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‹ Photo Notes · 15 ledna, 2012
According to legend, in 1975 Jim Domke worked as one of the photojournalists at the Philadelphia Inquirer. When a new regulation took away the company cars they had until then used for transporting and storing photo equipment, they had to solve the new situation. But there were no suitable bags on the market, and for a photojournalist who must constantly be on the alert and for whom seconds decide whether he gets the catch or perhaps misses the chance of a lifetime, it was unacceptable to lug around a hackneyed aluminium case.
The management of the Philadelphia Inquirer offered to reimburse 20 camera bags on condition that Domke design them himself and that they be at an acceptable price.
For the design of the first prototype Domke was inspired by fishing bags (notice that photographers‘ vests also resemble fishing or hunting vests), with a requirement for variable use of the interior space and quick access to the equipment. He consulted the results with colleagues and made further modifications, such as adding anti-slip rubber to the shoulder strap, raising the pocket so that even telephoto lenses could be stored upright, an interior division of space unique for its time and still used by other manufacturers today, and the like.
The result was the still most popular bag, the Domke F2. By the summer of 1976 over 800 pieces had been sold, and to this day it is considered one of the best.
Allegedly its inconspicuous, even shabby look contributed to its popularity, which was appreciated mainly by photographers working in countries with high street crime. Unfortunately, Domke bags are by now so well known that even thieves often know what you are probably carrying on your shoulder.
I tried various camera bags and backpacks and it still wasn’t it. In the end, a few years ago I decided on Domke. I just wasn’t sure whether the F2 would be big enough, because it was only a few centimetres larger than another bag I had at home. I thought for a while about the larger F1, but in the end I was glad I had decided on the F2. The Domke F1 holds so many things that it would probably tear my shoulder off (and admit it, when you have the space, you simply fill it).
I ordered the Domke F2 in black and in the canvas version (there is also a ballistic version) over the internet and waited. It arrived and it was beautifully ugly. It really is a rag. Unfortunately the original Philadelphia Inquirer condition of a reasonable price has long ceased to apply; you can get a bag from competing brands for half or even a third of the price. It isn’t big at all, yet two SLR bodies and about four lenses fit into it, or one body and about six lenses. Beside an SLR and a few lenses I can even stuff in a Dedolight. Almost immediately I started carrying it daily, even without a camera. It is an ideal shoulder bag, thanks to the material it doesn’t press or get in the way at all, when shopping a bottle of wine and croissants fit in it, or sports clothes including shoes. And when it gets dirty, it can even go in the washing machine with the laundry.
I don’t shoot on the street that often, but even there its use is really comfortable and quick. Besides the interior it has 6 large pockets in total, and it’s true that you can fill it so that it is unbearable, which of course is not its fault.
Whoever hasn’t experienced it probably won’t understand, it is just a cleverly sewn piece of rag, but whoever has got used to the Domke F2 and for some reason loses or destroys it usually buys a new one. I am among those people.
Sources of photographs and information: Tiffen