Camera Bags

For Christmas this year we got a new camera for Michael. Lately we have been getting filters, lens hoods, extra batteries, a remote for the shutter, etc. He has decided that he'll keep the old camera for a back-up. Side note - Michael would make a great farmer. He hates to part with things that he's updated. We would have fields full of "spare parts" and other things that are old and outdated that we might use at some point in time. - Anyway, because he is keeping the old camera, he needs a new bag for the new camera. He listens to a photo podcast that features 2 or 3 professional photographers. He was telling me about a camera bag that one of the guys has. It retails for about $500. I think that is ridiculous. I see no reason for a bag to be that expensive, in fact it had better be gold plated, wheel itself after you, and hand you the camera when you need it.

These guys frequently get things for free for mentioning the product, sort of like celebrities getting free bags, clothes, etc. The $500 bag guy admits he has a bag fetish. He has over 100 bags and uses them all. He said the bag he uses depends on what he is doing. I admit, I am quite naive about photography in general. I know about as much as the next person when it comes to cameras, but not nearly as much as Michael. Seriously though, no matter where you go with the camera, aren't you still just taking pictures? The bags don't hold much more than the camera and some small accessories. It sounds to me like a girl going on date, "do I need this purse that only holds my cell phone and keys, or this one that I can fit my make-up kit in?"

Out of curiosity, I looked on some e-bay stores to see if I could find something akin to the $500 bag. Most were between $25-$100, although I found two that caught my eye. One was $2060 - it was a lamb skin Chanel bag that probably held a point and shoot and maybe a pen. The other was $360, and the only quality that I thought put it above the cheaper bags was that it had a "red flag device" (whatever that is) that alerts you to any memory cards, batteries, or other electronic devices "that may be hidden in the bag." It also had a spot for a laptop.

Needless to say, we won't be spending over $100 for a bag. In Michael's defense, he has never asked for an extravagant bag, and is too frugal to do so. If you haven't guessed, I'm not the kind of girl that is into bags. Mine is a $20 bag from Target which holds my keys, phone and wallet. Shoes though, now there's something we could talk about.