XA20: what's a good bag?

[Andrew Taylor]

I searched a few forums to see what kind of bags are available for the Canon XA20 and though there were some old threads here (http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-vi...-bag-xa20.html) I haven't found one that fits my needs.

I'm looking for something that can take the whole camera, with a shotgun mic mounted, and has space left for a portable light, batteries, and cables.

The "official" bag (as in, recommended by Canon) is the Canon SC-2000, but it's been described as being a tight fit, and the mic has to come off. There are video reviews and pictures with an XA20 inside the bag.

A larger model is the Canon Professional Gadget 1EG, but the inside length is reported at 35 cm. Given the camera is 24 cm, this bag feels like it could hold a camera and a half. I have not been able to find a video review or pictures to see how the XA20 fits into this bag.

Any suggestions for an in-between camera bag, i.e., something around 30 cm long? Or if anyone is currently using the 1EG with the XA20, could you post a pic to see how it fits?

[Chris Hurd]

Hi Andrew,

The Canon bags are perfectly adequate, there's really nothing wrong with them, but there is one disadvatage: they are branded *Canon* which lets the whole world and all its potential thieves know how valuable the contents of said bag might be.

For that reason, I really don't like carrying a camera company's branded bag around in public or while travelling. I have a Canon-branded backpack for my photo gear and I really like it a lot. But, I don't take it out on the street. It isn't seen much out in public.

That said, nothing at all wrong with the Canon gear. But you might consider these third-party options for the XA20:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/566270-REG/Pearstone_DVC777_Digital_Video_Camcorder_Bag.html -- probably larger than you need, but dividers are included so you can snug up the fit somewhat.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/400697-REG/Porta_Brace_CS_DV1R_CS_DV1U_Mini_DV_Camcorder_Case.html -- you can't go wrong with Porta-Brace, an industry standard. Might be just a bit bigger than required, but it has an internal camera cradle to insure a snug, secure fit.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/53458-REG/Tamrac_97203_972_Micro_Camcorder_Convertible_Plus.html -- might be the perfect size if it's not too small. Can't beat the price, at the time I'm posting this it's a steal at $20. Tamrac is a famous old photo brand that has new owners and is undergoing quite the resurgence.

Hope this helps,

[Andrew Taylor]

Thank you for the suggestions. I didn't consider having a brand name on the bag as a potential issue. Now that I think about it, I have done that in the past (cover the brand name) with a couple of bicycles I've owned ("uglifying" the bike to deter theft).

What do you think of the Pearstone's closure system? I've found, from other, similar bags, that the top does not close tightly enough, and any dust, sand, smoke etc in the environment finds its way into the bag.

I like the system used by the Tamrac bag, where the top goes over the sides too (although the bag itself, at 25 cm long, is as tight as the one recommended by Canon, the SC-2000).

[Don Palomaki]

I'm using a Porta-Brace CS-XA20 for my XA20. Larger than your desired size by a good bit, but it carries a lot of stuff plus the camcorder. e.g., batteries, headphones, hood for LCD panel, wireless mic, short shotgun, cables, etc. For my needs a smaller bag would not do.

I also use a Tamrac 976, mainly for an XA10. It is a good bit smaller but still holds a lot, in icluding the XA10 with an AT875R mounted (but a Rode NTG-2 would be too long to carry mounted). It may be discontinued now, but still can be found, and it has a fair amount of room.

I've used Kata, Tamrac, Porta-Brace, Lowepro, (all good brands) and a few generics and hard cases over the years for various camcorders. No bag is perfect., but many of the low cost generics were marginal at best and in retrospect not worth it.

As noted above, some folks use a diaper bag, not as likely to be stolen if you set it down for a moment as an obvious camera bag.