Billingham 335 MKII Camera Bag Review

Billingham 335 MKII Camera Bag Review:

If you have larger gear, Billingham has several great bags to choose from.  They have their 7 Series and their 5 Series with the latter being recently updated, and what we’re doing to discuss here.  There are currently four models: the 225 MKII, the 335 MKII, 445 MKII, and the 555 MKII.  Specifically, we’re taking a closer look at the new Billingham 335 MKII.  Thanks to Billingham, I was able to get a sample to review.  Here are my thoughts on it.

Thanks for taking the time to read my review!  If it helped, please consider purchasing from any of the links mentioned in this review, which in turn, helps support this site.  I get a small commission but it will not cost you anything extra.  Thank you!

Billingham 335 MKII Camera Bag Build Quality:

In terms of overall quality, it is difficult to beat a Billingham bag.  Billingham has been making bags for decades, and the quality seems to only get better and better.  The 335 MKII is no exception.  This is certainly not a low priced bag but with that said, it is worth every penny of its $507 asking price.

↑ The new Billingham 335 MKII camera bag.

Starting off with the materials, the 335 MKII is made with simply the best stuff out there.  There’s full grain leather, and solid brass fixings found throughout the entire bag.  There are even solid brass feet on the bottom of the bag.  All the materials are also put together beautifully with the stitching around the bag being flawless.  In other words, the quality here is perfect, and everything you would expect from a high end camera bag.

I know a lot of camera bags in this league use leather, where as, the 335 MKII uses some sort of canvas type material.  Both are good materials to make bags out of but it really comes down to person preference as to which one is best.  There are some great leather bags out there that I love but I do prefer canvas.  The reason is because it’s generally lighter, has a little more give, and feels more comfortable to use, especially in the summer heat.

WIth the 335 MKII, you have a choice between traditional canvas, and Billingham’s own synthetic material, FibreNyte.  The traditional canvas is exactly what you would expect: it’s soft and breaks in nicely over time.  FibreNyte, however, feels like canvas but it’s lighter, more fade resistant, and more durable than the traditional canvas.  It feels slightly less soft than the traditional canvas though.  With all that said, every time I get a new Billingham bag, I go for the FibreNyte because, at least for me, I feel the benefits of this material outweigh any of the negatives.  There are also several color combinations that you can choose from, which include Khaki Canvas/Tan leather (Olive Lining), Sage FibreNyte/Chocolate Leather (Olive Lining), Navy Canvas/Chocolate Leather (Chocolate Lining) and what you see in this review, Black FibreNyte/Black Leather (Olive Lining).

Whatever material you end up choosing, both will give you superior protection against bad weather.  Like other Billingham bags, the 335 MKII’s 3 layer fabric is bonded to butyl rubber, so your gear will stay completely dry no matter if it’s raining, snowing or sleeting.  Plus, because of the butyl rubber, the 335 MKII never needs re-proofing.  All of this isn’t just marketing hype either.

Besides reviewing nearly the entire collection of Billingham bags (you can find the reviews on this page), I’ve been using their bags for decades.  I’ve been in some seriously bad weather all over the world, and many times, the bag that I’m carrying is dripping with water at the end of these rainstorms but the gear always stays completely dry.  As I’ve said before, I’m careful with my gear but often times, not so much with my bags :).  For me, the bag is designed to protect my gear, and with something like the 335 MKII, you never have to worry.

In addition to the excellent protection the Billingham 335 MKII offers against the elements, it has fantastic padding, so you know your gear will be protected against impacts.  The padding is up there with the best that you can find from any camera bag manufacturer.  All four sides of the 335 MKII have padding along with the bottom, which has a very thick pad (wooden base) that is also removable.

The dividers are just as good as the padding around the 335 MKII.  The dividers that are included are the 9-15 SuperFlex Partition, the 10-18 SuperFlex Partition, the V-Bridge 15, and the SuperFlex Flap.  All these dividers have velcro allowing one to place them in all sorts of spots in the bag resulting in a lot of customization to suit one’s needs.  You can use them all or if you’re like me, use only a couple of them, and leave the rest at home.

I tested the 335 MKII by replacing my daily user, the Billingham 307, with it because in many ways, they are similar in what they can carry around.  So, ther 335 MKII had my Leica SL3 along with multiple lenses and accessories.  The 335 MKII also had some lighting gear in it from time to time because I mainly use my SL3 for model shoots.  So, getting to a shoot meant I was lugging the bag around New York City quite a bit bumping into things or squeezing into doors.  The padding definitely holds up.  No damage or scuffs ever happened to my gear.  My SL system is heavy yet the padding was sturdy enough to support it all.  For instance, I didn’t have lenses bumping into each other or any of that kind of nonsense.  Once everything is in the bag, and in their rightful place, I never have to worry about anything.  That’s what I want from a bag, and the Billingham 335 MKII fulfills it.

Billingham 335MKII Camera Bag Carrying Capacity:

So, let’s take a closer look at what will fit into the Billingham 335 MKII.  The 335 MKII will carry two DSLR or mirrorless cameras with small to medium lenses attached or one camera with a selection of lenses. There are a total of 10 pockets, including a full length front pocket that can hold a 14” laptop, tablet or accessories.  The photos below will hopefully give all of you a better idea of what it can fit.  I basically set up the 335 MK like my daily user, the 307.

↑ The main compartment is zipped up.

↑ Here’s how the main compartment looks like with no dividers.

↑ This is how I have the 335 MKII set up for my Leica SL system.

↑ From left to right: Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90mm f2.8-4 ASPH, Leica SL3 with Summilux-SL 50mm f1.4 ASPH attached, and the Summicron-SL 90mm f2 ASPH.  I can actually fit lenses in the smaller slots above the lenses in this photo as well.  I find the 335 MKII perfect for the SL system.

To gain access to the main compartment, the rain flap is lifted by unlocking it.  The Quick Release System is a little different here than with the 307.  The leather straps pass through solid brass ‘D’ rings at the end of the webbing carry-handles, and the reason for this is to provide the user with a more secure closure, especially when the 335 MKII is packed full of gear.  After lifting the flap, you unzip the main compartment zip, and thanks to what Billingham calls their TukTop feature, one can tuck the two sides of the zippered opening behind the 335 MKII’s internal front and rear dividers.

↑ The main flap is secured with these leather straps and brass clog balls.

As I just mentioned, there are some differences between the Billingham 335 MKII and 307.  The Tuktop feature here is definitely different than the doctor’s style bag opening of the 307.  With the 307, once you unzip the main compartment, you can literally spread it open like one of those old fashioned bags doctors used to carry around, and it’ll stay open but the results are essentially the same for both bag openings.  Like the 307, the 335 MKII spreads, and stays opened, which is great for me.  When I’m on location, I often times prefer leaving my bag on the ground (solid brass feet), and having a large opening to access and change lenses.  The design is great here, and really helps make my shooting easier.

As mentioned earlier, there are also a total of 10 pockets.  Two are located in front of the 335 MKII right under the flap.  It’s where I put batteries, filters, Pocket Wizards, and chargers.  There are also four internal slip pockets in the main compartment, and one zippered rear pocket, which I can fit papers like model releases, for instance.  There’s also a zipped front compartment, which also has two pockets inside.  The zipped front compartment will fit a 14″ laptop.

↑ Once you open the rain flap, you can access the two front dump pockets, which are covered by their own flap.

↑ Here’s a photo of the dump pockets up close.  In the left pocket, I have my SL charger, and a battery on top to give all of you an idea of the size of these pockets.

↑ There’s a zippered front pocket as well that will fit a 14″ laptop, and two additional pockets inside.

↑ Here’s another photo of the zippered front pocket.

↑ The back of the 335 MKII has a zippered pocket and a luggage trolley strap.

If you need even more storage space, there are accessories that can help.  For one, you can add a Delta Pocket or two, which are secured at the base of the sling (I reviewed the Delta Pocket here).  The great thing about these pockets is there are times you may not need the extra storage capacity, and if that’s the case, you can just leave them at home.  It might be a better option for some instead of buying a larger bag, and not always needing the extra space.  It’s also worth noting that one is able to also attach small tripods with straps, which attach to the loops at the bottom-front of the 335 MKII.

Billingham 335 MKII Camera Bag in Use:

Now that we know what gear the Billingham 335 MKII will fit, we can take a closer look at how it feels, and operates in real world use.  Being that this is a mid-size bag designed to carry larger gear, no one should expect this to feel light, and nimble like a bag designed for a compact system.  With that said, for something this large, the 335 MKII has features that really help make it more comfortable for the photographer.

As I said before, I used the 335 MKII during my shoots.  The 335 MKII replaced my 307, while I was reviewing it.  So, this means I was running around New York City with it, and believe me, traveling with a large bag around this city isn’t the easiest all the time.  If I’m not on mass transit, I’m driving, and probably parking a bit far, so there’s a lot of walking involved, especially on very crowded streets.  Everything about the design of the 335 MKII is about alleviating any unnecessary stress from its user.

For instance, lets take a look at the adjustable ‘Y’ shaped Delta sling.  When you’re walking around with a large bag, there’s sometimes a rolling or tipping motion as you’re moving.  The shape of the sling is meant to help prevent this type of motion, and in the real world, it works great.  Even though this is a shoulder bag, and therefore, may not offer the same wrap around feel as a backpack, for instance, you still get a nice hugging feeling from the 335 MKII, which is saying a lot, since this is a pretty large bag.  It makes it much easier to weave through busy streets.  It’s also worth noting that the shoulder sling is wider now than the previous 335, adding even more support for the user.

↑ Here’s a view of the ‘Y’ shaped Delta sling.

The shoulder pad is also a great feature, and a must have for any large bag.  It offers tons of support, especially for when you’re carrying the bag for an extended period of time.  The 335 came with the SP15 shoulder bag where as with the updated 335 MKII, the SP20 shoulder pad is now included.  This is a wider shoulder pad giving you even more support.  The neoprene is also grippy, so it won’t slip or cause you any issues.

↑ The Billingham 335 MKII comes with the SP20 shoulder pad.

↑ Here’s the back of the SP20 shoulder pad.

Also, it’s great to have a top handle, and truthfully, it is another must for a large bag.  It makes it so convenient when you just need to reach out and pull the bag towards you.  The great thing is there’s another handle under the top flap, so you don’t have to close the main flap, and secure it in order to use the top handle.  I love this idea; it’s great for people like me who sometimes work out of the bag, and don’t always close it out of convenience sake.  Sometimes, when I am at a shoot, I will, often times, move around in the same location.  With the handle under the flap, I can just grab the bag quickly, if I need to move it.

↑ Here’s a photo of the top handle.

↑ As you can see, even when the bag is opened, there is a strap under the flap that will act as the top handle.

Lastly, for a large camera bag, the 335 MKII doesn’t really attract a lot of unwanted attention.  There aren’t any large name tags sticking out conspicuously or bright, flashy parts to it.  It looks more like a travel bag than a full featured camera bag.  Speaking of, there’s even a luggage trolley strap on the back (another feature the older 335 did not have) for added convenience, if you are going to do a lot of traveling with the 335 MKII.  Getting back on topic, the 335 MKII is a beautifully made bag but at the same time, it has a more low key and understated look to it, which I love.

Specifications:

The 335 MKII: