As a female photographer - maybe male photographers feel this way too! - it's been a long time coming to having camera bags that weren't ugly. Perhaps ugly is too harsh but the most generous I can be is boring. Tamrac came out with some half way decent. The bag was usable, functionable and had great colours, but it was still a bit boring. It also appears they no longer are making it.
Jill-e has long been on the scene for photography bags for females or those wanting some colour. While I did end up purchasing the large rolling one last year, it still didn't speak to my inner fashionista. I will give props though that the bag is well built, rolls wonderfully and has been a back saver while having to run across airport terminals. But it still wasn't quite what I was looking for in terms of style. When I last looked at their website, they have been rolling out some new products. Some of the new products look kinda of cool, but it just isn't my own personal style. The perk to Jill-e products is you can obtain them in Canada relatively easily, a few stores carry the line. If your in Saskatchewan, the place I would recommend for the best selection I have seen is Don's Photo.
The problem with choosing a camera bag was I didn't know what I was looking for. I just know I wanted something that said 'this is your camera' bag'. I always thought it would be something colourful, as I love colour, but really I just wanted something cool.
A trickling onto the market occurred and now there are a few options out there for the photographer wanting some style.
While in Vegas I procured two such bags. The first bag is a Kelly Moore bag. I had my heart set on the red one but ended up with a teal one. I thought I would be disappointed. I can say for sure I am not. The more I use the bag, the more I love the colour of it. But style isn't everything for me. As someone that doesn't have a vehicle and packs my equipment on my back and bikes to most locations, it had to be user friendly, versatile, carry a lot of stuff and comfortable. This bag gets a check-mark in all categories. I love the little side pockets - just the right size to slip my cell phone and ipod into. The front pockets handle all the other stuff - memory cards, batteries etc. The inside fits my largest lens (70-200mm). And it's pretty. So pretty that most people don't even realize it's a camera bag. The downside is the only two places that I know of to purchase the bag is through Adorama or Kelly Moore's site. Why I say that is a downside is the shipping rates can be steep to us not in the United States.
The second bag is one I've had my eye on for quite some time. The Shootsac. This isn't really a camera bag, it's more of a lens bag. I can already hear the question, because I had asked myself the same thing - how useful is that if it can't hold your camera? I was able to see this bag in action, and try it out for myself. I like the speed. There is nothing to get in your way between the lens and you. The bag is made with the same cloth that lens protective covers are made from, so you can take off all caps and lids and the bags can be switched out with one hand. I know there are versions of this on the market already. The deciding factor for me again - not only useful and functional - was the design. The 'cover' of the bag can be changed out for different patterns, colours, designs. The covers (depending on material they use) are usually affordable and a cheap way to change the look of the bag to match with one's outfit. The only place I'm aware of in Canada that sells the bag is Henry's .
Here is a list of other bags on the market that may interest you:
- emera
- epiphanie
This is just my own personal opinions on the products mentioned. I do not obtain anything by anyone clicking on the links. I just thought when I was trying to find a nice camera bag, it was difficult to weed through Google to try to pull out sites that actually had anything useful. It would have been nice to have somewhere that had a little rundown on what is available. There may well be other options out there, these were the ones I have considered. I hope it helps anyone looking fora stylish bag :)
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