I've ordered the Tamrac Aeropack 75 via SRS on Ebay (cheaper than the online store for some reason?). I'll report back when I've had chance to try it out

Simon

Thanks Hyram - I did try a Kata backpack too, it didn't seem as well protected as the Tamrac so I returned it...just had a look at the Tamrac Aerospeed pack 75 and it looks pretty good, looks to have the best bits of the Adventure 7 with better access - might give it a go

Thanks for the other suggestions..I did try a lowepro slingshot type bag & didn't really like it, I felt the camera boby wasn't supported well enough - the Adventure 7 on the other hand fits like a glove, it is obviously more difficult to access equipment quickly though, I'm beginning to think the Tamrac probably suits my needs as well as anything

Simon

Great shots - I'm off to the Manchester Academy on Friday to see them myself, it;ll be the 3rd time I've seen them - won't be taking the camera though, just the wife - brilliant band, best drummer I've heard!!

Simon

I currently own the Tamrac Adventure 7 but it's in need of replacement, whilst I'm pretty happy with it (has dual storage - camera gear and personal gear) I'm wondering if anyone knows of a decent alternative before I buy the same one again.

The Lowepro Versapack 200AW has been suggested although it doesn't appear quite so well made as the Tamrac, would welcome any other suggestions?

thanks

Simon

& you've you started a whole new debate John if the idea of a walkabout is convenience over IQ do we really need a DSLR for this, perhaps not - it's something I'm thinking about together with the 18-250 option, perhaps spend the cash on something like the Panasonic TZ10 instead

I'm looking to buy a Pentax 18-250 - be interested to hear from anyone thinking of selling

thanks

Simon

Some good points to consider here...John mentioning the 18-250 has made me think - as it looks unlikely that I'll use the 17-70 for my landscapes now, replacing it with the 18-250 makes quite a bit of sense, I'll have pretty much all bases covered...

DA12-24 / 35mm - landscapes
18-250 - travel
55-300 - wildlife/tele beyond 200mmm (better than 18-250)

Simon

Hi Mike,

Sorry but I think my inital post wasn't very clear - I'm thinking more about there not been a need for a travel lens such as the 17-70/18-135 and instead selling the 17-70 and just having the 12-24,35mm and 55-300. Obviously this would involve the odd lens change when travelling but wouldn't mean me having a lens like the 17-70/18-135 which I'm unlikely to use for anything other than the odd holiday.

What got me thinking about this is that I recently spent 3 weeks in China with pretty much the combination I mention (40mm instead of 35mm though, left the 17-70 at home) and despite my concerns found it worked well - as it was mainly cities we visited the 12-24 proved invaluable covering around 70-80% of the shots.

I wondered how many others live comfortably without a travel lens?

Simon

Since buying a DA 12-24 & DA 35mm F2.4 I've started to wonder if I really need the DA 17-70 any longer, despite being very happy with the shots it produces - I also own a DA 55-300

My thinking is that the 12-24 will now cover 70% of my landscape shots and IQ wise it's definitely above the 17-70, the DA 35mm also fills the gap nicely between the 12-24 & 55-300. The only time I can think I may need the 17-70 would be whilst on holiday as a travel lens, for this purpose I may well be starting to move more towards the versatility of the 18-135, despite not being too interested initially, although I'm still not convinced I need a travel lens

I just wondered if anyone had a similar line-up?

Simon