Amateur Photographer - UK (2019-06-08)

subscribe 0330 333 1113I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI 8 June 2019

Ataglance

●Satchel-stylecamerabag

●Blackleatherandcanvas

●Madein England

● Olympus Centenary edition

WEWOULDN’Tusuallyreviewa limited-edition

productthat’snotactuallyavailabletobuy,butjust

thisonce,we’remakinganexception.That’s

becausethisoneis different.It’sa collaboration

betweenpremiumbag-makerBillingham–

probablythebest-lovedBritishphotographybrand

• andOlympus,tocelebratethelatter’scentenary
  year.Thissortof thingdoesn’thappeneveryday.
  Whilethisis a specialeditionof Billingham’s
  best-sellingbag,in truththetie-inwithOlympus
  haschangedverylittle.A whitetagdeclaring
  ‘Olympus 100 Years’is sewnin beneaththegreen
  Billinghamtag,butotherwiseit’sa standard-issue
  HadleyPro.Olympusinitiallygavethebagawayto
  buyersof theOM-DE-M1XandE-M1MarkII
  at ThePhotographyShow2019,buttellsus
  it stillhassomemoreavailable.Sosome
  luckyOlympusfansshouldhavethe
  chancetogettheirhandsononeduring
  thecourseof 2019,withouthavingtopay
  theusual£210askingprice.
  TheHadleyProreallyis a lovelybag.It’s
  a soft,satchel-style,canvas-and-leather
  bagthat’sbeautifullymadeanddeceptively
  capacious.Yourcamerakitis coddledwithina
  well-paddedremovableinsert,whilebeing
  protectedbyBillingham’swaterprooffabi d
  carefulconstructiontechniques.
  Olympususerswillfindthebagcapable
  swallowinga substantialamountof Micro
  kit.I wasableto fit in myOM-DE-M5M
  fullsetof f/2.8Prozooms(7-14mm,12-
  and40-150mm),alongwiththeMC-14
  teleconverter,60mmf/2.8MacroandN
  i40flash.Thefrontpacketstakesmaller
  accessorieslikefiltersandbatteries,alon
  personalitems(e.g.sunglasses).There’sn
  laptopcompartment,buta 13inmachine
  slippedin behindthecamerainsert.
  If I’mbeingpicky,myonlygripewithth
  designis thatthefull-heightverticaldivid
  makeit difficulttousespaceoptimally,p
  if youwanttocarryanSLR-stylecamera
  lenspointingdown.Billinghamsellsdivid
  fold-overtopsasoptionalextras, but it w
  nicetohaveone as standard.

Ve r d i c t
Withitshandsomeclassicdesignandtop-notch
materials,theHadleyProis undoubtedlyoneof the
finestbagsonthemarket.ForOlympusfans,the
additionof thatspecialedition‘100years’ tag
ALL PRICES ARE APPROXIMATE STREET PRICESmakes it just a touch more special.

Olympus x Billingham

Centenary Hadley Pro

OlympusandBillinghamhavecollaborated to make a

desirablebag,saysAndyWestlake

● Worth £210● http://www.billingham.co.uk

Carryhandle

Thefibreglass-reinforced

handleattachedtothemain

flapallowsthebagtobe

carriedbriefcase-style.

ACCESSORIES Testbench

Waterproof

Billingham’sthree-layer

fabricsincludea butylrubber

middlelayer,makingthem

impermeabletowater.

Rearpocket

Alargedocumentpocket

coverstherearofthebag,

withthezipclosurehidden

beneatha canvasflap.

Pocketloops

Strongleatherloopsoneach

endofthebagaccept

Billingham’soptional

Aveapockets.

ACCESSORIES

Billinghamalsomakesa rangeof

matchedextrastogowiththe

HadleyPro.TheseincludetheSP40

shoulderpad(£35),a luggagetally

(£22),DF-typeverticaldividerswith

fold-overtops(£12)andsparefrontstraps

(£16).Thefirm’sAveaendpockets(£50-62)are

also useful for expanding the carrying capacity.

GOLD