Billingham 555 Shoulder Bag

Comments about Billingham 555 Shoulder Bag:

This my third Billingham that I currently own. I have a Hadley Pro for basic use (one camera, two lenses) and a 335 for carrying a bit more. This latest 555 holds everything I own and will be used on occasions when I need absolutely everything with me. Granted it's heavy when fully loaded.

It's my fifth Billingham that I've owned over a lifetime. Once you use these bags it's hard to go back to anything else. Billingham and Domke are the only two brands that have served me well.

The bags are built to last a long, long time. In fact they look even better as they age. If you've never used a Billingham give it a try and just be sure to spend some time with it before you make up your mind. It takes a while to understand the Billingham philosophy and way of doing things. But in the end, there's really nothing that can beat them for their overall value and longevity.

Comments about Billingham 555 Shoulder Bag:

I haven't owned my bag for very long. Certainly not as long as I wanted to have one, but kept postponing the purchase for one reason or another. This is in fact my second Billingham bag. My first is the Hadley Pro.

Both bags are great. Used to own a Domke F5 bag, but Bilingham Bags are superior in every way.

Pros:
- Great Looking Bag. I originaly wanted the Black one, but my daughter
suggested the Sage one. No regrets.
- Great workmanship, looks and finish.
- Large enough to carry 3 lenses (4 if you count the Nikon 300mm F2.8
VR I plan to carry on top), 2 F5 or D3 Bodies, one SB 800 or 900 Flash,
one Minolta light meter, and one Tascam DR100 Field Recorder.
- Plenty of other gear like Nikon's SD-8A power pack for the flash,
Cables, Batteries, Cheatsheets and more.

Cons :
- Very large Bag. As it can hold a lot, you have to resist the temptation to
put everything in it just because you can. It just gets very heavy.
- If you can put it down somewhere, it's fine. But if you have to carry it
everywhere, it gets very heavy.

Comments about Billingham 555 Shoulder Bag:

I travel a lot shooting annual reports and I have to admit that I have never been satisfied with any of the 12 or so camera cases I've purchased. I've had backpacks, roll-ons, large and small shoulder bags, fanny packs, you name it. They're either too large to fit under an airplane seat or they don't carry enough equipment. Some have way too many compartments so looking for stuff takes a great deal of time.

I had a bag like the 555 years ago. It was sold by Leica and was plain canvas with leather straps. I loved it, but alas, I got rid of it 30 years ago.

In this day and age of high-tech ballistics fabrics, Velcro, Nylon snaps, it's kind of refreshing to see a bag company that has not gone the way of Chinese made, substandard junk and who has kept up the tradition of canvas, leather and brass.

This bag is all quality. It is very traditional, but still has high-tech padding material and construction. There is nothing shoddy about it at all. There are few pockets, and these are expansive and easy to reach. There is enough room for my MacBook Pro, my EOS 5D, 5 lenses, a Canon G10 and numerous accessories.

The only thing I found confusing to set up are the individual padded compartment "cells". There are no instructions with the bag as to how to set these up so that took a little trial and error. I still don't think they're in correctly. The leather straps and trim are beautiful and the sage color is very elegant.

A very expensive bag, but in my mind, worth the price.