Why can't you get a "proper" camera case for a DSLR?

[afd]

Just having a moan really.
I used to use a Pentax ME Super and I remember my dad spending an extra £15 to get me a Pentax camera case for it. One of those ones that the lens cover unclipped and unfolded and hung underneath the camera. Now that I have a Pentax K10D I can't find a case for it unless I get one that I have to take the camera out of in order to take a picture. Very annoying.
Also, while I am having a moan, while I like the camera and am impressed with the pictures it produces, why is it so big? Any why so complicated? The sensor size is smaller than a 35mm negative, so shouldn't the camera be smaller? My Dad's compact Panasonic takes pictures that compare well with mine, and it's much smaller.
I happily used my ME Super either in aperture priority or manually and focussed it myself without any confusion. I mostly use the "P" mode with the K10D because I'm still not at the stage that I can change settings without thinking.
Still like the camera, just wish it had the controls, size and case of my old Super. I'd even put up with focusing the lens myself...

Alan (Grumpy Old Man)

 

[jbernie]

Just having a moan really.
I used to use a Pentax ME Super and I remember my dad spending an extra £15 to get me a Pentax camera case for it. One of those ones that the lens cover unclipped and unfolded and hung underneath the camera. Now that I have a Pentax K10D I can't find a case for it unless I get one that I have to take the camera out of in order to take a picture. Very annoying.

Probably a good chance that with the aftermarket bag offerings the way they are these days they found that it was no longer cost effective to produce/sell. Also possible that the market has moved on to a case format where room for more than one lens is considered the minimum requirement?

In many ways it can be very nice to have OEM kit, but then again, when I ordered my 40D the first thing I did was buy a 3rd party neck strap so I wasn't walking around all day advertising my CANON EOS camera for all to see and know about.

Although I have had an SLR of sort since 97 I was not actively following the scene back then, maybe some of the more experienced folks can help, was the SLR case market much simpler? ie you generally got what the OEM offered or maybe people didn't buy as many lenses? (just a smaller market?)

 

[Phrasikleia]

In many ways it can be very nice to have OEM kit, but then again, when I ordered my 40D the first thing I did was buy a 3rd party neck strap so I wasn't walking around all day advertising my CANON EOS camera for all to see and know about.

That's one of the first things I bought too. I walked around exactly one day with that obnoxious CANON EOS DIGITAL (bright red, no less) screaming from my neck strap. I got myself a nice, vintage, 70's era tapestry strap (natural fibers, with a soft, velvet backing). They don't make 'em like they used to.

To the OP: you might find a holster-style case to be the best modern equivalent. I use one with a top flap that opens away from me, which I keep tucked in, but unzipped while walking around; when I need to use it the camera, I just l lift it right out of there. It's very fuss-free.

 

[afd]

Got my ME Superback in '83, I ended up with a 50mm lens, 28mm and 70-200mm lens and a vivitar 283 flash. I had a gadget bag for all that stuff but often just used the camera and 50mm in the case. It worked well, don't know why it wouldn't work now.
Also the pentax strap for it cost an extra £5.

 

[afd]

Thanks for the holster case suggestion, but am not keen on having a camera strapped to my belt. Prefer it dangling from my neck.
Probably what I really want is a 10 megapixel digital back for my ME Super, anyone know where I can get one of those?

 

[cube]

The only thing like that was the Leica Digital Modul R.

 

[Lovesong]

Also, while I am having a moan, while I like the camera and am impressed with the pictures it produces, why is it so big? Any why so complicated? The sensor size is smaller than a 35mm negative, so shouldn't the camera be smaller? My Dad's compact Panasonic takes pictures that compare well with mine, and it's much smaller.

Comparing old MF cameras to DSLRs is more or less a leap that omits about 25 years of innovations and changes in the camera industry.

I recently bought a Minolta X-700 and a friend donated a Pentax K1000. While I'd agree (after careful analysis with a pair of calipers) that they are much smaller than the 5D with 24-70L that I drag around, it is important to realize that both of those cameras came from the late 70's/ early 80's. At that time the top of the line camera (and for some the best SLR ever) was the F2 (and then the F3 in 1980), which is about the same size as the rest.

Since then camera makers have added AF (look at the size of the F4 when compared to even the F3), electronic everything (EOS and then the Canon 3 and 1V come to mind), auto advance, auto rewind, etc. etc.

The top 2 film cameras still in production are the 1V and F6, and neither of them are that much bigger than say the 5D or the D700. Essentially as digital cameras came to be, manufacturers were not simply going to throw out some 20 years of advancements to get the camera to be smaller.

One exception to the progressive growth in camera size and function is the Leica rangefinders. The M7 was the last M-series film body that they made (and still do), and when they went to digital, their design and size didn't change much. This, in a way, shows that it is possible to fit all the electronics into a smaller body, like the old MF cameras. It's simply that most of us are used to the larger bodies with all the bells and whistles.

 

[wheelhot]

Yea, I wonder what happen to those small SLR pouch, each time I see a person with a DSLR, he will start walking like promoting it.

 

[jbernie]

To AFD: I forgot to mention one thing, it will be a personal choice but is there any Body Armour cases for your camera? Maybe not quite what you are aiming at but it might be an alternative to a true bag given how you like to carry your camera.

Essentially as digital cameras came to be, manufacturers were not simply going to throw out some 20 years of advancements to get the camera to be smaller.

Wouldnt that be more a case of, some aspects of SLR camera design remain the same regardless of whether they are digital or analog, that being the size of the ring where you attach the lens. No point shrinking an SLR to next to nothing when you still potentially be carrying lenses many times larger than a P&S style camera. But since you are miniturizing internal functions onto circuit boards you can add more functions to fit the space as opposed to shrinking the body.

 

[afd]

the lens mounts on my pentaxes are the same size but the digital is much bigger and there is the space of 2 rolls if film that isn't used, that space could get filled with electronics.

 

[cube]

There is the battery in one of those places (larger, actually).

Then there is the antishake and/or dust cleaning.

And the cameras don't use OLED displays, or even LED-backlit ones I think, so they are much thicker.

 

[PCMacUser]

The top 2 film cameras still in production are the 1V and F6, and neither of them are that much bigger than say the 5D or the D700. Essentially as digital cameras came to be, manufacturers were not simply going to throw out some 20 years of advancements to get the camera to be smaller.

Yep, my EOS 1V isn't much bigger than my 40D, but despite its size it feels comfortable to hold, and the controls are far more intuitive. The biggest issue with the 1V is the weight - especially when I use it on my 24-70mm.

the lens mounts on my pentaxes are the same size but the digital is much bigger and there is the space of 2 rolls if film that isn't used, that space could get filled with electronics.

I guess you're at a crossroads then. If you're truly not happy with so many aspects of your camera, you might need to consider investing in another brand or model.

 

[Phrasikleia]

Thanks for the holster case suggestion, but am not keen on having a camera strapped to my belt. Prefer it dangling from my neck.
Probably what I really want is a 10 megapixel digital back for my ME Super, anyone know where I can get one of those?

I don't use my holster case attached to my belt. It hangs from a long strap that I sling diagonally across my body. So I can swing it around to the back when I want it out of the way, or have it right in front of me.

You can also get holster cases that strap on like a backpack, only you can wear them in the front too.

 

[compuwar]

I don't use my holster case attached to my belt. It hangs from a long strap that I sling diagonally across my body. So I can swing it around to the back when I want it out of the way, or have it right in front of me.

Be aware that most straps take less than half a second to cut or just pull off. You can buy aftermarket straps that have steel cables in them to prevent such thefts, they run from $15-35, and are good insurance if you're traveling.

 

[Phrasikleia]

Be aware that most straps take less than half a second to cut or just pull off. You can buy aftermarket straps that have steel cables in them to prevent such thefts, they run from $15-35, and are good insurance if you're traveling.

Thanks for the advice; I might consider something like that for certain occasions. I do travel a lot. However, a thief would have to cut the strap on my camera, not my camera bag, since that strap is always around my neck, even when the camera is in the holster bag.

I end up being a tangle of straps, actually. I have the neck strap, the holster cross-body strap, and then the two straps of my backback, in which I carry other lenses and whatnot.

 

[PCMacUser]

Thanks for the advice; I might consider something like that for certain occasions. I do travel a lot. However, a thief would have to cut the strap on my camera, not my camera bag, since that strap is always around my neck, even when the camera is in the holster bag.

I end up being a tangle of straps, actually. I have the neck strap, the holster cross-body strap, and then the two straps of my backback, in which I carry other lenses and whatnot.

It sounds like you need to cut the straps yourself just to get untangled.

 

[afd]

I end up being a tangle of straps, actually. I have the neck strap, the holster cross-body strap, and then the two straps of my backback, in which I carry other lenses and whatnot.

I think that's why I would prefer the old style case...

 

[Phrasikleia]

It sounds like you need to cut the straps yourself just to get untangled.

lol. Yeah, pretty much. It gets even worse during the summer at archaeological sites, when I'll have the neck strap for my sunglasses and the chin cord for my hat in the mix. Oh yeah, and sometimes I also carry a water bottle on a cross-body strap. So yeah, I basically end up looking like a walking Houdini act. But I swear by that holster case!