No problem Noa. Happy to help. Love your blog, by the way. Thanks for doing that.

Incidentally, I ordered the PC206 and sent it back because I found it too large. The BK-1NR is definitely smaller.

darryl

I do like the pc206 because I can leave the lcdhood and shotgun on the camera but it's kinda big, that's why I got the trolley as well so I only have to carry the weight when doing stairs.

I received the Kata back pack I posted about earlier. I am going to skip the photos and long review unless someone is seriously interested. Here is the short story.

Mine was $79.00 - that made it the deal of the century for a camera pack. They have gone up to $150.00 on Amazon but B&H has them for $82.00. Search Kata BP 502 and you will see what is available. I think they are discontinued so the clearance priced models are going fast. You will see them listed as high as $350.00.

This back pack is amazing. It is so well done it is almost over engineered. They did not waste one inch of real estate on this thing. It is feature rich and good for rain, snow and dirt in several ways.

It is a true back pack, not just a camera bag with straps.

It is BIG, it is TOO BIG to fit in an overhead compartment. It is not a carry on.

You may not like the way an EA50 fits in it but it does fit.

If you are a DSLR guy or use a smaller (lower profile) camera you may never find a better deal on a well made camera back pack. These things are $80.00 right now!

Let me know if you want more info.

Steve

I am going to skip the photos and long review unless someone is seriously interested.

Photo's please! :)
It would be very interesting for anyone to see how the ea50 fits inside, a picture says more then a thousand words. :)

Dang it Noa, I am supposed to be editing!

More on the pack:

You can see the mic sticking up. Obviously you could remove it. But you don't need to unless your going into hard use. The cover of the pack has a lot of room and nothing touches the mic. And the ribbed disk thing is reinforced to be a semi-hard surface so things are not as bad as it looks. The camera is pretty well protected except for getting squished in that direction. Remember it is a soft case, not a Pelican. The interior compartment is tapered (deeper towards the bottom), you could turn the camera around but I like the mic under the ribbed disk.

The interior main compartment is not as deep as you think. The entire backside of the pack, the surface against your back and the bottom of the main compartment (when laying flat) is the lap top compartment. It is huge and thick because of reinforcement so it takes up space. I have the small Mac Book Pro and it swallows that. When I put my long lenses in it I will have to change the set up in the picture because some lenses will have to lay vertically.

I put the camera outside the pack to give you a size reference.

I have many years of backpacking and mountaineering experience. Overall I am very impressed with the design of the backpack portion of this thing. They made one compromise. Since the laptop compartment is against your back it is a flat surface so it does not conform to your back like a good backpack does. It is padded and functional but not optimal for long miles of trekking. The waist belt can be removed to get it out of the way if you are running and gunning.

There are zipper pockets everywhere, they are not big but they are there.

They put a lot of thought and good design into this thing. On sale for $80.00 right now you are not going to find a better camera bag or backpack. MSRP is $350.00.

Steve

Thx Steve! great write up, borrowed it for my blog, the community thanks you :)

I get a lot of flights bought for me to go shoot around Europe - trouble is I can't really control which airlines I get. The carry on camera rules are terrible with Ryanair,Vueling etc 20 cm. So 20 cm in the smallest dimension. I know... but I gotta find a solution and then put my laptop down my pants or summat! Anyone found anything?

I also worry about airline carry-on but seem to do OK using my Kata 193. The EA50 fits perfectly with the viewfinder removed. Not much room for extras, though. Wireless mic and receiver, spare battery and a pair of headphones and it's full.

Manfrotto tripod ends up in the hold, so I worry about that even more.

I think I've decided to invest in a Pelicase, there's one that has a removable wheel section that takes the case down to 20cm, (the Peli 1560) shove the wheels in the checked suitcase with my Manfrotto and slider (I know it hurts) and then all set to go - with laptop too. It's the only way, but leaves no easy carry solution on location.

Hey Dave,

I looked that case up. Here in the states at B&H that model but it comes with built in wheels only. That puts the 20 cm limit you are trying to stay under at 26.5 cm. The removable wheels sound interesting but I did not find them.

For my cases I try to do two things:

I try for nondescript. I don't want it to scream CAMERA but often they do. Especially my Porta Brace stuff.

Even with that said, I want the cases to be recognizable to me at a distance. Like the second it hits the baggage carousel (I know this one is a carry on for you) or is on a baggage cart with 50 others. Therefor I never buy black cases. I also live in Phoenix, AZ, can you say MELTED contents. Pelicans come in several colors. When I must check cameras, they go in desert tan.

Also, I have pelicans with the foam and some with the adjustable dividers made out of reinforced nylon and velcro. I prefer the later. They are more costly but will remain the same years after pick&pluck foam comes apart. And they can be modified every time you pack something new in the case.

Just my 2 cents.

Steve

The wheels can be removed with 2 screws each, if you really needed them off.

I cant imagine getting a 1560 on a flight, I often have trouble with my 1510 if I am not in the first few groups on board. FYI if the mic holder on the EA50 was removable the little 1510 would be so nice with the camera upright.. as it is now it must lay on its side taking up a good bit of the space.

I find the upside to lugging Pelican cases around is that once you are at an event its easy to work from them and keep stuff secure enough to walk away from, I often have a few with me and just cable them together so they dont walk off.

I cant imagine getting a 1560 on a flight,
I've flown many times with my 1560. Small regional jets will need to gate check it--you can put a lock on it if you wish, but larger jets like a 747 is all good as it will BARELY fit (with wheels) in the overhead bin. It's like .5 inch of being legal size for carry-on luggage. It will also fit underneath the seat in front of you, however, being 6'6" tall, I only did that once because I need leg room.

Thinking of the Petrol PC206, as I want something where I don't have to remove the viewfinder and mic.

B&H also recommends the PortaBrace CTC Mini. Has anyone tried that bag?

I just got the Petrol PC206 two weeks ago. Camera fits (with everything attached) like a glove. Absolutely incredible bag. I owned many camera bags in my career, and I will proudly say, THIS is the finest that has come my way. At $200 dollars, it's a steal. Like my metabones speed booster, the best money I've spent in decades.

Get This

Sound advice on the Peli - thanks. I found a 'Genova' Trolley that fitted everything including my laptop, it was 89 euros! I was made up - got to the airport after owning it for half an hour and the handle wouldn't raise. By the time I did my trip one of the feet came off in a customs Xray machine and left a screw sticking out. I took it back and the guy in the shop accused me of busting it on purpose to get my money back haha. In the end he obliged. Don't buy Genova bags!

Has anyone found a decent carry-on trolley that fits the Ea50 yet? My back is killing me. ;)