What’s in my camera bags

True confession: I am bag curious.

I love reading and seeing other photographer’s bag dumps. Sony? Nikon? Canon? Leica? I don’t care. I learn the most from what else is in the kit. I like to see what gets carried into a session. I don’t judge. Carrying a light meter or 36 inches of gaff tape wrapped around a tripod leg doesn’t make you a better photographer, per se. But if it makes the job easier, I’m ready to listen.

Let’s be real. If finding and writing about the “perfect” bag and kit were possible, BHPhoto would not have to list 718 shoulder bags, 907 camera backpacks, and ten other categories of camera bags on their website.

This is my kit — and how I work. It spreads across three bags. I’m writing a post for each bag and will post them in order. Depending on the assignment, I mix and match bags. I tend to think of them like this:

An everyday assignment bag. This post

A small bag. This post will be next week.

The camera bag system that works for me

What I share here is a system that works for me. It may or may not match your needs or gear. My hope is it helps in a big or small way. So, let’s jump in. This is what goes in my everyday assignment bag.

For me, it includes everything I need to shoot a single event. Most of these events are no longer than 3–4 hours. The bag and kit are flexible enough to work a full day, when needed, out of one bag by changing a few things.

When I pack this kit, I assume the event allows me access to the stage or podium and access to the crowd without disrupting the event. If there are press risers, they are no more than 30–40 feet from the stage.

Almost every organized event falls into this category, such as a press conference, a political rally, a wedding, a corporate function, or an awards ceremony.

My everyday bag also covers most of my “what if” assignments. Maybe you have these too? The on-location projects with many variables, people, and perhaps an art director or designer still working out their vision.

If the event has more restricted access — think worship service or Secret Service — it may require other gear like longer lenses, tripods or monopods, or remote camera triggers. To that end, I prefer an everyday bag with extra capacity for one-off items. I can even strap a collapsed light stand or monopod to the everyday bag.

Under the flap of the bag. The smaller admin pockets zip closed as needed. The bottom left has up to 3 camera batteries, and the middle left has business cards. The top zipper is full-size and can carry papers or other thin items for the day. The SD card reader sits in the center pocket or with the other tech tools. The notebook and pen pocket also can hold my phone.

My everyday assignment bag:

My go-to bag is a shoulder-carried messenger bag from f-stop called the Black Box District 15. They don’t list it on their website anymore, but you may have luck finding one on eBay if you want more details. It measures 15" x 10" x 5", and other similar bags include the Tenba DNA, Timbuk2 Classic or Commute, Think Tank Photo Vision, or the ONA Astoria.

It’s a bag that looks at home in a corporate environment, church, venue, or event. It doesn’t scream, “Hey, the photographer’s here.”

It's a full-size bag and can be heavy. It’s also easy to overload it. “Too big,” to my way of working, means a bag that limits my handing and shooting cameras, moving through a crowd, or getting what I need out of the bag with one hand while I’m wearing it.

I don’t leave it at a press table or in a back corner at most events. If I pack smart and watch the total weight, I can carry it all day on my shoulder.

It has movable dividers, a padded laptop space, and a protected tablet space. There are admin pockets in front under the messenger-style flap. The messenger flap also has a zipper pass-through access to grab a camera or lens without opening the top completely.

How I work with two cameras

When I’m working, I prefer two cameras. A long focal length lens camera on a shoulder strap on my left side and a wide focal length camera on a Peak Design Capture clip on the bag strap carried on my right side. Other photographers I work with use a Spider Holster on their belt for the same solution.

Part of the reason I carry the bag instead of placing it on the floor also exposes this carry system's weak link. A camera in a capture clip on a bag strap is subjected to bumps and jostling if I take the bag off and set it on the floor. It is unprotected.

To minimize that, the capture clip carried camera goes back into the bag before I set the bag down. Or, if I leave the bag at a back pew or table at a wedding, I’ll move the capture clip to my waist belt.

Too many neck straps feel too confining to me, and the triple-camera Horst Faas — Vietnam photojournalist look isn’t my thing, but your mileage may vary.

If I swap lenses on a body, a strap or the capture clip works as a safety net to reduce the chance of a camera drop. For that same reason, I know photographers who never change lenses in the field.

The interior laptop pocket has room for the small Speedlight and the Grid-it with the tech cables, battery, and drive. The back side of the bag has a full-width and height-padded tablet pocket. The 11" iPad Pro with keyboard case fits there. I rearrange the interior velcro dividers as needed.

What’s inside by everyday assignment bag:

Cameras — while the f-stop bag has the capacity to carry three cameras, I prefer to limit it to 2. I’m not using add-on grips. extra battery packs, or Wi-Fi transmitters. If I did, I would adjust my packing list.

I work with Fujifilm cameras. My move from Canon was a gradual, seven-year transition, beginning when I bought a Fujifilm X-100T. While their sizes are measurably different, the Canon 5D Mk IV, the Canon 7D Mk II, and the Fujifilm X-H2 have similar ergonomics for my hands. Side by side, the Fujifilm bodies closely resemble the 35 mm film Canon A-1 I did much of my pre-digital professional work.

Side by side: Fujifilm X-H2, Canon A1, Fujifilm X-T5

I currently shoot with three bodies: a Fujifilm X-H2, a Fujifilm X-T5, and a Fujifilm X-100V. If I want to travel light and know the venue from previous assignments, I’ll take the X-H2 and the X-100V. I bring all three bodies for weddings, but unlike news or corporate events, I also leave my bag nearby rather than carry it all day.

Lenses — long: Typically a 70–300mm f/4 or a rented 50-140mm f/2.8. If the press stand is at the back of the house, I’ll rent a 100–400 mm. Using the Fuji 70–300 is very similar in composition and qualities to the Canon L 70–300 (not the consumer kit version) on the Canon 7D Mkii.

Lenses — fixed: 56 f/1.2, 35mm f/1.4, and the 16mm f2/8. The 56mm f/1.2 creates a unique look, and it was the first nudge when migrated to a hybrid Canon-Fuji kit.

The three camera bodies and examples of how I carry. Fujifilm provides a foam padded strap with their larger cameras, and they are also inexpensive on eBay. I’s is my current strap of choice, but I have several different straps. Depending on the event, I can swap how I carry each camera. I use the Peak Design Capture clip and also use their Clutch hand strap. I have a love/hate relationship with the Capture on the X-100V. With or without the half case, the capture plate prevents the complete opening of the battery and SD card access door on the camera bottom. Related, the half case prevents access to the port access door on the camera. Offloading images and changing batteries is not a quick process.

The tech accessories and loose ends:

Batteries — a spare for each body. On full-day shoots, I also pack a camera battery charger. The two larger Fuji bodies share the same batteries; the Fuji X-100V does not. That means packing two different chargers.

Spare cards — both SD and CFxpressB (I don't particularly appreciate having 2 card systems or 2 battery systems, but it’s where we are now.)

Lights — a small Flashpoint R2 Mini zoom speed light. I may use this a few times a year, but it weighs so little that I justify carrying it on every shoot. If I anticipate needing a bit more light, a Godox / Flash Point AD -200 and wireless controller fits in this kit instead of one of the additional lenses.

The two most common, unplanned needs for a speedlight are the impromptu portrait, aka “Can you take a photo of the award winner for our newsletter?” or an outdoor shot with harsh sunlight. The small speedlight won’t overpower the sun, but it can add enough light to make shadow recovery in Lightroom look more natural.

Admin stuff — A pen, a Fieldnotes Reporters Notebook, an N-95 mask- left over from the COVID era. Business cards are probably a relic, but still, I manage to give out one every few shoots.

Credential lanyard. Often, organized events have event-specific credentials, but I also wear my wire service credential. Safety note: some colleagues I know wear break-away lanyards in the event of a scuffle or a rowdy crowd.

And similar to the safety note: earplugs. I always have a few pairs in my bags, just in case the photo position is next to a speaker stack or an overzealous person with a megaphone. Live music concerts have a “3 song and out of the pit” rule for photojournalists, but still, three songs is ten plus minutes of 120 dB.

Post-producing and transmitting images with an iPad

Post-production — News events require on-site or as-soon-as-possible edits. What this means is full-size jpgs, edited to journalistic standard (Ie, minor toning and color correction, and no altering of content beyond cropping.) Photos need to be captioned, and some additional details added in metadata, and then need to be sent to the live news server via FTP. I carry this tech to get that done and will write more about my workflow in a future post.

An Apple SD card reader with a USB-C connector, an iPad Pro, a ZAGG keyboard/case, a USB-C to USB-C cable to connect the camera to the iPad, and I’m test carrying a 1 TB SSD external drive.

A Cocoon Grid-It elastic organizer for cables, drives, and card readers. There are pouches that work equally as well.

A generic portable battery pack (26000 mAh) will charge my iPad, iPhone, and camera batteries if I don’t bring a separate charger. I prefer not to charge the battery in-camera on location unless I have downtime. By using a dedicated camera battery charger, I can keep shooting on a new battery while the used one is charging.

I put a sticker listing the purchase date and a number on short-life items like memory cards and batteries. If I have an odd issue mid-session, I can quickly isolate it in a separate pocket and deal with it at home. The Anker USB C hub and 1 TB SSD drive are test additions to this kit.

Other stuff that falls into the EDC category: I have a small keyring that goes everywhere with me, even when I travel, and leave the rest of my keys at home. It includes a hex wrench for tripod screws, a BOAR multitool, and a RovyVon Aurora Luminous Body flashlight. (mine is USB micro; for charging simplicity, I want to get the newer USB C one). I like Leatherman and similar multi-tools, but they will be confiscated during security screening at many events, so they don’t go into these bags.

I’m set in my ways. When I pack my kit, I always put the same items in the same pockets or spaces. Creature of habit or obsessive — I’ll let you decide.

TL;DR

“You’re writing about photography, what’s THE best camera?”

The best camera is the one you have with you.