p.1 #1 · Cheap gear or accessories you would recommend..
I own expensive bags from Tenba, Guragear, and Thinktank, but this little cheapie is a bargain if you are looking for something tiny and stealth. I often have a need to carry a cheap/compact/stealth bag and this one is just about perfect for me. I've gone through many other cheap bags and wouldn't recommend them, but this one works. I got it on sale for $40 bucks, but even for $60 it's a great deal if you want something that's inconspicuous for your gear. It looks cheap to me as if someone might be carrying an iPad, a set of headphones, and toiletries or similar. I definitely would not expect this bag to be holding 17k worth of camera gear when it's on someone's back. I included some photos to visualize how small/shallow it is compared to a regular sized camera backpack like the Thinktank Streetwalker, which is not a big bag by any means. I think because the K&F bag is so shallow that people wouldn't expect a bunch of camera gear to be inside. The only issue I have with this bag is the zipper gets caught on the material that runs adjacent to it, which could be fixed in the next version. It's featherweight and doesn't seem like it would hold up long term, but so far it's held up well and helps to keep me flying under the radar in sketchy places. Also, it fits great in the bottom shelf of strollers for those who have little ones, which is something none of my other bags can do because of the depth.
I can fit all of the following in this little bag.
(2) R5II's
RF 24 VCM
RF 35 VCM
RF 50 VCm
RF 85 Samyang
RF 70-200 2.8
RF 100-500
MacBook Air
Misc accessories like SSD's, charger, cables
Do you have any cheap accessories like bags, tripods, filters, memory cards, SSD's etc. that you would recommend? Or possibly any DIY hacks to carry/organize/store your gear?
p.1 #4 · Cheap gear or accessories you would recommend..
ISDT NP2 Air for Sony batteries.
Its not that big, charges 3 different kinds of Sony batteries. Charges 2 batteries at once. Can both fast charge when in a rush, and slow charge so batteries stay healthier (uses an app to toggle fast charging). Has a light indicator and also beeps when charge is complete.
p.1 #5 · Cheap gear or accessories you would recommend..
aCuria wrote:
ISDT NP2 Air for Sony batteries.
Its not that big, charges 3 different kinds of Sony batteries. Charges 2 batteries at once. Can both fast charge when in a rush, and slow charge so batteries stay healthier (uses an app to toggle fast charging). Has a light indicator and also beeps when charge is complete.
p.1 #6 · Cheap gear or accessories you would recommend..
artsupreme wrote:
I own expensive bags from Tenba, Guragear, and Thinktank, but this little cheapie is a bargain if you are looking for something tiny and stealth. I often have a need to carry a cheap/compact/stealth bag and this one is just about perfect for me. I've gone through many other cheap bags and wouldn't recommend them, but this one works. I got it on sale for $40 bucks, but even for $60 it's a great deal if you want something that's inconspicuous for your gear. It looks cheap to me as if someone might be carrying an iPad, a set of headphones, and toiletries or similar. I definitely would not expect this bag to be holding 17k worth of camera gear when it's on someone's back. I included some photos to visualize how small/shallow it is compared to a regular sized camera backpack like the Thinktank Streetwalker, which is not a big bag by any means. I think because the K&F bag is so shallow that people wouldn't expect a bunch of camera gear to be inside. The only issue I have with this bag is the zipper gets caught on the material that runs adjacent to it, which could be fixed in the next version. It's featherweight and doesn't seem like it would hold up long term, but so far it's held up well and helps to keep me flying under the radar in sketchy places. Also, it fits great in the bottom shelf of strollers for those who have little ones, which is something none of my other bags can do because of the depth.
I can fit all of the following in this little bag.
(2) R5II's
RF 24 VCM
RF 35 VCM
RF 50 VCm
RF 85 Samyang
RF 70-200 2.8
RF 100-500
MacBook Air
Misc accessories like SSD's, charger, cables
Do you have any cheap accessories like bags, tripods, filters, memory cards, SSD's etc. that you would recommend? Or possibly any DIY hacks to carry/organize/store your gear?
p.1 #9 · Cheap gear or accessories you would recommend..
I've been using the inserts out of my camera bags inside regular bags. For example I have the inside liner of a Thinktank Speed Demon which holds an RP with a 24-105mm or an SL1 with a 17-40mm and a 100mm, tucked inside a generic Decathalon backpack that cost $25. The Decathalon bag looks like a cheap family backpack filled with kids snacks.
I also use the same liner on the top compartment of a LowePro backpack.
p.1 #10 · Cheap gear or accessories you would recommend..
Best "cheap" gear I own and recommend?
Pgytech Beetle Clip! Better and cheaper than the Peak Design Capture Clip. Indispensable for all my landscape photography tours. Works flawlessly for example with A7RV + Tamron 50-400 on long hikes.
p.1 #11 · Cheap gear or accessories you would recommend..
I own four bags from LowePro. and two Think-Tank Digital Holster bags among others, that cost from $75 to over $100, yet I find the bag I use most often, and that in every way rivals the construction quality of the fore-mentioned is a former version of the $29.95 Adorama Slinger-160.
p.1 #12 · Cheap gear or accessories you would recommend..
I have an older Tamrac bag I used to use, you can put a lot of gear in a basic small shoulder bag. Should be able to get measurements if anyone is interested, but it carried film OM system, single body and 5-6 lenses, easily. If you use the smaller stuff you might get 4 more recent lenses in there.
I've been using use older 80's model in manual, but 580 EX II & 420 EX II, really handy to have a flash
p.1 #13 · Cheap gear or accessories you would recommend..
Don’t get me started on bags…
Must have 20 Domke’s in the loft, next to a dozen ThinkTank bags surrounded by probably 10-20 other bags…
Yet I use a cheap GAP messenger bag I got from a charity shop, stuffed a Domke liner inside and sprayed the exterior with waterproofer!! I take it everywhere and no one bats an eyelid and boy is it comfy!!
p.1 #14 · Cheap gear or accessories you would recommend..
I have numerous bags and backpacks also, but not any cheap ones unless you count some freebies from the BH (can't remember the brand name).
Mostly I am using Gumba Gear, Thinktank and Tamrac backpacks in the field, and a custom Vertex long lens bag in Africa. None are still in production. I also have some Tenba, Lowepro, and Kinesis bags that are no longer in use. Of about 10 Tamrac bags/backpacks I would probably only use one now.
p.1 #15 · Cheap gear or accessories you would recommend..
I'm not a fan of third-party batteries, but I am a fan of the inexpensive little USB battery cradle chargers. I use them for travel, and they work well with solar panel chargers. Some of them are ridiculously cheap. (I got mine from Voltaic Systems, who make solar charger and battery systems.)
One of the cheapest and most useful accessories I have is a bunch of "framing cards." These are sheets of mat board with cutouts in your favorite aspect ratio (mine is 4:3) that you can use to pre visual compositions in the field. You'd be amazed and how helpful these are for certain kinds of photography.
p.1 #16 · Cheap gear or accessories you would recommend..
Would not recommend cheap-ing out on anything electronic/data related aka batteries, chargers, cords, memory cards, card readers etc. Silly way to damage your gear/lose your work just to save a few bucks
p.1 #17 · Cheap gear or accessories you would recommend..
A simple laser pointer.
When out with other people looking for owls (mostly) or other birds in leafed out trees, a laser pointer
makes it so much easier to point to where you are seeing it.
No, I don't point the laser right at the subject. I point 5-10 feet below, or point to a tree trunk to help
others see the bird.
Imagine that you see an owl 100 yards away in a tree, and people ask where it is, and this is all you
can see, in a sea of green.
p.1 #18 · Cheap gear or accessories you would recommend..
J2323 wrote:
Would not recommend cheap-ing out on anything electronic/data related aka batteries, chargers, cords, memory cards, card readers etc. Silly way to damage your gear/lose your work just to save a few bucks
Normally I agree. That's why I don't buy third-party batteries any more. But I've had excellent luck with my USB charger, probably using it for close to 10 years now without problems.
In my experience, it is useful to be selective about which less-expensive products you use and which you avoid.
For example, years ago I had multiple bad experiences with third-party batteries, including several for Fujifilm cameras that swelled inside the camera. The potential for damage there concerned me greatly, and Fujifilm sells batteries that seem reliable, so that's what I get. In another case I had several batteries for Canon cameras go bad on my during a long backcountry expedition, and I had to restrict my photography to get through the week.
I tend to agree with you regarding cords. Poor cables often fail too soon and at the worst possible times, and they don't really save that much money in the long run.
On the other hand, I've had no bad experiences with the chargers. (I've used them for Canon and Fujifilm cameras.) They offer some useful (to me) features that aren't found on the Fujifilm products, notably very small size and low weight — which are important to me in the backcountry. In addition, there is no comparable alternative from Fujifilm for this purpose.
I also have long used less-expensive memory cards from known vendors, always selecting cards that meet the manufacturer specs. In more than 25 years of using cards in cameras I have yet to encounter a card failure. (I also use cameras with two slots and mirror the images to both cards.)
I also would not worry much about inexpensive card readers. There are tons of them available, and they all work pretty much the same if they are similarly designed They also don't pose any serious risk to cards or computer. (These days I'm more likely to just hook the camera straight to the computer.)
davev wrote:
A simple laser pointer.
When out with other people looking for owls (mostly) or other birds in leafed out trees, a laser pointer
makes it so much easier to point to where you are seeing it.
No, I don't point the laser right at the subject. I point 5-10 feet below, or point to a tree trunk to help
others see the bird.
Imagine that you see an owl 100 yards away in a tree, and people ask where it is, and this is all you
can see, in a sea of green.
That's a good one I hadn't thought to... and it reminds me of another useful, cheap tool that I use when doing tripod-based, long exposure photography in industrial areas. Getting good focus in extremely low light is often very difficult, if not impossible. So I carry one or more small, cheap LED lights that I can place in the scene where I want to focus. (In one emergency, I actually used one of these little lights to light paint a subject!)
p.1 #19 · Cheap gear or accessories you would recommend..
Cheap is relative. Rocket air blasters are one of my favorite gadgets. You can get knock-offs for a couple bucks. But I've found the original Giottos brand full-size rocket is worth the premium $18 price.
