Any thoughts on the Porta Brace DV4U?

G

greenrider

Member
Just saw the DV4U bag at B&H today - does anyone have any experience with it? I'd like to throw my DVX100B in there along with a shotgun mic, batteries, tapes, etc.

Right now I'm just using a duffel bag which has no padding whatsoever, but the upshot is that I can squeeze my small tripod in there. Not sure if the DV4U bag will hold a tripod in addition to the camera, but I guess I probably should stop being lazy and trying to cram those things into the same bag anyway.
 
I've got my DVX100B in a Porta Brace CS-DV4U and I have to say, it's probably the best bag I've ever used, both on the photo and video side of things (though my Domke J-1 photo bag is very very close). The quality is truly stunning and you get the feeling that they're still a relatively small manufacturer that cares about every bag.

As for fit, here's what I stuff into mine to give you an idea of what to expect:

Main Compartment: DVX100B (in the cradle), charger, spare batteries (2), AT875R shotgun mic in it's pouch with an 18" XLR cable, Shure wired handmike in bag, Rode shock mount (SM5), Sony 7506 headphones in their bag, 24" 5-in-1 reflector, Rycote 14cm Softie, Varizoom Rock Zoom/Focus/Iris controller. There's still some room in here if I need to throw in some more tapes, etc.

Front Compartment (zippered): Sennheiser G2 Camera Kit in the soft pouch PB includes, 4 MiniDV tapes, remote controls, a couple of pens, the manuals for my stuff, the white card, 2 firewire cables (3ft and 15ft), S-Video/Composite/AudioLR cable.

Back Compartment (velcro): Porta Brace QS-M4 Quick Slicker rain cover, 25' XLR cable. If it gets full in the main compartment, I'll move the reflector in here as well. This compartment isn't padded, so nothing shock-sensitive or dentable goes in here.

By the way, if you think you might ever need simple rain protection for your DVX, I highly recommend getting the kit with the DV4U and QS-M4... it's part number is CS-DV4UQS-M4 and Adorama has it for $259 or so... this is about $30 more than just the DV4U, but the QS-M4 if bought separately is like $90.
 
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It's a great bag. I personally prefer the DV3U because the 4 is BIG. If you fill it up it will be HEAVY. But, that's just me. I can't imagine you'll be disappointed. Worth the money.
 
The DV3 will also work, yes... but it won't carry a full kit very well and I felt like the DV3 kind of smooshed my DVX a bit more than I'd like.

The DV4 isn't _that_ big and I have to say after spending a long time lugging a photojournalism kit bag around with still gear, my DV4 feels light as a feather.
 
In my DV3U I keep my dvx, extra batteries, charger, shotgun mic, wireless G2s, 25' xlr cable, gaff tape, tapes, dvx book, misc other odds and ends. If you want to carry matte box and filters and 35 mm adapter and such things would get cramped. I also sometimes put the LitePanel in there too. Just a good size bag for my needs. The 4 is great too.
 
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