Can we say they have the coolest camera gear website?
Sure, we can, Because they do. And the recent revise makes it easy for you to check out their products in all kinds of ways.
Now we’ve said it before: most photogs have a variety of camera bags based on the need of the shoot.
Stealth, travel, ready-to-go, bulk gear movement, and combos there of.
The Crumpler bag folks gained notoriety as a messenger bag company for the terminally hip, and have expanded the product line to take care of so many folks, while maintaining style. It has been said that if Lowepro is Microsoft, Crumpler is Apple. Not quite sure if that is true but….

We took the new 8 Million Dollar Home camera bag for a spin, and what better way than an actual shooting situation.
The first run was on our Scott Kelby Photowalk in Chinatown, LA.
Knowing it would be a lot of walking, heat of the summer, and gear in and out of the bag, comfort was the first key.
There would be a lot of equipment talk and sharing on the walk, so it was loaded right:
*Nikon D700 w/ 24-70 2.8 with hood
*80-200 2.8
*SB-800 Flash
*Canon SD780is point and shoot
*Hoodman Loupe
*Gorillapod SLR
*X-shot Extender
*Flip Video
*Card wallet
*Leather mini on a carribiner
*Xrite Color mini color chart
*GeoPic II GPS device
*Business cards in hard plastic 2in case
*Sunscreen
*Extra Batts for flash and camera

Yeah, sounds like a lot. The only thing missing was the Gary Fong diffuser, the Newton bracket, Epson P-5000, a Quantum Turbo batt, and of course, the second body. Which stayed in the car just in case. Just letting you know what is usually carried for a standard event.

All of this gear fit comfortably in the bag, and what we discovered were the cool non-velcro flaps that gave us easier access to bits, while still covering them.

Those we configured on either internal ends. The main camera sat in the middle and the soft surface of the dividers protected and supported the rig perfectly. The camera slipped in and out like butter, when needed.

A convenient loop for the leatherman, situated between the main cabin, and a front pocket, easily moved out of the way, when it had to.

The netted compartments helped us see what ever misc. bits we had added.

2 stealth pockets on the side were SO stealth, we couldn’t find a piece of gear we swore we packed. That’ll never happen again.

Outside straps on either end so you can loop,hook, tie whatever you may need to.

A removable strap support in case you, for some unknown reason, don’t want to use it.
And of course the incredibly strong velcro all about with the new Silencer mode: a piece of material covers the flap velcro so easy entry is available with a clip. No ripping velcro noise, so the birds don’t scatter.

Ok, that’s what it has, and that’s what we carried.

Here is the key though: It was comfortable for the whole day! with all of that gear (or kit) we had easy access, compartmentalized storage, soft protection for the gear, and when closed on the shoulder, a pretty cool look that didn’t scream camera bag.
Did we mention it was easy on the shoulder? oh, maybe.
After years of carrying camera bags, we know when it works and when it doesn’t. Keep that removable strap bit on though.

Sure, it’s a love fest, but we do have one small issue:
All of the pockets were as deep as the bag. It would have been helpful to have them split, so every reach into the pockets weren’t a full arm in.
A business card holder close to the top would have been preferred, instead of digging in.
Small, but useful corrections that would help you take full advantage of the capacity.

Overall a big thumbs up for the capacity and comfort, in a well built, stylish bag.

Here is a video we made at a trade show earlier this year:

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 5th, 2009 at 5:06 pm and is filed under Photo News, Product Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.