Gear review: Built NY Medium Cargo Camera Bag

I'm a member of the school of thought that your camera doesn't matter. Whether you are a good photographer, great photographer, or AMAZING photographer, I FIRMLY believe that your camera doesn't matter. Ken Rockwell does a great job at explaining what I believe here,  But the gist of all of this soapboxing on my part is that a visual artist can be and will be as good as they are no matter what media/equipment/materials they have on hand. That being said? Appropriate materials certainly do make the job of making any kind of visual art a lot easier and more enjoyable no matter what. (I'm aware that now I've sort of contradicted myself. *sigh* Who's counting?)

Anyway, I must tell you about my new shooting bag from Built NY. Here's what it looks like. Thank you Adorama.com... (for the image AND giving me a really good price on the bag)...

As a professional photographer who does work exclusively onsite - weddings, food, portraits, scenics, etc. - and NOT in the studio (mind you I am not a natural-light photographer alone the way many these days are) I need to have the capability to be (essentially) completely mobile.

• I have to have certain lenses on me to have the flexibility of offering different perspectives shot from one spot. (Because that's what it's about - offering my unique perspective, right?)
• I must have my flashes at hand to snap on or off when I feel they are appropriate or not. 
• I need to have a place to stow away my memory cards and/or film and extra batteries.

The go-to shooting bag of the industry (specifically for wedding photography) has been the ever popular Shootsac. It's made of neoprene and was designed by a photographer for photographers for the very purpose of carting around the list of items I mentioned above. It gets rave reviews but it's also pricey to the point that you might have to put off buying that lens that you've been eyeing even longer than you already were. How pricey? Try $200 minimum. (Yeah. Not happenin' here and now or ever for that matter.) I like the things that make the Shootsac special - the neoprene, the fact that it's lightweight, that it can be collapsed and stowed away without issue when it's not in active use, etc. - but I have never been convinced that another bag couldn't be, do, and serve the same purpose as a Shootsac for a much lesser price tag.

Enter the beauty you see above that is the Built NY Medium Cargo Camera Bag. It's the shooting bag I've looked for for months now and finally can call my own! Yay!!!!

Now, this bag is no Shootsac but it's also not supposed to be. It's my understanding that it's supposed to be more of a camera bag than a shooting bag. Still? It does a great job as a shooting bag. It's all of the things I noted I liked of the Shootsac but a small fraction of the price - only $40 or so!! Not bad. Not bad at all. 

The bag is a little larger in profile than the Shootsac but it's collapsible and the neoprene material makes it something that naturally doesn't get so much in the way enough for it to be a bother. It's possible to get the large version of this bag but I am about 5'2"-ish in size (petite by most standards) and the medium suits me very well. I carry this bag messenger style and I can fit my huge full-frame camera body in it (about the size of a large DSLR body WITH a grip) and then three of my favorite lenses and a flash. It's a snug fit but not so much that I can't pull things in and out of the bag with major issues the way I would if I were having to carry the Slingshot bag I've had for years but is (honestly) kind of a pain to deal with when time is of the essence and the ability to "shoot from the hip" is completely necessary.

My verdict: Built NY Medium Cargo camera bag isn't just a good alternative to the pricey Shootsac, it's a GREAT alternative.