Shimoda Designs Large Core Unit For Mirrorless Camera (V2)

Note: I bought this specifically to store all of my camera gear in one unit. I am not putting this in a backpack and carrying it, but only for storage after a shoot. Since I live in a campervan, I store all my gear in one unit.The unit itself is nice and sturdy. It doesn't bend or flex as it should, for when you do have it in a bag.I love how the foam dividers are durable and thin. I prefer these over the thick ones. It saves on a lot of space and they look way better. The velcro is also really nice on these. The soft sides are also very nice. Unlike other bags, the soft fabric side does not peal or move. This was my biggest con with other bags.I really like how there is a zip cover for this bag too. Its for a perfect fit, but slightly larger, which is great ... MoreNote: I bought this specifically to store all of my camera gear in one unit. I am not putting this in a backpack and carrying it, but only for storage after a shoot. Since I live in a campervan, I store all my gear in one unit.The unit itself is nice and sturdy. It doesn't bend or flex as it should, for when you do have it in a bag.I love how the foam dividers are durable and thin. I prefer these over the thick ones. It saves on a lot of space and they look way better. The velcro is also really nice on these. The soft sides are also very nice. Unlike other bags, the soft fabric side does not peal or move. This was my biggest con with other bags.I really like how there is a zip cover for this bag too. Its for a perfect fit, but slightly larger, which is great as not all of my gear fits perfectly within, allowing me to still zip it closed.I just wish that this unit came in an even larger size. This is the largest camera unit currently available, and yet it's still too small for what I need. Would be awesome if there was one that was suitcase-sized without the actual suitcase part from Shimoda

I recently picked up this core unit to accommodate the new Shimoda Explore V2 30L (Currently own the large DSLR core unit for the Action X50). If you are having trouble deciding between the Large DSLR Core Unit or Large Mirrorless Core Unit, read on. The dimensions of the Large Core Unit and Large Mirrorless Core unit are largely the same except the depth. This minor difference in depth has some significant implications in terms of how much gear you can carry.Reasons to buy the Large Mirrorless Core Unit1. Keeping a low profile on your backpack when shooting in cities or crowded areas where you are likely to draw attention from unsuspecting characters.2. Shooting with lenses that have a low profile - Primes such as f1.8, f1.4, f1.2 or smaller mirrorless ... MoreI recently picked up this core unit to accommodate the new Shimoda Explore V2 30L (Currently own the large DSLR core unit for the Action X50). If you are having trouble deciding between the Large DSLR Core Unit or Large Mirrorless Core Unit, read on. The dimensions of the Large Core Unit and Large Mirrorless Core unit are largely the same except the depth. This minor difference in depth has some significant implications in terms of how much gear you can carry.Reasons to buy the Large Mirrorless Core Unit1. Keeping a low profile on your backpack when shooting in cities or crowded areas where you are likely to draw attention from unsuspecting characters.2. Shooting with lenses that have a low profile - Primes such as f1.8, f1.4, f1.2 or smaller mirrorless systems such as Fuji.3. Don't need to pack a lot of gear. Meaning your not taking two bodies, 2 lenses, drone, drone controller, ND filters, remotes, headlamps etc.. Doesn't mean you can't fit these things but it will likely extend beyond the depth of the core unit.4. Weight conscious (6% weight savings using mirrorless vs. DSLR large core).Reasons to buy the Large DSLR Core Unit (Pretty much the inverse of above).1. Don't care about the profile of your backpack or the 6% weight savings.2. Want to take a lot of gear with you. The height difference of 1.7 D makes a huge difference because you can stand up a lot of your non-telephoto lenses, bodies, drone controllers etc.. You have more room to take other gear. If you have to lay your lenses down because of the depth, you lose a lot of space in the core unit. I am also worried about how much the lenses are actually protected because of the depth difference causing them to protrude out. Check out my pictures for examples.I decided to return the large mirrorless core unit because I like to take a lot of gear and have room for extra. It was also a good peace of mind to have the extra depth to protect a lot of my lenses and other accessories that need the 1.7 depth. The weight difference wasn't that much more but you have much more flexibility in terms of what you can bring with you. The Explore V2 30L can only take the mirrorless unit because of the internal depth so if you want a low profile bag the pairing is good. Just know that you will be pushing the bag tolerances to it's limit. It was pretty much an exact fit with not much more room and that gave me a lot of anxiety. I will stick to the Large DSLR Core Unit and any Shimoda bag that can accommodate it. This is a really good bag for astro, city, portrait, and landscape photographers (who are using circular filters). Because I plan on taking 1 mirrorless body, 2 pro lenses (one wide or medium zoom, one telephoto, maybe occasionally both the wide and medium zoom) a bunch of square ND filters, a DJI full sized drone, and pano gear it wasn't the right fit for me.

Pros: Robust and well built with sufficient internal dividers to suit my needs. The unit fits snugly into the cavity and is easy to secure .Cons: There is an opportunity to include velcro spacer that could fit along the base underneath a long telephoto lens to lift it when attached to a body. I carry my Sigma 150-600mm attached and it needs a small lifter to support it.