Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

The bag is a perfect fit for the camera. It barely brushes agains the sides when pulling out of the bag due to the wide top opening. There's about 2 inches from the zipper to the viewfinder (about 1 inch to the mic shock mount). I think there's sufficient room inside to give it protection from overhead pressure. The Kata CC-197 PL had more extra space above the camera and the side walls curved over the top of the bag, which gave it a little more protection overhead. That also means it was a little tough to take out - it got caught every time I took it out of the bag.

The decision to go with this bag came down to 2 main factors. One, I need something that I can take on planes - I do a lot of air travel and overhead bins can be pretty tiny. Second, I needed to be able to pull the camera out quickly and begin shooting right away - a feat more difficult if you have a hard time taking out the camera or need to remove the mic, fold in viewfinder, etc.

I liked the Kata CC-197 PL bag for the space and extra protection, so its perfect for people who need lots of space and don't travel on planes a lot. I ended up being pretty surprised how much I liked the Petrol PC206. The marketing photos/videos didn't do it justice. B&H Photo recommends this bag for the EA50 and I think they were spot on.


Yes, feel free to use the photos and my comments on your blog.

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

My current bag also fits the ea50 well but I can't attach the lenshood and the mike which need to be placed in a side compartment, I just found a great price for the Petrol bag at a UK dealer, think I"ll go ahead and order it, there also seems to be a trolley as accessory which has some connecting brackets to attach the Petrol bag to, it would be great if there was a way to attach my tripods to the trolley as well. I might have to see if there are a bit more versatile trolleys that would fit 2 bags and 2 tripods..
That petrol bag seems to be a perfect fit for the camera incl lenshood and mike and still leaves sufficient room for some lenses and maybe a small sony handicam.

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

This bag is GREAT! Mine came in today and is a great alternative to my small Pelican Case for 1 camera shoots. Thanks for posting! I can't believe this is under $50!!!!!!

BTW, the amazon page showed "1" available when I ordered. It still shows "1" available. There's probably plenty folks!

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

I bet if you pick up the bag from the ground you"ll find it has no bottom leaving your camera on the floor, I ordered a Petrol PC206 today, now THAT's a bag. :)

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

The Petrol is a nice bag I'll say. I like mine for $120 less though ;-) Oh it does have a bottom.

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

Check out my uber awesome petrol PC206 bag, it almost looks like my wife's purse inside, more room then you might think. :)

What's in the bag:
1x Sony nex ea50 (duh) with the stocklens but no hood
2x Canon 550d, one body alone and one with a 35mm lens and batterypack attached to it.
2x Sony cx730
1x 24mm lens
1x 85mm lens
1x 14mm lens
1x Eye cup for the dslr
6x dslr batteries, 3 cx730 batteries and 2 sony batteries for the ea50. (you can't see the batteries on the photo, they are placed in a compartment in front of where the stocklens ends

What I don't like is that the side pockets that can be opened with a zipper can only hold flat objects, wish they would have been a bit bigger (meaning extending from the main bag a bit) so I could add some more stuff but then the bag might get a bit too heavy, currently it does weigh more then enough for me, I think if I have to carry it up stairs it might even be a bit to heavy, will see soon how that works out. I also bought me a snaplock trolley from petrol that goes with the bag, it's quite handy as it locks the bag into place. I had to use some extra spacers I ripped out of another bag, all gear fit's tight like a glove now.

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

I bought the Porta Brace BK-1NR from B&H on their recommendation.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/465968-REG/Porta_Brace_BK_1NR_BK_1NR_Backpack_Black_with.htmlIt's kind of pricey, kind of heavy and the implementation of a few things is totally bizarre to me... in particular, the tripod holder on the side is weird, but maybe if I invest in a much bigger tripod? that I'll never want to carry? It's also a bit awkward as a backpack as the weight is pretty far back... But it feels super sturdy and long lasting. The straps pack away which is crucial, I think.

Anyway, I wanted a backpack, and it needed to hold my 15" macbook pro which it easily does. While it's technically too big to be a carry on, I've discovered that it JUST fits the overhead of the 6 or seven planes I've been in with it (mostly 737's). The backpack straps need a bit of squeezing. I always go thinking I'll try and get away with it... and so far, so good.

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/members/...ace-bk-bag.jpg

Amazon & Kata, 2 more great deals
 

I have noticed that it is not unusual to find a product for 50 to 75% off mixed in with all of the regular stuff on Amazon in any given category. Especially if the item is discontinued. So I have been watching Kata ever since I bought the 185 Capsule bag for my EA50.

Here are two more smoking deals I just ordered:

A video backpack that will hold the EA50 (pretty sure), laptop, and more.

$79.99 at Amazon - $189.99 at B&H and more than that elsewhere:




This is a small camcorder bag, not for the EA50. I can use it for a ton of stuff even if I do not put a camera in it. Extra Small Kata One Man Band Bag... $59.00 at Amazon - $150.00 other places:


I think the backpack is going to be amazing. I have a weird thing about bags and cases. I have tons of them, even for the same piece of gear, so I can use the one that works best for the job. Backpacks, a favorite for run-n-gun, soft cases for overhead bins because I also have a backpack with me, pelicans for shipping. And lots of Porta Brace stuff. Now I am keeping an eye on these Kata deals.

Darryle, I am a huge fan of Porta Brace bags. Unfortunetly that does not include their backpacks. I have one similar to yours only a much older model. I find their backpacks to be like a hard box case with shoulder straps on it. Very unusual for a company that usually surprises me with functionality and design.

Steve

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

Update - I got an e-mail from Amazon saying the One Man Band Bag is out of stock and canceled. Hopefully the backpack order is still good, there was supposed to be 10 of those in stock.

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

Darryl, I used your image and a part of your description on my blog (see link below) I f you want me to remove it just let me know but I think it might be valuable info for anyone interested in the bag.

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

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

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

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.

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

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

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

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. :)

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

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

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

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

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

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?

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

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.

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

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.

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

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

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

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.

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

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.

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

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?

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera 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.

Re: Recommend a EA50 camera bag
 

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. ;)