I currently use the Canon Gadget Bag 100DG to lug my camera equipment around wherever I go locally. I decided to purchase this very expensive bag for $61.00 on sale at Best Buy since I had absolutely nothing better to blow the Best Buy gift cards I received as gifts on since the prices at Best Buy are ridiculously high. So far, I have been very pleased with the compactness of the bag and for what it has done for me.
-PRICE-
*This is a premium Canon bag, therefore it will cost you. Interestingly, I found most camera bags, especially much smaller ones still fetch very high prices. At Target for example, the cheapest bag that would only hold the body attached to a lens was already $25. A smaller Canon camera bag at Target (I do not remember the model number) was already $49.99. It was also considerably smaller and could not hold all of my equipment all at once.
$61 seemed like a pretty reasonable price considering the quality construction of the bag, as well as its ability to hold all three lenses (I keep my 28-135mm on at all times and face the camera up), battery grip, and still have space for my future Canon Speedlite 580EX II which I am yet to purchase. If you do end up paying $10-$20 for this bag, it is worth it since even if you have a camera with one or two lenses, you will always have the ability to expand.
But really... These bags are expensive!
-PERFORMANCE-
*This bag would be great for an amateur that maybe has two or three lenses as well as a flash. I have rearranged the far left side of the bag so that I put my Canon EOS 400D facing straight up with the 28-135mm attached. Then I have the rest of the slots remaining the same size. Therefore, the bag does give me room to hold the rest of my lens collection. When borrowing a flash, I managed to fit it in too.
What I like about the bag is that the slots are made up of soft cushion walls, which have Velcro at the edges. Therefore, you can take them off and arrange the camera bag as you wish so you can either hold the camera inside with the lens (Like I do), or stay with the stock layout. There are an infinite amount of ways that you can arrange the slots. The fairly generous size of the bag also makes this easier.
I used to have a cheap (relatively speaking) Denali bag that managed to hold my Canon EOS 400D with my primary 28-135mm, and then the flash in the pocket. This was $25 at Target. Unfortunately, the amount of padding in the Denali was quite poor, and did not make me feel very secure about carrying my camera. On the contrary, the Canon Gadget Bag 100DG provides very adequate protection for all of my camera equipment. The Canon Gadget Bag 100DG also contains three generously sized pockets and compartments on the front (largest) and then on the sides. I use this to hold some of my smaller accessories, including my backup Canon PowerShot SD500 backup camera.
The Canon Gadget Bag 100DG has two buckles that keeps the top from coming undone. There is also Velcro on the sides to help keep the top shot. Overall this is quite secure, but I wish that there was a zipper that would have entirely seal off the compartment with the camera. Well, since I do not take the bag into rough or dangerous environments, the buckles and Velcro are for most part quite secure.
However, this design may also be an accident waiting to happen. If you carry the camera bag by the handle instead of using the shoulder strap, you can have everything spill out if you forget to buckle the buckles. I do not know how much the Velcro on the sides will be able to hold, especially if you are using heavier equipment. So please be very careful and make sure you always secure the buckles!
Also when wearing the bag, it has a very comfortable cushion on the strap. I wear it as a messenger bag for added security, even though there is a handle on the top where you can hold it like a briefcase. When wearing the Canon Gadget Bag 100DG as a messenger bag, it is extremely bulky.
-THE UGLY-
*While this is not necessarily a bad thing, the bag does say "Canon" on it. I was hoping to have a crappy looking bag that would be large enough to carry my equipment. This is because the "Canon" badge will demand attention when you are traveling. If you are on vacation and wearing this as a messenger bag, it will be so bulky that without a doubt it will bring about attention. There, you should always be aware of lurking thieves that would want to steal the bag away from you.
If you absolutely must travel with this bag, either be very aware of your surroundings, or maybe hang a sweatshirt on the bag to make it look less noticeable. When traveling, I would just recommend purchasing a backback (Off-brand preferably?)to carry your equipment. A backup will probably not gain any attention.
-CONCLUSION-
*For the purpose of going to events or going around town, the Canon Gadget Bag 100DG makes a great bag. It is reasonably priced for what it gives you. It gives you very ample space with slots that you can easily organize yourself to give you the absolute best fit possible. It does a good job protecting the gear with its ample padding. The latch though leaves a bit to be desired, where I wish that Canon would have given a zipper to entirely enclose the equipment compartment when the bag is shut. Not only would this give better protection for your equipment, but it can also prevent a costly accident if you forget to secure the buckles.
I would not necessarily recommend this for traveling. No matter how you wear it (shoulder or hold it by hand), it will be very large. Therefore, I recommend maybe throwing a sweatshirt on it if you are traveling and do not own a camera backpack. Otherwise, a camera backpack would make a good insurance policy when traveling since it does not demand attention. Though, when you are going to local events or are in safe areas, I find the Canon Gadget Bag 100DG to be a bit more convenient than a backpack, not to mention that it looks better.
Overall, the Canon Gadget Bag 100DG provides great space and protection for my equipment. It is expensive, but then again, what camera bag isn't? For local events, this is a great and even fashionable way to carry your equipment. Though when traveling, I urge you to use a backpack instead.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.