Lowepro Nova 2

Those of us who are constantly evolving and updating our camera and lens arsenals are also in a continuous flow of new bags to hold that stuff. One writer said "You can never have enough camera bags."

This is my second Lowepro bag. I had been carrying my new (then) D70 with 18-70 and accessory flash in a small Samsonite bag. I had a very large Tamrac case designed to take the whole arsenal of bodies, lenses, and flashes to paying gigs. The older Lowepro is a beefy, heavily padded case which could carry two bodies with a few lenses and/or flashes, but was still too big for comfort when touring.

Lowepro also came heavily recommended from my Nikon School instructors, and the latest ones had very well though-out features, like front pouches designed NOT to fall open and dump the contents (a problem of my Tamrac case.) I looked at the various Nova AW models and found the Nova 2 as the optimum choice for my application. The Nova 3, while larger physically, was designed to carry more skinny lenses but were not up to holding some of the fatter zooms I used with my D70.

The Nova 2 was optimum for me because it could hold the D70 body with compartments on each side to hold two lenses, or a lens and a flash. In fact, I have been able to carry THREE lenses - one zoom on cam, two smaller lenses (28-200 and 10.5 fisheye in one pocket and my SB-800 (with dome) in another. It is most comfortable with the 18-70 on cam, but I can get away with the 17-55 if I'm carefull.

There's space in front for things like extra batteries, extra cards, lens cleaner, and transfer cables. There's a pocket in the back which can hold a manual and one of those little folding reflectors. There are mesh pocket on both sides which hold a pocket tripod and some of my advertising goodies, plus a small exterior pocket on the lid for lens cleaner pouches and pocket change.

The strap is nicely designed with two surfaces - a non slip on one side, and a gel pad on the other. The strap is contouted. My only gripes are that the strap does not have swivels, so changing shoulders is inconvenient if you want a particular side. One one or two occasions, the strap has popped off, so a nicer snap attachments would be better. There is a carrying handle on top which is great for some situations. There is also a rain cover which can be deployed if needed.

Overall, this bag holds a lot for its size, and offers very good protection.

Great protection for its size and weight, excellent build quality and feature design

Hard to get to front pocket at times, better strap attachment hardware would be nice. Strap thing is my main gripe. Would have gotten 5 stars if not for this.

Lowepro, Samsonite, Tamrac, Ritz, Portabrace

Excellent service from B&H as expected.

The LowePro Nova 2 is a well-designed, nicely-sized bag in the Nova series. It's suitable for carrying a 35mm camera body and a couple of lenses, plus a lot of other stuff in the various zippered pockets. It comes with two padded dividers that can be moved to suit, and that stay in place with Velcro. It's comfortable to carry, with a well-padded shoulder strap and a padded handle.

Holds a lot of equipment for its size Plenty of zippered pockets Solid construction Inexpensive Well-padded Comfortable

Shoulder strap is not removable, but that is a very, very minor complaint

Off-brand bag

Have never needed it

What a great little bag! My Minolta X370 easily fits in the bag with a lens on it, an extra lens, and a flash. Plenty of room for film and instruction manuals. I don''t worry about my equipment, the bag is well padded. Easy to carry, looks good too.

Rugged construction Well padded

The only drawback is that the shoulder strap is not removeable.

None

The more I cram into this bag, the more I like it:
I can fit: Camera body,sb-28 flash,50mm, 24mm, 90mm macro w/ hood, filters, x-tra batteries, blower brush, lens cleaning cloths & fluid, 6+ rolls of film and w/ (not much) room to spare.
5)

well padded;
well balanced;
shoulder strap = comfortable

For the size...none.

None

This bag is a perfect fit for my traveling kit, which consists of a Nikon F100, 28-105, and 70-300, plus hoods, film and a few other items. The dividers are very sturdy and the padding is excellent. I feel my equipment is well-protected in this bag. It is easy to open and close, and is well-balanced. Not expensive, either!

Well-made, good padding, well thought-out, flexible.

The strap is a little short for tall guys like me. I had to buy a longer strap to put on it.

Other Lowepro and Tamrac bags and cases.

None needed.