LowePro Nova 2 Camera Bag

This is my first camera bag. I like it for its compactness and moderate capacity. At the first, I really hesitated to shell out $50 for a bag. But as I used it more often, usually over-stuffed, I gradually started to appreciate its value, especially its generous capacity. The construction is very rugged, and yet the overall size is small. Its capacity is quite amazing. I regularly stuff the bag with all the following:

Set 1: Full array primes, no backup (carry my backup equipment in the car)

Main compartment: N90s with Nikkor AF 50/1.8, Nikkor AF-Zoom 80-200/2.8 ED, Nikkor AF 20/2.8D, Nikkor AF 28/2.8D, Nikkor AF 85/1.8D.
Front pouch: MB-10, SB-26, SC-17, table-top tripod (Bogen 3008), additional sets of batteries and other small things, such as BR-2A.

Set 2: Compact, zooms, with backup:

Main compartment: N90s with Nikkor AF 24/2.8D, Nikkor AF-Zoom 80-200/2.8 ED, Nikkor AF-Zoom 35-70/3.3-4.5, Micro-Nikkor 55/2.8 + PK13, N6006 body.
Front pouch: Sigma 35-135/4-5.6, SB-26, SC-17, table-top tripod (Bogen 3008), and minor things like batteries.

For me, it is a really convenient bag. But after a long day, my shoulder and my neck get very sour. I think my over-stuffed Nova2 is probably the maximum load for a single-shoulder bag. Otherwise, other personal physical problem, not the bag's problem, may become an issue. I looked for a backpack, and picked up a Canon Professional Backpack 1. After using the backpack for a while, I found myself coming back reaching for this bag more often: The backpack is too inconvenient if you want to reach for just one small piece of equipment in the run. Canon's backpack now serves the purpose of carrying the backup.

Although I have a more expensive Canon's "Professional Backpack" (and I found that the use of the word professional by Canon is very demeaning in this particular case), I still find this to be my primary camera bag.

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Last updated: March 12, 1998.