I was never a person who carried a purse, so this is a big step for me! I see that there is a small version of this bag as well, that I hadn't looked at before. Edited April 12, 2016 by Carla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 (edited) I had a Jo totes Betsy for a while. The bag is nice but I personally don't like them as camera bags. They're not particularly comfortable loaded and I think I'd be inclined to just get a bag you like that's big enough and comfortable to carry and buy or make some inserts for whatever you want in it. Edited April 12, 2016 by lailasmum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaymz Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 (edited) I got ones of these a few years ago. https://epiphanie.co Yikes! I think they went up significantly in price or I spent a lot more than I thought. They are great quality though. I've had mine I think 5-6 years now and it looks brand new. That is after taking it everywhere with me, on photo shoots, bring left on the ground. I think the price of Epiphanie bags has gone up in the last year or so. I remember reading something about how they have transitioned to leather instead of faux leather, which would explain the rise in price. I bought myself an Epiphanie India bag (on sale!) which I really love because the straps can convert from a normal purse into a backpack. My shoulders always ache after lugging my heavy camera around when I wear a cross-body purse with my camera in it, so I'm hoping the India bag will be a huge improvement when I head out with my camera on vacation this summer. Edited April 12, 2016 by Jaymz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockhopper Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 I've seen tutorials for turning purses from Target into camera bags -- usually using the bag shown in this tutorial (Target seems to have it year-round in different colors) but sometimes other ones, like this one. I think they're amazing and adorable but I am not at a crafty stage of life... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 Whatever you get, if you can, get thee to a store and bring all the stuff you want to put in the bag and try it out. While you are trying it out, do the things you will want to do while you are carrying the bag. Eg., change a lens. Change a filter, a battery. "Answer" your cell phone. While you are doing these things, notice how easy (or difficult) it is to do it. I had one bag (an early sling bag) that was a joy to carry, but when I had to change a lens, it was a PITB. And one time I put the bag down and unbeknownst to me, my Zeiss lens rolled right out of the bag. A little kid at church found it. 8-O I have one largish camera bag that I carry cross-body (ThinkTank), and can change lenses while I am standing up. Another bag, I have to put on the ground--in the mud sometimes--because of its construction/arrangement. Are you willing to do that with the try-out bag, if you can't do the jobs while standing up? Weigh the loaded bag (this is one reason I will never have a leather bag...heavy!). Get something equally heavy and carry it around with you for an afternoon sometime and see how happy you are with it. Think about how you will actually use the bag...are you going to go on a long trip and you want to take all you gear? Or out for the afternoon and want to have one optional lens, but you don't need batteries and lights and so on... I have two bags...one that holds alllll the gear -- the extra batteries, three lenses, speedlight--and one that is great for a day or weekend shoot. For the times I just want to be ready, I use my regular small crossbody handbag, put the "extra" lens in there in a little padded bag, and hand-carry the camera. (That's actually what I use when I am out on a long trip and have taken alllll the gear...it stays back at the hotel or whatever, and I keep my mini-kit with me.) Full disclosure: I am 90% pragmatic, 10% about looks when it comes to camera bags. That said, I did try out some of the handbag-looking ones at my local camera store because it might be nice to have a dressier option for some of the times I shoot. I was not impressed...there were too many handles and clasps in the way, and the shapes tended to make things inaccessible, so I had to take out two things to get at the one I wanted...and where am I supposed to put THEM while I'm fishing for that one lens...? There are some squarish camera-handbags, I know, and I also know that a lot of this is a matter of taste, so I'm just stating my experience, not damning handbag-style camera bags. Anyway, I hope you find what you want, and that you have a chance to give it a dry run to make sure it will work for YOU...because everyone is a little different in their processes and preferences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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