Picking up a Domke F2 and BG-E2N battery grip! :-D

[SpeedingSphere]

I sold off one of my paintball markers and picked up a new Domke Chocolate brown F-2 shoulder bag and a battery grip for my 40D.

I've found myself in the past 3 weeks over a bunch of events having a hard time shooting in portrait position with the 40D with the strap which is what prompted me to buy the grip. I know I'll love the extra weight to balance my lenses out too, especially with the 70-200.

The Domke bag has me really excited. I hated always having to take my Canon backpack off to unzip it, flip the top over, change lenses, zip it, mess w/ the zipper cover, and put it back on. I can now just flap the top over and change things quick and easily without removing it. Has anybody else used an F-2? I'd love to hear your thoughts about it.

Heres some shots of the past events I was at too. My girlfriend performed in her college chorus concert (second from the right) and my other friend was the lead character in his highschool play, "How to succeed in business without really trying"

[Old Timer]

I have two Domke bags that I no longer use on a daily basis. The Nikon F2 lives in one and the old F in the other. They were my everyday bags for years and worked great. I found them to be a very convenient bag to work out of.

[another view]

I have been using an F2 for several years - great, simple bag. The only downside is that it seems to work best storing a body without a lens (or two) attached, so that means more lens changes and more chances of sensor dust. Still, it's the only bag I use other than occasionally a small zoom holster if I don't need all the "stuff".

[SpeedingSphere]

Perfect! The grip and bag are both perfect for me!

BG-E2N

• It balances the 70-200mm F/2.8L IS out perfectly and lets me shoot portraits without my right arm jutting out to the side(blocked peoples view at a school event, caused me to keep portrait shots to a minimum).
• I use one battery in the grip, and I keep a spare CF card in a plastic case in the slot for the second battery.
• Using rechargable AA's in the battery pack gives me a 7.2v battery with an average capacity of 2466mAh(5x 2500mAh, and 1x 2300mAh). I would believe this combo would last longer than a standard battery. I'll find out soon. I'm going to keep track of my shots over however many days it lasts once I charge all of the batteries.
• The grip has a high quality feel to it. It keeps my hand on the camera and keeps my little finger from dangling around underneath. Very form fitting for someone with large hands!
• My only qualm is that I find that it doesn't fit flush with the camera body on the left side. It is about 1/2cm indented under the camera body. This is only a visual flaw, it doesn't harm its performance in any way. 9.5/10 from me!

Domke F-2

• The bag itself is excellent! It holds everything! Even my 70-200mm F/2.8L IS. I read online that it didn't, but it does fit in the bag insert. I use the bag insert for my 70-200mm F/2.8L IS, Sigma 8mm F/3.5 EX DG, 28-135mm F/3.5-5.6, and my 350D IR(such a small body, it fits in a lens pouch!) and I keep the 50mm F/1.8 II on my 40D in the open area of the bag. It also holds my camcorder and 8 spare MiniDV tapes in one of the side pouches. I keep all of the manuals in the flap top cover, and I put an 18% gray card in the front pouch.
• The only problem I found with Domke F-2 was that when I am wearing it on my shoulder, the side of the bag nearest to me tended to dent in. It made it very hard to access when pushed in by my hip. I fixed the problem by inserting a small piece of cardboard in the outside pouch. The bag would be 100% perfect for me if this area was rigid as well.
• The color is a very pleasing brown and beige. It doesn't scream STEAL ME! It just resembles a students shoulder book-bag. I give this bag an 8.5/10

Hope some people find those quick little write-ups helpful! I'll be posting them in the reviews section as well.

**found out that I couldnt post reviews on battery grips..