f-stop Tilopa DuraDiamond (m116 + m231 + m923-69), green

Product Information

First impressions are of quality and durability, a bag designed to be used in the great outdoors. The material, alaminated 420D ripstop nylon with a water resistant treatment, feels like it will take everything in its stride and I’m yet to need the raincover. The zips feel suitably heavy duty…those opening into the camera compartment are the chunkiest I’ve ever seen while those facing the top are all weather sealed and the bag positivelybristles with attachment points and straps. I’ve been using the bag for around 6 months, during which time it has been to a few extreme places: Saudi Arabia, Iceland, Madeira and the USA not to mention the day to day salt, sand and mud of the East Anglian coast and {spoiler alert] it hasn’t disappointed. Ending this review with the same question as I ended the last review with… is this the perfect camera bag? ICUs at F-Stop – Tiny, Small Shallow, Small Pro, Medium Shallow, Medium Slope, Large Pro, X-Large Pro, Master Cine

There is a lot more to the upgraded Tilopa than the material though, there are a whole host of refinements. When F-Stop launched in 2006, the Tilopa was one of its first products, and it would be hard to argue with the notion that, at the time, it redefined the genre of rugged camera bags for outdoor photographers. I used the first few iterations of the Tilopa for ten years as a professional ski photographer, and there wasn’t anything else like it on the market. Since then, this genre of bags has become more popular, and the Tilopa has faced stiff competition from the likes of Shimoda, NYA-EVO, Gura Gear and even Lowepro. Many of those other bags offered better internal organization and more features than the relatively simple Tilopa, but not anymore.Personally, this bag would be worth the price if all it had was the ICU capability. For me, these internal camera units are one of the best developments for camera bags in the last ten years. They are incredibly functional, keep your gear protected from bumps and bruises, and since they're removable, they offer loads of utility. That said, the depth of the Ajna makes the Small Shallow and Medium Shallow sizes float around too much, and the Micro Tiny will almost get lost in the bag’s cavernous interior. Thus, the recommended ICUs for the Ajna are the Small Pro, Medium Slope, and Large Pro. You can also fit the XL Pro ICU with a bit of squeezing. In this section, I will show you each in the Ajna so you can figure out the best setup for your needs. Please read my F-Stop ICU guide if you want the details and photos of non-recommended-for-Ajna ICUs .

var postTaxEurPriceNumTwo = parseFloat((((eurPriceNumTwo * 1.21) * 100) / 100).toFixed(2)).toFixed(2); After using it for a few months as my main travel bag, I am extremely thankful that F-Stop asked Shotkit to review the Tilopa and let me keep it. Without a doubt, the Cypress Green Tilopa DuraDiamond is one of the best-looking camera bags on the market. With many of the minor issues I found with the previous version of the Tilopa now fixed, the DuraDiamond Tilopa feels more refined and for me, as good as it gets. Comfortable, functional, flexible and orange… what more could you ask for?In fact, no less than seven types of ICUs work with this bag, and you can even mix and match some of them for the ultimate organizational tool for your camera gear.

Undoubtedly, the Cypress Green Ajna DuraDiamond is one of the best-looking camera bags I have tested. Camera bags tend to get heavy fast due to the weight of the equipment. One of the things I instantly fell in love with when I first got my F-Stop Tilopa, was just how comfortable the bag felt. It brings a whole new level with well over twice the padding and “cushiness” on both the hip and shoulder straps. Once the bag is loaded and fitted to your body, it literally feels like you’recarrying half the weight you actually are. When you’re carrying 25-35 pounds of gear/ clothes/etc, that makes a tremendous difference. If you don’t mind squeezing the XL Pro ICU into the Ajna, you can effectively carry as much camera gear in this bag as you can in the larger 50L Tilopa. Of course, the Tilopa is an overall larger bag with room for other items outside the ICU, but it is still impressive that, with a bit of squeezing, both bags can carry equivalent camera loads. Looking at the dimensions given in these five locations, all you would know is that the bag is somewhere between 59.7 cm and 64.5 cm tall. The difference between 59.7 and 64.5 cm is significant and could make a difference to someone shopping for a bag that meets specific airline carry-on requirements. Similar disparities were seen with depth and width dimensions. I had this happen on two of my 3 trips, no lie. The first time, I had a connecting flight where I had to fly on a smaller plane where the F-Stop Tilopa wouldn’t fit in the overhead compartment.This level of modularity allows the Tilopa to be useful in so many different situations. If I were going on a big photo shoot and needed to bring all my gear in one bag, I’d use the XL ICU. If I were planning an overnight camping trip where camera gear was a secondary concern, I could simply slide in the medium ICU so I’d have more space for a sleeping bag or good. I have even taken out the ICU all together and just used the entire main compartment to house all my clothing for a flight. LEE Filters holder, two pouches with graduated filters, circular polariser, Big, Little & Super stopper filters