Billingham Hadley Small Pro, Khaki Fibrenyte/Chocolate Trim 

The Hadley Small Pro is the new sister bag to the ever-popular 'Hadley Small' - internally exactly the same size, but with some added features that should make it perfect for many professional photographers and demanding enthusiasts.

Exactly the same size inside as the 'Hadley Small' but with some important extra features

• Top handle with leather underside for easier and more comfortable carrying

• Removable, adjustable shoulder sling

• Luggage trolley strap retainer on the back

• Rear document pocket with weatherproof zip

• Removable padded insert to turn the bag from a camera bag to a casual bag in seconds

• Constructed from a choice of 3-layer waterproof canvas or 3-layer waterproof material

• Real full grain leather and brass fixings

• Adjustable front pockets

• Weighs just 0.95kg (approx 2.09lb) including shoulder sling

• Suitable for range finder cameras, small mirrorless cameras, and mid-sized DSLR

• Compatible with AVEA 7 side pockets

• Made in England

The first of these features is a carry handle on top

The handle Billingham chose has a leather underneath for added comfort when carrying - especially useful if you want to use the bag as a mini briefcase for long periods after removing the adjustable shoulder sling (included).

The second addition is a document pocket on the back of the bag

This has a waterproof zip for extra protection in a downpour. Also on the back Billingham added a luggage trolley strap – so that you can slide the bag over the handle on a trolley suitcase for easy travel through an airport.

Of course Billingham made sure to keep the best parts of the original 'Hadley Small'

For impact protection the bag features the same well-tested padded liner insert (included) as the current ‘Hadley Small’ design. This is made from dense, fabric covered, ‘closed cell’ foam and provides impact protection on all six sides – including the lid.

Inside the insert come two removable vertical dividers, and two removable padded flaps for stacking lenses – these dividers attach inside with Velcro®. The insert itself attaches into the bag with a single strong press-stud – remove the insert and the bag transforms from a camera bag to stylish compact messenger bag.

Like all Billinham camera bags the outside is made with 3 layer stormproof 'Stormblock' material

Two layers of fabric bonded together with a middle layer of butyl rubber. Stormblock fabric never needs 're-proofing' because the butyl layer is bonded permanently into the core of the fabric. The top flap of the bag is ‘sculpted’ over the opening of the main compartment so that even driving rain shouldn’t get in if you have it closed up.

The front closing straps are designed around the ‘Quick Release System’

To open the bag you slide the leather straps off the brass ‘clogballs’ at the top of the strap – with a bit of practice you'll soon be able to open the bag one handed. The buckles half way down the closing straps are used solely to adjust the fit of the top flap over the main opening and the pockets - you don't need to use them to open the bag. Billingham made these straps slightly less wide compared to the Hadley Pro (and old Hadley Small) to help the aesthetics of the bag. The bag's two front pockets are fitted with a secondary stud in their top outer corner - open this stud to create extra space or close it to form a handy pen holder.

The Hadley Small Pro is small on the outside yet larger than you’d expect on the inside

For example it can hold 2 rangefinder cameras (e.g. Leica M10 and M9 each with lenses attached), a premium mirrorless (CSC) camera (Fujifilm X-Pro2, Lumix GH5 or Olympus OM-D E-M1) with 2 or 3 small to medium sized lenses or even a mid-sized DSLR without battery grip (e.g. Canon 5D Mk4 with 24-70mm f2.8 attached and 24-105mm lens in the bag too) because the bag can bow out slightly at the top to accommodate larger equipment. If you need extra capacity you can add one or two AVEA 7 end pockets on the strong leather side panels.

Made in England

Because of all this, and because the bag doesn’t look like a camera bag, the Hadley Small Pro is an ideal companion while travelling in the city or the country. Like all Billingham camera bags the Hadley Small Pro is made in England.