Day 282: Shutter bug

I have never done a review of any product on this blog.  That's not the blog's purpose.  But this is too good not to share.

When I bought my camera, it came with a little backpack case.  The case was a bit unwieldy, and with it on my back, purse in hand, and kids in tow,  I looked like a pack camel.  But it worked, so I went with it.  A couple of weeks ago, however, the zipper on the pack broke, so I've been looking for a functional bag that I could maybe tuck any purse items in as swell, and that didn't scream "CAMERA BAG."  I don't think I'm alone in this.  Any other women bloggers out there with DSLRs who want/need to keep their camera with them so they don't miss anything?  I always feel really self conscious carrying my camera bag, though.  It was so obvious.  And not stylish.  At all.

There are very few companies out there with bags for women, and I certainly didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars, which was the cost of a few of them.

And then I found Shutterbug Bags.  The bags are great looking, yes.  But the brilliant thing is the removable camera cocoon.  It's a quilted bag liner with adjustable pockets to hold your gear.  And since it's removable, you can fit it not only into the Shutterbug bags but you can also tuck it into any tote of a particular size.  Yup.  Brilliant. 

So, I ordered a bag, in red (why not?). 

 (Note the lush, albeit long, grass.  On this teensy portion of lawn!  HA!)

OK.  Back to the bag.  Does it look like a camera bag to you?  Nope!  It looks like a beautiful tote.  The photo here makes the bag look pinker than the bag actually looks, which is a beautiful, deep, rich, red.

The bag is well made, I love the outside pockets, and there's plenty of room in the cocoon. Loads of room, actually, especially when you consider the bag's size. I thought it would be bigger, but it's not--and that's a good thing.  One could still potentially haul lots of stuff, and it doesn't look crazy big.  Course, I don't usually carry much in a purse, but even if someone does, I don't think they'd have a problem, because you wouldn't necessarily bring ALL your camera gear with you when you go out. For fun, though, I filled it with as much of my equipment as I could. It holds my DSLR body and lens, flash, two other lenses (they share a pocket), macro converter, wireless remote, user manuals (because I still use them--my brain is kind of sieve-like), mini tripod, mini-softbox (folds down flat and attaches to my Speedlite to reduce that "flashy" feel), and lens cleaning stuff. The bag is built perfectly for getting equipment in and out, and fits my purse things, keys, wallet, and such, as well as the camera gear. I'm not even including here the little dibs and dabs in the outside pockets. Notepad, pen, lip gloss, etc.

Look at the inside (minus my camera, since I was using to take the photo). 

See how nice and cushy it looks?

And look at the cute button.  This little detail alone makes me smile!

Aw!  Isn't that a sweet little touch?

There is also a nifty clutch that carries memory cards, battery pack (not shown here--it's in the charger!), and batteries.  I threw in my little cleaning swabs, too, and microfiber cloth, since I'm always losing them. 

Yes, if I'm doing a more, er, formal shoot, I'll dig out my bigger, square, clunky, camera bag so I can carry other stuff, too.  But with this bag, I can bring my camera everywhere without looking goofy.

OK.  That's asking a bit much.  But I certainly can't blame it on this bag, that's for sure. ;o)

Did I mention that a portion of the proceeds go to charity?  It's true.  A charity to help special needs kids.  Another reason to feel good about purchasing this bag.

Yes, there are a couple of things I'm going to tweak, but I'm not worried about it.  It's an awesome bag.

OK.  I'm done now.  I just love this bag and had to share!  Love love love it!