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02/20/2006 05:26:38 PM · #1 |
Ok I have a Nikon D70 (obviously) and a GPS. Just got some trekking poles and I am addicted to geocaching :)
I have a backpack for my camera which I like well enough BUT it jam packs my camera in really tight (nice and secure but a bit tough to get out).
I got some software to append long./lat. info into my exif data and I'd like to shoot pictures quickly and easily as I am hiking. Mostly snapshots for now and then I can use the GPS coords to come back to that spot if I see something I really want to spend my time on.
So my question is, does anyone have any suggestions on carrying my camera with the 18-70 on it other than just around my neck? Problem is when hiking my camera goes bouncing all over the place. I'd love to have a holster or something I could have on my hip or something to quickly and easily be able to pull my camera out if I want a quick snapshot. I definitely don't want to have to stop, pull off my backpack, find a place to set it, get the camera out, take a picture and then reverse the whole process to get going again. I want to be able to keep movin' and just click off a few shots on my way.
I know I'm not the only one who does this and there's probably an easy solution, so.. what do you think? |
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02/20/2006 05:43:39 PM · #2 |
| I have a Tamron holster which has its own shoulder strap and can be threaded thru a belt as well - or attached with a carbiner. It's mildly padded and has a latch for the top. Sorry I don't know the model |
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02/20/2006 05:43:41 PM · #3 |
| if your just wanting snapshots then take a smaller P&S with you and dont worry about the extra heavy equip. And if your using gps and you find that perfect subject (as long as it does not move or is condition dependant), well youll know where to go back to with the big guns. I know of alot of pros who do just that, take the p&s to get the shots that cant be missed and come back to get the really must have special shots. as carrying alot of gear sometimes is not praticle |
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02/20/2006 09:03:47 PM · #4 |
I have a little harness thing that I can attach my camera too..
It's a pretty simple thing, from what I can tell from movies :) it looks like a similar thing to a gun hostel the undercover cops use (you know.. strap around both shoulder, and the gun is under their arm) anyway.. I can attach the straps that come to the front to the camera.. this sets the camera nice and tight against my chest.. and still lets me shoot if I want to.
I bought it at a local store here in Vancovuer.
I used it for the first time this weekend on a ski touring trip I did and it worked great. I've been thinking of doing a few modifications though to make it lock a little tighter specially when I'm skiing downhill 'cause it ended up bouncing a bit on thight turns
Javier |
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02/20/2006 10:27:57 PM · #5 |
This is something like what I am shopping for right now to carry my camera while mountain biking or snowboarding.
//www.tamrac.com/5747.htm
You can conveniently pull the pack to your front to access your camera because it only has one strap. I've tried on some models at a store and I am trying to find the perfect pack. I want to be able to carry my D70 with the 70-200 f2.8vr attached and still have room to store another lense. |
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02/21/2006 01:00:09 AM · #6 |
I use a LowePro Stealth Reporter bag with the Lowe Deluxe Wasitbelt. I sling the bag over my shoulder and buckle the belt. It's as secure as a backpack. When I want to shoot, I just unbuckle the belt and it's easy to work out of without setting everything down.
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02/21/2006 02:12:03 AM · #7 |
I have a similar bag to this Tamrac 5 actually.. it's a great bag, but it's a bag, so every time I want to shoot I have to take it out of the bag. A bit of a pain.
The harness thingy is a lot more convenient (specially if you stop often to take a shot)
I'll try to see if I can find it online
J |
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02/21/2006 02:12:53 AM · #8 |
Oh wow.. here you go
//www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302697307&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442421419
This is EXACTLY the one that I have (bought it at mec)
J |
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02/21/2006 02:29:34 AM · #9 |
Do you want to keep the lens and body attached all the time while you're hiking, or are you willing to assemble them as needed? I have looked into the holster packs and they don't seem all that comfortable to me as they stick out too deep. A more balanced solution to me would be to get a lens pouch and a seperate pouch for your D70 that can be slipped onto a belt. Would be easy enough to assemble on the go. Then you could hold accesories and other gear (rain jackets, etc) in your back pack.
I currently use a video camera bag while out in the field for my rather large, fixed lens, Oly E-20 and it works well for me. |
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02/21/2006 12:43:43 PM · #10 |
Used to have a Quantray extended lens bag similar to one described above with a shoulder strap and a couple of velcro tabs on the rear for belt carry. When backpacking (serious; 60-80 pound packs)the camera bag went around my neck, the belt straps afixed to the front of my pack straps on my chest which kept it from bouncing. It was immediately accessably by a dual zipper top and my walking stick was my monopod. Carried a body and telezoom lense that way for a week.
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02/21/2006 01:18:18 PM · #11 |
nemesise1977 - that might just end up being the simplest (though not cheapest) solution
yakatme - I like the idea behind the sling bag design. On a long hike I wonder if it would create some back strain though since the weight is not evenly distributed along the shoulders.
Spazmo99 - interesting, I went to the Lowepro site and they have stuff designed specifically for the kind of stuff I'm asking about, like top loading holster packs with chest harness straps....
jsolsona - that's a really interesting idea, I'll have to check into that. The only concern is I'm a big fat guy so it's easiest for me to wear suspenders when hiking (all the moving around makes my pants fall down otherwise) so I'm not sure if that would become uncomfortable with the suspenders (since they would overlap in spots)
Olyuzi - I definitely want to keep the lens attached, out on the trail there's already enough chance for dust to get in the camera |
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02/21/2006 01:30:24 PM · #12 |
Try one of these. Birders use them all the time for binoculars that weigh as much if not more than the D70. It is an elastic harness that holds the camera to your chest while you walk but allows you to just raise it up to your face for a shot.
Harness
BTW - if you want something more substantial that you can store other camera gear in then I'm with those who use the Velocity 7 sling bag. Works very well and I use it often. The harness above works well when you want the camera immediately availalbe but need your hand free.
Message edited by author 2006-02-21 13:36:17. |
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02/21/2006 01:30:53 PM · #13 |
Longer and/or more difficult hikes I bring the S2 which fits in a hip bag atttached to my belt. I'm looking for a padded SLR case that sits low on my chest via the backpack straps so I can go all SLR though.
Short hikes I bring the XT and keep it around my kneck or over the shoulder.
Note that of you are not a large person you can put your arm through the neck strap and wear the camera across your body (like a seatbelt). It stays pretty stable that way, but the strap is too small for me to do that.
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02/21/2006 01:52:50 PM · #14 |
You got me looking...
Check out //www.m-rock.com/products.html
I like the Grand Canyon as I like to have a wide angle and a telephoto with me, but the Yellowstone sounds perfect for you.
With all the attach hoops you can attach it to anything any way you want, or wear it over your shoulder. And it even has a belt loop for one more option. These seem really well made and thought out giving you a lot of options to wear it.
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02/21/2006 02:14:22 PM · #15 |
Originally posted by LoudDog:
You got me looking...
Check out //www.m-rock.com/products.html
I like the Grand Canyon as I like to have a wide angle and a telephoto with me, but the Yellowstone sounds perfect for you.
With all the attach hoops you can attach it to anything any way you want, or wear it over your shoulder. And it even has a belt loop for one more option. These seem really well made and thought out giving you a lot of options to wear it. |
That does look really good, thanks for the help. It has several different options for carrying which looks really cool - and it takes accessorie bags so I could easily carry an extra lens etc. if I wanted but if not it doesn't add to the bulk of the bag. Great find :) |
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02/24/2006 09:52:56 PM · #16 |
I bought a High Sierra and Niagara from //www.m-rock.com that night (2/21) with standard shipping and received it today (2/24).
It was a little pricy, but this is really high quality stuff. The high sierra easily fits my XT with the 17-40 L on and the hood on in ready position. Plus, with all the attach points on the bag I can attach it to my belt or my shoulder straps of my backpack for easy out of the way access.
They also both come with a rain hood that stows away in the bag in case you ever get caught in the rain.
I'm very impressed with the speed of shipping and quality of the product and I just wanted to give them a plug because I never heard of them before.
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02/24/2006 11:41:59 PM · #17 |
| The simplest solution of all is to just sling the camera over your neck, put one arm through the strap, and slide the camera around to the middle of your back (or nestle it up next to a small backpack). This is obviously not a good idea if there's any chance of rain, and probably doesn't work well with a big backpack. But it's a great solution for day hikes in dependable weather. To take a photo, just swing the camera over and shoot - no fiddling with any zippers or snaps, and no extra weight to carry. I've done this many times, last time on a couple of two-hour hikes in Vermont last weekend (in 0 deg Fahrenheit!). |
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02/24/2006 11:48:02 PM · #18 |
All I can say is that I am an avid hiker, and I bring my camera along. It gets annoying carrying it around your neck but its getting the shots that count. If you could find some sort of holster that would be better i guess.
-adam |
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02/24/2006 11:54:41 PM · #19 |
Well the local hiking store had a sale on a holster bag similar to the yellowstone at m-rock.com.
I also have a tamarac backpack that has metal rings on the shoulders. The girl at the hiking store then used some "webbing" to fashion a belt and straps that can attatch around my waist and to the backpack so it sits in front on my abdomen. it's small and lightweigh so it doesn't really bother me (in some ways it's nicer than just the backpack because it distributes the weight). I look like a bit of a dork I'm sure but it puts my camera within easy reach - don't even need to zip it with the top cover. When closed the top of the bag works as a "shelf" that I can put my GPS on keeping my hands free to use my poles. Like I said, probably kinda dorky but very functional. If I get a chance I'll take a pic this weekend. |
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02/25/2006 01:01:33 AM · #20 |
I still LOVE my Podzilla!!. I put a double shoulder harness from OP on it, throw it over my shoulders and have "webbing that goes around the midsection (so it doesn't bounce), for when I am hiking with a pack. able to keep the camera strap around my neck and the camera protected in the bag also at the same time. I have SO MUCH crap in there!! 18-70mm, 50mm, 70-300, sb-600 flash, mini tripod, BouncFlash, WhiBal Cards, 6 AA batteries, extra cmaera battery, USB cord, pocket notebook and Space Pen, lens pen, microcloth, bubble level, 2 lens shades, D70 (of course!!), Photographers rights card, money, business cards, an a few more things.
It works very well for long hikes, too. Can get a bit sweaty under there and if carrying a pack it does put a little weight forward to balance out a 40-60 lb pack!!
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02/25/2006 05:09:24 AM · #21 |
I'm surprised nobody's mentioned an approach like what we used to do, back in the dark ages; I had an elastic webbing belt attached to a fabric cup that fit over my walkaround lens. Hang camera from neck, strap belt around abdomen, snap cup over lens. Want to shoot? pull out on the cup, and the camera's free. While walking or cycling, the camera remains locked to your chest/abdomen. I can see all sorts of variations of this being created with velcro, shock cord, whatever.
Robt.
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