Love this bag.

I still use this bag almost every single day. Can’t believe it has lasted well over three years now. Time flies when you are having fun!

elox wrote:

No, that is the light one:-) My other (seldom used) kit is all older 35mm, mostly metal, and fast prime lenses. My preferred camera is an RB67, but with several backs and lenses, the only thing that makes sense is a rolling case.

JeffW.

Or one with its’ own Prime Mover !! The RB67 is noce, but those prisms… !!!

moldor wrote:

No idea – but damn, that’s a heavy camera to be carrying about…..

No, that is the light one:-) My other (seldom used) kit is all older 35mm, mostly metal, and fast prime lenses. My preferred camera is an RB67, but with several backs and lenses, the only thing that makes sense is a rolling case.

JeffW.

claytor wrote:

So this is slightly unrelated to the crumpler bag (it is a great review and is making me seriously consider adding it to my Christmas list) when you click on the DSLR link in the article it takes you to the nikon site. I am starting to think about a DSLR and was wondering if you are planing to do a review of how you made your decision. I have been a longtime Nikon fan and love my F100 and am trying to decide which DSLR to go with.

For me it came down to frame speed and high iso noise level. The Canon 20D can shoot 5 frames per second and the buffer holds up to 20 frames. This camera also allows you to shoot as soon as a picture clears the buffer, so you don’t have to wait untill all 20 pictures are transferred to the card. The noise is not bad even up to 1600 ISO and I can live with the amount of noise generated at 3200 ISO. Basically, as far as specs go, I thought that the 20D was the 2nd best camera on the market for action photography when I bought it. The number one camera, in my opinion, was the Canon 1D Mark II, but the price tag was around $4500 for the body. Definitely a better camera for sports in more ways than just raw speed, but not three times as good.

I know that Nikon has some pretty good Digital SLR’s, too. Since I was starting from scratch, I had the luxury of choosing what I thought would be the best camera with no regard for existing lenses and accessories. I assume you have built up a set of Nikon extras which will probably make it hard to walk away from the brand — even if you wanted to and it sounds like you are happy with Nikon.

Just carefully compare specs and price. Make sure your existing lenses and accessories will work with whatever body you choose. You may find you have to contact someone at a store to get answers because both Nikon and Canon have serious information deficiencies when it comes to their websites. Nikon is probably a little stronger on that front and they do have a decent user bulletin board, but I have come up empty on both the Canon and Nikon websites when I needed specific information in the past. I have had better luck using http://www.bhphoto.com for information and their phone sales personnel are extremely knowledgeable.

elox wrote:

Sounds like a great bag. Any feeling how it would handle a small Mamiya M645 kit (camera/lens, 3 lenses, adjustable shade, flash)?

I have been looking at the Keystone, which is just slightly smaller, for travelling.

I think the Karachi Outpost could be configured to hold all of the equipment you list (and probably more). It is Crumpler’s largest bag, so if it won’t carry all of it, you will have to look elsewhere. I am not familiar with the Keystone, but if it is only slightly smaller, it would probably get the job done. Maybe you could email Crumpler with your equipment list and ask for a recommendation?

moldor wrote:

One question: how well padded is the laptop sleeve ? I have a Crumpler School Hymnal for it at the moment, so if that would fit inside the sleeve to give me added protection I would do that – only if the “bare” sleeve is insufficiently padded.

I think you will find that the padding in the sleeve is quite sufficient — especially since it is enclosed within a well padded backpack shell. As I said in the review, I had the pack roll out of the back of my van and hit the pavement and I barely even flinched.

elox wrote:

Sounds like a great bag. Any feeling how it would handle a small Mamiya M645 kit (camera/lens, 3 lenses, adjustable shade, flash)?

I have been looking at the Keystone, which is just slightly smaller, for travelling.

No idea – but damn, that’s a heavy camera to be carrying about…..

I have been looking at the Keystone, which is just slightly smaller, for travelling.