Frances E. Schultz

“Not your father’s camera bag” was how Tenba described the prototypes of their new Vector line at photokina 2010. Now, in 2012, the new line is in production, and they were absolutely right. What are the differences? Color, style, and function. A report like this is no place for detail: that’s what manufacturers’ websites are for, and besides, a full, detailed list of new camera bags could more than fill the whole magazine. What I want to do is to give you some idea of the way that bags are heading.

In the entry hall of our house, there is a picture of two young sisters. When the picture was taken, Marion was 14 years old and Helen was 7. That was in the mid-1920s. Marion was my mother; Helen, my aunt. Both are dead now.

The oldest picture in my family album is probably the portrait of Franklin Corbin. He died in Andersonville prison during the Civil War.

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At two very well-attended open forums, Kodak asked the all-important question: “What’s film got to do with it?” The answer, given by four top professionals (Amy Postle, Pep Bonet, Det Kempe, and Eddie Soloway), cheered on by large audiences, turned out to be “A lot more than you might think.”

I forget which of them first said, “I use digital...

It was a heady affair covering camera supports at photokina, with dozens of new tripod tops from a variety of manufacturers. The trend is toward greater precision and quality: increased control, with spring counterweights to balance heavy lenses, calibrated friction control as pioneered by Novoflex, panoramic calibrations, and quick-release plates. Some manufacturers...