Beautiful quality and materials. I think the price is rather cheap for what you actually get as a handmade bag.

It's still a shoulder bag and can be uncomfortable at times. Shoulder strap buckle needs to be able to be moved up and down strap.

I've been meaning to post this for a very long time but never got around to it. I hope this helps some folks out who may be on the fence in purchasing one.

Buying a camera bag is not as simple as one might think. You look for something that will fit everything you currently own, keeping in mind some possible future purchases, and also making sure that it's ergonomically compatible with you and the way you shoot. For me this included the bag being able to hold the Nikon D700 (no battery pack at the time), the 24-70mm f2.8, the 50mm f1.4, the 70-200mm f2.8, and an SB-800 flash. I also wanted it to fit my macbook, and a few other smaller accessories as you can see in the photos. The main thing I really wanted in the bag, however, was to be able to vertically fit the 70-200mm lens in it (with or without body) for easy access during a shoot.

Initially, I really did not want to spend $400 on a camera bag, but I kept coming back to this one since it really did fit my needs very well. I also didn't know if I'd want a brown bag. I much preferred all black, but that color was not available (then). I was looking at the many, many bags at Ace Photo (acephoto.net) one day when I was told that they had a black Eventer. I was intrigued. I had to see this thing. Well, I wasn't let down. The bag is a real beauty. The black leather is strong but still feels (and smells) like quality leather and looks great with the canvas. The workmanship is absolutely first rate. The nice thing about the inserts is that they can be completely removed, which basically turns it into a nice over-night or business bag.

The bag not only has the flap with the 'Billingham' quick snaps but also has a zipper underneath it, which keeps out dust and water. I've walked through the rain in New York City with this bag and everything inside stayed dry. It's also easy to keep the zipper open and the flap folded over (between you and the bag) while shooting. The two front pockets worked out great for my extra batteries, CF cards, and other items. The other nice thing is that this bag does not look like a camera bag. It's built extremely well, and looks beautiful. It's one of those things that's a joy handling and looking at.

The only real downside to this bag, is that as a shoulder bag it can get quite uncomfortable, especially one this size when it's filled with all your gear. Also, the adjustable buckle on the shoulder strap hits me right at my collarbone. Although the strap is adjustable, you can't move the buckle up or down on the strap as some other backs allow you to do. I think this would be fixed with the optional shoulder pad.

As far as the price goes, I don't think you'll find any bag, be it a camera bag or any other, in this class for a price like this. I think for the quality and materials you get, the price is very reasonable.

I'm not sure what more I can say here. All details are available on Billingham's website www.billingham.co.uk. The bag is handmade in England and it shows. I bought mine from the great guys at Ace Photo (www.acephoto.net), but it's also available from other online vendors. The black one, however, is really hard to come by. I don't work for Ace Photo or am on their payroll in any way.

One final note. I have put the Eventer in the closet for now, since I'm working overseas for about a year and wanted a backpack instead for extended periods of walking with the gear. I also added another lens to my collection and upgraded the macbook to a pro. I ended up buying a Think Tank Hard Drive, which I will review next.

Please see my review along with tons of images here: http://www.newsimplifier.com/2010/01/billingham-eventer-camera-bag-review.html

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Domke, Tamrac, Think Tank