C300: Jason Cases

I had one for a month for a C300 MKII that Canon sent me. Sweet, heavy and bulky cases. I avoid using cases like this at all costs unless flying with checked luggage but I usually have control over my camera 100% on my person or in carry on luggage right above my head when shooting and or traveling. If I was in situations where I didn't have control over my camera, I would use a Jason case, they're sweet. In the meantime, if you have not read it, read DVXUser Slavik Bs treatise on why you should be breaking your C300 down and carrying it in a light backpack with lens wraps, it's about 2/3 of the way down this page http://www.geardads.com/video-production-equipment-documentary-filmmaking/ I've been using this method for almost a year now and I laugh at people who use hard cases when they don't need to. The soft backpack is such a better way to go. But to each his own. If you have a heavy and more expensive camera like an Amira or a RED, I would use hard cases because they are probably going to get too large to carry on. But cameras like the Canon C100, 200 and 300, when broken down, get pretty small so why not carry it all in a small backpack instead of a heavy, bulky hard case?

Same for your car, the camera in a small and slim backpack takes up far less room than a Jason case and you generally don't need Anvil-like protection in your car or walking into an office building or studio. Less room taken up in your car leaves more room for grip, lighting, audio gear that you need to bring. I have a Corolla and I can fit a full green screen setup with four C-stands, sandbags, light stands, four LED panels, etc. if I put the camera on the front passenger floor board in the backpack. A Jason case wouldn't fit with what I need to bring.
 
Yeah, to reiterate, it kind of depends on what you're doing and how you need to transport gear. If it needs to be shipped, definitely a hard case, but 'around town' type stuff(or if you can hand carry on planes), soft cases and bags can save a lot of space. When I was on the road with my VariCam all the time(it lived on the road on a truck and was couriered, too) it lived in a custom Thermodyne hard case for transit, but a PortaBrace bag during the days I was actually using it. In-town, all of my cameras work out of soft bags. I also just moved my main 17" monitor over to a soft case with a padded rigid interior frame for in-town use(Petrol originally made them, but you can only get them through Flanders Scientific, now). It only takes up about 1/2-1/3 of the footprint of the Pelican/Storm case it used to be in.

As far as the Jason Cases themselves. I'm kind of torn. I should say definitely support them, as they are based here in my state, but some of their cases are expensive for what you get. Especially since companies and websites exist where you can design your own custom interiors. That said, they have gone through the hard work of designing the cut-outs for some weirdly shaped pieces. I designed my own case for my CN-E primes for MUCH cheaper than their pre-designed case. But I may get one of theirs for my 17-120, because it's a tricky shape and designing the cut-out myself has been a pain.
 
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I use Pelican Air with TrekPak inserts. 1535 for camera and 1615 for lights and other stuff. I also use a rubber strap (with metal hooks) to secure the 1535 to the top of the 1615. This makes it easy to drag two 1615's, one with a 1535 attached to the top, around to gigs. I don't think Jason cases use the Pelican Airs yet and TrekPak seems to be a great combination of protection and customization (and re-customization!)

I also have a Peak Everyday Backpack for lenses/DIT.
 
I have a few Jason Cases - one for c300 mkii - one for swx battery bricks and charger. They are bomber. The labeling template has helped ensure that stuff gets put away properly if I'm not doing it. However, as previously stated, they do cost a premium and the same thing can be done for cheaper on a case builder site.

Been using fstopgear ICUs for soft cases when circumstance permits. Limited protection but they're quite nice when traveling light.
 
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