Camera case/bag

[Jesse Anderson]

I have a new camera (Sony a6000) coming soon and I don't think any of my existing camera bags or cases will work well. They're all sized/shaped for a DSLR.

So here's my question. What kind of case would everyone suggest to protect my new camera? I'll probably stick with the kit lens for a little while and then later get the 55-210 or a nice wide prime. I can't imagine I'll ever have more than one spare lens with me on a normal trip.

I don't want to spend a ton of money, I'd really be interested if anyone has had success MYOGing a case for a medium size camera. I know someone made a simple fleece/plastic case for their P&S but I don't think that construction technique will translate well here.

[Bob Gross]

You first want to decide what kind of photography you intend to do. If you are shooting scenery, panoramas, sunsets, and all that, then you have plenty of time to get out the camera and set up the shot. So, quick access is not a big deal. You still want it well-protected from weather and bumps, which is why some people carry the camera inside the backpack.

If you are shooting wildlife, then the entire game changes. When you see wildlife, you have no more than a few seconds to get the first shot off. Maybe, if the animal is far away and has poor senses, maybe you have a large fraction of a minute. Anyway, you need to have quicker access to the camera.

Personally, I shoot wildlife, so I carry my camera in a holster with a shoulder strap over my neck. This rides over my right front pants pocket since I am righthanded. The holster has a Velcro closure so that I can rip it open in a hurry to extract the camera. Depending on the weight of the camera and lens, the shoulder strap has to be correct to support the weight. I don't want to have this thing bouncing along with every step I take. Depending on which camera I am carrying, I will often take a plastic bag along. If there is a wet stream crossing or very bad rain, I will put the camera into the plastic bag and then into the holster.

For DIY work, a camera case can be made pretty easily using some closed cell foam, some nylon fabric, and some nylon strap. Depending on the weight of the camera, some reinforcement may be needed inside the case. A piece of simple plastic cut out of the side of a disposable plastic milk jug is good for that. Basically, the nylon fabric makes the cosmetic shell, the plastic piece is the semi-rigid shell for shock protection, and the foam on the inside is for shock protection as well. If the camera is small enough and light enough and durable enough, you can minimize each of those layers. Some guys carry their small camera inside a piece of bubble pack plastic, and that is all.

The cost of camera cases is fairly low, so if you don't feel creative, you can get a commercial case cheaply to act as a model. I generally purchase my cases. About the only thing that I change is to take off the shoulder strap and substitute another strap that is half or two-thirds of the width.

–B.G.–

[Jesse Anderson]

Bob, Thanks for the insight. I have only ever done landscapes though it would be fun to occasionally shoot some wildlife. The plastic bag sounds like a great idea. I could probably keep a thin one tucked away in the case permanently (storms come up quick in the Rockies). Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best.

For my old camera I had a holster type of case that could slip over my hipbelt so it rode on the outside of my right hip. That worked ok, but it would get banged a fair bit when I swung my arms. Maybe the same style would work better with a smaller camera like this new one.

I've thought about doing a chest carry, but that seems really cumbersome to get my pack on and off, anyone have experience with that?

[Bob Gross]

Jesse, for the plastic bag, I use a simple flimsy produce bag from the grocery. If the case does a good job, it will leak no more than about one drop to the inside, and the bag will catch that.

The general holster approach works well for me. Having it on its own shoulder strap will allow me to drop my backpack and run up to some high point for a shot with just the camera case, and then run back to my backpack. If you attach too much stuff to your hipbelt, it can get awkward. For a really small camera, lots of people use a water bottle pouch that is fixed onto one of their shoulder straps near the armpit.

I tried to do a chest carry about twenty years ago. Unfortunately for me, it would block my view of my feet, and that would cause me to stumble and fall. That's not good. Having it to one side or the other eliminated this problem for me.

–B.G.–

[Ted E]

A dashpoint 20 case from Lowpro will fit it like a glove, and can be mounted on your shoulder strap or your belt strap.

[Serge Giachetti]

I use two of the lowepro dashpoint series and they are excellent. Lightweight, cushioned, weather resistant, easy to latch to shoulder straps or hipbelts, and easy access.

[Richard May]

Think Tank has some fitted holsters that look nice. Three's also a backpack attachment system.

[Ian]

Hi Jesse,

I have the A6000 and the 16mm, 16-50mm, 55-210mm lens, plus some other non sony lenses I'll occasionally use with an adapter. I'm not made of money and it would kill me to damage this camera as I can't afford to immediately replace it.

With that being said, I bought this camera to take pictures, not to be a freeloading brick in my backpack. I take what I feel are necessary precautions to protect it but it gets used and has seen more than its fair share of dust and trail miles.

I don't use a camera bag at all. If it's raining, I have a gallon sized ziplock bag that I'll stuff it in to and then pad it with clothing in my backpack. At night, I'll put the camera in the ziplock and leave some air in it so it'll float. I've been guilty of the occasional lazy pitch and have woken to a surprise indoor pool in my shelter.

If it's not raining, my camera is on me and ready to shoot. For most of my backpacking this summer, I carried the camera diagonally across me so it's ready to shoot at a moment's notice. My favorite strap right now is the Peak Design Leash.

http://www.amazon.com/Peak-Design-Leash-Camera-Strap/dp/B00CBPIRYS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1425869980&sr=8-2&keywords=Peak+Design

With some of the bears I saw at Rainier this summer, if I would have had to dig my camera out of my pack, I would have missed the shot as I only had seconds. I'll caution you to get a screen protector but the camera was fine on multiple backpacking trips that ranged from rainy, dusty, windy, etc.

The PD leash is long enough to raise the camera to your eye when you want to use the view finder. I'm 6'3" with a long torso and the camera carries comfortably on my hip this way. I was at a hockey tournament this weekend and carried the camera diagonally this way with the 55-210mm lens every day.

I've recently added a Peak Design Capture Pro, PD micro plate, and PD wrist strap.

http://www.amazon.com/Peak-Design-Capture-Camera-MICRO/dp/B00H7JY1GG/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1425870223&sr=8-9&keywords=Peak+Design

http://www.amazon.com/Peak-Design-Camera-Wrist-Strap/dp/B00CBPIRSY/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1425870297&sr=8-6&keywords=Peak+Design

I've only used this system on one hike but I like it and plan on using this system this summer. I leave the cuff on the camera and run my sternum strap through it. The purpose is twofold: a) it protects my camera from a crash if the capture pro fails (it hasn't yet) and, b) I can let my camera hang from the sternum strap if I need to free up both of my hand for some reason when I'm fiddling with the camera. I won't bring both the leash and the capture pro.

I also bought Peak Design's Pad Stabilizer but I don't care to use it with my backpack and don't recommend it for the A6000 on a backpack shoulder strap. It may be fine for carrying a DSLR on a belt but I've yet to carry a camera that way.

http://www.amazon.com/Peak-Design-Stabilizer-Capture-Camera/dp/B00H7KKL5A/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1425870468&sr=8-11&keywords=Peak+Design

I couple other off topic comments about the A6000. I found that I was getting better pictures with the 16mm prime than I was with the 16-50 kit lens. The 16mm was the only lens I carried with me on the Wonderland this year. I don't regret leaving the 55-210 at home but I would have enjoyed having a macro lens. I hope to buy one later this year.

I never use the 16-50mm any more.

I've purchased Wasabi batteries for a couple cameras now including the A6000. I think they're a great battery for the money. I like having a traditional charger when traveling although I charge batteries in the camera on a routine basis, including this weekend when I realized that I left my spare batteries at home and had to top off my single battery between hockey games in the car.

Leave the camera in airplane mode when hiking. Change the settings so the camera doesn't automatically display the picture after you take it.

Tell your buddies to download Sony Play Memories ap to their smartphones before going on a hike. It's a great way to share photos on the drive from the trailhead to the post-hike burger joint celebration.

Again, get the screen protector.

Again, don't baby the camera so much that you don't end up using it. It's not weather proof, it's susceptible to damage, you may indeed damage it, but my experience has been that it's a sturdy camera and is fine to carry at the ready when hiking.

Don't delete the photos on the computer. Once you're done downloading the pictures, format the card in the camera. If it gives you some goofy "battery error" message (only happened to me once), you're having a SD card issue that re-formating the card should remedy.

On that note, always have a spare SD card.

There's more but those are the major ones for me this year.

[Rick Reno]

I use a Zpacks multi-pack (http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/backpack_lid.shtml.) Inside it is a gallon-sized ziploc bag and a cheap closed cell foam pad cut into a box shapr with a divider,to give it some sturcture and padding. It works great and is easily adjusted to fit all kinds of different stuff (camersa, lenses, GPS, iPhone, mapr, snack bars, etc…).

I find hanging it from my shoulder straps so it's right in front of my chest works great and makes it really easy to access the camera (which means more photos!), and generally isn't too hot; isn't too hot; and doesn't flop around much. I can alos strap it around my waist or sling it over one shoulder with the included straps.

Works for me.. Have fun!

[Jesse Anderson]

Thanks Ian and everyone else,
I'd been looking into the Dashpoint as I'm pretty sure I could slide it over my hipbelt. For those of you that own one, is that possible? Then I could keep it protected but still have accessibility. I agree Ian a camera you can't access is just wasted weight.

Ian,
Thanks for the info on the Camera. This thing is a Cadillac compared to the ancient Nikon D70 it's replaced. There's so many bells and whistles it's crazy.

I've been thinking of getting the 20mm pancake lens as it's just as small as the 16mm but is supposed to fix a number of issues the 16mm has around the corners of the frame. It's funny, the kit lens seems to get pretty mixed results from the camera community. Many people say it takes great pictures and have the results to back up those claims. And many others have nothing nice to say about it. I can't honestly say either way yet, my work schedule has been a nightmare since i got it and haven't been able to really test it yet. It does seem like the 16-50 is a huge leap forward over the old 18-55 kit lens.

Also good to know about the batteries, I was debating whether the branded batteries were worth it or not.

[Nico .]

I use the Zpacks Multipack to carry my A6000 and lenses.

I usually wear it as a chest pack, hanging the bag from either the shoulder straps or the pack frame. Each extra lens is in its own bubble wrap pouch inside. The camera usually rides "free" inside the bag and on top of the lenses. This has proven to be fine for on or off-trail hiking and some scrambling.

I mostly use wide angle fixed lenses (<50mm), and I can fit the camera with a lens attached plus 2 or 3 other small fixed lenses in the bag at a time.

If I'm expecting rain or have a particularly dicey river crossing ahead, the multipack goes in the trash compactor bag in my pack with my down jacket, quilt, etc.

The multipack is nice because it's light and roomy, reasonably weather resistent and provides quick access to my camera and lenses. If I had to stop and take off my pack to access my camera each time I wanted to snap a photo, I wouldn't have many photos. That's just too cumbersome for me and would slow me down too much.

My primary complaint about the multipack is that it can get hot having the bag sit on my chest. Most of the time I just tolerate it and accept it as a necessary compromise for having easy access to my kit. However I intend to play around with setting it up as large hipbelt/pack side pocket of sorts. Ryan Jordan showed a possible set-up on his personal blog a year to two back. Might be worth a try.

Another option, if you'll mainly be carrying the camera with just a single smaller attached lens is the Osprey Grab Bag. It's a little tight for the A6000 (my Nex 5n fit better), but it can be done. This bag mounts to the shoulder straps and sits just off to the side, under the rib cage.

Other companies offer similar chest packs (Seek Outside, etc.)

[Matt Johnson]

http://www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/comments/2q7fl7/camera_padding_advice/

This first paragraph sums it up

When on backpacking trips with a DSLR (5D w/ 24-70mm or similar), I usually use a holster case so I can chest mount the camera, that's weight I'm happy to write off because keeping the camera inside my pack would really decrease the enjoyment I derive from taking photos – I mean, how often are you really going to stop to rat through a pack to pull out your camera and take photos? For me, the answer was not very often.

I use this (comes with a rain cover):

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/digital-holster-20-v2.aspx

with this – http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/backpack-connection-kit.aspx

Sometimes when I'm just hiking I use this instead:

http://www.mindshiftgear.com/products/ultralight-camera-cover

but there is not really a buttoned down way to wear the ultralight cover while hiking with a pack on (if there was a way to chest mount the cover like I can with the holster case, I'd use the ultralight cover for backpacking trips instead).

I also have a peak design capture pro clip, which I think will really come into its own when paired with the upcoming peak design shell cover (basically a lightly padded rain shell for cameras designed to work with the peak design capture) – used on its own it is great if you need easy access to the camera, but the camera itself will be rather exposed.

[Bob Gross]

" http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/digital-holster-20-v2.aspx "

Exactly.

I use a slightly different model for a different length of lens, but this is the right idea.

–B.G.–

[Jesse Anderson]

Just got the dashpoint 20 yesterday and unfortunately it doesn't fit at all with the eye cup in place and is way more snug than i'd like even without the eye cup.

I do really like the case and it's construction though so I think I'll just bump up to the dashpoint 30. Thanks again for your input everyone.

[Author]

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