[eachaglimpse]

HI all. I've recently bought a K-30, and I'm looking for the smallest bag that will fit the K-30 with the DA 18-135mm WR lens, a smaller prime lens, and extra batteries. I'm not familiar which brands are good. Been looking at Lowepro and Caselogic. I like the sling types, but they all seem to be too big. I definitely don't want a backpack type because I will not be buying or carrying that much gear.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Giklab]

Maybe Kata DC-441? Holds a camera&lens + small prime + 70-300 zoom or flash, with SD card pocket and side pockets for misc.

[Ben_Edict]

One of those smaller holster style bags should do for you. Can be carried as a should bag or used on a belt, to give more freedom of movement. My partner uses a Crumpler for her Km + 18-200 and it has a little extra space for a smaller flash gun, if needed:
http://www.crumpler.eu/index.cfm?seite=photo&productID=7699&sprache=EN

Of course most other brands will do just as well, the Crumpler just serves as an example. Brands I have personally good experiences (= I have bags) are LowePro, Billingham (this might be a smart option: Hadley Camera Bags - Billingham - look for the Hadley Digital Camera Bag way down on the page) and a Kata Slingbag.

Ben

[eachaglimpse]

Thanks for the suggestions!

[wildweasel]

+ 1 for Crumpler. I've got a New Delhi (much bigger than you're looking for) and the quality is superb. Their muffin-tops might suit you well. One of the best things about them is they don't look like camera bags so reduce the likelihood of theft.

[wasser]

The Retro series from ThinkTank is pretty nice.

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/categories/shoulder-bags/retrospective.aspx]ThinkTank Retro

I've got the 5. It's pretty small, but has a capacity slightly larger than the stuff you listed I believe. ]

I also had and really liked my Tamrac - Model 5767 Velocity 7x until the velcro dividers frayed.

[JinDesu]

Lowepro bags usually have the rain sleeve, which work wonderfully in the rain.

I have a Nova 160, and it could fit my k-x, 17-70, and another lens, as well as two pockets that can hold batteries, rain sleeves, booklets, etc. It also has it's own pair of memory card pockets on the inside.



Alternatively you can look at their sling bags which also have rain sleeves. They come much cheaper than waterproof bag equivalents.

[Clicker]

Lowepro 102 AW fits your gear but don't you want something a little bigger for future additions unless that's it for gear?

Lowepro - SlingShot 102 AW

[DaveHolmes]

You're going to end up with a half-dozen camera bags whatever you decide so the best advise I can give is 'save some cash and buy used'

Hopefully at some point you'll have the '3 perfect bags' : 1) the small 'city' shoulder... 2) the carries 'all' shoulder... 3) the 'outdoor/landscape' backpack (with room for waterproofs, lunch etc)...

[bluenose]

As a second bag to my Tamrac backpack, I picked up a Lowepro Event Messenger 250 shoulder bag. It is the largest of three in that series and for its size is very spacious. You might consider looking at that model or one of the smaller versions.

Lowepro | Event Messenger

Regards

[eachaglimpse]

I decided to go with the crumpler 4 million dollar home. I guess I'll just stick with that until I need another one. I know someday I'll need a backpack one with room for tripod and lunch like DaveHolmes mentioned.

Also I'm planning on going to big cities with my camera. Are cameras one of those things that people like to steal?

[Tanzer]

Pentax has their own sling bag. There was a recent thread here. It's a little simpler than the Lowepro and Tamrac bags, thinner material, but also lighter weight and cheaper than most of the 3rd-party bags. Personally I think most 3rd-party bags are over done to give the buyer the idea "this one must be better, look how thick the padding is, and how many pockets, hidden secret pockets, zippers, fasteners, and rainflaps there are!"

Anyhow, if you are looking to carry what you said in your original post, and want something simple, I can highly recommend the Pentax sling bag.

Edit: Just to clarify, this looks like a backpack, but there is only one shoulder strap, so you can easily swing the bag under your arm and rest on your chest/belly like a traditional droopy sling bag, to access your main compartment. It is quite compact.

[Tanzer]

I also have the "Pentax Adventure Gadget Bag". I can fit the K-5 and 18-135 sideways, and a prime lens (or a couple Ltds). You could probably fit the batteries if your prime lens is not too big. I'm mentioning this because it sounds like you want to travel light and want something simple. This bag is pretty much as simple as it gets. This is not a heavy duty bag that is meant to be thrown around by baggage handlers.

[DaveHolmes]

I'd love on of the Domke ones... Hardly any padding at all!

[Docrwm]

I decided to go with the crumpler 4 million dollar home. I guess I'll just stick with that until I need another one. I know someday I'll need a backpack one with room for tripod and lunch like DaveHolmes mentioned.

Also I'm planning on going to big cities with my camera. Are cameras one of those things that people like to steal?

Yes. In cities bags that a) don't look expensive, b) don't look camerish, and c) are easy to keep close are better IMHO.