Hi all,

A bit of an odd post this one but some time back I got a memory card stuck in one of my PEN cameras. It was my own stupid fault as I was inserting it in a hurry and absent-mindedly put it in the wrong way round front to back. As the ridge on the card was on the wrong side I had nothing to get a purchase on and no space to get my finger and thumb in the space in the hinged battery and memory card compartment. Fortunately this was at home and I used some tweezers to easily remove the card. Since then I carry a pair in my camera bag, I think that I can live with the extra weight 🙂 as, sooner or later, I’m going to do it again when out and about without anything to hand to remove it making it game over. Needle-nosed pliers would probably have done it too but I don’t want to accommodate these in my camera bag. There I said it was an odd post but, nether the less, hopefully a useful one, as the old saying goes forewarned is forearmed. 🙂

Kind regards

Leigh

Hi,

I’ve ordered one of their Avea7 add-on side pocket pouches for my Billingham Hadley Digital camera bag. One can attach one of these pouches to either end of the bag if desired and alternatively the pouch can be attached to a belt. They make three different sizes (Avea3, Avea5 and Avea7) to fit this bag, I chose this model, the largest of the three, because it should be big enough to accommodate some extra items, predominantly additional rechargeable batteries, a small USB power bank including the one built into my RAVPower SD card backup/Travel Router etc. that air travel regulations dictate that one’s obliged to pack in one’s hand luggage and a backup USB camera battery charger. I’m also gradually revising my gear requirements for the big photographic adventure that I’m planning for later this year, more on that another time. It can be detached when these items aren’t required to be carried around all the time.

The pouch can then be used on one’s belt for going out with just a small lighter weight one camera-one lens like my Olympus PEN-F fitted with one of my small pancake lenses such as my Lumix 14mm, 20mm or 12-32mm as I like to do in the evenings. I like this idea a lot as I want to keep my bag as compact and lightweight as possible for every day usage with the option to make it expandable as and when required. In the past I’ve travelled with a larger bag and packed a smaller one for the occasions when I want to just take out a camera and lens so experience tells me that this idea will work very well, probably safer as it’s less conspicuous than carrying a larger bag, it will also welcomely take the weight off of one’s neck and shoulders.

The pouches are manufactured to the same high standards as their bags and use the same padding, leather and brass fittings and three-layered waterproof canvas or fibrenyte material and offer the same level of protection for one’s gear. The pouch also has a small half-height internal pocket in which one could put a lens cleaning cloth, a couple of lens wet wipe sachets, a spare lens cap, a filter or similar sized items.

Kind regards

Leigh