Shopping For A Camera Bag

The D200 is physically much larger than my 350D. One problem that has cropped up is that my camera pouch no longer fits. So once again, I find myself shopping for a new bag, and I hope someone reading this can help.

My photography revolves around my participation of active outdoor sports, and bringing back images that I can share or publish. Typically, I’ll move ahead into position, whip my camera out of the bag, spin the aperture ring and fire off a few shots. Being able to access my camera quickly is a must. A velcro flap rather than zips are preferred. I don’t use lens caps while my camera is in the bag, so some dust protection is needed.

I prefer chest pouches for their flexibility. I can have it in front, or spin it to my side if it gets in the way, or have it moounted to my belt or backpack. The best bag I used was a ‘Galen Rowell’chest pouch with my Nikon FE2/FM2. It was a lightly padded bag with a Velcro flap cover. It wasn’t big enough to fit my Canon 350D however, and so I got a Newswear Body Pouch. The Newswear Pouch is not designed for this purpose, and the top flap does not overlap the body of the pouch, so dust protection is not good.

Update 10 June:
I need a chest pouch to fit the D200. The Lowepro Topload Zoom 1 is a contender, although it uses zips insteaad of velcro to close. Seb Rogers, a pro mountain biking photographer uses one for his D200. Jimmy Chin, a mountaineering photographer uses an M-Rock holster for his D200. I haven't seen one of those, so I'm not sure how they close. I've also seen pics of a Tamrac 5514 holster bag that might do the job. If anyone has any input about any of these bags, please let me know. Thanks.

Photos:
Top: Mountain Biking Nepal. Taken with a Nikon FM2, 24mm lens, original 'Galen Rowell' Chest Pouch
Right: Crossing a Bamboo Bridge in Northern Thailand with the Newswear Body Pouch