Lowepro Nova 170 AW II Camera Bag (Black)

it was my very first DSLR bag of Lowepro, was worried it a little if it would be comfortable carrying on shoulder for extended time, with all my gears loaded in it... and i loved the way its compartments are organized and the weight is shifted on the s

LowePro just keeps getting smarter and better with their products and they are very reasonably priced. After getting the Nova 200 AW II a few weeks ago for carrying big loads, got this 180 version to replace my aging smaller bag from a dozen years ago. It too was a LowePro bag and had traveled a good part of the planet with me.

A great, lightweight, durable bag with great capacity that promises to be every bit as good as the smaller LowePro bag that I've carried to every hemisphere.

This bag holds my Fujifilm X-Pro2, a 14mm f2.8, 35mm f2, and 18-135 f3.5-5.6 in the main compartment with dividers. Any of these lenses can be on the body with the other two in the divided areas. The bag is a little wider than the camera body so if the zoom is off the camera, the camera can still sit a little off-center in the bag without things being jammed in there. The point of the Fuji kit is to be less bulky, and less obtrusive than my DSLRs or MF gear and their accompanying bags, so a too-big bag would defeat the purpose. For times when I don't need the zoom, with just the 14 and 35, the Nova 140 is PEFECT for that kit. In either bag I keep two batteries, a USB cord, and 2-battery charger base in the front pocket. Cleaning cloth in the front flap pocket and a ND grad for the zoom and SD-USB adapter in the inside top pockets. Just the essentials. Less is more. I make more and better images that way. And when I'm stumped? The X-Pro's paper manual fits in the padded pocket at the back of the main compartment. Okay, sometimes I do put an I-phone in there instead. With it I can remote-control the camera and download pix as well as access the downloaded manual. :)

The most important things that make this bag successful to me are: 1- A top that extends down the bag sides to keep dust, rain, snow, etc out of the zippers and out of areas that would allow same to fall into the bag when opening. MUCH better than a simple flap for me. 2- A buckle option for the top cover that combines with the cover shape mentioned above to give me secure quick packing. I can put the camera in the bag and just clip the buckle if I'll be back in the bag soon. The camera is perfectly secure and protected, but easy to access. 3- NO hook&loop in the closures, etc. I hate the sound of ripping V#!^&@ when accessing a bag. This one is unobtrusive with just a buckle that can be operated silently. 4- The top handle for secure grab and go, the durable rain cover, and quick access to all internals, are fine points that combine to make the Nova series the perfect bags for My Fuji Life.

I LOVE that Lowepro makes this bag in so many sizes. That means you DO have to do your work with a ruler or tape measure and know how big your gear is if you want to get JUST the right bag. But that's the beauty of this series. You can get JUST the right bag for the situation you want to use it in. Like the luxury of tailored shirts over S-M-L. Extra work to get, but worth it in the end. Bravo Lowepro.

All that said, I wouldn't use this as a DSLR bag. Even my little D7000 with a single F2.8 wide zoom would be a camera-and-attached-lens-only situation in this bag (tried it). Bigger gear drives a bigger bag.

Great sturdy bag with plenty of room.