Kata DB-453 DPS Series Digital Bag for a Camera and Personal Review

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I bought this with a very specific purpose in mind: a forthcoming trip in which I will be carrying both a dSLR + lenses and a bridge (ultrazoom) camera, plus laptop and all the other gear we seem to be unable to live without nowadays. My dSLR in its Crumpler bag fits nicely in my backpack (which is not a photo backpack) along with the laptop, but there's no way I can stick a second camera in there. So the Kata DB-453 will serve a double purpose: to accomodate the camera plus travel odds and ends, going under the seat in the airplane.

As far as intent goes, the Kata is a winner. My Panasonic ultrazoom fits well in the little yellow padded bag (like a small independent camera bag) that comes with the big bag. Once the small bag is placed in the main compartment, there is space left over both to its side and behind it, where there is a large pocket. The main compartment is zippered.

There is another zippered compartment in the front of the bag, with dividers for pens and not-so-small items. There is plenty of space all over to carry tons of stuff -including spare batteries, cards, reading materials, pens, passport, wallet, MP3 player, cellphone, chargers, you name it.

A big flap covers both compartments and closes snugly via snaps on both sides -no chance of water ever getting in there. There are also two flexible (neoprene-like feel) lateral compartments closed with velcro, where a small water bottle and other items will easily fit.

The bag is made of heavy-duty black nylon and the interior is all yellow nylon (or Yellop, according to the manufacturer), making it nearly impossible to lose things in it. Anywhere you look there are two layers of fabric. The construction is solid, very very well made and seems able to withstand whatever you throw at it. I'm betting that if you threw this off a cliff the camera would be intact when it arrived down there.

The shoulder strap is very comfortable, with padding to ease the load. It hooks on to the lateral metal rings via tight -aka will NOT open unintentionally -snap fasteners which I hope will last as long as the bag.

Construction aside, another aspect I like is that it doesn't really look like a camera bag. The flap gives it a handbag style (you have to know what the Kata logo stands for to figure it out) and, if you remove the small padded camera bag, it could actually be used like one.

The Kata DB-453 DPS will be put to the test soon, and by the look of it I'm pretty sure it will breeze through. I wish there were other reviews of it, but I'm willing to be the guinea pig here and hope this review will help others.

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this bag is very well protected, slim, compact and fits lots of things inside it. there are no loud velcros (unlike the crumplers), it's not bulky this bag has it all:

* durability

* compact

* slim

* great protection

* inconspicuous

* fits at least two lenses, a camera, and a flash

It doesn't fit a laptop (the DB-455 does), but it is an awesome everyday shooting bag. What's great about it too, is it comes with a little pouch for your d/slr and a lens and speedlite. The bag can also function as a non-camera bag. For $50,i think it's under-priced.

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As it's called, it's a good camera bag and general day to day bag. I made the mistake of not checking the internal dimensions but it just barely fits the X220 Tablet (12.5" laptop) however it doesn't have enough space for a camera too. It's a good small sized bag just for a camera and some accessories.

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FYI -> the iPad fits perfectly in the inside pocket.

This is my second Kata bag I also have a Bubmlebee for carrying medium format camera kit.

Besides the quality construction and the weatherproof nature of the design, I really like the yellow color of all the internal nylon fabric. Makes it really easy to see what's where.

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I carry around a mirrorless Compact System Camera (Panasonic Lumix G5) and 2 kit lenses (14-42mm and 45-150mm) in the photo insert bag. In the leftover room in the big bag, I'll usually include a small point-and-shoot camera too. Side pockets are nice to carry a water bottle and some sunscreen (though that makes the inside of the main compartment a little more cramped). My ipad with the slim smart cover fits into the pocket in the back of the main compartment. With a bulkier cover, it wouldn't fit inside that pocket but could still fit in the bag fine. I keep the ipad with the screen facing inwards to help protect it. Bright yellow interior makes it easy to see what's inside. In the front zip-up section, I can carry a paper notebook, wallet, cell phone, and small misc items. With the flap and multiple zippers and the outside material, I don't really worry about my stuff getting wet in light rain for short periods of time. There's a strap across the back that's useful for grabbing hold of the bag but especially useful when traveling and I can slide it over the extendable handle of my rolling carry-on to give my back a bit of a break. The removable photo insert makes it easy to slide the photo insert into another bag to let me keep my camera protected if I'm using a bag that wasn't originally designed to carry cameras. While the Kata log is already decently subtle, putting the photo insert into a non-camera bag is even more hidden. The only feature I wish this had would be velcro straps on the outside to hold a tripod. Thanks Kata and Amazon for offering this great bag!