OK, so Santa brought me a Panasonic Lumix GX1 camera (14-42mm manual zoom kit lens) Micro 4/3. Any suggestions on what to use for a case? Thinking I want to put it in my pack to protect it while hiking. Haven't yet checked if it'll fit in the hip pocket of my ULA Ohm 2.

Kata (www.kata-bags.com) makes decent photo bags. I use their bags for 6 years and their service is awesome! Lifetime guarantee. My D80 DSLR felt from a cliff edge from height of 10 meters in Negev Desert. Not even one scratch! 2 weeks after this fall I broke one buckle which closed the bag. They sent me newer version of same bag for free ($130 value).
Bought a bag for my new Sony NEX camera (switching to a lighter photo gear). Check it, it may be good for you too: KT DL-MX-40
Since this bag doesn't have a rain cover (which is important for me since I hike a lot). I contacted the customer service and they sent me the rain cover to fit this bag for free.

Amazing customer service! They make bags for photo/video only. I highly recommend them based on my own experience.

I find Kata bags to be lighter in weight, but Lowepro bags are built tougher and are more waterproof. If you really intend to stuff this into your pack, then you won't need the extra toughness. Some of us carry Lowepro on a shoulder strap to keep it handier.

--B.G.--

Hello Rick,

You could make your own from reflectix bubble wrap and duct tape. If you are not handy I will make you one for a few bucks. They are very protective for there weight and I add Velcro flaps which makes for quick access. I make them for my friends phones and point and shoot cameras.

Hoot

If you're just using/carrying the one lens on the body or the body and kit lens plus one other small lens, you could probably use the Osprey Grab Bag. It's like an oversized hip belt pocket that instead attaches to your pack's shoulder straps and is in worn over your upper abdomen slightly off to the side.

It stays out of the way of my line of sight to my feet and holds my Sony NEX plus two small lenses. If padding is needed, you could probably work up an "inner" sleeve to go inside the grab bag using bubble wrap or some thin closed cell foam.

If you want more room for extra lenses and/or gear, take a look at the Zpacks Multipack. It's a bit larger and can be rigged a number of different ways. When I'm on a photo-oriented trip, I bring this bag and can fit my camera body plus 3 or 4 small lenses in there and wear it as a chest harness. Again, folks have made their own "after market" padding to fit inside the bag, if needed.

Having the camera accessible makes more sense to me than packing it away in a pack where it becomes more of a burden to stop, take off the pack, open up the pack, open up the camera bag, take picture and then re-pack before you can get moving again.

Hi Rick,

Congrats, the GX1 is a fine camera. I recommend the Click Elite Infinity, which is a little chest pack you anchor to your pack straps. It should fit the combination snugly and keeps the camera very handy.

Cheers,

Rick

Nice camera. I carried my GF1 in a small, mostly unpadded waist pack. But I had the pancake lens on it, and the zoom won't fit. I'd look for a slightly larger waist pack or one of the camera-shaped "holster" bags. I find it's very comfortable to wear a small waist pack with my main pack over it, so I have the camera available while hiking (very important.)

Did you get the little clip-on EVF? I found that very useful on the GF1.

I carried that camera for 2 months on a AT section hike this past fall. I took the camera w/lens dimensions with me to Best Buy and bought one by caselogic that had a hipbelt attachment. I debated between one by Caselogic and a sony brand one before decided on the caselogic one. It helped that I was able to try out a few similar sized camera on their demo case to verify the fit.

I used to carry my DSLR in a larger version of this. Here's the 4/3 version:

http://www.amazon.com/Thirds-Neoprene-Protective-Attached-14-45mm/dp/B003K2WJY0/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1356739529&sr=8-9&keywords=micro+4%2F3+camera+case


This product will disintegrate after about 6 months of use, but it's a handy solution to turning another bag into a camera bag. It protects well and opens quick.