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

Wed Feb 21 19:48:51 PST 2018

I don’t know, I seem to be eat up with grey/black bags. Ok, and done green ones, too. Not pictured, my very old, grey Tamrac 608 (first bag ever). 

Frank F. Farmer
Jackson, Mississippi 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Feb 21, 2018, at 9:33 PM, Jayanand Govindaraj via LUG <lug at leica-users.org> wrote:
> 
> Fibernyte (synthetic canvas) is more supple and is more comfortable to use
> than cotton canvas (my two bits!) - I have both.
> 
> I personally am a sucker for the sage/tan combo, though if something I need
> is on sale, I would just buy it irrespective of the colour, so my Hadley
> Pro turned out to be a rather characterless grey/black combo! :-)
> 
> Check out Ebay for bargain prices as well. I bought the Hadley Small (new,
> not used) from a seller in Korea at a very good price.
> 
> Cheers
> Jayanand
> 
> On Thu, Feb 22, 2018 at 8:23 AM, Frank Farmer <
> frank at f3documentaryphotography.com> wrote:
> 
>> I thought about that Hadley One or Pro One, or whatever it is called. I’m
>> not convinced I like the inserts as well. Think it comes with one half
>> insert. I think the Hadley Pro’s insert will better suit my needs. In fact,
>> I think I’m about to pull the trigger.
>> 
>> Now, the REALLY important question: what color? I love the red
>> (backordered), and the blue (a bit bright), but fear that I should go more
>> subdued. Green with brown is what I’m thinking. Can’t seem to find the gray
>> one anymore. At least, not at B&H (I have a gift card burning a hole in my
>> pocket for this purchase).
>> 
>> Frank F. Farmer
>> Jackson, Mississippi
>> 
>>> On Feb 21, 2018, at 8:43 PM, Mark Rabiner <mark at rabinergroup.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> I moved a bit over a year ago from using my many Domkes which I still
>> have somewhere to a black Hadley pro which is always at my side with D750
>> camera, book and keys in it. And box of 5x7's in the front pocket.
>>> In a downpour you don’t have to put your umbrella  over your bag protect
>> your gear you can put it over your head and protect you. In a deluge,
>> continuous and long my gear was dry as a bone.
>>> Domke's canvas is nice (or was they're going down the tubes) but
>> Billingham's rubberize them on the inside and now have other more high tech
>> processes to make them totally not mostly waterproof.
>>> There a new bag a big bigger bag just out this. year called a Hadley
>> one. I'm going to get it. 400 bucks. The pro was around $250. I got. Mine
>> at B&H. Adorama has them too.
>>> They are pricey but you only have to buy them once. I feel my gear
>> deserves it. I deserve it.
>>> They have a ubiquitous shape like many people have it does not look like
>> there is a camera in it. You can bring it to the movies you can bring it to
>> an opera or play. Places which frown on photography and photographers.
>>> I will say on a hot day in the direct sunlight it would be nice to have
>> a light tan one,
>>> I have a light Billingham 445 Shoulder Bag I got used for 92 bucks in
>> 1999 for when I'm doing a serious shoot. As they cost 500 plus bucks that
>> makes it the deal of my life.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> --
>>> 
>>> Mark William Rabiner
>>> Photographer
>>> 
>>> On 2/20/18, 11:12 PM, "LUG on behalf of Frank Farmer" <lug-bounces+mark=
>> rabinergroup.com at leica-users.org on behalf of frank@
>> 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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>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
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>> 
>> 
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> 
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