[A guest review from Ashley Taylor, photographer]
What is a photographer’s most important accessory? If you’re thinking, “well, a camera, obviously”, then you’re absolutely right. That’s why camera cases are a close second after the camera. Chances are, unless you work solely out of your own studio and never ever leave the studio with your camera, or take your camera on trips, or really do anything with your camera except keep it inside at all time (which I personally find very hard to believe), then you own a camera case. Or if you don’t, you should! And if you’re one of those “never actually take my camera out” ters, then, well, keep doing your thing.
I have been taking pictures for about 4 years, since my freshman year of high school when I found myself in yearbook staff, wherein they hand you a camera and shoo you out the door with the instructions “take pictures of faces please, don’t scare the kids, and try to go as unnoticed as possible”. Well, I don’t know if you’ve ever walked into a classroom of media deprived 9 year olds (ah, Waldorf), trying to be inconspicuous as a) a “big kid” and b) with something very media – full in your hands, but let me tell you, going “unnoticed” is not exactly going to work. I have gained so much respect for child and family photographers through my yearbook experiences. Turns out, it is possible to get some fairly candid photos of the kids, but it takes patience. The challenge of taking good photos while being inconspicuous wound up becoming a hobby of mine, and I have loved not only photography, but candids as well, ever since.
I’ve grown since then, mentally, physically, creatively, and also with cameras, of course. I’ve graduated from a little point and shoot in 8th grade, to moving my way up the ranks to a Canon DSLR 5D Mark iii. The camera I have now I absolutely adore, and I have it attached to my side almost at all times. This of course, presented a problem. I could no longer throw my camera in my purse before tossing it in the passenger seat, (I mean, technically I could but… Yes dad, I’m making good choices), and I needed a professional quality camera bag.
I have had a couple of camera bags in my day, but they’ve always been big, bulky, awkward and uncomfortable to carry, let alone carry long distances, and a general pain to travel with, as as big as they were, they only fit my camera, not my purse, flash, lenses, or computer. In addition, I wanted something that was aesthetically pleasing, and I didn’t find the traditional black boxy bags to be particularly so.
So I was very happy, and a little shocked, when I found the Reflexion DSLR + iPad Medium Cross-Body Bag from Case Logic. Shocked because it was a little bit like finding the unicorn of camera bags, something that I didn’t think actually existed.
The bag itself is a good size, messenger type bag. It comes in two colors, a dark grey and an army green. They market it as being very versatile, with a removable camera pouch if you want to carry iPads, computers, headphones, or whatever else you may stuff into a bag. There is a small zippered pouch in the interior, as well as a bigger pocket on the opposite side. In addition, the front doubles as another pocket that snaps closed. Overall, it is a sleek and fairly simple looking bag that has many uses. It also was the 2014 winner of the “Red dot Award”, an international design award that is highly favored in the industry.
What I immediately liked about the bag was the big shoulder strap. It makes the bag comfortable and easy to carry with the grip, and the bigger strap distributes the weight of the camera bag, making it easier to carry. This is an especially important factor for me, because almost all the shoots I do are out in nature, which often entails me having to carry my camera bag for long periods of time as we hike, walk, skip, swim, (haha, not really, but you catch my drift). Another huge pro to this bag is that it is indeed very multi purposeful.
I recently went on a trip down to Florida, and I fit my camera, computer, camera chargers, various cords, headphones, and wallet in my new bag. It was my only carry on, and after traveling with it on my shoulder for a good 8 hours, my back was not at all sore, which is a definite first for my traveling – with – camera – bags career. I also love the design; it looks high end without being overly glitzy, for a camera bag. It’s simple and low key, and yet does the job better than any other camera bag I’ve seen.
One thing I didn’t like about the bag was that the slot where you keep the camera itself is not actually attached to the bag itself; it is just a pouch that sits in the bag if you choose to keep it in. I have opened the bag after a car ride to find the pouch overturned and the camera upside down, simply because there is no way to attach the pouch sturdily to the bag, as far as I know. The pouch is also a bit small, and is dwarfed in the bigger bag. In a way, it seems like the camera aspect of the bag could have been added as an afterthought to the whole messenger electronics bag appeal.
Overall, I would say the Case Logic Reflexion bag is absolutely worth the $89. It’s a beautiful design, extremely versatile, and comfortable to carry. I will definitely be keeping this bag with me wherever my photographic adventures take me.