Perfect fit for a larger bodied compact point and shoot digital
Written: Apr 11 '09 (Updated Apr 11 '09)
Product Rating:
Pros: Fits a large body point and shoot, lots of amenities for a low price.
Cons: Needs better materials on the inside, but no problems so far.
The Bottom Line: If you are using a larger point and shoot camera, this is a very good option to carry your camera. I don't think it can be beat for the price.
ncphototrekker's Full Review: 5691 Black Digital 1 Digital Photo Camera Bag
When it comes to camera bags, there are a lot of choices out there, from very small to overly large. I have bought my share of camera bags over the years, and have found one area where the selection is lacking. This is the larger bodied point and shoot cameras, such as the Canon A590IS and A720IS. These cameras are designed with a bulge on the left side for the AA batteries. That bulge makes this type of camera very easy to hold with one hand, which is a good thing. However, with the mass appeal of the slim compacts, there are just not that many camera bags available for it.
I reviewed a Lowepro Rezo 50 camera bag about a year ago and reviewed it quite favorably. With a new camera in the family, a Canon A590IS, there was a need for another bag. Having become quite fond of the Tamrac line (I use an Expedition 5 and Expedition 7x for my gear), I looked at their offerings first.
As it turned out, when the Canon was purchased at a local camera store, they had a nice selection of the smaller Tamrac bags on the shelf. I started test fitting the store display to see what would work the best. Knowing that this is a beefy body, I started out with the larger bags. These turned out to be too big, and offered more storage room than was necessary, which in turn added to the exterior bulk of the bag.
When I selected the 5691 bag, the A590IS slid right into it, almost as if it was designed specifically for it. There was an outside compartment with two of the clear pockets that Tamrac uses in their larger bags. There appeared to be plenty of room in this pocket which was a slight issue with the Lowepro bag. I had to look no further, and at about $12.00 this bag was an absolute steal!
Build Quality.....
Tamrac is a well respected manufacturer of camera bags and accessories, and for good reason. As I mentioned, I use their bags to transport my DSLR/Lenses/Accessories, and have been nothing short of impressed with their quality. This little compact bag is no different. The exterior is a black nylon type of material that is very similar to what is used on the Expedition Series backpacks. I haven't tested this out yet, but I suspect that there will be a good deal of protection from the elements from this outer shell. The zippers have a slight lip underneath them to help keep water from seeping past the teeth, which is a good thing.
The front pocket is zippered from the bottom hinge point all the way up and around. The pocket flap can be opened a full 90 degrees or more to access items in the universal memory card/battery pockets. As I mentioned before, these pockets are clear, but do not include the red flaps that I really appreciate in my Expeditions. These pockets will carry memory cards of all sizes, up to Compact Flash. You can also store up to 4 AA batteries, or a proprietary battery of similar size. With memory cards and batteries, the pocket is pretty much filled, but if you don't carry extra batteries or extra memory cards, a cleaning cloth would fit nicely in the pocket.
The main compartment is not too big, and not too small....its "just right". As I said, this bag will fit a 590IS or similar sized camera with no problems at all. The official deminsions for this bag according to Tamrac are 2 5/8 W x 1 3/4D x 5 H. Smaller cameras will fit, but will likely flop around, and will not reap the benefits of the Dual Foam Technology that is built into these bags. What that means is that there is closed cell foam for shock protection, and open cell foam for vibration protection. To protect the contents, there is a padded lid that folds over not only the main compartment, but the outter pocket as well. The lid secures with a nylon strap and a quick release buckle.
On the back, there is a belt loop which is very well designed. It can be opened up for easy mounting. To secure the strap, the bag uses a substantial amount of Velcro along with snap closures. This makes the bag very secure to whatever you mount it to. There are also two eyelets on the outside of the bag which allow you to mount the supplied shoulder strap. This is beneficial if you have no other way to mount the bag. You can carry it any number of ways which makes this bag difficult to decide to leave at home.
Real World Use....
I've gone over the features, but how does this bag work in the real world? Flawlessly is the short answer, but I will get into a bit more detail. One of the aspects of the Lowepro Rezo that I really liked was that the main compartment opened very wide, and had accordion sides to keep your camera from falling out. This was a very nice touch, but required zipping the bag to access the camera. The Tamrac has a much more practical design in that instead of zippers, there is just the top flap and a quick release closure. With the bag mounted to a belt, you could potentially leave the buckle uncoupled and just raise the lid to access the camera. Since the sides are not open, you will not accidentally dump anything out.
This makes camera access very easy, and efficient. No longer will you miss that shot because you were fumbling with your zippers. In fact, you will have very little excuse for missing any shots because of the small exterior size of this bag. Tamrac lists the measurements at 4 W x 2¼ D x 6 H which is hardly enough to get in the way.
The next point that I would like to make is dealing with the attachment system. The strap on the rear of the bag is designed to go on any standard width belt, but that isn't all. Tamrac has designed this bag to mount to their larger bags, and belts that use the SAS (Strap Accessory System). What that means is, I can even take this camera bag with the point and shoot camera with me on my Treks. There are several places on the Expedition 7x that I can secure the camera to so that it is externally mounted, and easy to access. This was an added bonus that I wasn't even thinking about when I purchased the bag initially.
Final Thoughts...
This is a great bag for the family photographer, and will keep a larger sized point and shoot camera close by. With any number of mounting possibilities, there is no reason why this bag would be left at home. Remember, the best camera is the one in the hands of a photographer. Case in point, on a recent hike with my girlfriend, she was able to get several shots of deer that were on the trail in front of us, while I had to pass on the opportunity because my camera was still stored in my backpack. She got the picture...I didn't.
The one thing that I wish that this bag included is the soft material on the inside of the bag to protect the LCD screen. The material that Tamrac uses is not nearly as soft, but has not seemed to cause any problems either. For the difference in price between the Lowepro and the Tamrac, I would call that omission a wash. This bag is a five star product all the way in my book.
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