Best Tamrac 5608 Pro 8 Camera Bag (Black) Deals

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $149.95
Sale Price: $109.95
Today's Bonus: 27% Off

The Pro 8 is one tough cookie. My goal in finding a great gear bag was one that could hold 2 SLR bodies and 3-4 lenses, a flash and multiple other goodies. The bag had to hold it securely, be weather resistant and have top-notch foam padding. i.e. Built to last, so my camera gear would, too! I shoot in all seasons, even winter in Minnesota. I can slip one or two of those neat little "hand heater" pads into the bag in the winter and the INSULATING qualities of the Pro 8 keep the gear warm. The opposite is true in summer or when you must leave your gear in the car during warm days. A "cool pack" in one of the spare compartments does the trick for keeping things at a reasonable temperature for hours. The detachable film bag goes right from the fridge to the Pro 8 quickly, or detaches for inspection at airports in a snap. If you have one camera body and 1-2 lenses,use the extra space for lunch! The Pro 8 is worth every penny.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

I never tried a Tamrac camera bag before, and I must say that I really like this model. Nice durable construction with a padded interior to protect your camera(s) and equipment. That being said, I am a little dubious about the claim that it will fit two SLRs with lenses attached. Certainly if your lenses are fixed then it shouldn't be a problem, but if both are equipped with zooms then you may run out of room. I have a Nikon D70s, and with the 18-70mm DX kit lens attached it reaches just about to the center of the bag or slightly past it. Either way, two cameras like that would result in the lenses touching tightly at the caps. As my other camera is a Coolpix 5400 room isn't an issue, but it did factor into me giving the Pro 4 stars instead of 5. So basically, if you have one SLR and want a roomy bag with adjustable dividers and pocket space then this may be what you're looking for, otherwise you may want to look for a larger model.

Best Deals for Tamrac 5608 Pro 8 Camera Bag (Black)

I was looking for a bag that would be big enough to carry my Nikon D300, 18-200, 70-300, 28-70 and 17-35 lenses. Not to mention assorted filters, batteries, flash cards, etc. I thought, after doing quite a bit of research, that this bag would suffice. And I suppose it might, if you carefully tucked everything away in the bag and never actually tried to get at anything. Sure, the bag will hold a bunch of 'skinny' lenses (problems stuffing in my 17-35), but those lenses are buried under layers of padding velcroed in such a way that makes all but the exposed camera and attached lens readily accessible. For example, the camera and attached lens has to sit on the 'second tier' of padding in order to use the 'lens gate'. Under the body, totally hidden, might be another lens. Another problem with the body and lens sitting high up, is that the bag's center of gravity is higher up and more prone to dump out your gear. And speaking of velcro, trying to rearrange the pads is sort of like herding cats. Another problem are the storage spacesthere simply aren't enough zippered compartments to hold loose items. The front compartment is less of a pouch and more of a sleeve. The side pockets only velcro shut, good luck if it rains. And inside the top lid? Great for storing pieces of paper, that's about it. The bag comes down to personal preference. I misfired by choosing this one.

Honest reviews on Tamrac 5608 Pro 8 Camera Bag (Black)

I looked long and hard before deciding on the Tamrac Pro 8. I received my bag a little over a month ago and until last night I was pretty much satisfied with it.

The division system is a bit hard to get used to but you can rearrange it since the walls are velcro. It is important to point out that with the default configuration you will be stacking lenses. The lenses on the bottom row will be covered with a velcro pad and not easily accessible. I will point out that after coming to a setup I could work with I had a nice amount of velcro debris in the bottom that I ended up vacuuming out, you will want to do the same so those buggers can't make it into your gear.

I mentioned I was more or less satisfied until last night. A trident on one of the quick snap buckles broke off. I'm more careful than most with my gear so if the bag is already breaking down with light use I'm a bit worried about the long term implications here. Tamrac has a 5 year warranty on their bags but the caveat is you must pay shipping each way and they quote at least a two week turn around. There are plenty of other snaps so I'll hold off on getting it serviced for now. It is nice to know that if it degrades any further I can have it repaired or replaced for the cost of shipping both ways.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Tamrac 5608 Pro 8 Camera Bag (Black)

I bought the Tamrac 5608 Pro 8 because it easily holds holds two pro sized SLR bodies (Nikon F3s with short-ish lenses and the 8 AA battery powered MD4 motor drives attached) and 4 additional lenses, but its active career in my 'photo-arsenal' was short lived.

My main gripe with this bag is with the seam used to join the bag to the main zipper (it isn't taped over and will lead to inevitable fraying and zipper jams) and the tripod holder is a complete joke (only good for the very lightest duty tripods). If you have a bunch of filters, you will need to get a wallet-style holder to hold them safely and securely.

For the price, this bag is quite the bargain as comparable products will set you back at least twice as much but in retrospect I think I should've shelled out more in the beginning. I ended up trading up to a LowePro backpack.