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Yikes! I was not aware of quality issues with other folks' ONA bags. Mine seem fine - but this is disconcerting for sure.

 

That goes to show that Billingham is expensive, but worth it. They make a great quality product.

 

I have a Billingham Hadley Pro that I have used for 10+ years. This bag looks almost like it did when it was new. It has a few stains here and there, but the fabric has no damage or wear; it is just starting to soften up a bit, similar to the way a pair of blue jeans will soften with age. There are no tears, no holes, no seam failures at all.

 

The strap on my Hadley Pro has not given way, sending the bag and contents flying - as someone's ONA satchel did. Billingham's straps could damn near be used to tow a car out of a ditch - they are that sturdy.

 

Billingham bags are not made for the penny pincher. They are an investment that will stand up to a lifetime of normal (and not so normal) wear, tear and use.

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Note there are two materials that Billingham bags come in, canvas and fibrenyte.

Fibernyte tends to never age but canvas shoes wear

They are both the same price so it's personal preference

 

Lastly the toughest and best thought out bags I have used are Kata. Kata bags do look more technical however rather then Billingham which look more casual. I think Manfrotto has bought Kata now which is why some new Manfrotto bags are essentially rebadged Kata

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Many thanks for your comments, guy !

Any experience with the brand Kalahari ?

 

Yvan

 

 

Yes

Very well made lovely leather bags

My only comment would be to try before you buy, I have found a bag from them was big on the outside but rigid sides combined with inserts had less room inside then I needed

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i'm thinking to buy a leather camera bag from angelo pelle Florence for my M and A7r ( i have already his half cases and i' m very satisfied)

i will write my opinion on the bag once i will get one (actually i still didn't decide which one to buy,there are 2-3 colors/model i like )

if you want take a look for having a bigger choice :

 

BAGS - angelo pelle

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Does anyone have any experience with the Wotancraft Scout (canvas) bag? Specifically, whether you can stow a T with the EVF and a lens attached (or an X or M with lens and an EVF as they are similarly tall with the EVF). It looks like it may work with the insert removed (but that may be imprudent to consider...)

 

Also, how light is the bag (weight-wise)? With the insert, it seems to be 3/4 pound lighter than the ONA Brixton. I'm not sure if that's significant, but I've read several folks remark about its light weight.

 

Now you guys got me thinking about my ONA bag... LOL.

 

Cheers

DGP

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I felt the Hadley Pro was to tall for my M stuff, so I wouldn't get one for a T.

 

The perfect bag for me is a Fogg bag and there german bags, Oberwerth, new on the market, too.

 

Finally I sold my Billingham and will stay with my Fogg and Oberwerth.

 

But the next one will come come to a different conclusion that is why I recommend to get your hands on a bag of your choice first and not only make a decision based on the www.

 

Jochen

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I agree with Jochen. I'd been eyeing the Leica large soft cotton bag for a number of weeks. It hasn't made it to any of the Leica stores in the U.S. and I resigned myself to waiting until I was back from a trip to Italy and Greece to try the bag out if one was available.

 

My wife, a yoga instructor, was on a retreat in a location south of Firenze. I met up with her yesterday. She'd already seen the location of the Firenze Leica Store that opened one year ago, and she agreed to show me where it was. There on a shelf sat one of the new soft cotton large bags. I looked it over, tried it out with my camera, and after all the research (there wasn't a whole lot of information to find), I purchased a new one.

 

Today, we toured Palazzo Pitti the whole morning and much of the afternoon, and the bag was wonderful to use right out of the box—sounds a little like a horse race, yes? Filled with the camera and a few accessories, it weighed a few hairs more than the "diaper bag" that I usually use when the DB is empty! So the weight ratio was astounding.

 

The feel of the material is rather impressive, too. More details later, but this is a very nice bag for the price.

 

But bcd to the original thought: it really is best to get one's hands on the bag of your choice, examine it, see how it works for you before you purchase it. Then you just might find the bag that is "perfect" for you.

 

Cheers,

 

Eric

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Hi There

Well, my current squeeze is a Agent 86 Jumbo from Fast and Prime

I did visit and check them out before spending the (not inconsiderable) sum:

 

Fast and Prime bags and the Colyton Tannery

 

I've been using the bag every day since it arrived, and it shows no signs of it. It has room for a T, an M and two spare lenses, but is still small and neat (and very protective).

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  • 2 months later...
Dothebags from Monochrom (germany) are similar ..... but much softer leather and a better closing mechanism .... come in multiple sizes and are very well made .....

 

I second Dothebag Monochrom series. Have one for the past 4 years and the leather ages very nicely. Shot it out with me in snow, rain, desert. Love them.

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Use a leather (cognac) ONA Brixton along with a couple of extra dividers.

 

T-body, both T lenses, the Noc 0.95, SF26 Flash, couple of filters and my Lenovo Yoga 13 PC when travelling.

 

T is usually couple to the Noc in the bag as well.

 

Side pockets are useless, otherwise, quality is excellent.

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  • 1 month later...
Definitely not the same quality according to multiple user experiences with multiple ONA bags discussed in this thread. And the service follow-up was no better for some.

 

Jeff

 

Edit….I see I was beat to the punch above

 

Never the less, I bought a Ona Berlin II. Here is my mini-review:

 

  • Side pockets too small for water bottle, umbrella, or sunglasses in hard case. What were they intended for?
  • Interior pockets in the front section are too small for the things that I think should be in a camera bag my personal examples are:
    • 52mm filter case - I tend to carry a polarization filter around for when the water is glaring, when I want to shoot through glass and there is a reflection, or when the sky just isn't blue enough.
    • X-rite color checker
    • Moleskin pocket notebook

    [*]No key hook in the front section - this would be nice. Put this on the side of the zipper which opens last, you don't want to lose your keys with a partially closed zipper and you don't need your keys much

    [*]Pen slots on the wrong end of the zipper. These are where the key hook should be. These are accessed off. Especially the pen like lens pen.

    [*]Instead of making the pockets inside the front section wide enough they have a tiny pocket which might be for an SD card. I can't imagine anything else fitting. If they have extra space - elastic loops for batteries or a pocket knife might be nice.

    [*]The strap is too long for me. This puts the shoulder pad on the lower part of my shoulder blade and the buckle just past the apex of my shoulder. I might get this fixed.

 

In spite of all of that, I kind of like the bag. I might go to a shoe maker/luggage and leather shop and see if they can do a couple of simple mods like shorten the strap. I think that the size of the side pockets are so integral to the design that I don't think that can be changed. This will probably drive me to keep a look out for another bag.

 

What I want is a small as possible classic leather bag with pockets on the sides sides for a water bottle and either an umbrella or sunglasses in a hard case. A small padded main pocket with just enough room for the T with 2 or 3 lenses and a slot for a full sized iPad. In another pocket, I want a key hook, and space for a filter, a color/wb card, a moleskin notebook, a spare battery, a swiss army knife, a lens cleaning cloth and a couple of pens. If there is still room to stuff in a cliff bar, maybe a couple of cables and charger then that is a bonus.

Edited by bencoyote
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  • Side pockets too small for water bottle, umbrella, or sunglasses in hard case. What were they intended for?
  • Interior pockets in the front section are too small for the things that I think should be in a camera bag my personal examples are:
    • 52mm filter case - I tend to carry a polarization filter around for when the water is glaring, when I want to shoot through glass and there is a reflection, or when the sky just isn't blue enough.
    • X-rite color checker
    • Moleskin pocket notebook

     

    [*]No key hook in the front section - this would be nice. Put this on the side of the zipper which opens last, you don't want to lose your keys with a partially closed zipper and you don't need your keys much

    [*]Pen slots on the wrong end of the zipper. These are where the key hook should be. These are accessed off. Especially the pen like lens pen.

    [*]Instead of making the pockets inside the front section wide enough they have a tiny pocket which might be for an SD card. I can't imagine anything else fitting. If they have extra space - elastic loops for batteries or a pocket knife might be nice.

    [*]The strap is too long for me. This puts the shoulder pad on the lower part of my shoulder blade and the buckle just past the apex of my shoulder. I might get this fixed.

Sounds like a true masterpiece of design. :rolleyes: Edited by Carlos Danger
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Sounds like a true masterpiece of design. :rolleyes:

 

The design is great.

The engineering requires a few more iterations. :D

 

Design: ONA | The Berlin II - Vintage Bourbon

Engineering: Pacsafe - Camsafe V8 anti-theft camera shoulder bag

 

Sadly, I want both at the same time. If I could just get them to make an Ona Berlin III incorporating my feedback, I'd be happy.

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If I lived in Europe, or a US big city in which being fashionable was the norm, I might go for these classy high-end bags, but I do not. Instead I have a good collection of bags that are at least as useful, but without the fashion statements. Perhaps I should start a site concerning "Get over it. Honor functionalism. WTF do you care?"

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