Zoom-in Online

The best thing you can do for the photographer in your life this holiday season is bring a bit of order to the chaos. Give the gift of stylish practicality — a new photography backpack.

Tenba's Shootout: Medium Backpack
 
This first contender fits up to 2 SLRs, 6-8 lenses, a flash, a tripod, and a 17" laptop. I like it because for travel, it fits in the overhead compartment of most planes, and the straps are padded for extra comfort when it is loaded to capacity. There are smaller and larger versions of it or you can opt for the similar bag that has wheels. The price clocks in at about $200.

Clik Elite's Medium Nature

This bag comfortably fits 1 SLR, 2 lenses, a flash, an external hard drive, miscellaneous small supplies, a water bottle, and has place to attach your tripod. Overall, the Medium Nature is smaller than the Tenba, but its back panel padding is more comfortable for some people. It has removable cradle dividers, which means you can customize how you want to use the space. There are fancier bags in the Clik Elite family, but I wanted to keep the price range the same for a more level comparison. Here is a quick comparison shop.

Lowepro's CompuTrekker AW

Designed for digital photographers, the CompuTrekker fits 2 DSLRs, up to 6 lenses, and a flash. It also fits a laptop, and any small accessories you make take with you. It's still in the $200 price range, but you can find this one cheaper than the others. It has a tripod attachment, weighs about 3 lbs, and offers protection against water, dust, and extreme weather.  Out of the three, it is my favorite.

To see a rundown of more of Lowepro's newer products, check out my earlier post.

Happy shopping!