After seeing their advertising on social media, I ordered myself one of the new Vinta camera bags. The concept looked fascinating and I wanted something a bit more stylish than what I was using. After pre-ordering the charcoal version, I kept an eye out for other options as the holidays got closer. When I finally received the bag, my first thought was that is was much smaller than I expected it to be. Granted that I’m 6’1 and most advertising happens to be misleading for me, I initially thought I would return it right away. But I’m glad I didn’t.
As a photographer who works in a few different fields, there isn’t a consistency to the equipment I have on me at all times. I previously used to bring everything with me but carrying that much weight was both unnecessary as well as too cumbersome for my back. With a smaller bag, I now carry far less with me, and think through my equipment before getting to the shoot. What the bag allows me to carry for weddings is the following Canon gear: 5D Mark 3, 35mm f/1.4L, 85mm f/1.2L, 70-200mm f/2.8L, and Speedlite 580EX II along with several accessories. Over the course of the wedding day, I rarely need much more than that, which makes my burden rather light.
The ‘Field Pack’ is a handy storage space that allows for easy access in the field. Since you would need to take off the bag completely to open the main compartment, the pack allows someone to simply unzip and grab an item quickly. The bag also has an internal section in the main compartment to carry a 13in laptop or an iPad Pro. You’re out of luck for anything larger though. The waterproof nature of the bag is a nice touch as well. Since they’re marketing this as an adventurer’s backpack, I’m glad they thought about elemental issues.
I haven’t had any real problems with the bag so far but I have noticed that the straps can loosen up sometimes, mostly while putting on or taking off the bag. Considering it’s the first iteration, my hope is that it’s fixed in the future. I would also like to see a little bit sturdier on the sides. A couple of my lenses push the sides out. While that doesn’t keep the bag from closing, I’m hoping there are no structural issues over long-term use.
Also, what I would love to see is for Vinta to offer separately purchasable field packs so that I can quickly swap my secondary gear depending on the kind of shoot I’m heading into. For those who need everything on them, I wouldn’t recommend this bag – it’s rather pricey for something that wouldn’t deliver the right functionality. However, if you find yourself wanting to travel light (and stylishly so), you might want to check them out.
S-Series | Charcoal & Natural Leather Travel Bag
Details:
• Slot for up to a 15″ laptop
• Removable inserts
• Fit full-frame DSLR camera, +3-5 lenses
• FIELD PACK included
• Leather details & magnetic snaps
• Light-weight and durable poly fabric
• Waterproof material
• Gun metal details
• Dimensions: 11.5 x 15.75, 5.5
• Weight: 2.2l
$249.00
(Photo credit: Vinta.co)
Nicely put. Thank you.
Thanks for the review, been looking at the Vinta bag, looks like I’ll be ordering it. Cheers.