How do you carry your monorail camera?

[David Low]

Hi

Just interested in what bags, cases etc people are using to transport their monorail type cameras around in for local shoots? Not for treking long distances over the hills and mountains, but just putting in the back of the car, and then carrying a short distance to take a photo.

David

[Frank Petronio]

I usually just compress the front and back tight and lay into my kid's booster seat in the car. To shoot I mount in on a tripod and swing it over my shoulder, throw holders and extras into a daypack.

The best cases hold the camera upside down and have notches to hold the rail - the camera is always ready to go, it just needs to be plucked out and tripod mounted. You can also do a Pelican/Halburton/Tenba/Liteware, etc to hold the assembled camera laid on its side in the same manner.

The cheap way is a plastic Igloo cooler with some home-made dense foam inserts. The expensive way is the Liteware or Tenba View Camera cases that are very nice but HUGE.

[Mike Anderson]

Custom contraption (soft cooler with plastic bin):
http://rectangularimage.com/images/equipment/cc402-in-bag.jpg

...Mike

[David Low]

Being rather cheap in spirit I like the idea of the cooler bags a lot!
Thanks
David

[Drew Wiley]

I have a big picnic cooler (hard-sided) with a couple struts inside notched out for the
rail to rest on. Nice for quick car use. Mainly, however, I prefer a large external frame backpack with the bellows part of the camera resting between two Tupperware filmholder boxes, but with a goosedown jacket tucket inbetween. The latter was preferable for architectual sites on steep hillsides, just like real backpacking.

[Richard Wasserman]

I leave mine, a Sinar Norma, on the tripod, wrap the darkcloth around it and strap to to the front of a Sherpa Cart. All the other bits and pieces are in a backpack inside the carry-all bag of the Sherpa Cart.

[GPS]

Arca Swiss 6x9 in a home made PVC hard case where the camera -ready to be used - lets the monorail protrude a half of its length. The case weighs 770g, goes easily in my backpack. Can walk with it for hrs and hrs.

[BrianShaw]

Camera and lenses in a hard case; Hard case strapped to a 2-wheeled luggage carrier. Film holders, filters, and lunch in a backpack.

[bobwysiwyg]

Found a tackle box for my Cambo. It's all assembled, just lift out and mount on the tripod.

[rdenney]

Foray Mobile Workmate (http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/536055/Foray-Mobile-Workmate-Black-Gray/?cm_cat=2000000010)

(The Office Depot link is not working for some reason--Google it)

http://static.www.odcdn.com/pictures/us/od/sk/lg/536055_sk_lg.jpg

The insert compartment on the left holds about six lenses on Sinar boards. The hard plastic file holder I discarded. The internal divider separates a small area in the back where I put the spare sets of bellows and the Fuji holder, plus the Pentax meter. The big space left in the middle is where the camera goes, with the rail sitting on top of the divider and the lens compartment. The only PITA is getting at the lenses in the bottom part of the separate insert in which I put the lenses. I keep film in the outside pockets. There would be room for four or six 4x5 holders there instead of those. Here's the picture of it with the camera in it from the "Show your camera" thread:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=33044&d=1257744524

Rick "who has a conventional Calumet-style case for his Cambo, but it's too big and unwieldy for a compact rail camera like the Sinar" Denney

[jb7]

This is good around town-
must get a better strap.

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/5509/jb77724.jpg

[Ken Lee]

http://www.kenleegallery.com/images/tech/gear.jpg

5x7 Sinar P with Sinar Shutter.

The camera goes upside down into a canvas tote bag, carried in one hand.

Over a shoulder goes the carrying strap for a cooler to hold accessories.

The tripod gets carried in the other hand.

When one arm/shoulder/hand gets tired, switch.

[Leigh]

In the factory-original felt-lined aluminum case.

Plaubel Profia 4x5 w/both bellows, lenses, film holders, focus cloth, and accessories.

- Leigh

[uavplane]

I usually use a decent sized record case with cut foam inserts to carry my Sinar. Then I usually set the cam onto the tripod and walk to where I'm going to shoot.

[toyotadesigner]

My 6x9 Arca Swiss is stored in an Underwater Kinetics case. Air, water and dust proof. Absolutely tight and protective. Camera, 5 lenses with board, 3 rollfilm backs, filters, adapters, mirror viewer and a film box are included. The rest (meters, Pola back, films) is stored in a small shoulder bag. For short distances it's ok, for long distances I use a collapsable 'tool caddy' with large wheels.

http://www.sacalobra.com/samples/arca-case.jpg