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After researching reviews for weeks I thought the KATA 123 G0-20 was the bag to get.I was looking at the Tenba sling as well. Upon going to a camera store and being able to see first hand how the bag was made, I quickly realized the Tamrac 5786 was A: better made; B: better padded;C:better designed.
I'm 6-2 and not exactly a lightweight. The bag accommodates my size, can be carried any way you choose and holds a lot of gear. I can, if I choose, lug around the following: An E1 with grip, two digital lenses with hoods, 4 OMZ lenses, extra betteries, and the usual small extras.
Comparing it to a Lowepro, which was close in what it could potentially carry, I found the Lowepro to be less versatile and constructed much lighter less durable outer material and less padding. Lowepro velcro connectors were much shorter as well, so their grip was lacking compared to the 5786. The Tamrac's velcro tabs are twice as wide as any other bag I looked at.
You can easily set it up to carry it as a sling on either side, and if you are hiking for a while, the backpack mode is very comfortable. Anything associated with a given mode tucks away in the back, including the waist strap if you don't want to use it. All the hardware is metal, not plastic. Anything that could tangle or twist has a swivel there to avoid this annoying problem.
If you want a bag that holds a lot, actually protects what you carry and only want to buy one bag, I'd recommend this bag. All the competitors are made with less quality and in my opinion, poorer, less thought out designs.
Update: Sept. 2011...After using this bag for a little over a year, its still going strong. Nothing has torn or broken and it has proven to be very versatile and lived up to all expectations. Its been on several trips in the snow and canoeing. The bottom has worn very little depsite being over rocks and tossed into canoes. Despite some reviews mentioning fears it would not keep things dry, I found it has kept everything extremely well protected. The rain cover has done the job quite well in fairly heavy rain. All the zippers work as good as the day I bought it.
Quality, no matter what the item, always costs less in the end because you only have to make one purchase.
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As most of you know, you can never have too many camera bags. There are so many types, styles, and many different manufacturers that selecting a bag becomes more of a personal preference. Sometimes there's a different need or functionality.I was looking for the perfect camera backpack that was not too bulky, not too heavy, and not too big. I'm a petite person, so size and weight was important to me. Functionality was also a key factor. I wanted the backpack to be able to carry my Nikon D5000 with 18mm-200mm lens, my SB-600 flash, and maybe a fixed lens. Any extra features would be a plus as long as the bag fits my needs and requirements.
I immediately dismissed backpacks that have only the sling style straps. I've had problems with sling bags in the past. Having a strap go across my front is very uncomfortable.
My research over the Internet was very beneficial and a few manufacturers caught my attention. My only issue is unless you see the camera backpack in person and try it on for size, you have no idea if the backpack is going to work for you.
Trying It Out Before Buying:
On a whim, I headed out to my local camera store to see what they had. I saw the sling style backpack and really liked the size and narrow shape. I kept looking around and came across the Tamrac Evolution 6. They had one in black and one in the brown/tan color combination. I tried on the black version and immediately knew this might be the one.
As the salesperson showed me all the zippered storage areas, I knew I was hooked. He then proceeded to remove all the Velcro section out of the backpack, until we were left with a backpack shell. I took a peak at the inside and couldn't believe all the space I was seeing. Something neat to see.
We proceeded to put the Velcro pieces back in to come up with customized sections that I would need. Let me tell you with all that RIPPING of the Velcro pieces, they are really, really strong!
The salesperson put the store's display model camera and a similar flash unit into the bag. I tried it on and I was pleased with the size and weight distribution.
My Findings:
The straps are fully padded. Can be used as a backpack or as a sling bag. The straps can be stored and hidden in the back area which is part of the nicely padded back section. There are little cutout areas to slip the straps in when not in use.
There is a padded handle at the top of the backpack. Comes in handy to grab the bag off the floor or simply carry around.
I really like the access to the main camera compartment area. There are 3 zippered sections in this main compartment (lower half of the bag). One to access the camera from the side of the bag, one to access the accessories from another side, and one in the front of the bag to get a view of what's in the bag.
There's another zippered section at the top half of the bag that can hold some pens, camera lens cap, a fixed lens, a Point & Shoot (P&S) camera, extra batteries, etc. If left empty, I can tightly fold and store a lightweight jacket in this upper section. On the upper sides, there are some flat zippered pockets where you can store your media (CF, SDHC, etc) and also an included waterproof cover for the backpack is stored in one of the pockets.
At the front of the backpack, there is a tiny pocket at the bottom of the bag to place one of the tripod feet. There's also a buckle at the mid-section of the bag to hold the tripod in place.
In Comparison With the ThinkTank Street Walker:
They appear to be the same size. Both backpacks are made from quality materials and well padded. Each bag has a different function.
In order to access the main compartment In the ThinkTank, I have to pull the bag off of my body and lay the bag flat on the ground or prop it flat to get to the main camera compartment and pull out the camera..
To access the main camera compartment on the Evolution 6, I just slide one of the straps off my shoulders (keeping the other strap on my shoulder) and swing the bag towards the front and unzip the side compartment and pull out my camera.
I currently use my ThinkTank to store all my camera gear in one place. This includes two (2) small Nikon DSLRs, several lens, a regular size flash, a compact flash, light sphere, etc. If I needed to carry two DSLRs with me, this ThinkTank would work fine for me.
For everyday use, I take my Evolution 6 with me.
Summary:
As I mentioned before, the bag can be "gutted out" with the velcro pieces removed and then put back in to customize and suit your needs.
I purchased this backpack in July 2010 from my local camera shop
This is my go-to camera backpack. I use it for local travel as well as vacation.
On the airplane, this bag fits nicely under the seat in front
Simple design and functional for my use
Easy access to the camera area...perfect for my Nikon D40 or my D5000.
I use the Crumpler Industry Disgrace padded strap with my Nikon D5000 and found that the camera and strap fits snug in the side camera compartment. This is the result of how I have arranged the padded velcro sections within the bag.
Comfortable backpack even after wearing for a few hours...no strain
The brown/tan version looks very casual while the black version looks professional. I was torn between the two available colors. I really liked the brown/tan color combination. I ended up with the black one for practical reasons.
I liked this backpack so much, that I also purchased the Evolution 8 which is slightly larger and has a laptop compartment. For larger DSLRs, I would recommend getting the Evolution 8.
** Update 06/17/11 **
I now have a Nikon D7000 body. With the attached 18-200mm lens, this fits in my Evolution 6 bag without a problem. That also includes having my Crumpler Industry Disgrace strap attached as well. This is still my favorite backpack camera bag.
** Update 04/21/12 **
This is still my "go to" bag. Besides my D7k and 18-200mm lens, it now houses my SB-600 flash, two fixed prime lenses, corded remote control, and two extra batteries.
I've taken this bag on two different cruises and several airplane trips. It has traveled well and still looks like new.
Best Deals for Tamrac 5786 Evolution 6 Photo Sling Backpack Bag (Black)
While this bag is well built, and has a lot of good features take note when reviewing this particular model: The video for this product extols the virtues of the next model up (Evolution 8), which includes a zippered area on the back for flat items (eg laptop, etc). I was honestly expecting a similar feature on the Evo 6 for reasonably sized / smaller items (eg pads/paper, tablet computer, etc), but the Evo 6 does not have this feature. While it's a respectable product with really nice features, I returned it for the newer Tamrac Rally 5, which has a section specifically for flat items in the back.Honest reviews on Tamrac 5786 Evolution 6 Photo Sling Backpack Bag (Black)
I have a National Geographic camera bag that I really like...but I have developed a back problem, and will not let it keep me from the field...This is a great bag...well made, and balances the load quite nicely ...and holds just about all that I will be carrying when I take to the fields for some photographing..This particular bag holds my Nikon D90, my 105mm macro lens, 18-135mm lens, 70-300mm lens, binoculars, Sony video camera, all my media cards, 5 different filters, a pair of gloves a small flashlight, lens cleaning pen,spare batteries,lens caps, bottle of hand sanitizer and more that I have forgotten... It is comfortable on my back. I would recommend this to anyone that would be looking for a well made/sturdy camera bag with plenty of padding. I love the color of this one...not the usual black bag. (Great dark brown and khaki color)...plenty of pockets inside(mesh) and outside with zippers.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Tamrac 5786 Evolution 6 Photo Sling Backpack Bag (Black)
I bought this bag for my vacation to Costa Rica. I have a Nikon D7000 and a couple lenses including a 70-300mm Nikkor telephoto. If you load the bag for side access to the camera, it fits with 70-300mm lens attached with a little room to spare. The lens hood needs to be stowed however--no big deal. I took several long hikes on the trip and the bag was very comfortable in backpack configuration. The straps have adequate padding. I am so glad I didn't get a bag that was purely a sling bag. Hiking around, I never felt like the bag was going to slide off. The ability to access your gear from 3 sides is a huge bonus for this bag. You can easily swing it to either side to access items. I haven't tried this, but it appears you can remove all the velcro dividers including those separating the top and bottom compartments. So if you did have a camera with a long telephoto/large aperture lens, it may fit if loaded from the top of the bag. There are many good video reviews explaining the flexibility of this bag, I just wanted to point out some features that I noticed.I compared this bag to the Tenba Shootout Medium Sling Bag. Here are some of my observations
1) The Tamrac bag is bigger in width by 1.5" which allows it to fit my camera with the 70-300mm. I tried the Tenba and it was not large enough.
2) The Tamrac doesn't have waterproof zippers like the Tenba, but the zippers are neatly covered by material which may help seal them against precipitation.
3) When you swing the Tamrac bag to your side, it is very easy to open the compartment and get your camera out. The compartment has only 1 zipper which can be operated easily with one hand in case you want your other hand to help hold the bag. The sling/backpack straps attach to the bottom of the bag and do not interfere with opening the side compartment. The Tenba bag has 2 zippers and a bulky sling strap is right in the way as you try to unzip the compartment.
I'm really liking this bag. It help up well to 9 days of hiking and travel, on/off buses and airplanes. I didn't have the opportunity to use the raincover yet. I encountered some rain but material seemed to resist light drizzle/rain pretty well. If I was going to be in rain for a long period, I would definitely use the rain cover. The tripod pocket seems a little too small and in general this bag is too small to strap a tripod to. You can fit only one leg of the tripod in the pocket and even the most compact tripods will likely be several inches taller than this bag which is only 16.5" tall. I would recommend carrying your tripod on a separate case swung over the shoulder
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