Two Least Used Accessories To Get Last

Among all photographic accessories you may wish to purchase, I found two accessories that will, very likely, be underused - camera bag and tripod. Face it, unless you are taking longer vacation trips, the urge to carry all (or most of your lenses) will not be there. Perhaps, to satisfy your short-term fanatical craze of carrying everything around, you may do so initially. But soon enough, your logical mind sets in and you then carry only your primary lens and flash wherever you go 80% of the time. Your bag will begin to collect dust as all remaining unused lenses will be in the dry cabinet.

As for the tripod, its again mostly for night photography, where scarcity of light forces you to shoot with one. The sturdiness of these device often means encumbrance (unless you have a carbon fibre make) and yes, I still do carry one when I shoot longer distance with the Nikkor 70-300mm lens. But the number of days I seriously depend on one doesn't go beyond my ten figures.

So, put your hard-earned money where you truly need - flash, grip and lenses. (I sure would have hoped someone told me earlier)

First Hand-on for Lowe Pro Mini Trekker AW Bag

Sure it's just a $120 bag and comes with over 10 separate internal compartment pads to house up to two DSLRs and 4-6 lenses. But I am most pleased today that it fit my Manfrotto 190XB like a glove too! Thankfully, I did not gave in when the tripod sales person wanted me to take a separate strap for the tripod for over $30 previously!

In my short photo shoot today, I, however, found that this bag is not designed for fast removal and swapping of DSLR and lenses on-the-go. And the two side fastener straps (of the bag) have to be unbuckered to access the main compartment.

Well, I guess the need for such swap is minimal and considering the fact it comes with a retractable rain cover, it's high on the practical side of design. In fact, this bag also comes with a separate compartment that allows you to stuff even a small netbook into it without much trouble. My mini Fujitsu P7120D laptop fits in just fine in that compartment!

I conclude this is a mandatory investment to prevent my three lenses from "tumbling" in my current Targus backup.

New Addition to the Family - Lowe Pro Mini Trekker AW

A big gap can exist between recommendation made via casual web browsing against actual field testing. And I usually would not recommend something I don't own on my blog. The same applies to the camera bag I have just purchased yesterday. In my last article where the Lowe Pro Flipside/Top Load AW were evaluated, they all looked rosy on the Internet.

So, finishing my work on a Friday evening, I decided to pay my local camera store a visit. What do yer know? I have totally understated the capability of the intended camera bag to house my Manfrotto 190XB tripod! Gradually, browsing turned into a serious hunt among the 50 or so Lowe Pro models on the shelves, and I ended up getting the Mini Trekker AW.

Will update everyone when I decommissioned my current Nikon Sling bag...

Time to Choose A Proper Camera Bag

My last review to carry our camera and laptop ended up with the Targus model, where both the rain cover and ample space stole the whole show away. But for those of us who is beginning to pile up their lens asset list, a more organized approach has to be reviewed.

Lowe Pro has been making such bags since I knew about photography and has a series that is coined - Flipside that appeals to do the job economically. With the ability to house 3-4 lens, flash and a tripod, the Flipside 200 may well be the choice for me. Nevertheless, with the Blackrapid strap in use, and my North Face Bullhead hydrator pack, I am truly running out of backs to carry it.

Hence, the Lowe Pro Top Load AW is my final choice. With an All-weather cover and the ability to carry one to two additional lens, I can easily strap in on my waist without wearing me down with my usual day-hike or trek.