Gear Review: Domke F-2 Camera Bag

I’m not sure if this is going to be a good bag review or not… it’s not really something I’ve felt compelled to do before, but something about the Domke F-2 is different. Maybe it’s because I’ve finally found a bag that does so many things so right. Maybe it’s just because it’s black with red accents to match my Canon gear.

I’ll start by saying, I guess, that I have a lot of camera bags. Most photographers I know do, as they try to find the one or the few that will satisfy all or most of their needs. For a long time, I have been very happy with a Tamrac Adventure Messenger 4 shoulder bag (which has apparently been replaced by some new model), or when I’m primarily using the 70-200 mounted to a camera, a Tamrac Pro5. When I need to haul everything, I do it with a ThinkTank Photo Airport International V2. In general, I have settled on ThinkTank and Tamrac as my bag brands of choice–not because they pay me to say that (they don’t), but because they are practical, seem to be designed by photographers or with input from photographers, and represent good value for money.

The Tamracs are a little too small when carrying two bodies, however, and the airport international is gross overkill unless you’re bringing the kitchen sink. At some point I started looking for a bag that could hold two bodies and a good working kit of lenses and accessories. I combed the internet, looking specifically for what photojournalists use, since I am both a wannabe PJ and because they often carry exactly what I was looking for–one or two camera bodies, a few zooms, a prime, maybe a speedlight or two, and various accessories. I wanted a bag that was big enough, but only just. And so surfaced the venerable Domke F-2.

The F-2 afield, on US-1 in California.

Designed in 1976 by Jim Domke, a bona fide PJ for the Philadelphia Inquirer, the F-2 is different from most of the other bags I have in that it has virtually no padding and is made of canvas instead of nylon or some other tough, synthetic fiber. In many ways, it is sort of the anti-bag, eschewing padding, velcro, business card pockets and doodad holders for ultimate flexibility. The only padded part, a four section square insert, can be easily moved around in the bag, even on the fly, and all of the pockets are generously sized and deep.

The F-2 loaded with a 70-200 f/2.8L IS, Canon 5D (II or III), two Canon speedlights, a 24-70 f/2.8L, an (I think) 85 f/1.8, and a water bottle in the outside pocket.

It is a strikingly different design approach from something like a ThinkTank bag–where the ThinkTank bag is very useful because of all the very specific pockets, tethers, and compartments for things, the Domke is useful for the opposite reason–I find myself putting things in different pockets, shifting and swapping things according to whatever need I have at that moment. Finally, I have a bag that can easily hold granola bars and water bottles and flashlights and cellphones and business cards and whatever else I need to chuck in there.

Loaded for an engagement shoot, the F-2 had a 5DmkII with a 70-200 f/2.8L IS, a Canon 5DmkIII with a 24-70 f/2.8L, and I think a 35 f/1.4L. The important thing in this photo is that I’ve moved the insert over to the side so that I can put one body with the 70-200 in the bag while I carry the other on my shoulder. When transporting, I had the insert in the middle and the lenseless bodies on the sides.

The thing I like most about the Domke is that it operates how I operate–I can transport two bodies and the lenses and accessories I need to whatever I am shooting, and then I can reconfigure the bag very quickly from transport mode to shooting mode–i.e., as in the photo above, once I take the cameras out and mount lenses, I can shift the insert from the middle to the side and put one body in the bag while I carry the other one on my shoulder. If I’m shooting out of the trunk of my car (how I work when traveling and sightseeing sometimes), I can usually shoehorn both bodies with cameras mounted–they’re not protected that way, but they’re at least stable and not rolling around in the trunk.

The F-2 in “transport mode”–5DmarkIII on left side; 70-200 f2.8L IS, 24-70 f/2.8L, 24mm TS-E, and 1.4x teleconverter in the middle insert; space for the 5DmarkII on the right side (used to make this photograph). I also pulled the flashlight and battery charger out to illustrate possible uses. There is a backup hard drive in one of the side pockets, as well as extra batteries and cards in the front pockets.

The other great thing about the F-2 is that it’s not rigid, since it lacks all that padding. What that means is that it’s a more comfortable bag to carry around since it conforms to your body. It also means that it doesn’t chafe and will therefore be very durable. It can get on the heavy side, but that’s just because it’s big enough that you can fit more in it than maybe you should.

The strap is wide and grippy with lots of adjustment, and the top flap of the bag can fold out of the way while working to allow you quick access to your gear.

The one thing it doesn’t do particularly well, surprisingly, is fit inside luggage. Typically, when I have to fly for a photo job (as with a recent wedding in California), I put all my gear in the TT Airport International, and then put socks, underwear, and accessories into the pockets of a shoulder bag and stuff that into my checked bag. The Domke, while very flexible, is both too tall and too wide for my carry-on size suitcase of choice, forcing me on that trip to up-size my suitcase. Not a deal-breaker, but definitely disappointing given how much it shines in other ways. It’s true: no bag is perfect.

The Domke F-2 is pretty cheap as bags go, and is definitely a great value in my book. I bought it because I was looking for another option to add to the already-ridiculous pile of bags that I have, and ended up with a bag that is frequently my go-to. Maybe not ideal for inconspicuous and pared down street photography, it is a great general need bag and perfect for the vast majority of event, travel, and personal work I do.