help with bag choice

hi hello...hoping for a little bit of help...i have a nikon d3 with 14-24 and 24-70 zooms...i would like a bag in which i could carry around either of the lenses attached to the camera with the other lens stored in the main compartment...i was thinking of maybe a f3x or a f4af...i have an old battered f6 and a new ish f2...in which i keep all my other gear....so i am looking for a more compact bag just to hold these items....any advice would be ace...i'm from liverpool...north west england...with no local stockist....so buy unseen thru mail order....thanks....all best carl

I have one and for me the F4 is quite enough for your stuff (and a bit more).

hi hello Arnaud....thank you for the reply...all best carl

hi hello Arnaud...i now have a f4af bag...i have been trying out different ways of carrying my stuff...with and without inserts....could you please tell me the best way that you have found for carrying yours and if possible maybees post a picture....i'm sorry if i appear a bit dim!!....but just curious as to what works for you....all best carl

But it might be a little tight. The D3 is a big honkin' camera. I carry a 5D Mark II, 200 f2.8, 100 f2, 50mm f1.4, 20mm f2.8 and a couple of flashes in mine (flashes in side and front pockets). It's more gear but the individual pieces are a lot smaller.

jack

[QUOTE=carl;776]hi hello...hoping for a little bit of help...i have a nikon d3 with 14-24 and 24-70 zooms...i would like a bag in which i could carry around either of the lenses attached to the camera with the other lens stored in the main compartment...i was thinking of maybe a f3x or a f4af...i have an old battered f6 and a new ish f2...in which i keep all my other gear....so i am looking for a more compact bag just to hold these items....any advice would be ace...i'm from liverpool...north west england...with no local stockist....so buy unseen thru mail order....thanks....all best carl[/QUOTE]

hi hello Jack...thank you for taking the time to reply...i decided to go with the f4...to give me a little bit more space....but yeah thanks anyways...all best carl

Hello Carl, sorry fro the delay, I got a internet failure since fours days.
You can set you D3 with small zoom attached verticaly with the body on the back. Then you bigger lens aside. Of course you have to remove all inserts. The body can be let like that. You just have to protect the other lens. The F4 is high enough to absorb both without any harrassement on the flaptop.

hi hello Arnaud....thank you for the reply....i have tried your set up...with the body on the base of the bag and the 24-70 attached...pointing upwards to top of bag...i have used an old domke wrap from way back...to protect the other lens in the compartment...have you found this set up to give enough protection...in particular to the lens mount area..when you are moving around....i have used domke for a long time, mainly a f6...always with my lenses in an insert with bodies separate....the only time i had a body attached was in the long lens bags that domke used to make....anyways....hope you don't mind me asking so many questions....thanks again...all best...carl

For me, the only risk is to harass the black paint on the bodies unprotected against the canvas. But that was the case with old bodies like F3 or F4 but the new ones are made of a mix between plastic and metal and I never exeprienced that with them.
You can also use shoes bag (soft of course ! Generaly the ones you find with women shoes or the ones made to pack shoes during a travel) to wrap your body (I use them in my F2 and outside against the dust, very useful).
You said it's tigh; for me that's the best for protection. Stuffs are not moving against themselve inside the bag. Don't worry for bump or shock from outside of your bag, if their are big enough to break your camera, insert will be of no use anyway.

hi hello Arnaud....thanks so much for taking the time to reply to all my questions and for the advice....i likes the shoe bag idea....not so sure my wife will thou!!....in the past i have used chamois leather to wrap bodies....this also comes in handy to wipe off rain....anyways...thanks for all your help...take care..all best carl