Bag for A1 (height 10"/25cm!)

[Poppe Johansson]

Hello to forum!

I'm looking for a bag for my A1. The problem is that A1's height with all my accessories is so high that it's almost impossible to find that kind of bags. See the picture of my setup here: http://www.aavekammari.com/a1.html
The main problem is Rode with SM5 shock mount. Total height without light is about 10" (25 cm). Now I have to always remove the mic before I can fit A1 to my bag. It would be nice to just pick the whole setup from one bag and shoot.

What kind of bags are you using with A1?

[Alexander Karol]

Poppe, I am sure you'll find a bag that big for your A1, but the question is, should you really do it? I would not recommend that you place your A1, fully setup inside a bag, unless it is a Pelican (hard-case with customizable foam), or similar bag. Getting a tradional, soft to medium bag, and placing the A1 with all it's accessories attached can lead it to break at the hinges due to pressure. Having the wide-angle lens and tripod adapter attached is fine, but I would definetely remove the microphone, shockmount, and light set while storing.

I would take a look at Kata bags, they seem to be quite popular:

http://www.kata-bags.com/

Lowepro has also been pretty popular among camcorder users:

http://www.lowepro.com/

Hope this helps...

[John C. Chu]

You might check out this bag from Petrol:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ghType=search#

It's a bit heavy though--I wouldn't recommend wearing over your shoulder all day with everything in it. But the bag is very tough.

[Poppe Johansson]

Maybe I'm looking more like mixture of case and bag. That Petrol bag John linked is pretty good sized, but I think it's too soft for my purposes.
I don't need to keep HVL-light installed (and I don't), only mic with SM5. But still the bag should be very hard-wearing. Anyway, thanks for those links!

[Poppe Johansson]

Ok. Just a short update. I found the bag for my A1. Tamrac's 5612 Pro12 was good sized. It's quite light but strong enough to protect A1. 5612 is meant for still cameras, but it's possible to remove all extra stuff. Height isn't over 25cm/10", but SM5 fits in horizontally just fine.

You can find a picture of A1/5612 here: http://www.aavekammari.com/a1.html

[Alex Thames]

Where did you get it and how much? It looks nice.

[Poppe Johansson]

Originally Posted by Alex Thames

Where did you get it and how much? It looks nice.

I bought it from a local camera store here in Finland, but you can find it eg. from B&H at 119$. It's much cheaper than most camcorder bags of this size.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

[Alexander Karol]

Nice bag indeed!

I was wondering if you could have a picture of the bag on the person. I have a feeling it might be too big for me. I would love to have something, like a person to have a relation to.

Thanks in advance.

[J. Stephen McDonald]

Originally Posted by Poppe Johansson

I bought it from a local camera store here in Finland, but you can find it eg. from B&H at 119$. It's much cheaper than most camcorder bags of this size.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

I've been through this same problem with most of my camcorder setups. I've finally learned that it's much better to disassemble everything and pack each piece in some protective little bag. There's too much risk of breaking things, when you pack the whole works around, in a "ready-to-go" assembled state. I learned to take apart a rifle when I was in the Army, while blindfolded and put it back together, in just a few minutes. If you practice your assembly drill, you can do the same with video gear. It's worth the extra effort.

As far as hard or soft cases and bags go, I make the rounds of 2nd-hand stores. I've found small to medium-sized hard Samsonite cases, with strong metal latches, for as little as $1. I glue layers of foam inside and for a tiny fraction of the cost, have camera cases as good as any professional models. Also, my cases look like they might contain something like a hair-dryer or dirty underwear. Their outward appearance doesn't advertize that they contain an expensive camcorder, for the benefit of would-be thieves.

By the way, that collection of gear you have on that AI is very impressive. Few people would look at it and immediately realize that at the center, was the world's smallest professional HD camcorder.

[Alex Thames]

The problem I have with taking apart everything for bag storage is not so much of the time and effort it takes to assemble/reassemble, but the wear and tear aspect. Sliding the audio module in and out of the shoe and AIS, screwing and unscrewing my Spiderbrace, unscrewing the shockmount to retrieve the mic, unplugging/plugging in XLR cables, screwing on/off wideangle lens/lens hood...things like that. True, these things can take normal wear and tear well for many years, but still, if I don't have to do it, I would rather not. Also, I find plugging in the AIS part of the audio module a little difficult sometimes. I am also particularly worried about screws stripping from so much threading. I've had screws strip too many times.

The other side of me wonders how safe a pre-assembled setup in a bag would be though. Also, the obviously much bigger size of the bag would be a problem as well.

So I'm trying to balance the size of bag I want with cost with how I want the bag to look (expensive camera inside or crappy stuff inside).

[Ruben Moreno]

I have the Petrol and I recommend it. It has separated compartiments and lets you attach the cam inside the bag with velcro.