Part Five - A Messenger From Mr. Gladstone, Your Majesty.

As a new chum in Australia in the 1960's, I might have been forgiven for a little confusion as I watched the railway workers clocking on and off at the East Perth sheds as their shifts changed...all those big burly engine drivers and firemen and wipers - all carrying little leather doctor's bags? Could they all be part time physicians?

Well, the Gladstone bags I was looking at were carrying their lunches to the job and spare coal back home...and similar containers were going to work all over Australia at the time. It was the most elegant set of lunch pails I have ever seen.

The Gladstone - a bag that opens at the top and then is suspended by two sling handles or a central articulated handle - is also a standard for overnight bags and now for camera systems. It is the bag of choice for the discrete and discerning photographer who also wants to take sandwiches. In the case of the Barber Shop Medium Borsa bag, those are likely to be expensive sangers, as this is a pricey little Gladstone.

Okay, that thought out of the way, this is a beauty. It is blue canvas with dark brown leather trim, stitched in Italy  ( Ah, there's the price...) and lined perfectly. There's a protective top flap but a full-length leather-edged zip for access as well.

Look inside for an iPad pocket, a removable and reconfigurable camera holder, and a captive leather leash. I am again lost as to the exact purpose of the leash.

There's an extremely well-finished shoulder strap with leather shoulder pad.

I'd use it as a camera case here in Perth to impress the ladies and the clients and a one-night overnighter on the airplane to the eastern states to impress the airline staff. Don't try to impress the Camera Electronic salespeople because they are cynics down to about five inches under the skin.

One final thought - if you are the train driver for Le Train Bleu or The Orient Express this might make a nice lunchbox...

The Lazy Man's Guide To Bag Illustration - More Barber Shop

Small Messenger PAGEBOY

I called in to Camera Electronic on a day when I was taking public transport and could not spirit the latest Barber Shop bags off for studio illustration - so unfortunately you'll have to put up with in-shop snap shots.

You'll remember the leather version - well there are two smaller messenger bags called " Page Boys"...presumably based on the the hair style known as the Page Boy bob...they have much the same shape as the larger one but are in canvas with leather re-enforcement. To my mind better looking, but then looks are a matter of taste - in any case, as they are just a little smaller, they are a lighter weight as well.

Backpack MOP TOP

If you are going to go the full tourist/adventurer route but want to do it with elegance rather than looking like you are bound for a RM yomp, try the two back packs for size. Again with the canvas construction and leather reinforcement...and I noted that the shoulder straps seemed to have some sort of heavy felt padding on the body side.

The design of all their range seems to be based upon using natural materials and straightforward construction techniques - to a person who likes clean and simple design in the camera and lenses I use, this has a massive amount of appeal. Simple design, well made, is timeless, and these sort of products will never look like last year's craze - if you get one you can outlast your friends and relations' new shopping sprees.

Come in and try them, and they are also available on our on-line store.

The Barbershop Quartet

I love products that allow me to practise cheap and corny headlines. The Barber Shop company have my entire approval...and not just for their charming name.

They are, briefly, makers of exceptionally fine camera bags, backpack, Gladstone bags, and straps. The level of design and craftsmanship that they show is wonderful.

Here's 4 products that just came into the shop. I don't know how much they cost, because I pinched them off the receiving dock and ran for the studio before they could stop me, but I am guessing ...a lot. No getting around it when you look at the detail of the leather work. Think the top level of Italian workmanship.

The little straps are intended for connection to the right-hand side suspension lug of a digital camera.

The dark one you see in the illustration is called the Razor Cut. It's leather, with metal ring and clip mechanism that is shielded from the camera body with a broad leather pad. You rig it into a loop and slip your wrist through. Unlike some of the other ones made from nylon cord, it does not cut the blood circulation to the hand as you use it. It is sturdy enough to act as a war flail - If your photography involves mayhem this would be a good buy.

The lighter coloured strap - the Tight Contour - is a pad that also attaches under the camera body and snugs it to your hand. Very comfortable - if you had to do a long job this would be a blessing.

The big long strap is one of the dragoon-style designs that encircle the body and allow the camera to be tracked up and down the front of the shooter on a carabiner clip. You'll know the names of the opposition makers' products from other weblog posts, but remember this one as one of most elegant and effective. It's called the Full Beard.

The pad is leather, curved in 3 dimensions, and a perfect fit to the shoulder. There is a rubber inner liner to prevent it falling off.

The strap is smooth webbing. The rider is tough and has a leather shield to the clip. The clip itself has a roller lock that prevents the jaws from opening when you don't want them to.

The final item is the bag. Black leather, fully lined with cloth, and with a customisable internal padded insert. It is rounded, finished and sleek. The latch is one of the smartest ones on any bag - it opens from the top rather than the bottom and is a simple snap. No massive fumbling buckles or crude leather cutouts. No complex plastic alligator buckles that take your cuticles off.

Elegant. If you've a top-quality mirror-less system to carry, carry it in this.

Barber Shop Quartet? Sweet, Adeline...Check out the range on our online store.