laglaph Posted September 5, 2009 Share #1 Posted September 5, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Has any one any experience of vests designed for photographers such as the Billingham Photovest for M cameras and lenses. Paul Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 5, 2009 Posted September 5, 2009 Hi laglaph, Take a look here Has any one used a "photo vest". I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
andybarton Posted September 5, 2009 Share #2 Posted September 5, 2009 I have used a similar vest made by Rohan. Makes you look like a bit of a berk, but very handy for carrying lots of lenses, film, meters etc. without a bag. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puplet Posted September 5, 2009 Share #3 Posted September 5, 2009 They look alright *if* you're over 6ft, weigh over 75kg and have a fine moustache. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt Calahan Posted September 5, 2009 Share #4 Posted September 5, 2009 I tried, but it made me look like a photographer. Everyone ran when they saw me. Put away the vest and became invisible again. Better for photographs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
manolo Posted September 5, 2009 Share #5 Posted September 5, 2009 same thing happened to me. You look like a photographer Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marquinius Posted September 5, 2009 Share #6 Posted September 5, 2009 I had something like that AND I'm 6 foot 5, ALTHOUGH I don't have a moustache (anymore), I still felt like a berk. And I kept on looking in all the pockets where I left the lens cap / converter / 15mm lens / whatever. So I gave it away and am a happy man. A small camera bag, one or two lenses, that's it for me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo_Lorentzen Posted September 5, 2009 Share #7 Posted September 5, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have one, it is very practical for some photo jobs, for others its too much of a uniform. forget it on the street and for weddings, hire a assistant if you need more gear. . Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
offshore Posted September 5, 2009 Share #8 Posted September 5, 2009 I used to wear one to events in Santa Barbara and it got me in to the press area without a pass every time. Depending on what you're carrying they are kinda handy to work out of, with Leica M lenses you can free yourself up from a bag. With SLR gear, especially 70-200 lenses and big L series and Nikkor pro series glass they can get a bit heavy and tight around the neck area. If you can work your way through the "I'm a Photographer!!!!!!" and a geek perception they really are not a bad way to go. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gravastar Posted September 5, 2009 Share #9 Posted September 5, 2009 One thing they can be useful for is if you're flying and your photo gear hand baggage is overweight. Generally the airlines don't bother but if they do you can transfer items into the vest pockets and have it X-rayed as clothing. I always take mine when flying but rarely use it on location. Bob. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WPalank Posted September 5, 2009 Share #10 Posted September 5, 2009 Makes you look like a bit of a berk..... Andy, For the uninformed, berk=dork? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
christer Posted September 5, 2009 Share #11 Posted September 5, 2009 They are great if you want to keep your wife at a considerable distance from you. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted September 5, 2009 Share #12 Posted September 5, 2009 Andy, For the uninformed, berk=dork? William, Yes, and the definition is here, although it's not recommended for the faint-hearted. Pete. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted September 5, 2009 Share #13 Posted September 5, 2009 Vests do enjoy a certain popularity with pros and wannabe pros. They do distribute the load across both shoulders, and back damage due to asymmetrical loads is a common occupational hazard among newspaper photogs. The problem is of course that no vest that I know of, or can even imagine, can take a system camera body with even a small lens. Probably not even a M with a standard lens. So the camera(s) have to love in the great otdoors, being rained on, snowed on, dropped ice cream on, and bashed. ---The most rational carrying system would be a two-shoulder webbing harness with belt and attachable and interchangeable pouches for long lenses, short lenses, monstruous lenses and for odds and ends. But such a rig would look too military, I presume. And it could get you shot in quite a few places we all know about. On the other hand, even a Canon with a big zoom may be taken for a light anti-tank weapon and get you shot, too. The old man from the Age of Rigid Cases Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnastovall Posted September 6, 2009 Share #14 Posted September 6, 2009 Have used Domke vests for years. Great for cell phone, PDA, light meter, extra lenses, film and card vaults. I can slip an M8 and M7 in the side pockets and canon 5D on the neck. Larger canon lenses such as the 70-200/2.8 IS can ride in the huge back pocket. Finally sew a B.P.R.D. patch on the back just for amusing folks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adan Posted September 6, 2009 Share #15 Posted September 6, 2009 I have one - used it twice so far. As others have said - it can serve as a "uniform", esp. if you have the dog tags to go with it. Wore it once to a car race track - gave me some stature as "that news guy". Wore it when I hiked in to an archaeological site (you saw the video earlier this summer) when I had to carry a tripod and also my M gear - and water bottle - in semi-desert. It's like any apparel item - dress for the occasion. One reason I like the 39mm lenses - I can carry a 35 f/2 and a 90 Tele-elmarit in regular pants pockets under a blazer or sweater or whatever without sticking out. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Posted September 6, 2009 Share #16 Posted September 6, 2009 I came across this some time ago. No offense to the DSLR/heavy-kit community, it certainly seems to serve a purpose, but it just scares me... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noah_addis Posted September 6, 2009 Share #17 Posted September 6, 2009 I never use vests. They're much too obtrusive and not needed for the amount of gear I carry. Aside from the fact that my work requires me to not stick out too much and look like a photographer, I also find that the large numbers of pockets and compartments are confusing. I feel like I'd lose stuff in there or things would fall out of the pockets. In the newspaper biz, a contemporary alternative to vests is this stuff: Newswear | Chestvest, pouches, rain ponchos I don't use their gear either. Some of 'em look like suicide bomber vests which strikes me as a very bad idea. But they do distribute your load of gear and might be less silly looking than a vest. My philosophy is that if my kit doesn't fit in a Domke F803 (better yet an F5xa!), I'm carrying too much. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marquinius Posted September 6, 2009 Share #18 Posted September 6, 2009 William, Yes, and the definition is here, although it's not recommended for the faint-hearted. Pete. Actually, that is rather a handy website for us non native English speakers Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJP Posted September 6, 2009 Share #19 Posted September 6, 2009 Actually, that is rather a handy website for us non native English speakers Or at least the ones that are short of expletives;) Back to the topic the vest Marty pointed us to is certainly worth studying if you need an excuse to get a Leica. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted September 6, 2009 Share #20 Posted September 6, 2009 As an alternative, can I suggest Orvis products? NOT their stuff for fishermen, but the more normal menswear. They do jackets and waistcoats with multiple pockets that are large (and soft) enough to take a 35mm Summicron but don't scream either "photographer" or "berk"... For example: Men's Waistcoats / Original Moleskin Waistcoat -- Orvis UK and Mens Leather Jackets / Bandera Leather Jacket -- Orvis UK The latter has what they call their "global pocket system" - it's great for travel. Regards, Bill 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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