It doesn't matter what type of camera you have be it a small point and shoot, a mid priced point and shoot, a low end dSLR or a high end dSLR the care and feeding of any camera is pretty much the same.

1. Handle it nicely.
2. Make sure it has plenty of batteries.
3. Make sure it gets plenty of memory cards.
4. Make sure it has a safe, secure, warm place to live.

It is number 4 that is perhaps the most important followed closely by number 1 and then the others. A safe, secure, warm place to live for a camera is a good quality, well made, durable camera bag. All cameras should have one of these and you shouldn't go cheap on one either. Most camera bags can work for multiple cameras. So unless you keep every camera you buy for ever you should be able to reuse older camera bags for newer cameras. That is of course if you are staying with the same general type and size. Small point and shoot to small point and shoot, medium dSLR to medium dSLR, etc.

When choosing a camera bag there are all types of styles, sizes, features and colors. Myself personally, I favor the LowePro brand. They are easy to find being available at most camera stores and many discount stores (usually smaller bags for point and shoot cameras). They are also very well made and include a nice range of features for the price. Yes, you can find cheaper bags but like most things this day and age you get what you pay for. A top quality bag is important because it protects your camera while it is not being used. If you're out for a hick it protects the camera from bumps and scrapes, while at home on a shelf waiting to be used it protects it from dirt and dust. It also protects the camera from heavy moisture like rain, though many bags aren't water proof on their own they do offer considerably more protection than not having your camera in a bag at all. Some camera bags like a great number of the LowePro bags come with a rain cover that you can pull out of a small pocket and cover the bag with making it waterproof.

In this review I want to talk about four bags. All of these bags are for dSLR type cameras. That is a camera with a couple of lenses, maybe a flash, etc. Myself I have a Pentax K20D dSLR and so far four lenses, an off camera flash, portable storage device, filters and other misc. stuff. Sometimes I just want to take my camera and a lens and maybe a spare battery or two. Other times I want to take an extra lens or two and sometimes I want to take all of my equipment. So I am going to be covering bags and backpacks that I feel offers the size and features one needs for these various needs.

Rezo 190AW

This is the smallest of the bags I want to talk about. It comes with a carry handle on the top as well as a shoulder strap that is wide and nicely padded in the area that would rest on your shoulder near your neck. The top unzips opening fully for easy and quick access. Inside the main compartment are several dividers all of which are movable thanks to the Velcro that holds them in place. As it comes from LowePro you can have your dSLR with a modest lens attached in the middle of the bag and two lenses on each side. This bag is designed to hold your camera lens pointing to the bottom of the bag which leaves room for a sixth lens in the front of the camera in the middle. The dividers that hold the camera vertically in the bag have padded wings to better hold the body of the camera.

In the top of the lid for the main compartment is a small pocket with four mesh pockets perfect for memory cards, this pocket is somewhat expandable so there is very easy access to the contents, in other words you won't have any trouble getting your fingers in there to grab a memory card. Inside the main compartment on the left hand side is a mesh pocket with a pull out micro fiber LCD protector. Basically with your camera in the bag you pull this protector over the back of your camera and it helps to protect the LCD screen on it, this is a nice little touch I think.

On the outer right side of the bag is a nice side pocket that is the width of the depth of the bag. On the left side there is a strap with several sewn dividers, I am not sure what you would use this for, it looks to me like a place to store cans of used or unused film. A nice touch if your using a film camera, not very useful if your using digital. On the front of the bag under a cover flap is another large pocket. Unzip this to gain access to a large pocket that is as wide as the bag itself as well as some smaller pockets and mesh pockets, these are ideal for pens, note pads, extra batteries, even a couple of filters. Finally in the front of the large front pocket is a pouch that you open from the bottom and it contains a weather proof cover that pulls out and covers the entire bag to protect it from the weather. Oh, this bag also comes with a small pull out zipped bag that is large enough to hold a small external flash or even a small point and shoot camera. The down side to this is that it has to be carried inside the main compartment which means you loose a space for a lens. But, it is included free and you can use it how you wish. It would have been nice had it had a hook so you could hook it to the outside of the bag for carrying non-valuable items.

All in all this is a very nice bag, the size is great for a modest dSLR setup and the main goodies that you need to use it. Unless you are going to use this bag like a purse also it is far too big in my opinion for a point and shoot or even a large advanced point and shoot camera. But, for a small dSLR and goodies it is perfect. You can find this bag online for around $70.00. It's interior size is: 11.2W X 6.5D X 7.3H in. Its exterior size is: 12.2W X 9.1D X 8.9H in.

Stealth Reporter D400 AW

This is the next largest bag that I am going to review. This bag is designed for the serious dSLR owner. Besides being able to handle a small, medium or large dSLR with a nice sized lens (like a 100-300 or 28-300, etc.) attached it has room for five more large lenses. Like the Rezo above this holds your camera vertically with the lens pointing down it too has padded flaps that the body of the camera rests on.

Inside it has the movable Velcro dividers but no pockets in the lid. The reason for the no pockets in the lid is because it has a zipper spanning the top of the lid so that you can gain quick access to your camera or lenses without having to fully open the lid. This is a really nifty feature and one that I think is well worth the loss of the lid pockets.

On the outside there is the straps on the left side for holding canisters of film. On the right side there is more of them. However, in the front there are two large tall pockets with dividers inside of one of them and no dividers inside the other. The dividers are for pens, batteries, etc. The tall pocket on the right side has a Velcro close flap to help protect and keep secure whatever you put inside. Behind these two tall pockets is another pocket that goes the entire width of the bag, this pocket could hold a nice size notepad and with it are two smaller pockets at the top perfect for memory cards.

This bag has a nice carry handle on the top as well as a nice wide shoulder strap with padded neck pad and it also has a waste belt so you can wear it and work hands free but still have all of your gear with you. This is a very nice feature that goes a long ways to prevent fatigue. Also like the Rezo this bag comes with a large removable bag, but once again you either take up space inside the bag or you carry it yourself there is no way to attach it to the outside of the bag.

On the front is a plastic front id holder. What I really like about this bag is the easy access top and the fact that the carry straps and handles are very strong. This is a very durable bag that can easily handle a large dSLR and large lenses. It isn't too big and isn't too small. Oh and like the Rezo it too has a weather cover. It is stored in a Velcro close pocket on the bottom of the bag. You can find this bag online for around $130.00. It's interior size is: 12.6W X 7.5D X 9.4H in. Its exterior size is: 14.4W X 9.3D X 11H in.

FastPack 350

Now that we have bags out of the way lets talk backpacks. My favorite backpack is the LowePro FastPack 350. Besides being able to carry a laptop computer up a 17" wide screen it can also carry a dSLR with lens attached (modest size like a 70-200, 2 to 3 lenses or flash units, memory cards and other accessories.

The notebook computer goes in to a zippered compartment at the back of the backpack, it is actually right against your back when you have the backpack on, the notebook compartment is very well padded with a nice snug fit so you don't have to worry about the computer sliding around shifting the weight of the pack increasing fatigue. The main compartment where you put your camera and lenses is accessed from the bottom half of the backpack and it unzips side ways. It has several Velcro secured dividers that you can move and adjust to fit your gear. On the flap for this compartment are two flap sealed pockets perfect for memory cards.

The top part of the backpack contains a large storage area with a Velcro secured removable bag as well as several pockets for filters, pens, memory cards, etc. and a single small mesh pouch. There is also a large zippered pocket on the front of this section of the backpack. On the front of the main compartment is a zippered pocket with two mesh pockets. This would be a good place to carry a small notepad and the manuals for your equipment. This is covered over with a buckle close flap.

As for the backpack itself it is one of the most comfortable ones I have ever wore. The shoulder straps are easy to adjust, well padded and don't rub you in any of the wrong places. The hip belt is padded near the ends that connect to the backpack which in my opinion makes the backpack more comfortable. There is also a chest strap to help keep the shoulder straps from slipping which I think on long walks would help reduce fatigue. If you don't want to wear the backpack you can always carry it by the carry handle on the top of the unit.

Overall this is one of the nicest camera/notebook backpacks I have used. It is well made, nicely designed and laid out. It has plenty of room for a dSLR, lenses and accessories. It is comfortable to ware and it looks nice too.  The interior size is: 11W X 6.1D X 10.6H in. and the exterior size is: 12.4W X 9.6D X 19.3H in.. You can find the FastPack 350 online for about $115.00.

Flipside 300

Of the two camera backpacks that I have looked at from LowePro this is definitely the strangest of them. I like it's compact size and that it is taller than it is wide. It just feels good on your back. What I don't like is that the main compartment is unzipped from the back of the pack and not the front. Meaning the back of the pack that rests against your back when it is on is the main opening. Having to deal with the straps that hold the pack on your back when trying to zip, unzip and get stuff in and out just seems inconvenient to me. Now to be fair the reason it opens in the back and not in the front like other camera backpacks is because it has a strap on the front to hold a tripod. I really like the idea of being able to carry a tripod and have it easy to carry and out of the way. In fact this makes this backpack well worth dealing with the back opening issue.

It is large enough to hold a pro sized dSLR camera with a 300mm f/2.8 lens plus 1 to 3 additional lenses or flash units, a tripod, cables, memory cards, manuals and other accessories.

On the left side of the backpack is an elastic topped pouch, on the right side is a zip open pocket with a mesh pocket, two pen pockets, two document pockets and two pockets for memory cards. This pocket opens wide so getting even larger items in and out is easy. On the bottom of the pack is a Velcroed pocket that has a small pocket inside of it. On the inside is your standard Velcroed dividers that you can arrange any way you like and any way that best fits your equipment. There is also a large zippered removable bag in the top, it is held in place by Velcro as well. It is large enough to hold a point and shoot camera or a camcorder and it is nicely padded as well.

The backpack itself is easy to put on and comfortable. As I said it has a strap on the front for a tripod. It also has a built-in carry handle, hanging loop and the two shoulder straps are nicely padded. It also has a narrow waist strap to keep it from flopping around as you walk.

For its compact size it is a very spacious backpack and one that I like a lot. I love being able to carry a tripod with it and still have the tripod out of the way. The interior size is: 9.1W X 5.4D X 15.9H in. and the exterior size is: 10.2W X 6.9D X 17.5H in.. You can find the Flipside 300 online for about $75.00.

Well, there you have it four very nice camera bag and camera backpack options. All of these are top quality, well designed, well made and very smart looking. There is no excuse for not providing your camera with a safe, secure, warm place to live.