What Bag for E-510?

[erikzen]

I want to get a bag for my E-510 plus have space to carry around at least one extra lens, possibly two. Can someone recommend a sturdy, durable bag for under $50 that will accomodate this camera?

[xwingkiller]

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ck_200_EG.html

i got this off a guy on craigslist for $30, but you can find it new for $50 anyways.

this backpack is killer, imo. it might have too much space, but its great. for the price i couldnt pass on it and it will still be great when i pick up two or three more lenses.

the other bag i got was from circuitcity. its a small shoulder bag that will hold the camera and two lenses just fine. this is the deal to find....you have to find the "evolt starter kit." they have this thing on clearance, (i got mine for $40), it comes with the bag, a micro-fiber cloth, an OEM battery, and a digital pro hoya uv filter. the filter alone is $54 at adorama.
theres two different kits though. one is an e-510 starter kit which is about $100. the other is the same thing but it says evolt starter kit and it is clearance for $40.

[Greg McCary]

I have the very same bag. Yes it is perfect for the job. I carry the 510, two lenses, My M6 with three lenes. My Cokin Grad filters and even a few rolls of film.

[Atomic2]

i just got this bag today, as an extra for buying a Gorillapod SLR-zoom.

its a Cameta Delux
http://www.amazon.com/Cameta-Incogni.../dp/B000MUT81K

its remarkably large, i not only fit my 510, but i fit the epic 12-60, the OLD SCHOOL 40-150 3.5-4.5 [the huge one]
I EVEN FIT THE GORILLAPOD ZOOM WITH AN ATTACHED BALL HEAD ON TOP OF THAT, WITH THE BODY AND TWO LARGE LENSES, with room to spare might i add.

so i have that gorillapod, the 510 body with or without the 12-60 attached, the huge 40-150mm, a 30,000 piece cleaning kit, an extra head for my tripod [a tiny one though] a lenspen, an extra filter in its case, card reader, extra memory cards, and plenty more with loads of space left.

ill take photos when i get a chance

[erikzen]

The backpack is probably overkill for my needs. I don't think I will ever be carrying around two cameras (yeah, that's what you think!) and I'm not really a backpack kind of guy.

The Evolt starter kit is a nice idea especially since it has an extra battery and I want to pick one of those up. I already have filters for my lenses, but having a spare can't hurt. Unfortunately, I can't find any $40 deals on it. I can find it for around $70, which is still reasonable considering all you get. The BLM-1 is $50 on its own.

The Cameta looks good and you can't beat it for the price. I just wonder if its too bulky. Plus if I buy a battery then I've spent the $70 anyway and didn't get the filter (or the cleaning cloth).

Looks like the $70 Evolt starter kit is still the way to go.

[SwampNut]

Your bag depends so much on personal preferences and shooting style, as well as where you are going. Are you going to walk a short distance from your vehicle/home, or a few miles? Do you know you will need telephoto only (large animal photography) or will you want to shoot a flower and then a bird in a tree? If it's an event you know that you'll be shooting with a portrait lens 95% of the time and then a few group shots with a wide-angle, but you will want lots of spare batteries.

In general I use a Tamrac belt bag most of the time. It holds a body with up to a medium lens, face-down so you can grab it easily. It also holds the flash and a small lense, or two small lenses, or one big lens. It has room for a few small things like cables, batteries, remote release, etc. To carry an additional lens it's easy to slip a lens bag onto the belt. I like the belt over a backpack because everything is right there to be seen/reached easily. However it doesn't have the back/shoulder problems of an over-the-shoulder bag.

Vests are great also for many types of shooting, because everything is clearly in a separate place and easily reached without looking. However an unpadded vest can expose your lenses to danger, and a padded vest is hot and bulky. One hidden advantage to a vest--it identifies you as a pro (correct or not), and people let you go places you otherwise couldn't. This is helped if you slip a "press card" into the clear breast pocket, real or not.

For air travel I put all my precious cargo into a standard square camera bag with good padding and where everything is easy to move so the TSA morons can do it quickly. I pack my other bag/vest in my checked luggage and transfer it when I get there. Also the big bag can be used to transport your full kit to a site, then you put what you need in the belt bag/vest to walk around. Oh, and the vest can work with the belt bag to let you carry everything if you don't mind weighing an extra 100 pounds.

[Atomic2]

dont spend money on the Olympus battery, get a third part knock off and it actually lasts longer. you can pick one up WITH an extra charger for 25 dollars shipped

[erikzen]

I agree with what SwampNut said, different bags for different uses. That's why I ended up getting two bags, one that can hold the camera and a couple of lenses plus accessories and another that's just a holster. When I thought about it, most of the time I will just be walking around with one lens and will just need something to protect the camera when I want to put it away.

Too late Atomic2. I already bought an Olympus battery. My experience with Canon batteries led me to believe that third party batteries just aren't as good. They don't perform as consistently and sometimes are worse than the name brand. Maybe with the Olympus knockoffs it's better. If you have a specific brand you can recommend I'll buy another one and test it out.

[SwampNut]

Batteries vary greatly in quality. Over the years I've had factory batteries that weren't so good, and aftermarket batteries that varied from awful to excellent. On my previous camera, the Pro-Power batteries were better than OEM from both a charge life and total life perspective. There are a few battery reviews on various sites which are worth some research before you buy.