camera bags

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on camera bags:

Innovative photo backpack is two bags in one

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camera backpacks
The Roamer, the Scout and the Runner make up the Hadley Series by Brevitē.
Photo: Brevitē

Photographers gripe about the ugliness of camera backpacks and a number of startups have cropped up on Kickstarter with designs that remove the bulk, improve functionality and give the genre a much-needed facelift.

Brevitē, pronounced like the word that means concession, had such a successful run with its first camera backpack in 2015, it immediately designed two more.

Now the Boston-based company started by three brothers is crowd funding to bring its most recent line to market. The Hadley Series appears to refine the minimalist design philosophy that motivates Brevitē.

Think Tank camera bag makes it easy to sling your gear [Review]

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Think Tank Turnstyle
The Think Tank TurnStyle V2.0 is a camera bag with a different look for a different feel.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

I’ve never been one to wear a camera bag with the shoulder strap going across my body. I put all the burden on my right shoulder and, as time wore on, I wore out my shoulder.

The TurnStyle V2.0 sling bag by Think Tank Photo changed the way I carry my camera gear. For one, I now carry it more comfortably.

Think Thank bags have every photog in mind

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This backpack has some wheels.
This backpack has some wheels.
Photo: Think Tank

You could say Think Thank thought of every kind of photographer with the release of two upgraded lines of camera bags.

The globe-trekker needing a mother load of gear can rely on the new StreetWalker Rolling Backpack. The discreet street shooter with a single body and lens may select the contoured TurnStyle 5 V2.0.

Tenba bag shoulders camera gear with understated style

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The camera bag that does the job without announcing itself, the Tenba Cooper.
The camera bag that does the job without announcing itself, the Tenba Cooper.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

I’ve carried many styles and price points on my rounded shoulder over the course of a photography career, and have a closet full of camera bags to prove it. I always found a reason to retire each bag, whether it’s an expensive name brand, cheap knock-off or proven hand-me-down.

Lately, I’ve been toting gear in a Tenba Cooper bag. I’ve done so for a few months now, long enough where my eyes should begin to look at other styles and brands. I’ve never been happier with a bag.

ThinkTank skips the bling for understated elegance in camera bag for women

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The Lily Deanne bags for female photographers by ThinkTank.
The Lily Deanne bags for female photographers by ThinkTank.
Photo: ThinkTank

My female friends who are photographers bristle when you bring up the idea of a camera bag being designed for women. The few women’s camera bags they’ve seen have tended to be cutesy – and cutesy doesn’t cut it.

They want the same things in a bag as the men – roomy, stealthy and sturdy. Why should gender matter in the design?

ThinkTank, an industry leader in camera bags for every kind of photography, may have found the right combination of aesthetic and function in a new line of bags created for women.

Camera backpack gives you ready access for any adventure

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The BackLight 26L comes in two colors and provides gear access without removing the pack.
The BackLight 26L comes in two colors and provides gear access without removing the pack.
Photo: MindShift Gear

If having an ice axe loop on your camera bag is important to you, than you are probably the kind of photographer that is the muse of MindShift Gear.

The company that designs bags and other accessories for hardy outdoor photographers will begin shipping a new camera backpack in October featuring a rear-panel compartment that allows access to your gear without taking off your backpack.

And yes, there’s a spot for your ice axe.

Camera backpacks: the smart way to carry all your gear

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Camera backpacks can be pricey but it's money well spent to protect your investment in equipment.
Camera backpacks can be pricey but it's money well spent to protect your investment in equipment.
Photo: Lowepro

So your iPhone has you convinced you’re a pretty good photographer and it’s time to raise your game with a dedicated camera and all sorts of lenses. You are going to need something to sling your gear.

There are so many types of camera bags – shoulder, belt packs, roller cases – with designs tailored for various kinds of photography, shooting environments and individual preferences. The bag type that is arguably the most versatile is the camera backpack.

Backpacks are ideal when you are in transit with a lot of gear, whether you’re flying or hiking. They are also versatile to comfortably carry as you shoot, especially if you have to bring with you a laptop or change of clothes.

Three respected manufacturers have new bags to meet a spectrum of needs and demands. Think Tank, Lowepro and long-time Apple product vendor, InCase, bring to their latest lines rugged construction and intelligent storage options. Camera backpacks are one of the more pricey accessories, but it’s money well spent to protect your investment in bodies, lights and lenses.

A bag named Agua will keep your camera dry

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The designers of the Agua bag say it will keep a camera and small lens dry in any weather.
The designers of the Agua bag say it will keep a camera and small lens dry in any weather.
Photo: miggo

When a camera bag claims to be water resistant, it feels a little like the brand is hedging its bets. It will protect your gear up to a point.

But the designers at miggo have a bag they declare confidently is storm-proof and all-weather. They even say with certainty the ironically named Agua will remain protective for five minutes in rain falling at 10 liters a minute with up to 22,000 pounds of force.

If you’re in a Biblical hard rain, you may have bigger problems then keeping your camera dry. miggo just wants you to feel comfortable with Agua if you’re out on a typical rainy day.

The Ona Bolton Street Is The Best-Looking Backpack A Mac-Toting Photog Can Buy [Review]

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Simply put, Ona makes some of the nicest, most fashionable camera bags that Cult of Mac has ever had the pleasure of testing, and the Bolton Street camera backpack is no exception. But unlike their line-up of messenger bags, Ona’s Bolton Street is a bag for the kind of fashionable, London-trotting photog who can only carry his gear around by putting it on his back. It’s an expensive bag, and has a few niggles, but we love it. Read on.

The Ona Brixton Is A Camera Bag As Sexy And Functional As Your MacBook Air [Review]

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In these days of smartphones and small, mirrorless cameras, the venerable camera bag can all too often be looked upon as a vestigial sack designed for a more cumbersome age, in which the only way to take truly great pictures was to carry around a skull-sized SLR and myriad lenses, flashes and fongs. The truth is, though, that for photographers amateur and pro alike, there are some kinds of shots you can only get with an SLR, and if you want to get them, you need to have a lot of gear at hand… and toting it around is not only uncomfortable, but more often than not, pretty unfashionable.

But that’s not the way it has to be, as Ona has proven with their latest camera bag, the Brixton. This isn’t just a functional camera bag, or a great laptop bag (although it’s both): it’s a bag to set pretty much anyone slavering.

The Crumpler 8 Million Dollar Home is a Rugged, Charismatic Rogue of a Camera Bag [Review]

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There’s nothing like traveling with several thousand dollars worth of expensive photo gear to kick up the ‘ol stress levels: Will I be able to pack all my stuff, and will it ll be easily accessible? Will any of it break? Are colleagues or clients going to laugh at me because it doesn’t look pro enough? If it does look pro, will it make a tempting target for thieves? Can it fit into the overhead bin or under my seat on a plane? And what the heck am I going to do with my laptop?

So it’s always a welcome relief when a bag answers those questions soothingly, in a way that sets the mind at ease — which, except for one or two of those questions, Crumpler’s $172, ruggedly adventurous 8 Million Dollar photo/laptop bag does.