ONA Bowery Bag Review
A good camera bag to me is one that blends function with form. Too many bags out there I find put function way ahead of form. Functionally there are many great camera bags out there from brands like Lowerpro, Think Tank, etc, etc. But the form is usually all the same, black nylon with a lot of velcro and plastic buckles. I own a Lowepro Sling as one of my first camera bags I bought and it did the trick for me, whenever i needed to haul my DSLR and 4 lenses. But i was in search of something smaller for my every day carry.
Enter the ONA Bowery.
Recently I have noticed a surge of many more fashionable type of camera bags. I think many brands are noticing a lot of people are looking for camera bags that don't look like what many people would assume to be a camera bag.
Right away I was drawn to the style of this bag. First, it doesn't look like a camera bag and second, it looks like it would be the perfect size for an every day carry kind of bag. But my main concern with the ONA Bowery, was how functional it is. Is this a bag that puts form before function?
The ONA Bowery is what I would say to be a very simple bag. On the front there is a very nice simple buckle that is a push/lock mechanism. You push down the button and slide it up to open and you slide it down through the loop and it locks. I love this mechanism, it is super functional and they cleverly hid it under a classic leather loop style.
Here inside you can see there is ample room to fit my film SLR with a 50mm 1.8 attached and still have room for my other 50mm 1.8, 28mm 2.8 and two rolls of film! The Bowery comes with one compartment splitter that you can move around yourself.
The sizing is perfect for those who have a mirrorless camera, film cameras or compact digitals. I would not recommend putting your DSLR in here although i have seen other people place their small body DSLR's in without much trouble.
On the outside of the Bowery, there are a few compartments which i find perfect for carrying spare batteries, memory cards or a slim notebook. These compartments are rather slim, so don't try putting anything too bulky in there.
On the back there is a slim compartment perfect for a slim notebook or loose sheets of paper.
TLDR
The ONA Bowery is a perfect solution for those who are looking for a stylish bag that doesn't look like a camera bag. Expect good quality materials and craftsmanship, there is no doubt you should expect such for paying premium pricing on a camera bag like this.
The Bowery has quickly become my go to bag for all my daily photowalks. I recently switched to an all mirrorless setup, so I longer need the large bags I once used to carry my pro body DSLR around.
Of course there isn't a perfect bag for every occasion and sometimes I wish I had a larger bag to carry both my camera and laptop out for a full days work. The Bowery is not that kind of bag! I would look into the ONA Brixton if you want something like that.
Cons:
- Expensive
- Not a full day solution
Pros:
+ Fashionable
+ Functionally compact
+ Surprisingly roomy