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M240 and bags ... overgaard at japancamerahunter.com


Overgaard

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I spent an afternoon some days ago fulfilling a promise to do my "What's in Your Bag"? for japancamerahunter.com who is also a dealer of Leica and other lenses and cameras. It was interesting to get an overview I never really have had before. I never had everything laid out that was in my bags.

 

My bag story will take up two days, how I travel with the M240 (and a few other M's as backup). The first one here is his bag story no 675:

 

Enjoy!

 

In your bag No: 675 - Thorsten von Overgaard Pt: 1 - Japan Camera Hunter

 

And feel free to post both there and here.

 

And japancamerahunter.com welcomes your "What's in Your Bag?" as well.

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Thorsten, I rarely if ever comment on another photographer's choice of items, and I hate to be a downer. But I'll make an exception here as my Grandfather died from lung cancer following years of smoking those same Camels. I hope that you have many more healthy decades ahead filling those bags, and I hope you get around to eliminating that one item.:(

 

Jeff

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Enjoyed the article. What struck me about it is that a sizeable amount of items in the bag are more for students rather than yourself. I think it speaks a lot about TO as a teacher who really cares for his craft and his students. E.g. carrying that ipad because of manuals and that a student with an M3 might ask about double exposure on that particular camera.

 

A lot of photographers who do so-called "workshops" can take a few notes from TO.

 

I realize also that what is in the bag is a product of a long time iterative experience of ups and downs that have led to this working state of packing.

 

I'd throw in a surge protector for those Leica chargers. I had mine fried over at some island with doubtful power supply when the resort owner offered to bring my battery to the other island for charging. Mea culpa. Glad I didn't give him my backup charger or that would have been the end of me. I just decided to nurse the batteries for the next couple of days. But I digress...

 

LV bags, Montblanc pens... a real "Leica" man hehe ;)

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Thorsten, I rarely if ever comment on another photographer's choice of items, and I hate to be a downer. But I'll make an exception here as my Grandfather died from lung cancer following years of smoking those same Camels.

 

Jeff, I'm with you on this. I started photography as a teenager because my fathers passion about taking pictures ignated the same with me. I would not be the photographer I am now without him. At the age of 51 (my age now) he was diagnosed having lung cancer and died 3 years later. He was a cigarette smoker. Funny, but he also had a passion for bags. He had a couple of them custom made by a leather artisan. I think I herited also that passion and I appreciate reading Thorsten's article... except for that one unnecessary accessory.

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Wow, you pack a lot of stuff in those bags! :) It would be interesting to see how you actually pack all that stuff in the bags as well. Do you bring both bags as a carry-on? (no problems with that? some airlines don't like it in my experience). I recently stayed in Salzburg for three days and packed everything in my Billingham Hadley Pro. It's amazing how much you can fit into such a small bag with some effective packing:

 

two cameras with lenses attached, 4 batteries, one charger, ipad mini, three shirts, three sets of underwear, three pair of socks, contact lenses, tooth brush, tooth paste, deodorant, passport, lens cloth, ipad and iphone charger, mophie power pack for the iphone, flight tickets, receipts, keys, bose quite comfort headset (plus spare batteries), lens filters, a couple of energy bars + a few things I've forgotten about... It's just amazing really. It sucked when I had to unpack the entire bag in a security check at the airport though, hehe.

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I once packed my Hadley Pro so well that I thought I'd lost a Frankenfinder on a trip to Korea. I discovered it three weeks later in a secret compartment I'd neatly created in the base & forgotten about. It's amazing what you can get in there.

 

Interesting feature to see into Thorsten's bag. I've been following "in your bag" for a couple of years & this one is detailed & exceptional. He is obviously an extremely neat & orderly photographer when it comes to packing for travel, especially that lovely bag & going about his teaching & producing work. Nice one..!!:)

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i m always amazed by Vuitton marketing, they can sell bags of plastic ( i m talking about the LV damier pattern that is all in plastic) for 3-4-5.000 euro :)

other high fashion french and italian brands can offer high quality leather bags for less then half price

 

The iCare in the article is canvas and probably what you refer to as plastic. It doesn't really matter what it is, because it it take a lot of beating and scratches without actually looking other than new. It keeps the surface despite rain, dust, cold, sun. It is quid amazing, so whatever and however they came up with it originally, it works.

 

The LV 'marketing' is that their stuff works and look like new after years of abuse. It's the handcraft and knowhow, not due to exotic materials.

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Billingham Hadley Pro is an amazing bag and you learn after a few weeks of use just how much you can pack in it, in the pockets, the compartments between the bag and the insert and all.

 

I kept saying for years I could fit my 15" MacBook Pro in it, and people kept saying it was to small. But it fitted in, and so did a couple of bodies and four lenses, lightmeters and a lot more.

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I use a Hadley Pro and fit:

 

1x M240 with 50 LUX ASPH mounted

 

1x M240 with 35 LUX FLE mounted

 

1x 21mm SEM ASPH

 

1x 90mm Elmarit

 

2x Spare Batteries (besides the 2 in the cameras)

 

5x Spare Memory Cards

 

1x Leica EVF

 

46mm B+W CPL, and 2 ND Filters

 

Cleaning cloths

 

And that is all in the insert with room to spare, much less stuffing the space between the inset and the bag. Oh, and the front pockets are empty also, so I use them for keys, wallet, cell phone from time to time.

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Yes, tthorne, that is about what it fits ... plus a lot more. Those front pockets, when you use them, can fit a lot of stuff and can even be adjusted to be 'small' or 'large'.

 

I remember when I got it the first time and was worried it was a little too small (bit I wanted a small looking bag). But after a couple of weeks you learn about all the rooms and possibilities and can pack quite an impressive amount.

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Thorsten, this is really fascinating stuff! It makes me wonder what the inside of Uma Thurman's dressing trailer looked like when she made movies ;). (Intended as a high compliment, so hope it reads that way).

 

Here is a critical question... You mention a "back up passport." Hmmm. Would this be a secret identity, like James Bond, or are Danes given such official accoutrements?

 

Thanks for sharing!

Peter

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I find that it's all right stuffing a hadley pro to the gills when you are transporting stuff from location to location but it's not so useful filling it so tightly when actually in the field. I like cameras and lenses to be as accessible as possible and not piled on top of each other so that if I whip a lens off a camera I have somewhere to immediately put it in the bag without impeding access to other lenses, etc.

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I find that it's all right stuffing a hadley pro to the gills when you are transporting stuff from location to location but it's not so useful filling it so tightly when actually in the field. I like cameras and lenses to be as accessible as possible and not piled on top of each other so that if I whip a lens off a camera I have somewhere to immediately put it in the bag without impeding access to other lenses, etc.

 

True. But it's nice to be able to use the bag for whatever you want. Personally I use the Hadley Pro every day for my work as well, since it fits my laptop, chargers, adapters and so on. Sometimes I bring the camera with me, and sometimes not. Sometimes I use it without the insert as a weekend bag, etc...

 

For my daily walkaround in the neighbourhood/home town use I use a Hadley small. It fits the camera and two lenses + all sorts of stuff + an ipad mini easily, so I see no reason to use the bigger Hadley Pro unless I actually have to bring more stuff with me, or, if I need to bring a laptop.

 

The most important part of the Hadley bags for me is the fact that they are really waterproof (especially the FibreNyte versions). The climate is very unstable here in Norway, so one minute it's sunshine and within two minutes you could be in a rainstorm. The Hadleys are the only bags that really keeps my gear dry and safe no matter what. I used a garden hose and sprayed water all over my Hadley small and pro (both FibreNyte) and the inserts and everything inside the bag was completely dry. So I trust these bags with anything.

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The most important part of the Hadley bags for me is the fact that they are really waterproof (especially the FibreNyte versions).

 

Can´t agree more with you! The first time my Hadley Pro (normal version) was in a heavy rain for more than a couple of minutes I was very afraid. That happened in Portugal, and the walk lasted for nearly 45 minutes, without harm to the interior. After that it has been in the rain very often, and its "waterproofness" is always 100%.

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