Many thanks Hyram for taking the time to measure things up for me. On the back of this I ordered the H-14 bag last night, as H-10 was obviously going to be too small.

Just as a completion (in my own mind) of this thread - I researched and read all I could on such threads to buy this Kata GDC holster, and thought I'd finish off my own "story" with some observations on the bag that arrived tonight. Please bear in mind I have not taken it out with me yet on a trip...

- TOUGH. My god this bag is quality. I've a bit of a thing for quality (from alpine mountaineering equipment I guess) and this bag is head and shoulders above both Lowe Alpine and the usual "shop-stock Kata" holster bags. It is in a different league. The fabric is incredibly tough and thick. The shoulder strap really is seat-belt webbing (albeit not quite as wide), and the zips I don't see ever breaking.

- Easy Access. Really does work. Look at the video on the Kata sight - it's just like they show, easy, and QUICK to open

- The size is large. Enough room for what my old Billingham Hadley bag held. It all goes in, somewhere. The side pockets are gusseted in order for lenses to fit - all very well designed. It is longer in length than I expected, and thicker through. Not too big though, and again compared with my Billingham it sits nicer and smaller when you carry it.

- Looks good. Roughfty-toughfty.

Highly rate this bag. The quality is amazing.

Thanks guys for your help in sizing.

Rick

Thanks Hyram,

Seeing you own both - can you fit a lens in the side pocket of the H10? Or just no chance?

Hi Doug,
Many thanks for the link with the photo's - a very similar setup.

I was wondering if the H12 would do - it is very hard to judge the effective difference in sizing.

Worse case I can get the H14 as per those photo's.

Rick

Hi,
Another thread about bags, but really about the sizing of bags; as I know what I want to buy, but cannot figure out the required size!

I like the look of the Kata GDC holster. It has quick opening, is tough, and looks like a well designed use of space.

I want to carry around a K7 with a 18-250 Tamron, 50 AF Pentax, 100 macro Pentax, and a 2x teleconvertor. Also bits and bobs - mini tripod, mini giotto blower, remote, SD cards in case, spare battery, cigars...

The Kata GFC comes in four sizes H10, H12, H14, H16.

Does anyone know which size I would need to fit in camera and lenses? The K7 is a small camera compared with competition, and none of my lenses are that big.
Would the H-12 bag fit the 18-250 in the side pocket, the TC and 50 in the other, and the 100 on the body?

This will be a travel bag, strapped to the back of motorbikes, stuffed in hiking bags, and abused, so needs to be as small as possible.

Wish there was somewhere to go and view the bags in the flesh!!

Wow - thanks for the concise and quick answers all. That's all I really need to know - that website (Bojidar's) is a great source of information.

Cheers
Rick

Ah - that helps. And makes more sense. I was wondering how the effective zoom changes so much and could not quite figure it out. Field of view makes sense.

Looking at the old lens models, what are the ones where autofocus "starts" to work on a new body?

Mainly I am referencing the pentax forums DB link

Hi,
I've recently been looking to get a good long lens - following the other thread "long zoom" with interest. link

I know that an old 35mm lens on our dslr will increase the effective zoom, so 300mm becomes a 480mm etc.. So in my (cheap) mind I'll get a 100-300 35mm zoom and on the K7 have a 160 to 480mm zoom?

What are the downsides? What happens to the effective apperture? I've searched a bit, but have had no luck of finding out the practicalities of this.

Many thanks,
Rick

Just a follow up on this now I'm back in the UK. Many thanks to all for your help and advice.
It was the cards; so much for Panasonic "class 10"... Now using sandisk extreme III 8GB, and it'll fill the complete card with movie if I so choose.

I would recommend avoiding the Panasonic class 10 - a bit of a have, especially concerning their price.

Cheers!
Rick

I should have read Don's post before posting - he is right on the nail (about Whiskey!) and other things. This is great advice, but a little more "planned" than you can be when hanging off a mountain 5 days from anywhere!

[quote:3496ace15f"Don"]one involves ziploc freezer baggies, & taping/velcroing a Hotshot )or other brand) chemical handwarmer to the battery compartment, while shooting, Then you throw the sucker into a freezer baggie and suck out the air BEFORE bringing the camera inside. good for extended outdoor use. once your camera is cold, keep it cold till the shoot's done, no "in and out" to warm it up..condensation is your real enemy, not cold.

the other is to keep the camera in a hip pak under your jacket, take your gloves off, pull your camera out, fire your shot and put everything away before your hands get too cold. keep dessicant packs in your bag. get the shot and put it away before anything gets cold, and leave it somwhere warm and dry afterwards.

use everything on manual.I don't know how hard the cold really is on the lcd's, af motors, lubricants etc. (could be shortening the life of my equipment...)
but it does affect battery power and if mechanical things get to stiffening up, don't push your luck...everything breaks easier when frozen.[/quote]

Hi there,
One of the reasons I purchased the K7 was cold-resistance and size/weight for mountaineering.

I would not worry about condensation as long as you don't have the camera exposed during the temp change (either way - hot to cold, cold to hot). As long as in these transitions your camera is in a bag and "covered" you are mostly ok as the cover acts as gradual insulation and helps stops condensation. It all needs to be dry though, even if the outside of your bag is wet it can be a problem.

The risk is you walk outside, see a great shot and rip out that camera - always the way!... Best if you can leave it in the bag until has naturally cooled down. And with skiing especially a problem the other way round! - you take some good shots, walk into the cafe, and rip out the camera to see your handiwork = big mistake.

Battery life, as mentioned, is the other problem. Expect 1/4 the performance and sluggish recharge if you are using fill flash. I always take another battery and leave this in an inside pocket. Saying that though (as the "official line", I am hugely impressed by the K7's resistance to cold. A matterhorn trip earlier this year it was fine; battery life included, in fact you would not have known it was even chilly in terms of the camera performance (about -9 plus wind chill?)

The case is important, and I've not found the best answer yet! Still looking for that compromise of easy access versus safety versus warmth.

Avoid changing lenses when one lens is a different temp than the other. All your gear should be "at the same temp". I don't have any weather-sealed lens, but have NEVER had a problem with moisture if you are careful. Then again, even after trying/looking I never change lens when outside on the mountain, so end up using a Tamron 18-250 for it all. It's the best compromise for my needs.

Gloves - before you go make sure you can use the camera, and get it out of the bag with your gloves on. Again, taking gloves on and off if the very thing that results in temp differences and moisture on fingers etc..

Don't worry about it too much - I think everything will work fine as long as you avoid temp-change or differential and take a bit of care. From my experience it is really the case and carrying that is the hard thing to get right, and I have missed a lot of shots because of this (or at high altitude when exhausted and could not be bothered with "the hassle"). Everything is a struggle up high, even swinging off a backpack sometimes. I have the same issue of ease-of-access versus safety versus comfort on the motorbike.

Ideally a chest harness, out of the way of movement, reinforced against crushing, waterproof, and insulated!...

Oh - do not follow through with your idea of a heater-pack in your bag - will just cause temp-change and not do much good. More insulation is ok, but more insulation could also mean greater "acclimatisation" time. Even at -20 and 4500m+ I only have a cheap "zoom bag" that has standard padding, semi-waterproof, and this is inside the top of my pack which is one layer of gortex.