As promised, the second part of the Billingham 225 Camera Bag review. This part will be more on the experiences I had during my 2.5 week driving around in Spain (~5500km in total).
The bag is roomier than expected. There were roughly two configurations that I carries around;
- Nikon D300, Nikon 17-55 f/2.8 and a Nikon 85 f/1.8, Panasonic Lumix LX-3
This was the 'easy-way-out' configuration. - Nikon D300, Voigtlander 20mm, Nikon 35mm f/2, Nikon 50mm f/1.8, Nikon, Nikon 85mm f/1.8 and a Lensbaby Composer
I used this configuration about 80% of the time, since those primes force you to think about composition etc. There's not always room to change lenses. The best example of this is an 'almost' Gigapixel creation I made of the cathedral in Toledo with my 35mm lens. To completely capture the cathedral I had to take 72 photos (result can soon be found in the Panoramas section of my website).
The bag is pretty safe in regards to pick-pockets, and prying fingers. All the zippers etc. protect your gear very well. Downside is that you need to open a lot of things before you get to your gear (every advantage has its disadvantage....)
Besides the gear, it also holds a book (pocket) for times you just want to read, flash, GPS, filters, cleaning gear, etc. It also has two loops which can be used to tie a small tripod or regular monopod to the bag. Straps are not included with the bag. You can use several (low-cost) small luggage straps to attach the camera-support. The official Billingham tripod straps are preferred of course......
The material of the bag is definitely water-resistant. On day 3 of the vacation it endured some showers in Valencia. The insides were dry as the Sahara.
One of the most appreciated features was the shoulder pad. The bag can hang on one shoulder without sliding off (ever). It's also quite comfortable wearing it as a messenger bag. The first day, the shoulder-pad irritated a bit. Seemed that the leather needed a bit softening-up. After that, all was fine.
So the Billingham 225 is a great camera bag (all be it a bit more expensive). The fabric, and finishing is excellent and guarantees a long relationship. I'll probably wear this bag down instead of selling it in the near future.