Billingham 207 Camera Bag (Khaki with Chocolate Leather Trim)

Comments about Billingham 207 Camera Bag (Khaki with Chocolate Leather Trim):

I've been looking for a new camera bag for a while. I want something medium-ish size, so that i can fit my D700 + grip + one extra medium size lens in. And i don't want a bag that says "Hey i'm a camera bag!" loudly to every people on the street. I want a bag that looks nice and i can carry with me when i go to a restaurant, or to a shopping mall, or basically anywhere and can blend in well.After spending a bit of time doing research on line and at local camera shops, i've narrowed down to two main options: 1. Domke F-3x 2. Billingham 7 series.Both bags have really good reputation. The Domke is light but at the same time offers very limited protection to the camera. It has quite a reasonable price. The Billingham with the material they used and all the paddings, can protect the camera gears inside it very well. Unfortunately it's a lot heavier and has a very expensive price tag.The Domke F-3x is a very nice camera bag and i really quite like the look of the F-3x. Unfortunately once you've checked out the Billingham bags (even i can only see photos/videos on the internet as I can't find any local shop that sells it), it's hard to settle down on bags from other brands, even the Domke. So I want a Billingham and I've narrowed down the selection to their latest 7 series bags so I just need to decide between the 107 or 207. The 107 is the smallest in that series and the 207 is slightly larger than 107. There is also a 307 that is the biggest bag in this series, which is a little bit too big as a everyday bag.It's not really a easy decision as I love the small size of the 107 but my D700 + grip is huge! With the grip installed, it's actually larger than the Nikon D3 or the Canon 1D series cameras. So while some D3 user is happy with their 107 even with a 24-70 or similar sized lens, I decided to go for the larger 207 so i can fit in another lens or flash easily when i want to. [...].I opened the B&H box and I saw my brand new 207 sitting inside there, and just like some of the luxury handbags, it also comes with a pretty nice storage bag so you can store the 207 in it when you are not using it.Anyway, about the 207. The first moment i hold it on my hand, I understand why it has such an expensive price tag. It's simply easily the best quality camera bag I've ever seen.Everything is made from top quality and durable material. The fabrics, the leather, the zip, the stitching are all very high quality. Even the little "foots" at the bottom of the bag are made from brass, not plastic!I'm a big fan of the Thinktank bags, and i really like the design and quality of their products. But comparing my Thinktank bag with the Billingham. One is like a Toyota and one is a Rolls Royce. For example, the YKK RC Fuse Zippers on the Thinktank Bag suddenly looks like a toy grade zipper when it's next to the big metal zip on the Billingham bag.The overall craftmanship and quality of the bag is just amazing. I put it next to my wife's Burberry bag (which is like 2 times the price of my Billingham), to be honest, i think the Billingham is a better quality bag. I guess the check pattern on the Burberry bag worths at least a few hundred dollars.The 207 is a medium sized bag, and with my D700 + grip lying flat on one side and a 135 f/2 lens attached, there is easily enough room for two more medium sized lenses. If i remove the grip, or don't use the provided divider, i can put put 4-5 small/medium sized lenses in the bag.There are two integrated carbon fibre "wands" that keep the bag fully opened when you unzip the main zip at the top. It makes putting things in or taking things out of the bag so much easier.Anyway, I don't want to list out all the features of the 207, if you are interested, just go to their website and there should be a pdf on their 7 series shopping page. No bag is perfect and even the Billingham there are a few things i don't really like:- The price! Yes, the quality of the bag is amazing, but it doesn't change the fact that it's still a very expensive camera bag! - While the front leather tabs and the brass ClogBalls that holds the top rain flap looks good, its not as easy to open/close when compare to the plastic clips or velco that is used by a lot other bags. But i believe with a bit more practice and after i worn out the leather tabs a little bit more, it should be a lot easier to open/close the main flap. But I've to say, the first few times i try to unlock/lock the tabs, it was not easy at all!- It's weight. At around 1.85kg, it is quite a heavy bag. Only my Tamrac Expedition 8x (a huge backpack) is heavier. But thanks to it's big, thick, and nicely pad should pad, the bag just doesn't feel that heavy at all, even when it's fully loaded.Apart from these, there are not really much i can complain about the Billingham 207. It's a top quality bag made from the best material and craftmanship. It looks great and doesn't look out of place no matter you are bringing it to a playground, restaurant or work. It's obvious Billingham has put a lot of thoughts when designing this bag.Many Billingham bag users are saying their bag last at least 10-15 years and I truly believe them after I've used my bag for a few times.Since i can't post photos here, so if you want to read my review with photos, please visit here: [@]

Comments about Billingham 207 Camera Bag (Khaki with Chocolate Leather Trim):

I have a couple Billingham bags including the 335 and 307. 207 is my third one. Yes, it is a pricy by it worths the money you spent as it will last for many years wih my expensive photographic equipment as the other two Billingham bags I already have. 207 is a good size bag with my Nikon D3s, 14-24, 24-70, 135 and SB900. Give it a try and I am sure that you won't feel sorry with your purchase and will enjoy using this bag as parts of your gears.