So, last night I finally received my Langly Alpha Pro from UPS (major fiasco) and since I couldn’t find many reviews about it when I was looking I thought I’d make one of my own. Keep in mind this is just based on my first impressions of the bag and haven’t really had an opportunity to put it through the paces yet.
First off, this bag feels heavy duty. The waxed canvas feels super durable and unlike any other bag I’ve had. It feels very weather proof and like it will put up with anything I can throw at it. That is also slight downside. For a long time I’ve been a big satchel kind of guy but really wanted something I could take on day trips so I know I had to sacrifice some weight. The padding on the back and straps feels pretty soft right out of the box though so hopefully it won’t wear on my back/shoulders too bad. It does feel like weight is distributed on the top part of your back and so far I’m unsure how that’ll feel on long distances.
Let’s talk a bit about the hardware. Wow. The hardware feels really rugged. The poppers that hold everything together are a bit difficult to snap back but they should loosen up a bit with use. I really like the fact that on the side pouches underneath the poppers there are zippers so I don’t really worry about someone popping them open and taking stuff out. The pockets are pretty roomy as well. I’ll probably use the side pockets to keep stuff like a Moleskine and pen in as well as film. These I feel are pretty weather proof and doubt any water will get in there. The side pouches are pretty slim so I don’t think you’ll be able to cram a lot in those but the front pouch has plenty of room in it for bigger things or large quantities of film.
Opening the top of the bag you’ve got a fair amount of room. When I first got it last night I just crammed some stuff in there and was able to shove in a shirt, jeans, a pair of shoes with a bit more room for other things if I need to. In all honesty, all that will normally go up there will be snacks, drinks, a jacket and other small odds and ends for day trips. Here’s one small drawback though; as you’ll see in one of the photos there is a small gap between the top flap and the side of the bag so water *could* get in there. As long as you don’t keep anything too valuable up there in a major rainstorm I wouldn’t worry too much about it. There is a zipper on the top to keep a majority of the elements out. There is also a small zippered pouch on the inside where I guess you could keep cash, cards, phones, etc or anything else you wouldn’t want to get wet. I don’t use a lap top right now but they say that a 15in lap top will fit so I’m sure my iPad will slide in there nicely.
Now, lets get down to the part a lot of people will care about: the camera bottom. I didn’t photograph the bottom of the bag loaded up with my gear because well, I haven’t figured out the ideal way to get it all sorted yet. So far though, I have easily fit my Leica M3 with 50mm Summicron Dual Range mounted, Leica 28mm f/2.8 and finder, Leica 90mm Summicron, Sekonic L-358 down there with plenty more room. My X100S easily fits down in there as well but it’s my only digital camera so I kinda had to use it for this review. I know I can easily fit some other stuff down there like another M body or small SLR but this is my typical travel kit plus my Rollei (which I think I will have to put in the top if I *need* to bring it).
Overall first impression: a very heavy duty camera bag that will suit the needs of most day trippers with small travel camera kits. Those of you who like to carry big 645 and Pentax 67 kits paired with big SLR kits might want to look elsewhere. Rangefinder/mirrorless kits and small SLR kits will find this bag perfect for their needs. I’m looking very forward to putting this bag to use here soon so within a couple of months you can expect another review about long term durability and how manageable this bag actually is.
P.S. If anyone has any specific questions or photos feel free to inbox me and I’ll make sure and post them up for you.
