[Leica] Off & Tired Topic Warning: the Billingham Hadley Pro

[Jayanand Govindaraj]

Frank,

Its a great bag - not inexpensive, but you need to buy it only once in
your life, because it will last a lifetime! I have a 335 which I
purchased used on Ebay India over 20 years ago, and is still in first
class condition.

For day to day street work I oscillate between a Hadley Pro and Hadley
Small, depending on requirements. The former will take all you
require, while I use the latter when I am going out with one Fuji
body, a couple of lenses, a small bottle of water and spare batteries,
cards, cleaning kit, spectacles, etc. It will also accommodate an Ipad
Mini if I so wanted. Just removing the insert also converts it into a
rather smart casual bag for general use.

Incidentally, I got the Hadley Pro from B&H a few years ago at a 50%
discount - even with the shipping all the way to me in India, it was a
steal!

Cheers
Jayanand

On Wed, Feb 21, 2018 at 9:42 AM, Frank Farmer
<frank at f3documentaryphotography.com> wrote:
> Team,
>
> I’ve been a Domke user for about a billion years. So, there’s that. In SLR land, I carried two F-2 bags: one for bodies and lenses, one for lights and remotes. In Leica M land, I always carried, and still do, a well-worn F-6 (the “little bit smaller bag”). The problem is just that, though: it’s well-worn. While is has many more miles on it, for sure, I’d like to have something not so worn for those times when such isn’t exactly the best option.
>
> I’m enticed by the Billingham Hadley Pro. I’ve been flummoxed, though, in my efforts to actually put my hands on one. New Orleans? No dice. DC? Same. Jackson? You’ve lost your mind.  I’m limited to my experience with various photos from the likes of the Billingham website and B&H, etc.
>
> Here’s my query: Has anyone moved from a thicker bag like a Domke (the four compartment insert is a thing of beauty because one can always access each compartment) to a more slimline bag like the Billingham? How did it change your shooting style? Your storage style? Access? It appears that equipment will take more digging to access in the B’ham, for example. Is the experience more vertical?
>
> For reference, my current usual M kit consists of an M10, 35, 50, 90, flash w/ diffuser, and the normal accessories (extra battery, memory cards, lens cloth, pen, flashlight, glucose monitor (ok, fine, that’s not a normal piece of kit, and Leica doesn’t make one, but I have to carry one anyway). Sometimes, there is a super-wide with finder.
>
> Thoughts? Anyone made that exact swap?
>
> Here’s to my second totally subjective question in a week. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
>
> Frank F. Farmer
> Jackson, Mississippi
>
>
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