Photographers Vest

[Robpendragon]

Just a quick question for you all. My wife wanted to know what I wanted for my birthday & I really could not give a definite answer except maybe a gift card for somewhere. She then asked if I would want a Photographers vest. My question is (seeing is I don't own one) Do you own one & do you use it? Is it a hindrance or very useful? As stylish as they are I never put any thought into buying one Thanks for any input.

[jfrancho]

Nope, I prefer to lose my photography widgets in an open top bag like a Domke instead 15 coat pockets.

[badpickev]

to be honest, i have used my fly fishing vest as one. worked pretty well.

[jfrancho]

You must not catch any fish -- my fishing vest is covered with trout gunk

[tomrock]

I have one of these: Domke | Photogs Convertible Jacket/Vest, XX-Large | 735-005

It's a jacket and the sleeves zip off to make it a vest. I like it.

[Padre]

I wear one even as dorky as they look and I find it very useful.

[yendikeno]

Originally Posted by Padre

I wear one even as dorky as they look and I find it very useful.

same here. Although it isn't strictly a photographer's vest, I use one quite a bit on travels where hiking and photography combine. For me it's easier than trying to lug stuff around in a shoulder bag. It also forces me to think about what I really need to carry, so I don't overload myself on a long hike.

[gryphonslair99]

I shoot a lot of sports so a vest it just part of my gear. I can carry a couple of extra lenses, flash unit, filters, spare cards, batteries for my different camera bodies, a couple of bottles of Gator Aid in the back pocket and misc other junk. It is there, it is handy and it is not heavy or in the way. Plus with multiple camera bodies it has eppelettes that allow me to secure a couple of camera bodies on my shoulders.

It is also handy to me for general shooting. I don't have to fumble in a bag, I have stuff in pockets. The back pocket will hold a 70-200 f2.8L with hood, so most of my lens collection is not a problem.

[D.Rodgers]

A vest is a on my high priority list. Spring is coming and my back cant take 25lbs in a low pro anymore.
The vests with a tool belt help distribute the weight.

[cyclohexane]

I use a belt kit similar to this one instead of a vest: Professional photography equipment - camera bags, camera cases - from Think Tank Photo

I purchased my pouches individually (different than the set linked), and just add and subtract as needed. More customizable, better support and protection for the gear.

In general, the vests are a good idea (spreads out the weight) but I don't like how most of them are designed. Also, you can't reconfigure the pockets, and I find that I'd be stuck with empty ones when there's nothing I have that fits in them. I played with the idea of getting something like MOLLE to use for equipment (I mean, fishing vests work...) but the cost compared to something designed for photography (i.e. ThinkTank's Modulus) made the endeavor not worth the cost.

[Nikonfreak]

I use the Lowe Pro Street and Field Harness system. If you have a Lowe Pro backpack all the lens bags and accessories can be used with this shoulder harness system.

I placed a little clip on the D-Ring on the front top shoulder pad on the system and use that to display my credentials at shows. The system holds a tremendous amount of items and it's quite comfortable and distributes weight very nicely around your body and is supported at your shoulders rather than on your waist so that your lower back doesn't hurt by the end of the night / day's shooting.

The link is for the shoulder harness. You also need to order the belt, by size, where the sliplock accessories fit into.

Great system. I use it for concerts as well as for nature treks. You can even order water bottle holders which work nicely on their own to hold batteries, cell phone, lens caps, etc when you are not carrying a water bottle.

Lowepro | Shoulder Harness, Extra Large | 1951210 | B&H Photo

Julio

[Mr Mikey]

I use the Campco vest for shooting places i do not want to have to set a bag down at. mine even has a pocket big enough to carry a water bottle in.
Great for day hikes as well, although the pockets are not big enough to carry a DSLR with the lens attached.

here is a link to the one I like using, lots of other brands out there as well.

Campco | Safari Photo Vest, Large (Khaki) | VENTKL | B&H Photo

[Poco Red]

I use one of these ...
Pro Camera Gear

and still can't believe it was only $35.00! My jacket size is 44 and while the large says its for a much larger size it seems to be just about right! I've even been known to put a windbreaker in the rear pocket if we are going for a good walk! It is good quality and it is a lot easier to carry my stuff balanced in the vest than on one shoulder in a bag! I also got the tripod carrying strap which is also a good option to have! It even came in a week and when coming accross the border that was real nice! USPS is usually close to a month!

[Fast Eddie]

About twenty years ago, I obtained a Banana Republic photographer's vest that worked exceptionally well for several years -- before I misplaced it during a move. Unable to replace it with another Banana Republic vest (discontinued I guess), I purchased a Domke photographer's vest. As a working photojournalist, I was already a great fan of Domke bags, so I was pretty confident that the vest would be useful as well -- and I wasn't disappointed.

This is not the Domke jacket that has removable sleeves, it is an actual vest, dripping with pockets of all manner of sizes and shapes -- some useful, and some not so much. Since leaving journalism, I only drag the vest out for hikes into the terrain with my 4x5 field camera -- but it is still going strong, just not as pretty as it was new.

Hope this helps.

[Rense]

yep, that's the one I'm using.
I wouldn't walk around without it.

[richardpcrowe]

I bought it with a gift certificate which I won at a Calumet Photo store. Actually, it was an impulse purchase with "free" money and I didn't use the vest for a long while.

I have lately taken to using it and I like it very much. It is not too hot on a warm day yet gives a little protection on a chilly day.

I can leave all my staple equipment in the vest pockets, pad, pen, flashlight, etc. and always have them available.

The only downside is that I have to be very orderly because there are so many darn packets that it is easy to lose small pieces of gear like camera batteries.

I keep my top pocket free for lens caps and or hood-hats and have not lost one of these elusive devils since I began using the vest. I also like to be able to collect brochures and other information about the subjects I am shooting. I just shove them into a back pocket where they are not in the way.

I don't carry lenses in my vest because I use multiple bodies and have the lenses I carry attached to a body.

My wife sewed some Velcro across the top of the left shoulder of my vest. That is great to secure the strap of the holster case in which I will carry my camera with the longest lens. The Velcro prevents the strap from sliding off my shoulder.

I also have a fishing vest. This is shorter in length than my Domke and I use it for fly fishing. I leave my various fly fishing paraphernalia in that vest so I would not want to try to make one vest do double duty. Additionally, the fishing vests (and there are several fishing vests sold as photo vests with Nikon or Canon logo patches) don't have the pockets set up as well as the Domke. They ar also usually shorter since fly fishermen don't want the bottom of the vest to be dunked in a stream while wading.

[nohoneythatsnotanewlens]

Daddy, why does Aunt Tammy have to carry all that stuff with her? Well honey, it's because she doesn't have one of those really cool vests l