Top Professional Lens Bags

When you’re on a shoot, going back and forth to your main equipment bag just isn’t practical. Many times, you need immediate access to your main lenses and other accessories. In these situations, you need a lens bag right by your side.

There are different bags designed for every situation…backpacks, roller bags, waist packs, etc. In this post, we’re highlighting bags designed to keep lenses within arms reach. In these picks, we’ve chosen messenger and sling style camera bags.

Here’s a rundown of our top 6 picks for professional DSLR lens bags:

Think Tank – Retrospective 10

Think Tank has always brought us the most thoughtfully designed bags for photographers. “The Retrospective series is comprised of three shoulder bags and two lens changer bags.  This series is designed for the professional photographer that wants to blend in with the crowd and remain inconspicuous in any situation.” Though this bag looks simple and inconspicuous, it still has all the great features and quality we come to expect from Think Tank.

Crumpler – 5 Million Dollar Home

We love Crumpler…with their unique sense of character, design, and craftsmanship. It’s hard to say it better than them, so here’s the product description in their words:

“Polished professional. Aspiring Amateur. Happy snappy chappy or chapette. It makes no difference. If you want to haul a basic set of camera or video equipment, and protect it from the elements and things that go bump in the night or day, give the Five Million Dollar Home a shot.”

Lowepro – Passport Sling

The Lowepro Passport Sling is one of the newer bags in the Lowepro Sling line. Although this bag looks to be aimed at a prosumer level, we love how this bag gives easy top loading access to one large compartment without the hassle of typical messenger style flaps. There are times when you just want one big container go hold all your gear, and this bag provides just that. The main compartment is even expandable to increase the maximum cargo capacity. As for ergonomics, this is a very comfortable bag in the way it wraps around the body.

Domke – F-3x RuggedWear

Domke was a pioneer in making discreet photographer bags that don’t scream “steal me!”. We especially like their RuggedWear line, featuring a waxed canvas fabric that gives off a “worn” look and get’s better with age. With all the abuse our bags go through, it’s nice to have a bag that claims to look better the more use it gets. For those looking for something a little inconspicuous, you’ll definitely want to check out this bag and other models in their “RuggedWear” line.

Boda – V3 Lens Bag

The Boda bag is the brainchild of top wedding photographer Jim Garner. For this V3 version, Boda claims to have taken the feedback of 150 photographers from previous versions to create this latest version. So can this be the ultimate lens bag? Well, we have to admit the specs of this bag is very impressive. It’s made out of very heavy duty ballistic cordura, offering good impact and weather protection. It has slots for 3-5 lenses and compartments for all your necessities like storage cards, water bottle, business cards, phone, and even a built-in retractable lens cloth…nice touch. It can be used as both a messenger style or with the optional waist belt for even more ergonomics. We haven’t actually tried one of these bags…but gotta say we’re pretty curious and would love to get our hands on one.

Shootsac – Lens Bag

One thing we’ve noticed about bags is that sometimes, it’s all about personal choice. You can have all the right compartments, the best shock protection, the toughest waterproof material, and the most comfortable strap…but does it match the photographer’s style? Enter the Shootsac. This bag, designed by photographer Jessica Claire, balances form and function. The Shootsac is a simple bag designed to do two things well…hold your lenses and to do it in style. The Shootsac is made of a neoprene material, has several main compartments for lenses, and offers an array of design covers that are interchangeable on the bag.