Domke F6 Little Bit Smaller Bag

Domke F6 Little Bit Smaller Bag

I’ve been a fan of Domke bags for a while, owning two of the larger F2 bags; one for my Hasselblad 3 lens outfit, and another which I keep empty that I can throw whatever I want into. These bags have been great but I wanted something a little bit smaller for when I want to carry a smaller, lighter kit, and the Domke F6 fits the bill perfectly.

Available in the usual three Domke colours (black, sand and olive), it’s a traditional canvas bag which I prefer as it molds itself to your body while working, is light weight, machine-washable, and also ages well. It comes with the standard 4 compartment padded insert which is surprisingly useful, and a padded liner for the ‘floor’ of the bag. The sides of the bag are unpadded which helps in keeping the bags dimensions down, but you can always throw in some extra padding if you need it for a particular configuration.

The F6 is a fairly basic bag with a top flap fastened by two metal clips, a zippered front pocket under it, and a slim pocket at the back of the bag, useful for notebook, business cards, cellphone, etc. There is also a zippered pocket in the flap itself. The strap is Domke’s usual ‘Gripper’ strap, which has two rubberised strips impregnated into the underside to prevent slippage on your shoulder, and works very well. There is also a detachable hand strap that can be used with the bag either open or closed.

The picture above shows the F6 with my 5 lens Leica M3 kit. In the four compartment insert I have (left to right, top to bottom):

• Four Leitz 39mm filters in cases; yellow, orange, green and infrared
• Leitz Summaron 35mm F/3.5 with goggles
• Leitz Elmarit 90mm F/2.8
• Leitz Elmar 135mm F/4.0
• Leitz Summitar 50mm F/2.0

To the right of this compartment is the M3 fitted with a 50mm rigid Summicron with hood reversed. You’ll see I’ve added some additional padding to the right ‘wall’ of the bag for a little extra protection for the body. The front pocket is stuffed with film, a cable release, lens brush and some other bits and pieces. The pocket in the flap has the Summitar ‘barndoor’ hood, flash connector adapter, Summitar to 39mm filter adapter, etc.

I like to have a little room in a bag while working out of it so, although I know I could fit this gear in a slightly smaller bag, this works well for me while not being too cramped. Also, on a lot of shoots, I end up carrying various items for the model (their cellphone, hair clips, ties, etc.) so this bag leaves a little room for those things.

Overall I’m very happy with the Domke F6. I’ve heard some people complain that it’s not as waterproof as some bags, and this may be true. I’ve not had it out in soaking rain, but it’s survived a few showers with no adverse effects. Ask any photographer, and they’ll tell you that there is no such thing as the perfect bag, and I would agree with that, but for me, and for the purpose that I bought it, the Domke F6 is a keeper!

The Domke F6 Little Bit Smaller bag is available at most larger camera stores at around $100.