The 18L is perfect for a small lens like the 100-400, 500 or 600PF, attached to body. That was my 1 bag for years, until the 800PF came along to mess it all up.
Camera Backpacks for 800 mm PF
- Thread starter BillW
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Ben C
Well-known member
I have a mindshift 46L - don’t remember the model - that holds a ton but has a top compartment for other stuff so the camera compartment is not long enough to fit my 800, though it can hold just about all my other gear (Z9 body, Z8 with 70-200 f2.8, 24-70 and 14-30 f4 lenses, plus my OM-1 with 100-400 attached and my 8-16 and 12-40 lenses. When I went to Africa lately I took that with my 800 in the Nikon-supplied shoulder bag.
Slightly OT rant here - the bag Nikon provides is really nice, but for a $5000 lens it should would have been great if they designed to fit the lens with a Z9 attached. Would make it far more useful, and it couldn’t cost them that much more to do so. It’s not as egregious as not providing an Arca-Swiss compatible lens foot so we all have to spend another $150 for a functional foot, but it’s close.
Slightly OT rant here - the bag Nikon provides is really nice, but for a $5000 lens it should would have been great if they designed to fit the lens with a Z9 attached. Would make it far more useful, and it couldn’t cost them that much more to do so. It’s not as egregious as not providing an Arca-Swiss compatible lens foot so we all have to spend another $150 for a functional foot, but it’s close.
I think you will find that the 800/6.3 attached to the Z9 will fit into that bag. Well mine does !
Dawatm
Member
I fit my Z9 attached to 800 in the Nikon bag as well.
Ben C
Well-known member
Well I'll be damned! It didn't fit with the foam protector from the original packaging over the front element but If I take that off it does. It's a little tight around the Z9 body at the top and not as protective as I'd like, but it does fit. Thanks for the tip. I guess sometimes it pays to rant. Now is someone going to tell me that Nikon lens feet actually are Arca-Swiss compatible? 
I'm with you all the way on that one !!Well I'll be damned! It didn't fit with the foam protector from the original packaging over the front element but If I take that off it does. It's a little tight around the Z9 body at the top and not as protective as I'd like, but it does fit. Thanks for the tip. I guess sometimes it pays to rant. Now is someone going to tell me that Nikon lens feet actually are Arca-Swiss compatible?
I am using Koenig Photobags: https://www.koenig-photobags.de/
This guy produces inlays to his two sizes of backpacks, the inlays come either with some predefined layouts, or you can deisgn it yourself. Additionally to the larger backpacks he offers other solutions for telelenses. I own two of his bags. The bigger - photo attached here - takes my 600 PF with Z9 attached, some other lens and either the 400 TC or the 800 PF with body attached. The quality is excellent and the bag is absolutely waterproof, you can even let them stand in the water with no harm.
This guy produces inlays to his two sizes of backpacks, the inlays come either with some predefined layouts, or you can deisgn it yourself. Additionally to the larger backpacks he offers other solutions for telelenses. I own two of his bags. The bigger - photo attached here - takes my 600 PF with Z9 attached, some other lens and either the 400 TC or the 800 PF with body attached. The quality is excellent and the bag is absolutely waterproof, you can even let them stand in the water with no harm.
Attachments
Dawatm
Member
Don't feel bad, it took me a few days before I realized that piece of foam was in there. As for an arca swiss foot, I think almost everyone agrees with you.Well I'll be damned! It didn't fit with the foam protector from the original packaging over the front element but If I take that off it does. It's a little tight around the Z9 body at the top and not as protective as I'd like, but it does fit. Thanks for the tip. I guess sometimes it pays to rant. Now is someone going to tell me that Nikon lens feet actually are Arca-Swiss compatible?
Celticursa
Member
I’m sure the topic has been covered already. This link is close. I didn’t merge the threads as the question does differ
800 PF Owners: I ask dimensions please.
Greetings. I'm am trying to decide between the two Atlas pack versions or possibly a Mr Jan pack. A key item will be the stowage of the 800 PF with the lens shade reversed and attached. What is length with lens cap on? And diameters: lens cap end at barrel; and objective end with hood...bcgforums.com
With respect, the subject thread is more than a year old…surely this post deserves a more current response.I’m sure the topic has been covered already. This link is close. I didn’t merge the threads as the question does differ
800 PF Owners: I ask dimensions please.
Greetings. I'm am trying to decide between the two Atlas pack versions or possibly a Mr Jan pack. A key item will be the stowage of the 800 PF with the lens shade reversed and attached. What is length with lens cap on? And diameters: lens cap end at barrel; and objective end with hood...
You’re quoting my post from over a year ago…Sep 2022. Please Explain what you mean
SCP
New member
SCP
New member
I don't have an 800mm pf, but I do have a 600mm f4G. I carry that lens with a 1.4 teleconverter and a D850 or Z9 and an adapter in a Ruggard Alpine 600 lens backpack and I love it. I have hiked to locations that would not allow vehicles in to photograph birds in a Rookery. It should work for your lens and camera and is relatively inexpensive. In regard to a bag for camera bodies, lenses and small accessories there is nothing like Pelican cases on wheels. The Pelican 1510 is ideal for airport travel and is the most protective case you can buy. Other than the long Ruggard backpack I have used Pelican boxes exclusive for years and would not trade them for anything.
Calson
Well-known member
Any bag that worked for the 600mm f/4 lens will easily accommodate a 800mm PF lens which is 2 inches shorter in length. A consideration for travel is the depth of the backpack needed for the large lens hood. I get around that limitation when traveling by using the LensCoat hood that folds flat in my backpack for travel and works with a wide range of lenses.
Agree the lens hood can be an issue with the 800 mm PF and a backpack. I have a two-piece Zemlin lens hood for my 800 mm PF that I collapse and put in my checked luggage for air travel.
The lens fits nicely in my Mindshift Backlight 36L for travel (with two bodies and other lenses). I’ve even been able to carry the 36L on small planes like an Air Canada Dash-8 turbo prop, where the 36L fit under the seat in front of me and my laptop bag went in the overhead bin.
Copernicron
New member
Personally I've been getting away from dedicated photo backpacks like Lowepro or Mindshift and going toward hiking backpacks from Osprey with camera inserts in them. They're not as good in some ways but since my primary concern is comfort I find the trade off worth it. I've tried a lot of different camera backpacks and I've never found one as comfortable as what Osprey makes. Of course what works for me isn't necessarily what works for someone else but that's the way I've been going.
Anindya Majumdar
New member
Can I squeeze my two z8, z600/6.3, z14-24/2.8, z24-70/2.8 and z70-200/2.8 in Backlight 26L? Recently I came across a post that says to fit a camera body+ z24-70/2.8, z14-24/2.8, z70-200/2.8, 500/5.6 PF, z50/1.8, z85/1.8 and Nisi filter holder. Please suggest.Bumping this thread, as the arrival of the Z8 has changed the calculus on this:
The 800PF on the Z8, with hood reversed, will fit in the Backlight 26L, as will the 100-400. A Zemlin hood (and lens cap) is necessary though, as the diameter of the stock Nikon hood is too large for this bag. Only drawback is the rig won’t fit while in shooting ready position, but if that isn’t a concern, I think this is an amazing bag. It cuts a lot of weight that the Backlight 36L brings to the table, and is super nice to travel with.
I have all three Backlight bags, ask me anything
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Vincent_VdB
Well-known member
you might want to look in this one rather than asking this here ;-)
Big Prime - Camera Bags & Backpacks
Bags are always the topic of a lot of discussion, especially once you get some monster wildlife primes. I wanted to post and allow people to drop pics and descriptions of their setups, and see if we can learn more about the best ways to carry this gear. Specifically - I'd love an alternative...
bcgforums.com
Ben C
Well-known member
Revision to my earlier post in this thread. I just did a quick weekend trip up to Magee Marsh and didn’t want to check a bag, so I had to figure out some way to get my 800 PF up there in one bag with my other camera equipment, since my other carry-on was for clothes. I ended up making it work in my Mindshift 46L. I was able to fit the 800 with the hood reversed, which took up half the bag. The other half I configured to fit my Z9 body, and my OM-1 with the 100-400 M.Zuiko lens attached, plus a small extra space for batteries and accessories. I was actually pretty pleased with that configuration. There wasn’t room my Z8 as a back up body or any other lenses, but since I knew I wasn’t going to be shooting landscapes and those two lenses gave me 200-1200 mm (in crop mode) coverage, it worked well. But for my Africa trip last year when I needed the backup body and additional lenses, I ended up bringing the 800 in the Nikon-provided bag along with my Mindshift backpack filled with all my other gear.