I've been looking for a nice bag to house the 400 2.8 IS. Tried the Kinesis and Tenba long lens bags, but didn't like the vertical orientation. Finally found a bag that loads horizontally and can be carried horizontally - Mountainsmith Reflex II XX-Large.
It comes with two long dividers (length of the bag) and a lot of small dividers. I use one long divider alongside the lens, and a few short dividers perpendicularly, to accommodate batteries, flashes, zooms, etc...
The bag takes the 400 2.8 IS + teleconverter + 1D attached (hood reversed). There is enough room alongside it (and plenty of extra dividers) for batteries, flashes, extra body and lenses (should you choose to carry all that on one shoulder ). There are front pockets, side mesh pockets (I keep TT Hydrophobia rain cover in one of them), flap pockets and a large pocket inside the flap.
Besides the shoulder strap, it has a nice rubber top handle and two side handles, making handling and car loading/unloading very comfortable. Top flap has both a zipper and two buckles.
The bag is well padded, but not overly so. Appears to be very well made. Oh, almost forgot - the bottom of the bag is enclosed in thick rubber, making setting it on less that desirable surfaces worry-free .
A great bag to get your gear from the car to the location...
Sells for $159 at B&H, a bit less at e-bags.com.
Just thought I'd share, in case some of you prefer a horizontal load/carry option for your long lens...
Pardon the pictures, as I'm yet to master cellphone photography That's the rain cover sticking out of the right-side pocket...
Nice bag. I'm a fan of the Kinesis case and have been using it to haul around my 400/2.8 for the past 4 years. I would be very hesitant to do much hauling around in the horizontal position with the camera attached as the camera/lens mount could be easily damaged if bounced around.
yes, the bottom is stiff, so no worries about the mount. You can also use the remaining dividers on the bottom to support the entire length of the lens - this would minimize the load on the mount
EDIT: I used the remaining 5 dividers to create an semi-circular cradle around the thinner part of the lens. So now, when you put the lens in, it rests on two points - the hood and the part right under the lens foot (foot rotated up). The body rests on the bag's bottom without any load, so there's no load on the mount...
I think I need to clarify - I like Kinesis stuff! I used to have the L311 with backpack harness that I used with my 300 2.8 IS. Great bag!
But what I've found with longer cases, needed to accommodate the 400 2.8, vertical loading just isn't comfortable for me. It's difficult to get around the body to grab the neck of the lens when taking it out. And pulling the rig out by the body definitely puts some stress on the mount with a lens of this weight.
Also, carrying the case on the shoulder, a long heavy vertical tube just isn't that comfortable for me...
Lastly, unless you are willing to cover Kinesis with pouches, it won't take too many extras. On the other hand, Kinesis and Tenba have provisions for monopod, which Mountainsmith doesn't...
Again, not that one is better than the other, rather an alternative. I just happen to prefer this one
I also like horizontal load/carry bags. I used to have a L311 and sold it because it did not carry well unless the backpack attachment was used. I personally like to carry the camera/light lens (70-200 or 400 5.6) and have the larger lens in a side case.
My current aviation/airshow kit is a 1Ds w/ 70-200 (or 16-35) attached with my domke F2 holding my 300 2.8 is, extender, extra battery, memory, water, and monopod. With this type of bag I can keep the gear out of the dirt when I change lenses and everything is easy to reach.
With the 500 I used a nova 5 in a similar way. I think mtm has a great solution for carrying a 400 2.8 or 600.
The only thing about 600mm - it will have to go in without the camera - the bag is only 19" long. But there's enough room for the camera to go on the side.
When ordering the bag, I was concerned if the shoulder strap would collapse the sides when the bag is loaded and apply pressure on the lens/camera, but this is not the case - the bag holds its shape well.
). There are front pockets, side mesh pockets (I keep TT Hydrophobia rain cover in one of them), flap pockets and a large pocket inside the flap.
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