Carrying a DSLR: gotta be a better way

[lx93]

Ideally, I'd like to get a DSLR case (separate from the backpack) that I could strap onto chest height and put the camera in w/ the lens facing upwards, i.e., NOT a top-loader.

Any ideas?

FWIW, I shoot w/ a Nikon D300 w/ 16-85mm & 70-300mm glass.

Answers to "Why not...?" questions:

1)
Why not a belly-pack?
They make it harder to breathe when going up a steep section. At least enough that it slows you down. I know from when I used this Inverse 200 AW; very well-constructed, and allows the lens to face up. Otherwise a great product.

http://products.lowepro.com/product/Inverse-200-AW,2101,7.htm

2)
Why not a top-loader?
-Putting a zoom lens face-down can damage the zoom gears if it flops enough.
I used this M-Rock top-loader- again, a great design, but...
http://www.m-rock.com/sierra-digital-slr-bags.html

3)
Why not a backpack designed mostly for photography w/ a tiny section for hiking gear?
-I'd have to take off the pack every time I wanted to get a shot.
-15 to 20-mile hikes during the week means I'm usually going solo & have to take enough gear (25-ish pounds/10 kg) to survive in case I'm out there overnight and can't do a Beck Weathers or Joe Simpson.

 

[Tom Rankin]

take enough gear (25-ish pounds/10 kg) to survive in case I'm out there overnight and can't do a Beck Weathers or Joe Simpson.

Or an Aron Ralston?

 

[NewHampshire]

I have a friend who is a professional freelance photographer who does the bulk of his work in the Whites. He uses a toploader for his cameras, but how he wears it is, for lack of a better description, like the cowboy wears his six gun. It may be hard to describe it to visualize, but he managed to make it so the top of the case points forward and slightly up. He used carabiners and some nylon strapping I believe to attach it to his left arm pack strap on the top and the waist belt on the bottom (I think.) It allows him quick access, and considering he uses large dSLR's it remains surprisingly out of the way and gives him good freedom of motion while still giving him quick access.

Brian

 

[lx93]

Or an Aron Ralston?

No, I always leave my itinerary w/ a responsible person. If I haven't called them within __ timeframe, they have a phone # to call.

Besides which, I ain't no long-haired hippie, either. Although I did live out west enough to know that our views are nowhere near as spectacular as theirs are.

Now you have me hijacking my own post...

ANYONE ELSE KNOW A BETTER WAY OF CARRYING AN SLR? Besides the ones I've already mentioned?

 

[lx93]

It may be hard to describe it to visualize, but he managed to make it so the top of the case points forward and slightly up. He used carabiners and some nylon strapping I believe to attach it to his left arm pack strap on the top and the waist belt on the bottom (I think.) It allows him quick access, and considering he uses large dSLR's it remains surprisingly out of the way and gives him good freedom of motion while still giving him quick access.

Brian

That sounds like a VERY good idea. I suppose the only catch is that if I've understood you correctly, he has to have his hand in place to catch the camera when he unzips the lid.

Would you be so kind as to ask him to post a pic of this contraption?

 

[NewHampshire]

Would you be so kind as to ask him to post a pic of this contraption?

I can see what I can do for you. He is not registered here on VFTT (more a lurker) but I think I might be able to get some kind of picture of it. The bag he uses (padded) and the angle the bag sits at conspire to make the camera pretty snug in there so that it does not just flop out. Again, 'll see what I can do for you picture wise and perhaps to get a better description.

Brian

 

[NewHampshire]

Ok, my friend got back to me. He says he gets asked about his bag set up a lot and thus has a set of three pictures displaying the rig right on his website:

http://scenicnh.photoshelter.com/gallery/Camera-Bag/G0000VOwlrRxOTuY

Now, it may SEEM like it may be uncomfortable in the pictures, but believe me he seems to have great range of motion and he finds it quite comfortable.

Hope this helps!

Brian

 

[MichaelJ]

I carry a similar bag the same way sometimes. By which I mean I use a LowePro toploader, and I clip it where he has it. I find it a lot less annoying than having it against my chest, and especially helpful in that when I have it on my chest, I can't see my feet, which makes descents or water crossings much more difficult. Yes, it's important to make sure you've zipped it closed, and don't toss the lens cap in there while taking photos because it's very easy for it to roll out, but otherwise it does work pretty well, and easily translates into an on-the-chest if you need both arms completely free for pole work or scrambling.

 

[lx93]

Hope this helps!

Brian

Very much so. A pic is worth 1k words indeed.

 

[lx93]

I carry a similar bag the same way sometimes.

Thanx, it's great to be getting these insights.

I just wonder, though- it looks like the lens is carried horizontally, i.e., parallel to a belt. Maybe I've just misinterpreted the pix. But if I'm correct, then would it be even better to mount the bag so that the camera is LCD-side down, w/ the lens facing up?

The goal is to reduce the amount of rattling around that the lens is exposed to.

 

[MichaelJ]

My bag has padded, velcro'd inserts that I've fit into the deeper part that hold the lens in place while the upper, open part of the bag fits the body. It's as minimum a jostling as it's going to get while I hike.

 

[Tim Seaver]

I generally use a toploader like one of the Lowe units, carried high on my chest using two carabiners, although I have yet to find the perfect fit - the Toploader 65 AW is the right height, but for some odd reason, WAY too thick and bulbous in shape. And the zipper opens on the "wrong" side, close to your body, which is generally really awkward with winter gear on ( and trying to stuff the damn bowling ball in my pack is a PITA). Mountainsmith's Beacon II M is just the right height and thickness ( for a big DSLR with a medium zoom), but doesn't have the right attachment points. Neither the Lowe and MS pieces have protected zippers, so those ice up as well, but then again, I don't believe either case was engineered for winter shooting. I generally don't worry about jostling, provided the camera is relatively snug in its case.

I'd say the ultimate winterized external carry DSLR case is yet to be made.

 

[MichaelJ]

Oh, hey, one other thing to add, and this applies to all cameras but is especially important with the big, expensive ones.

When coming in out of the cold, keep that camera in its case zipped tightly shut. Let it come to room temperature while still in the case, where it is surrounded by a small amount of the dry outside air to which the camera had been acclimated. This will help prevent condensation from forming if the cold camera body or lens were to be brought directly into warm air conditions. This is also important in environments that aren't necessarily warm, per se, but are moist, such as Carter Hut full of people.

If you do have the camera bag against your chest while you winter hike, make sure your own body warmth isn't causing any moisture to develop or frost on the inside of the bag.

I know high-end dSLR equipment and lenses are weather-sealed, but I still like to not take chances.

 

[Tropisms]

Ok, my friend got back to me. He says he gets asked about his bag set up a lot and thus has a set of three pictures displaying the rig right on his website:

http://scenicnh.photoshelter.com/gallery/Camera-Bag/G0000VOwlrRxOTuY

Now, it may SEEM like it may be uncomfortable in the pictures, but believe me he seems to have great range of motion and he finds it quite comfortable.

Hope this helps!

Brian

No, that doesn't seem like it would be comfortable, but I'm happy to give it a try as it certainly doesn't look any worse than what I'm doing now, thanks for posting the picture!

 

[erugs]

I just received a Digital SLR for Christmas and have some of the same questions. For a start, I've just purchased a ThinkTank product called Digital Holster V 2.0 for $49. What I liked about it in the ads was that it is expandable by a special zipper so that the thing expands to hold the camera with a longer lens attached. It seems like a solid piece of construction and is innovative. It even comes with a rain cover! There are two metal loops on the top sides that I'm going to try attaching by light weight carabiners to the shoulder straps on my pack so that it will hang at about the same height as the sternum strap.

I have another idea in mind but that means coming up with the prototype for what I think might be a good and simple answer. Or not. How does one get a patent?

 

[Brambor]

That's what I do

Hi Ellen,

I have basic chest pack. It has plastic loops on each side. I attached small carabiners to that and I hook those to the shoulder pads on my backpacks. Usually on backpacks there are loops or some attachment ponts in the sternum strap area.

The chest pack is accessible quickly for a picture and it actually counterbalances my backpack. I've been using it this way for 10 years and it works like a charm.

Here on Dana Designs Jetpack:

Here on Gregory Serrac:

In the winter I do not carry the batteries in the camera. I carry them in a pocket close to my body where the body warmth keeps the batteries relatively warm and thus does not give them an opportunity to drain their power. Inserting a battery into your camera and snapping pictures and then removing it is not a chore with the chest pack. It provides a good working platform.

P.S. thought of you today when I tried to make Zealand reservations - they are full, unfortunately but I still remember our stay there and then the wonderful snowshoe hike back in the snowstorm.

 

[erugs]

Thanks for your comments on carrying the camera. I remember that snowy stay at Zealand and your wonderful son. I remember someone asking in the morning if it was snowing, and the response was "no," but then that was changed to "Oh, yes, it is coming down heavy - sideways."

 

[DougPaul]

A suggestion given to me by a technical climber:

If you use a shoulder or neck strap, connect the clips that connect to the camera case (or body) together with a strong cord or piece of webbing. This prevents the camera from falling on the ground (or being dropped down a cliff) if one of the clips fails or a connection point pulls out.

Doug

 

[hardyb]

Check out the Clik elite website, they specialize in photography packs. http://www.clikelite.com/

 

[lx93]

Doesn't that hinder your breathing while on a steep ascent? In the pix it looks like it's right over your abdomen.

Hi Ellen,

I have basic chest pack.