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Features

Five Low Profile Camera Bags for the Street Photographer

Chris Gampat
No Comments
03/26/2015
2 Mins read

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Panasonic 15mm f1.7 review product photos (2 of 6)ISO 4001-100 sec at f - 3.5

Street photographers generally need a few things when they go shooting. First and foremost, their camera bag (or bag of any sort) needs to be low profile and not attract any attention to them. In fact, they need to blend in as much as they possibly can. But they also need quick access to their gear and they need to be able to move quickly. While moving quickly can depend on the photographer’s specific speed, they no doubt will be able to move master if they have less weight on them. So with that in mind, a photographer needs a small, lightweight bag that won’t make them want to bring too much with them.

If this sounds like you, we’ve compiled a list of low profile camera bags that you’ll want to take a look at.

Zkin Champ

Zkin Champ

 

Though they’re not one of the more popular brands out there, the Zkin Champ is the bag that I tote around the most. The inside is customizable, it can hold lots of the essential gear, looks nice, is low profile, and is very reliable. I’ve both overstuffed and understuffed this bag and its straps haven’t failed or shown any major sign of creating problems later on. While it is expensive, the bag is very well built.

Buy Now: Zkin

Think Tank Retrospective 7

Think Tank Retrospective 7

 

Think Tank has been known for affordability, reliability and great quality for many years. Their Retrospective series is designed to be their version of a messenger bag. The Retrospective 7 is designed for mirrorless cameras and small DSLRs and will ensure that you don’t pack a whole lot of gear into the bag and therefore slow yourself down.

Buy Now: B&H Photo

Pro Tip: When shooting street photography, keep your camera in your hand. There is no need to put it away every time you're not using it.
Pro Tip: When shooting street photography, keep your camera in your hand. There is no need to put it away every time you’re not using it.

Tenba DNA 8

Tenba DNA 8

 

Tenba’s DNA line of camera bags was designed with the New Yorker specifically in mind. These bags are designed for commuters and the DNA 8 is the smallest offering. You can stuff a camera, a handful of lenses and other stuff in here if you choose. Their buckle system that lets you close the bag up is quite ingenious and the bag overall won’t draw any particular attention to you or its contents.

Buy Now: B&H Photo

ONA Prince Street

ONA Prince Street

 

For years, ONA has been creating incredibly good looking and well-built camera bags. The Prince Street is their latest entry and is essentially a smaller version of their older messenger bags. It’s great for a street photographer looking to keep their gear loadout to a minimum and still remain extra stylish.

Buy Now: B&H Photo

Lowepro Passport Sling III

Lowepro Passport Sling III

 

Last but not least on this list the the Lowepro Passport Sling III. If you’re looking for something a bit less messenger bag style, then this sling will be what you’ll want around your torso. It forces you to keep your gear to a minimum: essentially just the camera, lenses, and an iPad if you wish.

Bring it on your next vacation.

Buy Now: B&H Photo

Low Profile Camera Bags lowepro Ona street photography tena think tank Zkin
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Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.
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