Those who know me know that I love photography and that I drag my trusted camera around with me always. To protect it I usually put it into a bog-standard black camera protection bag but there are two things I don’t like about those bags: the fact they are usually pretty ugly and also that they scream ‘expensive camera’ to potential thieves. There are actually not many camera bags that look pretty and don’t obviously look like camera bags, so when I was given the opportunity to review the Jill-E medium suede camera bag I was blown away both in terms of style and practicality. And to make things even better, they are offering a free bag to the winner of our 2014 New Year give away (details of how to enter below…).
To test the Jill-E medium camera bag I took it on my recent weekend trip to Germany. I was flying with hand luggage only and managed to fit in my DSLR camera, some travel-sized toiletries, my laptop, travel documents, Christmas presents, iPhone, chargers and enough clothing to get me through the whole weekend. At first I was worried I wouldn’t be able to fit everything in, but I was surprised by how spacious the bag is. It also has a lot of additional front, back, and side pockets which are perfect for smaller items such as purses, passports, mobile phones etc. In fact, for those Dr Who fans out there, it had all the ‘bigger on the inside than on the outside’ properties of a Tardis!
I also took the bag with me to a photo-shoot in the German countryside and was pleasantly surprised by how well I could organize my kit (and as a German, organization is very, very important to me). The bag comes with padded dividers that can be fixed to the inside of the bag with velcro. This enables you to separate your gear and also protect it. You can use as many or as few dividers as you wish, depending on how much camera equipment you are lucky enough to own. I took my DSLR camera with a 55m lens, a flower hood, a telezoom lens, a macro lens, a wide-angle lens, and a flash with me. I also took some filters, a spare memory card and battery with me which fitted nicely into the little mesh pockets inside the lid. 
The Jill-E camera bag is both beautifully designed and highly practical due to its weather resistant suede exterior. The outside walls are also padded to protect the contents. The bag has dual handles if you just want to carry it in your hands or a padded shoulder strap. I preferred the shoulder strap as I occasionally found the dual handles got in the way when I wanted to reach in to grab a different lens. Apart from that I found the bag perfect for a weekend trip as it had plenty of room for all my things and protected my photo equipment at the same time. It is also great for people who are keen photographers with plenty of gear, but who don’t necessarily want the world to know they are carrying a lot of expensive equipment as it looks just like a normal bag.
Our exclusive New Year give-away
The lovely people at the Jill-E bags kindly agreed to give away one brown medium Jill-E suede camera bag worth USD169 to a lucky reader. For a chance to win this gorgeous bag simply leave a comment below. You can double, triple, or quadruple your chances of winning if you like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, or share this post on Twitter. I will close the giveaway one week from today and will contact the lucky winner who will be chosen at random via Punchtab. I hope you found this Jill-E medium camera bag review useful, and to those who enter the competition…best of luck!
Disclaimer: I was provided with the Jill-E photo bag in return for a review. I was not asked to write a favourable review and as always all opinions are my own.
I’d love to win! Thanks.
Thanks for entering. Good luck Mary!
I would absolutely love to win one of these bags- they’re gorgeous! I’ve know for a while that I need a new bag to carry my camera and lenses, and this one looks perfect. Love that it protects my gear and looks good while doing it. 🙂 Thanks for a great review!
Thanks Keara! If you have many lenses then this would be perfect. Good luck to you!
OMGoodness, I would go crazy if I won this beauty. Awesome review Tammy! Thanks ya’ll for the chance!! xx
Thank you so much Melanie! It is gorgeous, isn’t it? Good luck!
I have the same problem finding a camera bag that is pretty and functional. This Jill-E bag looks great!
Yes, most bags are just so ugly, aren’t they?
I would love to win a bag like this for photography!
Good luck Erica!
A bag with Great quality and durability …That’s just what i need
Indeed, the bag is really good quality and will protect your camera very well! Good luck to you!
Love how spacious it is and how it doesn’t exactly scream “camera bag!” Very cute!
Look forward to following your travels in 2014, happy new year!:-)
Jess @UsedYorkCity recently posted…Your NYC January 2014
Yes me too! There is plenty of room for everything from 11inch laptops to a camera with various lenses and other equipment.
What a beautiful bag… It even looks like a great nappy bag – although Im way pass that stage it would be perfect for my travels! Yes please!
Erin Bender recently posted…I Can No Longer Say “In 15 Years Of Travel I’ve Never Missed A Flight”
Yes, you could easily fit in a few nappies along with your camera actually Erin. Good luck!
That bag looks great! We’ve had the same conundrum – holding our camera in a bag that protects it but doesn’t scream ‘expensive camera found here!’.
Emily recently posted…Chasing Chichen Itza
Some camera bags or backpacks even say camera bag on it or have canon or Nikon branding on the bag. It couldn’t make it any more obvious, could it? 🙂
Oh I would love one of the bags and hopefully your next competition will be to win the camera to go in it!
Ha ha, I will try my luck with Canon or Nikon and see what they say, Sheila!
The usual camera bags really are ugly and I’m glad that photographers nowadays are becoming fashion-conscious hehe. I didn’t realize the bag was that big when you mentioned that you put your laptop together with your other stuff.. and christmas presents too, wow. I’d love to get one.
Well, they were small presents, but 5 in total, so not bad I think. My laptop is 11 inches and I think a 13 inch one might fit too.
Love Jill E Designs. Very nice quality bags. Would love to win this one.
Good luck! 🙂
Convenience, fashion, and functionality rolled into one. Love it!
Jennifer Kimberley recently posted…dating advice and tips from Jenny
It’s great, isn’t it?
This looks like a fashionable camera bag! I would love to win it.
It is lovely, isn’t it? Good luck!
Amazing bag! I would LOVE LOVE to win <3
Yvonne Ivanescu recently posted…Safer is Always Better: Travel and Contraceptives
Good luck! 🙂
love love love these bags! Could really use one of these and ditch my ugly Nikon bag. Thanks 🙂
I ditched my old camera bag too! 🙂
Hello, YES! I would love to win a Jill-E camera bag! I have a nice camera and a couple of lenses and no bag, so this is a needed item. Thanks for a great giveaway!
Well then you definitely have to enter! 🙂
I would love to win this. It looks like the perfect size to carry my camera, lens and flash with just enough room left over for baby necessities. My nice camera gets left home all too often and I just grab our cheap point and shoot because I’m worried about damaging my DSLR in our soft structure diaper bag.
Yes, I suspect diaper bags don’t really provide enough support. This bag would be ideal though.
I’d like to win this to use as a camera/diaper bag. Thanks for sharing!
No worries Kimberly and good luck!
Oh yes, it’s a beautiful bag~
It is a beauty, isn’t it?
i would love to win one that would be awesome
Good luck Virginia!
Of course i would
Good luck! 🙂
I love this camera bag!
Me too! It is gorgeous, isn’t it?
Would love to win the bag. Thanks
Good luck Joanne!
I would love to win. Thanks for the chance!
No worries Jenny and good luck!
yes would love to win
Good luck to you!
Yes, I’d love to win! it’s a very nice bag!
Thank you for the chance to win!!
No problem at all. Glad the competition is so popular! Good luck!
I would get rid of the sad excuse of a bag I have now and give my lenses a new, comfy home!
What is it with normal camera bags that they are always so ugly? Well, good luck with the competition! 🙂
I would love to win. My camera bag is the same one I had in college eons ago! It’s time to move up in the world!
I agree Linda! Good luck!
yeaaa)
Good luck Jeff! 🙂
yes ii would love to win ty!
Good luck Wendi!
I would love to win!
Thanks for taking part! Good luck Melissa!
Love to win
Good luck!
Yes I want to win! Will you throw in a camera too, please?
Ha ha, would love to, but sadly not this time. But here’s an idea for a future give-away!
id love to own one,
Good luck Karen!
of course, I would love to, thanks
Thanks for taking part in the competition and good luck to you!
I’d be over the moon if I won this, Sure can use it in my travels to the Northwest Territories This Spring … Thanks for the amazing chance!
It would be perfect for that trip Maree!
I like the different ways you can organize stuff!
yes would love it
I would love to win this beautiful camera bag
Kathie Lanham recently posted…The sweet side of Lima – chocolate, coca, and the blood of a virgin
love to win
Oh yes please please please
I would love to win! Thanks for the chance!
I would love to win this bag!!! Thank you for the chance!
I would love to win this beautiful bag!
Yes this would be perfect for me to travel with.
LOVE this bag, would love to win! ♥
wold love to win
angie horner recently posted…The sweet side of Lima – chocolate, coca, and the blood of a virgin
Just got a new camera so this would be great to win!
Deb K recently posted…Banish Boredom – Board Game Night Giveaway! 1/26
Yes! I got a new camera and haven’t found a bag yet — this one looks perfect.
What a great bag! I would love something like this!
I would love to win this camera bag!
I’d love to win!!
I would love to win because the bag that I now use to carry my camera just does not protect it. I have dropped it numerous times and have had to endure costly repairs to a very expensive piece of equipment, this bag would be a god send.
This is a gorgeous bag! Yes, I would love, love, love to win it!
I would love to win! Beautiful bag
Alholm.co at gmail dot com
Good luck!
yes
Well, good luck to you then Katie!
I would love to win this camera bag! I go hiking and birdwatching with my camera, this looks like a great bag to carry
Kathy Detweiler recently posted…Home for Christmas
This would be perfect to take hiking as you can also put some snacks and drinks in the bag too! There is plenty of room.
I want to win!
Good luck Darlene!
Most definitely, I would love to win this bag.
Good luck Christine!
Yes, it looks very nice.
It is lovely, isn’t it?
Yes I would love to win a camera bag.
Don’t blame you! Good luck!
I think my wife would like this color of bag. Thanks for the chance.
No worries Jim. Good luck!
I want to protect camera I would be happy if I win
Good luck Rajee!
yes i would love to win
Good luck Alena!
Wow what an extremely versatile bag, and it looks great too! Thanks for the chance to win!!
No problem. Yes, it is extremely versatile, that’s why I like it so much!
absolutely! It is stylish and pretty AND practical
Definitely, it is all of them. Good luck!
Yes please. This is the first time that I’m competing in a blog competition and one can so see why. The camera bag is both useful and gorgeous.
Do count me in!
Victoria recently posted…10 things to do RIGHT NOW instead of getting all upset about that post: “23 things to do instead of getting engaged before you’re 23!”
Well, maybe your first time is gonna be your lucky time Victoria. Good luck!
I’d love a camera bag that is actually designed to carry a camera!
Me too. All the dividers and extra pockets for filters etc are great!
YES PLEASE
Good luck Kathryn!
This is awesome! I would be thrilled if i won this 🙂
Good luck Shannon!
Would love to WIN… Ive been toting a back back pack camera bag for too long!
Smart bag idea. Nice pockets, thieves couldn’t really get into the side pockets, only zips are really plausible. If I was a thief and saw that, I’d assume you were carrying sandwiches – and not any flavors worth stealing. I’d want to use that if my camera was say, over $2000, but my SLR is probably worth around £300 and I found that I could walk around with one all the time in Beijing and nobody would bat an eyelid. If your going to a country that is another language to you and your camera settings, a thief probably isn’t going to bother stealing a camera, with Swedish settings, that is only worth $500 (like a basic SLR). Who on earth would he sell it to? Thieves won’t risk getting caught to sell used SLR parts either. My advice is if you are the traveler who is often spotted with a massive telephoto lens mounted to a pro $2000+ camera, get one of these to hide your super expensive toys, but for those of us who are poor, a swanky bag to hide your camera that nobody wants, probably won’t help.
Jes @ INTLAdventures Blog recently posted…Rock ‘n’ roll on the waterfront
Yes, it always depends on where you travel to. I would feel perfectly comfortable carrying my DSLR around my neck in say Tokyo, but not so much in La Paz, Bolivia for example.