medium cafe camera options

[luisdent]

i have had to switch to a tenba dna bag sine i have been carrying my fuji xt30. i recently got a fuji x100v however to replace that as my edc camera. with the smaller form factor i would really like to go back to my medium cafe as my edc bag. it fits all of my gear pretty nicely, but i don't want to just drop my camera in the bag.

does anyone have any ideas for how to organize a cafe to hold a camera vertically so it can be easily removed when needed? I've though about making a diy divider, or maybe getting the cafe bag insert organizer. but when i had tried that years ago it made it hard to fit everything comfortably as it sort of organizes but uses more space...

I'm glad to list my contents with photos, but I'm determined to make this work. I'm tired of carrying a bulkier bag.

[cdgerston]

Like you, I don’t like how much space a camera insert takes in a bag, especially one as small as the MCB. Instead, I sacrificed part of an old cache I no longer needed to make a padded bottom for the MCB. With that on the bottom, the stuff I have in the pockets of the bag on one side, and against my body on the other, I haven’t felt a need for any more protection for my Fuji cameras. It just fits nicely in there as is. You’d have to decide if you’re comfortable with this minimal protection, but I’ve been happy with it.

[luisdent]

I've never been "too" concerned with protection. I'm careful enough, and bottom padding is probably the most important as the bag can be set down hard or maybe dropped a little. But otherwise, i am more concerned with it sitting in the bag straight and easy to access quickly. Do you happen to have a photo of your camera in the bag?

[b1gsky]

For the most minimalist camera carry I use a Tamrac Goblin Pouch in my Café bags. I feel better when I don't just put the camera inside on its own and that way there is some padding and no danger of my keys or anything else leaving scratches. It's not very thick padding though, so you should take care not to drop the bag. I find the pouch a lot more flexible than any other camera inserts I tried (have a Tenba Byob 7 too) and it's easier to use when the bag is also fairly full with other stuff because it doesn't take up as much room.

[eekim]

I often use a standard camera insert in my Medium Cafe Bag, but it doesn't optimize the space, because it just sits at the bottom. I love the idea of a vertical insert. b1gsky, the Tamrac Goblin Pouch looks perfect for that. Thank you for sharing!

[jenns]

I carry an Olympus omd and my plan is to make some padded open top pouches that can fit inside the various stuff sacks. For travel I'll pack the body and lenses separately with the sacks cinched up. For daily touring, etc. I'm going to try folding over the edges of a larger stuff sack, sort of like a travel tray, and put the camera in lens down (with a little padding at the bottom). Once my makers bag gets here, I'm going to finally get to try this idea out with that bag and my MCB.

[cdgerston]

I've never been "too" concerned with protection. I'm careful enough, and bottom padding is probably the most important as the bag can be set down hard or maybe dropped a little. But otherwise, i am more concerned with it sitting in the bag straight and easy to access quickly. Do you happen to have a photo of your camera in the bag?

Sorry, no, I don’t have a photo with the X100F I used to own. I could take a shot of an X-E3 in there though, it’ll give you an idea. But basically, I found it pretty easy to pull in and out of the MCB if I didn’t have a lot of other stuff in the main compartment. I’ll see if I can take a picture soon.

[pammcl]

I’m a professional photographer and I love my Tom bihn synapse. I looked for some time to find a solution. Look at the tenba byob camera and backpack inserts. They range from $20 to $60 and work great. A byob 9 fits perfectly in a synapse 19. They also make a slim insert so it might fit a cafe bag

[luisdent]

i have outgrown my mcb a bit. at least sometimes. not to disuade bihn bags (I'm currently looking at some to replace my mcb for edc) but i own 3 tenba dna bags. they are superb. i use the tenba dna 8 when i want to have my edc bag as well as my camera and a lens or two and don't need my full camera setup. i use a tenba dna 10 for most camera things with a fuji xt30 and 3 lenses and accessories. and when i need everything (flash, lenses, etc.) i use the tenba 15 i believe it is...

but for edc i currently switched from my mcb to my luminary 15. but I'm looking at some bihn messenger styles now as i don't like the single tall bag style for my tech gear... otherwise a superb backpack though...