A good case/bag under $500?
 

I was hoping that somebody could point me in the direction of a good case or bag for the HD100; I saw JVC's hard shipping case for $500 at B&H, but I was hoping for a cheaper alternative if there was one. I don't plan on shipping the camera anywhere; the only travel it should be doing is in the same vehicle as me, back seat floorboard or trunk, whichever seems to be the safest once I try to put the thing in. I know I probably shouldn't skimp on the case, but I'm just getting started and want to try to limit how much I'm putting out right now, so if there's something cheaper, it'd help.

case for HD100
 

Tim,

You can't beat Portbrace. You could get a great bag for around $300 or so.

I would go their website, www.portbrace.com, and check out what they have. Great stuff. I have about 4 of their bags. Very durable.

Dan Weber

i'll second the portabrace. i have a ctc-3 bag and am very happy with it. it seems to offer a good deal of protection from general moving about and accomodates the camera with dionic90 attached. it also has pockets for my titan 70 charger and g2 wireless system and all the little odds and ends i like to keep with the camera. i got mine from b&h with a rain slicker for about $280usd. figures it is cheaper now...
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

Portabrace here, so that's 3 tips, 3 times Portabrace... ;-)
I've the ctc-3 as well, works with my XL-H1.

I prefer the waterproof and sturdier Pelican case, which can hold a bunch of stuff and can be cut to fit the HD100. portabags are prones to damage, but are great for a quick trip without risks. I would also recommend a rainslipper to protect from rain and sand if in desert.

Thanks guys! I'll take a look at the portabrace and pelican options.

Petrol also recently showed a prototype for a bag for the HD100 that looked very nice at DV Expo (for local transportation only, not for shipping). Sachtler recently bought the Petrol line and will be selling their bags - the HD100 bag is called the PCUB-HD, and supposedly will be available sometime in Feb (it's not available yet). They say they will have a promotion when it comes out, giving a free rain cover with the bag. I had bought a Porta-Brace DVO-2U for my HD100, and while it works I don't recommend it (won't fit with the AB battery, for example). The Porta-Brace CTC-3 others mentioned I'm sure is a better choice. I'm planning on getting the Petrol bag when it becomes available.

I second all of the above...

Portabrace CTC-3 is excellent for your daily use.

Pellican is unbeatable for air travel (if you have to check your camera - I try not to) and for the outdoors in wild places (jungle, desert, ocean).

Petrols are good too, I have a fabulous tripod bag but I haven't seen the camera bag for the HD100.

We use Pelican for any tough travel situations (when shipping it's a must), and we do have the Petrol, for everything else with our HD100.

I also have the CTC-3 bag, but the CTC-2 is also suitable. Check this acessories list for the HD100, it has a bag section:
http://www.jvcpro.co.uk/getResource2...es.pdf?id=6134

hello ever one

I was in Holland last week and I vest company in Rotterdam city , the company is called CAMKADE and they made case and rain cover for very low price , I get new case for jvc-hd100 only 140 euro with out tax , rain cover also in the same price , the quality of these products its very well compeers with PortaBroce , I have very expansive PortaBrose for my jvc-dv500 and I see no point for high price to this company so if you see the quality of CAMKADE equipment you will fell better then other , you can see the site of these company and see how case look like and you will understand why I say that .

Since I live in Rotterdam and never heard of this company, I'm very interested in it. A simple Google search gave me no info, can you please provide me some more info like the web-address or so? Thanks a lot!

Mouayed didn't have the right name/spelling. I think that he meant Camrade. I was looking at them earlier too, especially for the rain cover - don't really like PortaBrace version of it, which I bought already but I don't think I'll use (anyone interested? brand new never used)

http://www.camrade.com/

Jiri,
What don't you like about the portabrace raincover? I was thinking about getting one but now I'm not too sure. P.S. how much do you want for it? I'm in UK...

The camrade cases look interesting, but I guess you'd have to import them if you want one. I'll probably grab the portabrace ctc-3, but would also like to hear Jiri's opinion of the raincover. Thanks again for the help!

I have the portabrace hk-3. It fits well. Better if you disconnect the A-B battery when you transport. Between the battery, the shotgun mic and the eyepiece, it gets a little bulky in all directions but it does fit with room to spare.

I like backpacks however, as sometimes there's a lot of hiking in some assignments.

I bought a KATA bag yesterday for my new hd100 and it was under $120.00. It hold the camera just fine with the battery and viewfinder attached (albeit snugly) and with plenty of room for other stuff.

oh yah, i think its the CC-193, not the "pro" cases, but if I need something with more protection I will buy a hard case, I just needed something to protect it during auto transport and hold all my extras.

Kata
 

I also use a KATA bag. I have the backpack model which I am very pleased with. I can have the wideangle lens on, and still it fits nicely in the bag. The only downside is the yellow colour inside the bag. It is not a colour which is easy to keep clean - but on the other hand it is a colour that makes it easy to find things you lost in your bag. So my vote goes for Kata - and I agree on some of the other posts - that if you need to ship the equipment - we use Pelican cases.

I also use the Kata backpack. Great case

Laszlo

I talked about some camera men and a technically responsible @ a tv station about the Camrade cases/bags. Everybody is not recommending this brand. Those steel hook things brake of, hard plastic dividers are broken at delivery or within' a couple of weeks, the bag itself is not very good resisted to every circumstance.

I use Camrade and I think its very tough , the best part in this bag it is look of it, its more professional look when Clint see it , the color of the bag inside is red and outside is black and the best thing is inscription on the bag "Pro HD" JVC have see it in the site.

How long are you using it? I just talked to my sound guy and his Camrade mixer bag just fell of his waistcoat a couple of months ago. the connector just broke and fortunately he was quick enough to catch his mixer otherwise it just smashed on the ground. As I mentioned before this story is certainly not on its own..

How about a Tamrac 2250? that should fit fine.... I'm also still looking, but not everything fits since I'm using the IDX adapter (and obviously I'm not going to take that off to put it in the bag - it is screwed in...)

I had a Camrade bag, custom made for an XL1. A very - very good bag, but obviously just to small to fit the JVC (the JVC is higher and the IDX adapter stuck out). I can't seem to find any pictures of the camrade bag for the JVC. Is it big enough for JVC+ IDX-adapter? And does it have a strengthened protection for the viewfinder?

Bag for camera with matte box?
 

I'm sure that the conventional wisdom is to transport a camera with its matte box detached, but lacking a case I've been schlepping my HD100 around with its Petroff matte box attached. I've grown somewhat accustomed to having the camera ready to shoot virtually on arrival.

Does anyone know of a bag that is protective, supportive and large enough to allow the camera and matte box to stay connected safely? I generally have the wide lens fitted and have the Anton Bauer battery mount. The matte box is supported by rods and also clamps on to the wide lens (you can't clamp anything very tightly on the psuedo-IF stock lens without binding up the focus ring) so it's pretty sturdy.

If the above is not possible, what about a case for a matte box? Anyone know of such a thing?

I'm brand agnostic, so Kata, Petrol, Portabrace, any brand whatever if it fits. Thanks in advance for any help here.

Tip

Porta Brace CC-325P Quick Draw Case
 

I just received the Porta Brace Quick Draw case for the HD-100. It provides a metal frame that specifically protects the viewfinder. I decided on this case after seeing two different rental HD-100s with a broken viewfinder. The design of the camera makes the viewfinder vulnerable to travel damage.

The case fits the camera with the IDX battery in place and seems to offer excellent protection for a soft case. There are enough pockets to take the JVC AC adaptor as well as the IDX charger plus a wireless mike and plenty of tape. There is one problem. I am unpluging the camera mike since the position of the XLR connector jams the cable against the side of the case. The bag is around $310.

I do the same with my Portabrace CTC-3, that connector is a problem to any bag you use. I don't have a matte box, but I think it would fit in my bag, even with the charger that I put on the back near the A/B bracket. I don't know if with the mate box the camera becomes longer considering that the lens hood is removed.

There is a simple and cheap solution...discussed here: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=54121

A right angle XLR connector to replace the one that comes with the camera mike.

Why didn't I think about that before... Thanks Jiri, very usefull.

I just bought the Camrade CB-575 bag. I tried the Camrade bag made to fit the HD100 ('Single 2'), but that didn't give enough protection for me. The CB-575 gives nice protection, is very sturdy - like my last camrade bag, has a dedicated protection for the viewfinder and gives room ro an IDX battery attachment, but it does come at €380 instead of the €180 for the "single 2"...

I happened across this last night:

http://www.globalmediapro.com/video/...ase--1789.html

Has anyone heard of it? They're showing a case with a JVC logo that I would assume is the kind of fitted hard case that you can get for a GL1 or a number of other prosumer models, but I've never heard this particular case referred to in any JVC material. Anyone know if it's legit or Photoshop? ;-)

just bought this bag yesterday for my jvc from evs. http://www.petrolbags.com/new_petrol_site/ i absolutely love this bag. plenty of room and protection for the viewfinder and mic. fits very nicely with every thing attached including a big battery. can also put battery charger and accessories inside. i picked it up at evs for 265.00 befor tax. imo a very good choice. ooops, that link takes you to the home page. the model # is PCUB-2.

I'm a Portabrace fan, in my opinion there is no other bag with the same durability and resistence. However, this CTC-3 I have has not many divisions. I have to put the charger together with the camera and no way to store with the battery mounted. The camera light has it's own case and I also have to put it toghether with the camera, If I had a Matte Box I think it would be a problem.

I love Portabrace products, too, but the CTC-3 wasn't designed specifically for the HD-100, so it's not like they really dropped the ball. They just don't make a case that was designed for HD100 owners. Now, that Petrol case that apparently was designed for the HD100 looks like it might be a great option. If they're out yet. And if I can find one. Heh...

This one should work perfectly:

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

We have had great luck with Pelican cases. Not the lightest thing in the world though. This one comes with a dolly which is nice.

Ben

Go to a large hunting store
 

You should go to a large hunting/sporting goods store
and look at the many gun cases with designable foam.

Lower prices than AV companies selling the same cases.

Has anyone been able to pick up one of the Petrol bags yet?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

How is it compared to the PB? I hear mixed feelings on the PB CTC3. One person says you can't store it with the battery attached, another says you can. I also heard somewhere that you have to take the viewfinder off. Certainly that's not true I hope.

Nonsense; it fits in the CTC3 no problem with room to spare. You can keep the battery on and very likely also a wireless (depending on how it's mounted). VF stays as well. PB cases are designed for full size cameras.

One thing that is good to do is to change the straight XLR microphone connector to a right angle - makes it easier to move the camera in and out of the case.

ctc-3 bag is great except where the mic input is, kinda tight. Jiri where do I purchase a right angle xlr connector you mentioned?

I got mine from a commercial electronics shop. They might have them at Radio Shack too. Approx. $6.

Pelican Case
 

What size Pelican case are people using? Perhaps you could attach a photo of it loaded up with the camera.