for Canon 350D / 400D XT / 1000D / 450D
Photos contain:
Canon EOS 350D XT
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
Tokina 12-24mm f/4
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Kit Lens
Canon Extender EF 1.4x II
Canon Angle Finder C
Hoya Pro1 Digital Polarising Filter
Crystal Optics 58mm Polarising Filter
Canon RS-60E4 Remote Switch
Kata T-212
I bought the T-212 a few months ago and have been absolutely DELIGHTED with it. Here's some photos:
The pic above left shows the T-212 containing my 350D with attached kit lens (still working on a better one lol) and the Tokina 12-24. My other bits and pieces that you will see in the pic below fit kind of at the bottom of the bag. This view, by the way, is looking "top down"- ie if I was wearing the bag, I'd be looking down into it. This is with the safety clip undone- you can see the female part at the bottom of the shot. BTW the funny grey and blue things over my lenses are drink holders to act as protection. ("Stubby/echo holders" for Aussies; "coozies" for North Americans... sorry don't know what they're called elsewhere.) I can't claim this idea... I think someone clever on this forum posted it! It's not a bad idea to implement with the T-212, as things aren't nicely segmented (except for the zip which I'll show further down) and cushioned as they are in regular camera bags.
The pic above right shows a side view, with the safety clip done up. This feature is really cool and I rarely undo it. It means that you can unzip the bag while wearing it, but the clip prevents the bag from flying open, causing everything to fall out. I'm still reasonably careful opening it up, but I haven't had anything fall out yet (touch wood!). I bought my T-212 from Midwest Bags and got the Crumpler John Thursday 50 free. I find it quite handy to store my cable release. It makes it so accessible when I'm shooting and keeps it separate from everything else in the bag. I find it also makes me remember to put it away at the end of each shoot, because the little red bag is right there in my face as a reminder. I've just clipped it over the safety clip of the T-212 with its double velcro attachment.
OK, pic above shows the contents of the T-212 that was all hidden away in the top left shot (with the exception of the 70-200IS). I have my 350D with kit lens, Tokina 12-24mm f/4 , right angle finder, 1.4X extender, caps for my kit lens and my Rocket blower in the main compartment. The thing I love about the T-212 is I can have the safety clip done up, and even use the bag as a cradle for lenses as I take them on or off. It sort of acts as a second pair of hands. Everything kind of sits in there like in a kangaroo's pouch or Santa's bag. Not ideal for wear and tear, as nothing is segmented and protected like it would be in a regular camera bag, but that's why I have as much as possible stored in their bags or some sort of protective covering. In the middle of a shoot though, when I'm changing stuff quickly, I might put it back in the compartment without going to the trouble to put it away properly. I'm sure I'm going to get some scratches etc from doing this, but it's all secure and better than putting something down on the ground or on a car bonnet etc and then forgetting it. I'm able to do lens and accessory changes very quickly. Once the "need for speed" has passed, I put the bits and pieces back in their covers, so they don't bang together when I move on to the next location.
The stuff circled in red is my spare battery, filter case (want to get something more compact), lens cloth and tissue, tissues for me and a travel sized pack of cue tips for cleaning my viewfinder. What's missing from the pic is my Formula MC lens cleaning fluid- oops. All of that gear and sometimes other small items goes in the side zip pocket.
Above left shows the empty side zip pocket just mentioned, where I store my small accessories. When I'm wearing the T-212, the zip is on my left side. A cool thing I picked up on a recent snow shoot was the chamois (pictured), which is attached to a lanyard which has a small clip on the end. It is absolutely fantastic for when you get snow or rain on your camera and outside of your lens and need to soak it up quickly. I attach this to the side pocket zipper and thread the lanyard through the keyring of my CF card pouch. The whole lot then goes in the side pouch just before I zip it up. This way, the two items are always on hand and I know EXACTLY where my CF cards are for a quick change. I had the tragedy of losing a 500MB card (full of shots- the biggest tragedy) on a recent trip, because I was too haphazard about my storage of cards, and I think it fell out of my original camera bag. I won't make that mistake again.
The pic above right shows the extra pocket, which is secured with velcro. When wearing the bag, the pocket is on my right side. This pocket is quite small and in fact, I found it by accident- it's easy to miss it. It's only just wide enough to get your hand into, but works well for holding your wallet, keys etc. It's also got some elastic pen holders (which consequently, I keep forgetting are there!)
The pic above left shows that the 70-200IS with tripod mount attached and lens hood reversed can fit in the T-212. In fact, this shot shows it accompanied by my 350D and Tokina 12-24mm f/4 . At a pinch, I've also fit my kit lens in there. I don't do it often or for long though, because it is tight- I'm usually wearing the camera with a lens fitted anyway. On occasion, I have also fit the 350D with the 70-200IS attached. Again, a bit tight, but doable. As mentioned by others, the front part of the T-212 expands to allow for whatever is in it (within reason) and then contracts back to its original shape when it's empty. It's a fantastic design.
The other thing you can see in this pic is the zip which you can do up to segment the bag. I don't tend to use it, because it is quite fiddly to do up and I can't fit every combination of my gear in the bag if it's done up. It's a good feature though if you aren't trying to stuff as much in there as I am.
Above right shows the T-212 closed and side on with the same contents. It's pretty loaded up, but by no means stretching seams or anything. It takes a bit of trial and error to know which way to fit the jigsaw puzzle of stuff into a triangular-shaped bag, but once you get the hang of it, it works well.
All in all, this is one of the best purchases I made and is worth every cent. I highly recommend this bag to anyone who is looking for the same versatility and convenience that I was.
thanks to Michelle Hallam (keenasmustard) for review
