C300: C300 MKII: Backpacks, bags, etc.

S

seanarmada

Well-known member
Hi all

So I'm finally putting in the order for the C300 MKII. Super excited! I've been following all the threads on here related to the C300, re: different rigging and mounting options, etc.

I've been using a C100 up until this point and I've been getting by really well with my Tenba Roadie backpack, which seems to be the perfect size for a C100 + lens, audio, etc.

I wanted to know what any of you would recommend for the C300 MKII? I'm a pretty lean shooter, I like to setup and get shooting as quick as possible, for the most part. It would be great to know if there are any backpacks or other bags that comfortably hold the C300 MKII with top handle intact. Slavik's setup with the Wooden Camera top plate and SmallRig top handle looks like something I'll look to emulate, but for now I'll be stuck with the stock setup.

Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks guys!

Sean
 
Last edited:
Hey Sean,
Congrats on the c300 mkii purchase man. Great camera. Took shipment of one recently and had the same question - wooden camera top plate/handle, zacuto shoulder rig, etc - I ended up picking up this:

http://www.portabrace.com/cameras/b...ll-black.html#product_tabs_description_tabbed

Yet to test in the field; first road trip for a doc week after next. Will have more direct experience after then. Strapping a tripod on the side like they have it in the pictures is a bit optimistic in my opinion. At least the tripod I use. That said, for hauling a modest kit around Brooklyn, shooting test footage/friends, it's working for me thus far. The dividers are fairly versatile as far as configs go. Time will tell how it holds up.

Hope this info proves useful. Wishing you well in your search.
Kohl
 
Michel Talaïa said:
Hi, I have a Think Tank Airport Accelerator backpack and it is very nice for C300 Mark 2. In this backpack I can have the C300 Mark 2, with charger, two batteries, 2 L lenses and a shotgun microphone with a Rycote super-softie. It is a quite compact backpack with very good form factor.

https://www.thinktankphoto.com/coll.../products/airport-accelerator-camera-backpack
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I'm after - great recommendation! Do you find it to be fairly comfortable to wear when filled up to max capacity with equipment?

Sean
 
Kohl said:
Hey Sean,
Congrats on the c300 mkii purchase man. Great camera. Took shipment of one recently and had the same question - wooden camera top plate/handle, zacuto shoulder rig, etc - I ended up picking up this:

http://www.portabrace.com/cameras/b...ll-black.html#product_tabs_description_tabbed

Yet to test in the field; first road trip for a doc week after next. Will have more direct experience after then. Strapping a tripod on the side like they have it in the pictures is a bit optimistic in my opinion. At least the tripod I use. That said, for hauling a modest kit around Brooklyn, shooting test footage/friends, it's working for me thus far. The dividers are fairly versatile as far as configs go. Time will tell how it holds up.

Hope this info proves useful. Wishing you well in your search.
Kohl
Click to expand...

Hey Kohl

Seems the Portabrace site isn't loading up on my end. Is this the backpack by chance? - https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/850147-REG/Porta_Brace_BKS_2XM_BKS_2XM_Soft_Backpack.html
 
seanarmada said:
Hey Kohl

Seems the Portabrace site isn't loading up on my end. Is this the backpack by chance? - https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/850147-REG/Porta_Brace_BKS_2XM_BKS_2XM_Soft_Backpack.html
Click to expand...

That's a different backpack.

Huh...clicked the link and it loaded. Sorry it's getting lost in translation. Here's a 2nd try:
http://www.portabrace.com/cameras/backpack-camera-case-small-black.html

Here's a link on bh site:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...e_bk_c300_rigid_frame_backpack_for_canon.html

40 bucks cheaper on B & H than what I paid going through Porta Brace. The Porta Brace website has pictures of internal config. The model number is BK-C300. Can get there through camera case dropdowns.
 
I'm a fan of the Sachtler Dr. Bag 3 - great size, firm exterior, and the "doctor" part means the unzipped bag is taller than most bags, so you can throw stuff in, take it out, and be a lot looser during use. Fits our C300II great. http://www.sachtler.com/products/bags/video-camera/shoulder-bags/dr-bag-3/

I also recommend the Tom Bihn Absolute Shoulder Strap to replace any strap - it works wonders on a super heavy Dr. Bag, grips your shoulder and doesn't slide off like most straps. https://www.tombihn.com/products/shoulder-straps?variant=16664457159
 
Kohl said:
That's a different backpack.

Huh...clicked the link and it loaded. Sorry it's getting lost in translation. Here's a 2nd try:
http://www.portabrace.com/cameras/backpack-camera-case-small-black.html

Here's a link on bh site:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...e_bk_c300_rigid_frame_backpack_for_canon.html

40 bucks cheaper on B & H than what I paid going through Porta Brace. The Porta Brace website has pictures of internal config. The model number is BK-C300. Can get there through camera case dropdowns.
Click to expand...

That looks perfect, thanks for the recommendation man. Incredible that you can have a C300 + top plate + lens all in there intact, with quite a bit of room left over. Looks super durable?
 
Hi Sean, the Think Tank is very comfortable. My bag fully loaded weighs approximately 20 pounds and I can walk easily with it during hours without any pain.
 
slavikb said:
I'm a fan of the Sachtler Dr. Bag 3 - great size, firm exterior, and the "doctor" part means the unzipped bag is taller than most bags, so you can throw stuff in, take it out, and be a lot looser during use. Fits our C300II great. http://www.sachtler.com/products/bags/video-camera/shoulder-bags/dr-bag-3/

I also recommend the Tom Bihn Absolute Shoulder Strap to replace any strap - it works wonders on a super heavy Dr. Bag, grips your shoulder and doesn't slide off like most straps. https://www.tombihn.com/products/shoulder-straps?variant=16664457159
Click to expand...

This looks like a solid option also. Is this small enough to be considered carry-on for most flights?
 
seanarmada said:
That looks perfect, thanks for the recommendation man. Incredible that you can have a C300 + top plate + lens all in there intact, with quite a bit of room left over. Looks super durable?
Click to expand...

Porta Brace says their stuff is handmade in Vermont. I just looked at the stitching and I'm inclined to believe them - good thing in my opinion. The outer material seems to be similar to what my winter mountaineering backpack (Mystery Ranch) is made of. That pack is bomber, handling -25 degree scraping on ice walls with aplomb. If it's even half as durable as that, it'll last. Not super beefy zippers, they look a little thin. Comparable to other bags I have (Manfrotto, et al). Wish they were YKK, but so it goes.

I haven't been carrying it with the camera rigged and ready to shoot (minus shotgun mic & cords), but I tried it out.

Attached pic with monitor connected to wooden camera top plate/handle and the 24 70 f2.8.

If I carry it that way I'll likely pick up a few more of their 'Lens Stabilizer Blocks': http://www.portabrace.com/accessories/camera-case-stuffer.html

One comes with the camera - under the lens in the photo - but a few more will help take up the space around the camera so the weight of lenses/accessories/etc above the camera isn't resting on the monitor mount.

I tend to tinker so it'll probably take me a year or so to get various configs dialed in.

Anyway, may the info prove useful.
Regards.
Kohl
 

Attachments

  • 4R0B0859.jpg
    4R0B0859.jpg
    58.2 KB · Views: 0
Last edited:
Kohl said:
Porta Brace says their stuff is handmade in Vermont. I just looked at the stitching and I'm inclined to believe them - good thing in my opinion. The outer material seems to be similar to what my winter mountaineering backpack (Mystery Ranch) is made of. That pack is bomber, handling -25 degree scraping on ice walls with aplomb. If it's even half as durable as that, it'll last. Not super beefy zippers, they look a little thin. Comparable to other bags I have (Manfrotto, et al). Wish they were YKK, but so it goes.

I haven't been carrying it with the camera rigged and ready to shoot (minus shotgun mic & cords), but I tried it out.

Attached pic with monitor connected to wooden camera top plate/handle and the 24 70 f2.8.

If I carry it that way I'll likely pick up a few more of their 'Lens Stabilizer Blocks': http://www.portabrace.com/accessories/camera-case-stuffer.html

One comes with the camera - under the lens in the photo - but a few more will help take up the space around the camera so the weight of lenses/accessories/etc above the camera isn't resting on the monitor mount.

I tend to tinker so it'll probably take me a year or so to get various configs dialed in.

Anyway, may the info prove useful.
Regards.
Kohl
Click to expand...

That looks like a pretty ideal setup, thanks for going into more detail with that. I have the 17-55 on most of the time and it looks like it could fit that intact with the camera.
 
Nice suggestions everyone! And good timing for me since I need a new bag/case of about the same size, though I can live without fitting a fully-built camera (ie- hopefully carryon, perhaps a bit bigger).

Kohl, I like that picture of your camera in the Portabrace bag. Found a slight variation on the Porta page for that bag (but with a C300mk1, I think):
porta_c300.jpg

I have a dozen Portabrace bags, some I bought 20+ years ago. All holding up well. I like their stuff.

A friend has a Lowepro Magnum, which is kinda like the Tenba Roadie (I think). He thinks the Lowepro has better padding, esp on top, than some other bags. It's about $220 at some usual-suspect stores (I just checked):
http://store.lowepro.com/magnum-650-aw
lowepro_magnum400.jpg
 
seanarmada said:
That looks like a pretty ideal setup, thanks for going into more detail with that. I have the 17-55 on most of the time and it looks like it could fit that intact with the camera.
Click to expand...

Cool. I don't have that lens, but I'm guessing it'd fit fine. Looks like a great verite lens.

Jim Feeley said:
Nice suggestions everyone! And good timing for me since I need a new bag/case of about the same size, though I can live without fitting a fully-built camera (ie- hopefully carryon, perhaps a bit bigger).

Kohl, I like that picture of your camera in the Portabrace bag. Found a slight variation on the Porta page for that bag (but with a C300mk1, I think):

I have a dozen Portabrace bags, some I bought 20+ years ago. All holding up well. I like their stuff.
Click to expand...

Hey Jim. Thanks for sharing the pic. Super good to know that the bags have held up for 20+ years. Makes me nostalgic for the days when everything was made to last that long!

Anyway, kind regards. Up for work in 5 hours.
 
Nato Handle (Cheese). This one: http://www.woodencamera.com/nato-handle-kit-cheese-70mm-p/166300.htm

Great handle, but I'm finding that I get a little bit of drift/lean from the monitor unit mounted into the hot shoe (female mount came with WC C300 top plate). I think I got a little OCD about making sure the monitor was firmly attached and over-cranked the male hot shoe, grinding down some of the relatively delicate grippy teeth things on it. Drag. The WC female hot shoe uses a 1/4-20 so it doesn't have those neat little stabilizer pins like the 3/8-16 does. So, slightly less stable again. It's workable, but I need to be careful.

Going to try out a set up with the Nato Handle Plus, a super short 15mm rod, and an arri-style 15mm rod/hot shoe attachment for the monitor unit and compare with a short version of their new Ultra Arms. Will test later in the week.

Anyway, I'm rattling on...wishing you well with it all.
 
seanarmada said:
Kohl: side question but what top handle are you using in that pic?
Click to expand...

Hey Sean,
Wanted to follow up after using the above set up for the last week. We had two C300 mk ii, one with the wooden camera top plate rigged with an ultra arm - handle in the picture above - and one with the Zacuto top plate handle. The wooden camera one is compact and flexible, but the monitor mount itself was finicky and a bit unstable. Running handheld down a dry creek bed to stay in front of our very spritely 91-year-old subject in 35 degree temps, I was much more confident with the Zacuto handle - the monitor mount is bomber. Aside from the other obvious positive for cold temps - made of wood, not metal. Anyway, FWIW. Hope it's useful.

The PortaBrace bag was awesome.
 
Hi Kohl:

Resurrecting this old thread to follow up with you, after living with it for a while, what are your thoughts on the Portabrace BK-C300 backpack? I have a Cinebags CB25 I have had for years and years and overall, it's been great, it has traveled with me with my C100 all over the world, the Sahara last year for a few weeks, it was sitting in the fine powdered dirt all over sets in dusty little towns and it kept all of my gear clean, South Africa the year before in torrential rain and mud, once again, kept the gear perfect, the rain cover was very handy. Very happy with it other than I have used it so much, one of the lowers on one of the shoulder straps is coming undone from the backpack body. I may spring for another Cinebags but that Portabrace you have looks pretty sweet too. I would like to carry my C100 at least mostly rigged which would mean handle on, lens on (Usually the 17-55 2.8 or the 18-135 STM IS, depending on the shoot), baseplate and short rods on, which probably makes it closer in size with the C300 MKII. I also occasionally rent the C300 MKII so I am looking for a backpack that can carry either my rig or a C300 MKII as rigged as can fit. It seems a lot of my clients, producers and directors really like to hit the ground running. For local shoots, I just build up the camera in my office fully and carry it on the floor of my car so when I arrive on set, I can set the camera on my tripod and I am instantly ready to shoot, they do not like when I build the camera on location for the most part so a bag that would let me carry close to fully rigged would be a great thing.

Anyway, how do you like your bag? Does it come with a rain cover like the Cinebag? I will be getting one or the other. I used to have PortaBrace cases for my Betacam back in the day, they were good stuff, but the Cinebag has been great too.
 
Last edited:
Hey puredrifting. Thank you for reaching out about this. I apologize in advance for the truncated response as I'm in the thick of it shooting a commercial, sitting in the hotel, waiting for media to offload.

In terms of field use with the Portabrace backpack, it was really great on a doc shoot a few months ago when I was shooting almost all handheld with the c300 mk ii. Aside from the first few days which were seated interview, almost everything else was shot this way and the backpack fit everything we needed for a days shooting with 35 1.4 attached and a 50 1.2, 85 1.2, and 100 2.8 macro in the bag. The hard but flexible liner thing is really useful. I rather appreciated the practice of seeing just how efficient I could get with what I did and did not carry.

Was shooting last few week in about 3 locations per day with a tiny crew - everything on a tripod and camera more rigged out (AB battery, rails, Atomos, etc). Finishing that shoot now with a slightly larger crew (and a totally incredible gaffer), everything still on a tripod, shooting in 6-8 locations per day in the same general area (usually a complex of large buildings). The job still demands to be quite nimble, but in a very different way than the doc. I thought that the Portabrace backpack would work a lot, but instead I'm finding it much better to use the director's Portabrace go bag (medium duffle, stiff sides). Don't have to breakdown the camera much and quicker for the AC to get the camera to the next location. Haven't used the backpack at all. Just not the right tool for this job.

That said, I'm sure I'll use the backpack often for when it fits the circumstance. I'm also digging loading it up and walking the streets of old Brooklyn. Carries fairly well for what it is. The quality on the Portabrace seems super solid.

I hope this makes sense and proves useful. I'm a little loopy and the days are only getting longer. Wishing you well in all things.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top