As this is a frequently visited post, I am republishing this post originally posted in August of 2007:
After roughly 9 months of daily abuse, this bag is holding up extremely well, and I’ve had absolutely no issues with it. Please keep in mind that as a professional photographer who does a variety of photo assignments from commercial to portrait work, I am very demanding on my equipment, and a months worth of use is probably equivalent to 5 or 6 months for the average hobbyist. This bag literally goes with me every day and sees constant use.
Safrotto 1
The Safrotto is very well laid out, with plenty of room for my Nikon D2h with my Nikon 70-200 VR f2.8 attached. The D2h is a huge pro camera, and the 70-200 is very large lens. Its a tight fit, but it works. There’s also room for my backup Nikon D70.
I always have my Nikon 18-70 lens with me, as well as a pair of pocket wizards, memory cards, SB-600 flash, extra batteries, card reader, credentials and business cards, pc sync cables, lens cloths and brushes, and my iPod for tunes on the road. I also occasionally bring a couple extra lenses, and my Kata rain cover when the weather looks like it may pose a problem.
The large padded “mailman’s” strap is perfect. The strap provides plenty of padding and the bottom is a very grippy rubber, which ensures a non-slip grip on your shoulder.
Safrotto 2
I really can’t think of anything that I’d change with it. Its large enough to carry more gear than most would require, but is still very lightweight. The canvas it’s made from contours to your body nicely, while still doing a good job of protecting your equipment.
Shooting out of this bag has been great, and it look s like it’ll hold up to many years of abuse. If you’re in the market for a new bag and are considering one of the Domke jounalist bags, do yourself a favor and take a look at the Safrotto. Best of all is about half the price!
