So Lighting Rumours reviews for you lighting and triggering for lighting equipment, but how would you get all this illumination to and from your shoot? One suggestion we thought of was a bag, and possibly the Deeko bag.
The lower portion of this bag can quite comfortably fit around 9 flashes, with the main compartment just being able to fit a monolight. Behind this, in the “Laptop Section” you can fit triggers, cables, batteries and general accessories piled up to the height of around 17 inches…
… OK, so you could use this for just lighting equipment, but the chances are that you will be using it for your camera and lenses.
This Deeko bag has been in use for test for around a month. It fits nicely size-wise between the Lowepro Vertex 100 AW
The three compartments of the bag amount to a laptop section at the back, in front of which is the main compartment. This main compartment has internal pockets for storing things also. Housed within are 3 zipped-off sections and underneath, there is a zipped-off section that gives access to another zipped off section. This is actually a Russian doll-styled mini bag living inside. This smaller bag has a strap to it and can be used if you are just wanting to carry a few things, the contents of which are walled off and padded.
The current setup being used is to fill the bottom section with lenses and a couple of flashes and having the camera in the main section of the bag. Unfortunately, this does mean that the camera is free to move around and isn’t really secure when you are in transit.
On either side of the bag are smaller zipped parts, one being an extra pocket to securely store something, the other being a tripod/light stand mount with a strap higher up to secure the tripod into place.
Hiding underneath the bag is a zip which conceals the rain cover. This isn’t stitched into the bag, and if you are are as clumsy as this reviewer, will probably be lost very soon.
Time will tell how a bag this affordable will last with use, the bag can still hold enough equipment to get you through a shoot, be it with a laptop or not.
Update: This bag has now been part of my arsenal for about 6 months now. It still sits in between my LowePro and my ThinkTank. Wear and tear? Its still in somewhat one piece. Any black metal bits rubbing against other black metal bits have lost some of their coating, most of the stitching is still in take and the straps and handle haven’t given way. The only thing that has been done is an over packing moment going to and from London where it was used not only for a laptop, some camera equipment and some clothing, meaning that there is now a gap behind the Laptop section of the bag where the zip is hanging loose in mid-air. Whilst this can be fixed with someone much more skilful with a needle and thread, the bag still works and doesn’t feel like its about to collapse.
Where to buy
The Deeko-2012A camera bag is available for £64.99 from UKphotodistro or $100 on eBay.
David Monteith-Hodge is an Edinburgh-based photographer. View his work at photographise.com and follow David on Twitter @photographise