Billingham are the ultimate bags when it comes to quality, a wise investment Billingham bags are built to LAST.
The Billingham 550 is an extra large bag with enough room to house all the serious or pro photographers kit with a large 17 litre capacity and external dimensions of 45 x 28 x 30 cm.
The Material
The Billingham 550 has been constructed from Billinghams own Stormblock Canvas. Stormblock Canvas has been rigorously Maeser tested (Water Penetration Test) and has been confirmed 100% waterproof. This bag will not leak that is why there is no detachable rain cover.
Stormblock Canvas is so strong that it will just not wear out this statement is not hyperbole there are many serious photographers out there who have had their Billingham bags for 15-20 years and they are still going strong. This is down to a combination of Stormblock Canvas, Solid Brass Fittings, super strong stitching and Top Grain Leather.
Top Grain Leather is split from the top layer of hide and is the strongest of all 4 leather types that is why Billingham have used Top Grain for their bags.
The Billingham 550 is a flapped shoulder bag with a large main compartment, 2 front zipped pockets, 1 rear zipped pocket, 2 front dump pockets, and 2 detachable side pockets.
The Main Compartment
The main compartment is accessed by a zip and has inside dimensions of 42 x 15 x 26 cm this section is divided up with Superflex partitions.
Superflex partitions are a soft padded four sided divider that Velcro’s into the inside of the bag, your lenses fit into these partitions and Billingham have many different sizes available so you can match the correct sizes with your lenses. 10 x 15 (depth x height) and 10 x 18 Superflex Partitions are provided with the 550 along with a superflex flap.
With a bag this size you will likely have to purchase more Superflex’s to compliment all of your equipment.
The main compartment will hold 2 DSLR bodies with grips 4 large lenses and 2 flashguns the 30cm height of the bag means you can stand up 70-200mm 2.8L and 300mm 2.8L lenses so if your kit looks something like this
Eos 5D Mk 3 with grip
Eos 1D X
300 mm 2.8L USM IS II
70-200mm 2.8L IS II USM
24-70mm 2.8L USM
16-35mm 2.8L II USM
2 x 430 Speedlites EX II
The 550’s main compartment alone will accommodate.
The Pockets
At each end of the bag are 2 detachable flapped end pockets these are fastened to the bag with brass buckles and the flap is fastened with a single popper button. The end pockets measure 18 x 8 x 21 cm with internal dimensions of 15 x 7.5 x 18 cm.
The detachable end pockets are large enough to take a DSLR without a lens and are also useful for things like compact waterproof jackets or bottles of water and as they are detachable can be removed completely as you may not need the whole bag capacity all of the time.
On the front of the bag are 2 dump pockets which measure 15 x 5 x 19 cm these are also flapped and secured by a popper button and behind the dump pockets are 2 zipped pockets which measure 21 x 40 x 29 cm. These front pockets provide lots of room for accessories (even small lenses) and various other bits and bobs you might carry.
The last pocket on the 550 is located at the rear of the bag and is accessed by a zip this pocket is flat and measures 40 x 28 cm here you can store A4 documents, a net book or a large tablet.
A flap covers the main compartment and the front pockets of the 550. The flap is fastened by 2 buckles at the front. 2 carry handles are at the top of the bag and are joined together by a leather fastener with 2 button poppers the fastener is stamped with the Billingham logo.
A heavy duty shoulder strap and an SP20 Top Grain Leather shoulder pad finish off the bag.
The Billingham 550 camera bag is a very high quality bag for the serious photographer the 550 will last you for years. Don’t be put off by the price tag remember you get what you pay for and if you buy cheap you buy twice, buy a Billingham and you buy once.
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