So Many Choices!

As I mentioned in my last long-drawn-out post about the most wonderful day of the year (a.k.a. my birthday) I got the most wonderful gift a girl could ever hope and dream for.

A Nikon d5000.

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It is wonderful, does crazy mad cool stuff, and has capabilities that are beyond my expertise.

I've been able to mess with it a little,  but I haven't had much time to play with it and get used to its controls between traveling and work. Since it's summer I would hope to have some opportunities in the near future to take more pictures of my dog running around, photos of flowers in bloom,  and close-up photos of Dave drinking his coffee and get used to my new toy.

And I guess all of my adventures.

Now, I also mentioned in my last post that Dave wanted me to pick out the case for said camera, and this my friends is where I come at a crossroads.

I could always head to the Nikon website or Best Buy and get myself one of these:

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These are great bags to carry and keep my new precious cargo safe.

BUT

There are just so many other options!

There is the slightly out of my price range but more than slightly adorable Kelly Moore collection that includes some gems such as this one:

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I mean how cute?

Again, another that is slightly more expensive than I'm looking for but have no shame in peeking at online, is this bag from the Jill-e camera bag collection.

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Now these bags are in my price range and it's like they caught brightness and happiness and forced them into a fabric and turned it into a camera bag. These are  the Glee bags from "The Joy Bag" collection.

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From what I can tell, these are basic top load bags. I don't know if it has the space that I want and the ability to take the lens off etc when traveling.

There is always the messenger style bag as an option with plenty of space and a long shoulder strap for comfort. This is from Golla of Finland. They have a lot of modern looks that are simple and fresh.
I'm not an expert in converting euros to dollars but I think this is in the range to being affordable. I think.

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Finally, before I even knew I was going to be receiving,  a camera, one of my favorite bloggers CMae over at "Happiness Is.." was looking for an easier way to carry her gear. 

Her issue with the bag that came with her camera is that she feels as though she's always carrying around a bunch of bags all bag lady style. I totally get that. Her solution?

She headed over to the Etsy shop "Seasons Totes" looking for a better way to carry around her camera while not looking like someone on their way from a moving truck.

She found this:

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It is an insert for your purse or bag. You pick out a bag you already have, insert this puppy, then pack up your camera. It also has organizers for stuff other than just your camera! That way instead of having your camera bag, purse, and whatever else you may be carrying around that day, it can all be in one.

What a cool idea huh?

Crumpler also makes something similar called the Haven.

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I think this is such a neat idea. But then there's also a traditional part of me that says that having a separate bag will keep things more organized and that I don't always carry a purse.

I just don't know! I'll be browsing and comparing over the next couple of days, but would love to hear your thoughts.

Which one do you think is best? Do you think fashion and praticality can meet? Or are the regular bags sold in stores the old standby tried and true for a reason? Do you have a camera bag that you just love?

Help a sister out and either leave a comment or send me an email letting me know what you think!