Billingham, the UK-based family business famous for its camera bags since 1973, is marking its 50-year anniversary. To commemorate half a century of production, the company has released a limited edition series of their most popular bags, each fashioned in black canvas and leather with red stitching, signaling a departure from their usual styling cues.
This anniversary lineup is strictly capped at 100 units worldwide per model, embracing Billingham's classics such as the 72, Hadley Digital, and various iterations of the Hadley range, including the Mini Eventer. Each of these bags will feature a commemorative label, and uniquely for this edition, a special black leather shoulder pad with red stitching – elements not sold separately from the bags.
The construction of these limited edition pieces stays true to Billingham’s technical specifications, with a three-layer waterproof fabric incorporating a "StormBlock" butyl rubber core. The materials list continues with top-grain leather, solid brass fixings, and closed-cell foam padding, aiming to blend durability with function and a degree of luxury.
While celebrating its past, Billingham also nods to its present and future with this range, emphasizing the company's ongoing commitment to the community it serves. As with all products leaving the Billingham factory, these bags come with a five-year guarantee and a unique serial number, ostensibly serving as a badge of authenticity and quality assurance.
The release is more than just a nod to the past; it's an assertion of Billingham's longstanding ethos of providing protection for photographic equipment. These bags are expected to perform for professional photographers and hobbyists alike, adhering to the brand's reputation for building to last.
As for the pricing, the limited edition collection spans a range that starts at £150.00 (ex VAT) for the 72 model, reaching up to £435.00 (inc VAT) for the Mini Eventer. For those interested, the collection is up for grabs through Billingham's UK and US websites, alongside selected retailers.
With this launch, Billingham doesn't just celebrate a milestone but also underscores its place in the market as a purveyor of quality over five decades. The limited availability is likely to appeal to collectors and enthusiasts who value the mix of function, style, and durability that the brand has stood for since its inception.
I like red stitching on black leather but i sure as heck wouldn't pay these prices for it.
Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan it's pretty rough out here for landscape stuff. Most of the state is as flat as a sheet of paper or covered in urban horror but there's probably a beauty in it that I haven't found yet. Although, if you go to far east/south east Oklahoma you get more into Arkansas territory and there are some real nice places to shoot around there. Especially in the Fall and Spring. Some of the popular locations to camp and get good photos at are robbers cave just North of Wilburton,OK , and father North from there is the Talimena Scenic Byway on Hwy 1 & Hwy 271 near Talihina, OK. Lake Tenkiller just east of Muskogee, OK is probably my favorite lake in the state and actually some of the larger lakes in the more central part of Oklahoma can look really pretty in the right light. My favorite of those is Hefner Lake in OKC. It's a pretty run of the mill man made lake with a freeway next to it but I have gotten some of my most favorite landscape photos there when the weather gets murky or if you can catch a nice sunset. The drive out to Tenkiller once you get passed Tulsa is really pretty and the campgrounds tend to be really gorgeous too. My bud has a lake house out there so we'll go out there and just walk straight into the woods where we found a nice spot that is near a cliff and a cove. There is a steep hill you can go down and to swim in the cove and the cliff not far north of our campsite is one of the best spots to watch the sun set as it over looks much of the lake. Robbers cave it self is not much to write home about. It's still cool but from the view of the cave you can see a sea of forest off to the horizon. You can imagine how gorgeous it is during the fall months. There's also some really cool rock formations there too and some cool history behind the cave it self as well as a small waterfall that goes into a small pond I think you can fish at. The Talimena scenic route is a long stretch of road that goes through a beautiful forest with safe pull offs and camp grounds so you can stop and appreciate the scenery around you. There's also some cliff areas you can stop at and get a sort of birds eye view of some of the forest. It's really cool. Now if you do go splorin down in south Oklahoma you can find some neat abandoned places if you into taking photos of abandoned structures. anything around Enid is just eternal flatness. Mostly just farmland. There is a neat AF base in Enid and one of the best grocery stores I've ever been too as well. I think it's called Jumbo Foods. They have everything and the produce is pretty good lol. Okarche, OK has a massive wind farm so you can see oodles of windmills. While your there you can hit the most famous fried chicken in the state at a joint called Eischens Chicken. They sell more than just chicken but for me the trip out there is worth the food. I think it's pretty good but other Oklahoman's might disagree lol. There is also a really good spot in Noble Oklahoma where can watch storm systems coming in and you can get some good photo from there if you're into lightning photos. Just North of the spot is an Oklahoma famous sculpture that is a black widow but it's made out of a VW Beetle haha. There is also another Oklahoma famous food joint there called Kendalls. They are known for their chicken fried steak which is REALLY good and their cinnamon rolls that I'm less than impressed with. They put too much icing on them imo lol. If you are into astro photography you really want to head to Black Mesa in Kenton Oklahoma. It's actually so big it spans the corners of Oklahoma, Colorado, and New Mexico. It is one of the darkest places in the nation so you can see the stars real good. Well I guess there are a few places here that are cool hahahaha.
the first image was meant to appeal to coal miners
I'm not fond of the Black/Red coloring, but I looked at Billingham's other bags. I use an Olympus E-M1 and have 5 lenses that I carry in my current bag along with some other accessories. The bag and contents weighs 5.75 lbs (2.6 kg). The Billingham Eventer MKII bag empty weighs 4.1 lbs (1.86 kg). So, I won't be changing bags. However, the Billingham Eventer MKII bag is a lot prettier than the bag I have.