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Why should i buy an A&A bag ?


Guest Olof

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Their bags look slick though..... :D. For easy access and to distribute the weight better, I like and I am using a Lowepro Slingshot 100 if I carry 5-6 lenses with my M8. If I only take two lenses, I am using a very small (older) Lowepro (I think it is a toploader). No, I am not related to Lowepro :D, I just like some of their designs but I am using other brands for different purposes.

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Guest Metroman

Jan: I have never understood why we should have to pay a premium because the word bag is prefixed with 'camera'!!

 

The only camera bag I have owned was an A&A bag and it leaked like a sieve - see this thread.

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I see no reason to even think about buying one of there bags or one of the other expensive bags, the other names escape me at this moment.

 

I use a LowePro Nova 4 AW. It holds one body with lens attached, 6 other lenses with hoods along with extra batteries, cards, cloth, standard base with tripod QC attached (I use a grip base on the cameras), magnifier, extra rear lens caps, USB 2 SD card reader, whatever and a Nikon SB800 in it's own case clipped to the shoulder strap.

 

Best part is I paid $75+ for it locally and it has a water resistant cover that hides in a zippered pouch (although I have since removed that).

 

I guess if you're going to buy Leica gear you want a over expensive bad to keep some of it in. NOT, at least for me.

 

I'm thinking of getting a Nova 5 AW so I can put both bodies in and all the other stuff for when I travel.

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I don't like paying more than I need to. I certainly don't like paying a premium just for a label or a brand - especially for something as utilitarian as a bag!

 

But the single A&A bag I have is the best-designed camera bag I own. It does what I need it to do better than anything else. I went to it after trying a couple of cheaper alternatives.

 

For me, it's worth the premium. YMMV, of course. Buy what works for you and what makes you happy.

 

Jeff

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And you're shooting with the M8?

 

Exactly, Brent Youabd Jeff hit the nail on the head ; the thing is value for money. My mother taught me : "I'm too poor to be able to afford to buy cheap things" ;):p

 

Back to bags: I find it harder to choose a camera-bag than a camera.

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I was intrigued by the A&A bags, but fought the urge. I have gone through so many, and been disappointed with nearly all of them, that I decided not to take the plunge without seeing one. During a trip to NYC, I checked them out. By verdict was that while they are nice, the A+A's really offer nothing of importance that my ten year-old Domke F5X-B doesn't, but for twice the money. I am glad I had the opportunity to find out before ordering one. And the Domke gives me the option of wearing it on a belt vs. a shoulder strap, which I find a lot more comfortable and practical.

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I have 3 Domkes & a Billingham....I steered clear of Billingham for years because they always looked too "nice." But once they came out with the presstop in all black, it became my M bag of choice. Considering what my gear is worth...going ghetto on a bag isn't an option. I pretty much have wrecked stuff in the past, so I like build quality. I saw the A&A bags in NYC, didn't like them. It's really personal preference at the end of the day....and just how much use / abuse it's going to see.

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I have 3 Domkes & a Billingham....I steered clear of Billingham for years because they always looked too "nice." But once they came out with the presstop in all black, it became my M bag of choice. Considering what my gear is worth...going ghetto on a bag isn't an option. I pretty much have wrecked stuff in the past, so I like build quality. I saw the A&A bags in NYC, didn't like them. It's really personal preference at the end of the day....and just how much use / abuse it's going to see.

 

So anyone that buy something like a LowePro is going getto? Get real.

The cost of the gear has nothing to do with what you spend on a bag to carry it around in.

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So anyone that buy something like a LowePro is going getto? Get real.

The cost of the gear has nothing to do with what you spend on a bag to carry it around in.

 

Probably not very much of value would be found inside the average Prada bag on the street.

-bob

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Its funny how much I kid my wife about her purse buying habits...."Don't you already have a black bag like this one?" Of course, its NO! I don't have this one. She points out why do you have so many camera bags dear? I need them of course. I agree that it is easier to pick out a camera than its approriate bag!!!!!!

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I checked out the A&A 7100 "in person" but it didn't really suit my needs. In normal use it seems like the main top flap is only held in place by velcro, although there are clips attached in what seem to be weird locations that didn't really make any sense to me (perhaps Carsten can straighten me out on this one). Somebody mentioned that it leaks like a seive in rainy situations, which stands to reason since the sides of the top flap are open. Anyway since I wanted to avoid velcro, I passed on that one.

 

I now have two Billingham bags -- the Hadley Classic and Hadley Small -- that I'm very satisfied with. The regular Hadley is surprisingly spacious, and can haul a fairly large kit. The Hadley Small is just right for one M8 and 2 or 3 lenses, plus the usual incidental paraphenalia. The bags are light, the top flaps are relatively weather-proof, and there's no velcro!

 

But it's such a personal thing, and I guess that's why there are so many manufacturers churning out bags in so many configurations. Every photographer needs a "bag closet".

 

Kent.

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The strap I use to keep the inner clasp tight, ie. to stop the bag from flopping open. I didn't see a sensible way to use it to keep the lid tight, so yes, it looks like it is the velcro only.

 

Oh ... to stop the bag from floppping open! Now that sort of makes sense. It's really too bad about the velcro though.

 

Thanks for the update Carsten.

 

Kent.

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