I can now tick item #1 off my wishlist: I have a new camera bag! Hooray! As a woman, of course I am very excited about getting another bag 🙂 The bag I chose in the end was the Tamrac Express 7.
You can see from my photos that it is a slim-profile khaki-coloured shoulder bag with a suede desert-coloured feature panel on the flap. It sits well on my shoulder, is padded on the inside and sturdy (but still light), and not too bulky. The shoulder strap is padded and curved so it is comfy on my shoulder, and the strap can be made long enough to sling the bag across my body.
What I love most (and why I chose this bag), is that I can walk around with it on my shoulder and it doesn’t advertise that it is a camera bag. In fact the only noticeable brand advertising is the stitched logo on the front of the bag (and the tamrac logo is a subtle design). The design and colours of it just make it seem like any old shoulder bag, and the added bonus is that the neutral natural colours also match well with my everyday clothes ;). The black version would of course “match” with more clothes, but I just thought the black looked a bit too blah and like a camera bag to me.
The design of the bag is basically just a flap (the “speed-flap”) that covers the main compartment and front zippered pocket and seals in front with velcro and buckle. The advantage of not having a zippered main compartment is that when it is over your shoulder you can just quickly unclip, flip up the flap, and easily grab your camera out. The disadvantage is that I suppose thieves could easily get in too – but if a thief is going to nick your stuff while you are carrying it an extra zipper won’t stop them getting in or grabbing it off you!
The velcro is really good, so you don’t have to clip the buckle back in if you are going in and out of your bag a lot. The buckle is an unusual design and you have to make sure it is lined up well for it to click in, so it can be a bit of a pain to clip back up if you are in a hurry. I have seen someone else add an extra square of velcro either side of the main one for added strength (so they don’t have to use the clip when going in and out of their bag) which I think that is a great idea so I am going to do the same.
The interior of the main body of the bag is foam padded and separated into 3 compartments with vertical padded dividers that can be adjusted using the velcro (this can be fiddly – the velcro sticks well!). Three additional horizontal dividers can be placed within these compartments to allow for a total of six separate compartments within the bag.
There is plenty of room in this bag to fit my Canon 1000D with the 18-55mm lens attached and my 55-250mm lens. My camera is stored lens-side down in the centre partition of the bag (which I widened to allow the body to sit deeper), and the other lens is stored in another partition to the side. The third partition is empty so far – I need to buy more gear to fill it up!
There is plenty of room to add new gear in this bag. My camera can be raised back up and a divider made below it for a small lens (like a nifty fifty). A narrow lens can be placed in each partition either side of the main camera, or a lens and a speedlite flash. If the lenses aren’t long, you could fit two on one side and separate the levels with padded dividers. My camera body is not very big, but if your camera does have a larger body you might only manage with just a small flash – camera body with attached lens – narrow lens arrangement, or camera body with attached lens – lens arrangement.
There is also a roomy zippered pocket on the front of the bag which will hold most of your “bitsy” photography gear. Inside are two pouches, a zippered pocket, two pen holders, and the the main pocket itself. It’s quite roomy – you can really shove a fair bit of stuff in here and still buckle up your bag!
Another nifty feature is the “piggy-back” airline pocket on the back that allows you to slip your bag over the handles of those wheeled carryon bags (demonstrated in the photo with my clipboard!). There is also another zippered pocket on the back, but again I would just put thin items in there to stop it looking bulky.
Finally, there is a cellphone pocket on one side which my Blackberry Bold actually fits into really well. My phone is just snug enough so it doesn’t feel like it will fall out, but not so snug it is a drama to get it in and out.
Overall I am very pleased with this bag! I purchased it online without ever looking at it in person, and had to rely on the very few reviews I could find. I am very relieved that it is just right for me! It is perfect for someone who doesn’t have a lot of photography gear (like me) and/or doesn’t want to carry around a bunch of gear when out and about with their camera. As the strap attachments and buckle are plastic, you wouldn’t want to test them by loading up this bag with a pile of heavy gear – but then that would defeat the purpose of having a slim-profile walk-around bag! The bag would stand up to some light spotty rain, but it is not waterproof so don’t go out in a heavy downpour (I am not going to go out in weather that would damage my camera when taking photos, so no problems for me there). This is a fantastic bag, but if you don’t quite like the exterior design, check out the Tamrac Adventure Messenger 4 which seems to have a similar build but different colours. The bag feels strong, well made, and nicely padded, and is an ease to carry around.
If there is anything else you want to know about this bag, feel free to ask questions in the comments below.
excellent camera bag! I know a few people that would love that for christmas. Was it pricey?
I was trying to find my receipt (I can’t!) but I think it was about AUD$70 +postage from memory, which I suppose is cheap for a good camera bag, but might not be cheap for a Christmas present!
You can get smaller versions for a lot cheaper. Mine has so much space for the camera+attached lens and now two unattached lens, that I could probably fit into the Tamrac 6. Try Lowepro as well, but their prices are probably similar. Crumpler is apparently another good brand with funky looking bags, but their prices were a lot more expensive for similar quality and similar sized bags.
Let me know if there is anything else 😀 I am happy to give any additional help!
Hey there, great photos of the bag. Question for you. Do you think that the bag can be configured to fit 2 small dSLRs with lenses mounted? In my case it would be 2 Pentax dSLRs, one with a 16-50/F2.8 and the other with 50-135/F2.8. In your case, it would probably be something like adding another Canon 1000d to your setup. And if this was a perfect world, I’d also be able to squeeze a flash between the two 😉
Any feedback appreciated!
p.s – it’s snowing on your website 😉
Hi John,
It’s been awhile since your comment but I will reply anyway! I am not sure if two DSLRs would fit – if both were the size of mine I imagine they would fit okay. But I wouldn’t like to make a definite suggestion on it. Perhaps you can find the bag in a camera shop and test it out?
Great photos of the Tamrac — Very helpful review shows how I can actually potentially use this bag. I was looking at other camera bags, but a key feature is that is doesn’t give away there is a camera inside. Wasn’t sure if it would quickly be access my Pentax K-x DSLR, but it looks like the center flap design makes it quick and easy to get to camera.
Going to buy at Amazon.
Thanks!
Glad to have been of help to you Bruce!
Hey there Amy, thanks for the review of the bag and the great pics too.
I have been scouring the net for hours looking for a replacement bag for my slingshot 200. I love the fact that I can get so much stuff into it, but I hate how it swivels around and falls if I bend forward, and how easy it is for things to fall out of it… man, what a nightmare that bag has been!!!
I’ve been looking at waist bags, because hands-free has got to be an advantage, but, then do I really want all that bulk around my middle?! Hmm… I’m a short, female, so it might not be the most practical. Yet, I want easy access to my gear, espeically for lens changing on the run.
I was having difficulty knowing which way to go, until I found your review here.
Looking at the Express 7 I think I might have found what I’m looking for. It not only looks stylish (not one of my primary concerns, but hey, it helps!) but compact and organized too. my only concern is that I might not be able to fit in all of my gear: canon 40D, Sigma 10-20, canon 70-200, flash, photo downloader/viewer…
I’m hoping I can find a supplier in Singapore to try one out for size.
Anyway, thanks again for the review.
Thanks Lucy for your detailed comment! Hopefully your comment will help others make their decision too 😀
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Amy,
Thanks for the review and the good photos. I’ve been considering this bag as my regular one is too large to take to small events, the park, etc. This looks to be a great size, stylish, and functional. Your pictures and descriptions have me sold! Thanks for the time you put into this.