Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I have been a "serious" amateur photographer for the better part of twenty years. As such, I've purchased my share of tri-pods, lenses, filters, bags, and other photographic accoutrements, both in the digital and pre-digital eras. I thought I'd seen pretty much everything there was to see when it comes to camera bags, but this Vanguard bag is something else. By far, this is the most robust photographer's accessory bag I have ever laid eyes on.
The outer walls and inner pockets are sturdy but soft. There are multiple compartments and gadgets for adjusting the sizes and layout inside the bag. Clips and fasteners also are strong and firm, and all the straps and buckles are on a par with much more demanding hobbies (like parachuting maybe). There are a lot of water proof flaps to not only protect from the elements, but also to add more cushioning. If I actually used this bag as intended, I would never worry about my lenses or camera bodies, or anything else that I put in it. They'll be safe and sound in the multiple holders and compartments, thickly and reliably padded and snug. Careful readers may have noticed, however, that I said "If I used this bag", meaning that I don't use this bag. Why? Because with security and robustness comes weight. Lots of weight. This bag is very heavy (somewhere around seven pounds) and is just too heavy for average everyday ("amateur") use. Professional photographers, on the other hand, probably have people to carry their stuff for them when they are on a shoot. That's who this bag is for: pros with assistants. I could picture myself using this bag if I was going on a once in a lifetime photographic opportunity trip, like a safari or a rain forest trek, but otherwise, this bag will stay at home and be used for storage. Nonetheless, this is advertised as a professional's bag and it certainly delivers on that promise, so even with the deterring heft, a sturdier, safer camera bag would be hard to find, hence my five star rating.
Note: I also had occasion to contact customer service about an item that was shown in one of the product pictures but that was not included with the bag. I had a very nice response from the representative explaining about the extra and that it was indeed something that could be purchased separately. Good support just reinforces my full rating.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Instead of writing several paragraphs, I figured the easiest way to review this bag would be listing pros and cons. Granted, the pros heavily outweigh the cons which is a good thing.
Pros:
MacBook Pro 13" fits nicely in the laptop slot; room to spare so no doubt a 14" would fit in there.
The bag has sturdy, relatively thick exterior sides and bottom which should protect your gear from sudden shocks (banging it against something while over your shoulder; putting it down quickly on rocks).
The orange interior material makes it look more stylish, but it also provides contrast to help you find what you are looking for more quickly (other bags with roughly same color don't give the same visual clues that might help people).
The included rain cover is a nice touch and useful for anyone who gets caught out by the elements.
Lots of storage space, with a big front pocket, two roomy side pockets and other little spaces to tuck stuff away.
Very comfortable shoulder strap. If you aren't throwing it over your shoulder, there's a unique three-point handle which seems plenty strong and durable.
-More than enough room for the advanced amateur, with space for a body and up to six lenses or two bodies and four lenses. The slots are customizable thanks to velcro on removable panels. Also great for pros who aren't carrying a full complement of equipment but need a sturdy bag with lots of storage space.
It might seems a little on the heavy side compared to an older or canvas bags, but once you load your gear the extra few ounces are negligible.
The four sleeves on the underside of the lid are nice for the anal types who want to store their memory cards there, but truthfully most pros will just toss them in one of the pockets or leave them floating on the bottom of the bag.
The main entrance to the bag can be secured eight ways to Sunday, but you'll really only use the velcro and perhaps one of the zippers, unless you are trying to deter your kids from getting in it.
There's also a "trolley sleeve" so traveller can slide their Xcenior bag on top of their luggage. Not travelling? Use it as another storage space -just be sure to secure the zipper on the bottom so it doesn't slip open and allow your valuables to fall out unnoticed.
The handle is also part of a tripod carrying system. Not everyone will use it, but why waste a free hand carrying a tripod with you on a hike when you can carry it attached to your bag?
As for the cons there is really only one about the only thing it is missing is an attachment that will hold an umbrella over your head while you shoot to protect you from rain or sun. Really, there are no drawbacks to this bag. One thing I'd point out is that this may be overkill for some, but for the serious amateur or pro this is an excellent product.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I was sent this Vanguard Xcenior 36 Photographic Equipment Bag from Amazon Vine for an honest review. Here's my take on it.
Recently I bought a Canon 60D to update the older Canon 10D and needed a bag large enough to carry the camera, a couple of lenses and my battery packs, charger, memory cards, filters and laptop. The gear is primarily used for wildlife photography and requires that I carry several items plus my tripod from shoot to shoot. This bag does it all and much more. There are so many great features to mention it's difficult to know where to start.
First of all, the bag is roomy with adjustable compartments inside to accommodate a couple of cameras, several lenses, a 14-inch laptop plus all your memory cards, battery packs, charger, filters, lens cleaner and numerous other items. I even managed to fit my 300mm telephoto lens inside, however, the length of the lens makes it impossible to zip the compartment closed.
There's a sturdy T-shaped handle for carrying a tripod (slip one leg through the handle and secure the unit with two adjustable straps-an informative video on the Vanguard site shows how this is done).
The bag is very well constructed with a molded, semi-solid exterior and anti-scratch, moisture-resistant fabric. Additionally, an attached rain cover comes out of a zippered pocket to fit over the entire bag for inclement weather. There are pockets everywhere. Both sides have substantial zippered enclosures for gear plus a side-hanging system for securing lens cases and pouches. A triple-secured opening ensures total protection, and there's a wide, padded shoulder strap that attaches to two sturdy rings if you want to carry the bag messenger style. For other transport uses, the T-shaped handle is handy and comfortable, and there's a slot to slip the bag over a wheeled tote handle. I found the bag, even when loaded, very comfortable to carry...and it's as handsome as it is durable. I love this bag; it's the perfect gear carrier for amateur or professional. Do check out the video on Vanguard's site to see how functional this bag is.
Honest reviews on VANGUARD Xcenior 36 Photographic Equipment Bags
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program இ Fuzzy Wuzzy's Summary:
ѾѾѾѾѾ Highly recommended with warm fuzzies!
► Packaging, Style, Appearance: ѾѾѾѾѾ Excellent 5-fuzzies rating
► Construction & Build Quality: ѾѾѾѾѾ Excellent 5-fuzzies rating
► Design & Features: ѾѾѾѾѾ Excellent 5-fuzzies rating
► Ergonomics, Usability & Ease of Use: ѾѾѾѾѾ Excellent 5-fuzzies rating
► Performance, Durability, Reliability: ѾѾѾѾѾ Excellent 5-fuzzies rating
► Competitive Pricing & Value: ѾѾѾѾ Good 4-fuzzies rating
փ Positives:
փ This Xcenior 36 is very roomy and can carry one or two full-frame DSLRs with battery grips along with five to eight lenses as large as a 70-200mm f/2.8, flash units, memory cards, batteries, chargers, AC adapter, a laptop up to 14 inches, and various accessories.
փ This bag has an extremely sturdy build quality with tons of padding everywhere; all walls, pockets, and compartments feel rigid while still being very soft.
փ The top of the bag has a pocket that can deploy a detachable weatherproof nylon rain cover that keeps the bag totally dry during rain.
փ The top carrying handle also serves to hold the legs of a tripod that is then cinched to the bag using two buckle straps.
փ All four sides of the bag include well-padded zippered compartments that contain a variety of pockets for organizing accessories such as lens filters, battery chargers, cables, a mouse, DVD/CD cases, and I can also carry a slim external DVD burner and external hard drive in these roomy compartments.
փ Both the left and right sides of this bag have a double layer of strap loops sewn to the side zippered compartments that let you hang additional lens cases and pouches from both sides of the bag.
փ The rear side of the bag has a trolley pass-through sleeve for slipping this bag onto the pull-handle of another luggage.
փ The heavy-duty 2.0"-wide shoulder strap includes a full one-inch thick layer of sumptuous padding along the anti-slip area that presses onto your shoulder for fatigue-free weight distribution on your shoulder.
փ The bag includes seven adjustable removable internal dividers, with three of the dividers having padded flaps that form a cushioned middle floor when storing two layers of equipment.
փ The bag includes a separate little zippered nylon accessory pouch.
փ This Xcenior 36 bag can still fit in the overhead compartment of smaller-sized turboprop commuter planes.
ჯ Negatives (not big negatives, but more like nice-to-haves):
ჯ When the nylon rain cover is wrapped around the bag, both the carrying handle and shoulder strap cannot be accessed.
ჯ Considering the size of this bag and the possibility that it could weigh more than 30 pounds when fully loaded, adding two handles placed on both sides of this bag could have facilitated easier lifting using two hands, instead of just using the centrally-located handle.
ჯ While the top lid is very securely closed using two side zippers, a large strip of Velcro along the front edge, and four plastic buckles that latch over the three sides of the lid, I would have really preferred that the two side zippers be lockable zippers that continued around to the front edge where I could join and lock both zippers together using a luggage lock.
What is in the box package?
₪ Vanguard Xcenior 36 professional camera shoulder bag
₪ Heavy-duty shoulder strap
₪ 6.0"x4.5"x2.0" zippered nylon accessory pouch
₪ Detachable weatherproof nylon rain cover stored inside the bag
Although the Amazon "Product Description" mentions that this bag "also features a bonus accessory pouch and memory card sleeve", I only found the zippered nylon accessory pouch inside the bag and there was no separate "memory card sleeve". The inside of the bag's top lid does have four memory card pockets sewn into it.
I have previously been a big fan of Vanguard's line of tripods and ball heads, which I consider to be as good or better than similar Manfrotto and Gitzo tripods and ball heads, while often being more inexpensive than the competition. This photography bag matches the thoughtful design, attention to detail, and quality of construction that I associate with Vanguard's tripods and ball heads. This Vanguard Xcenior 36 photography bag is a professional-grade photography bag that you can carry around as your portable photography studio and toolbox, with enough room to carry one or two battery grip-equipped pro-level DSLRs, six to eight lenses up to a 70-200mm f/2.8 in size, flash unit, lots of other accessories, and a laptop computer with up to a 14" display. And if you still need to carry more lenses, both the left and right sides of this bag have a double layer of strap loops sewn to the side zippered compartments that let you hang additional lens cases and pouches from both sides of the bag.
There are three sizes of Vanguard Xcenior photo bags: Xcenior 30, Xcenior 36, and Xcenior 41. All three models include a nylon rain cover and tripod-carrying handle, and all three models are made of 1000D/1200D/1680D polyester on the exterior and 150D polyester and velvet lining on the interior. The three models only differ in their size, how much equipment and load weight they can carry, and the size of the laptop computer than can fit inside the padded interior's laptop slot.
Here is a comparison of all three Xcenior models:
Xcenior 30:
Holds a laptop of up to 10 inches
Capacity: 1 pro DSLR with grip plus 4-5 lenses (up to 70-200mm f/2.8), a flash unit, accessories (memory cards, cables, battery and charger), a laptop up to 10" screen size, tripod
Inside Dimensions (LxWxH): 11 3/4 x 7 1/8 x 9 1/2 inches
Outside Dimensions (LxWxH): 16 1/2 x 12 5/8 x 12 5/8 inches
Weight: 4.74 pounds
Maximum Load: 18.8 pounds
Xcenior 36:
Holds a laptop of up to 14 inches
Capacity: 1-2 pro DSLRs with grip plus 6-8 lenses (up to 70-200mm f/2.8), a flash unit, accessories (memory cards, cables, battery and charger), a laptop up to 14" screen size, tripod
Inside Dimensions (LxWxH): 14 1/8 x 7 1/8 x 11 inches
Outside Dimensions (LxWxH): 19 5/8 x 13 3/8 x 13 3/4 inches
Weight: 5.95 pounds
Maximum Load: 25.4 pounds
Xcenior 41:
Holds a laptop of up to 15 inches
Capacity: 2 pro DSLRs with grip plus 6-8 lenses (up to 300mm f/2.8), a flash unit, accessories (memory cards, cables, battery and charger), a laptop up to 15" screen size, tripod
Inside Dimensions (LxWxH): 16 1/8 x 7 1/8 x 11 3/4 inches
Outside Dimensions (LxWxH): 21 5/8 x 13 3/8 x 15 3/4 inches
Weight: 6.5 pounds
Maximum Load: 33.1 pounds
While each larger model is incrementally more expensive and you should match your needs with the appropriately sized bag, if you are considering the Xcenior 41 bag, that bag's size does push the limits of what may be allowed as a carry-on bag by airlines. The Xcenior 36 that I am reviewing has external linear dimensions of 46.75 inches (19 5/8 x 13 3/8 x 13 3/4). Most airlines allow a carry-on to be of a size up to 45 or 46 linear inches. A few airlines allow a carry-on to be as large as 50 or 52 linear inches. So this Xcenior 36 should not present a problem as a carry-on aboard most airlines, and I could even fit this Xcenior 36 into the overhead compartment of some smaller turboprop short-hop commuter planes. The Xcenior 41 bag, however, has an external linear measurement of 50.7", and depending upon how strict or lenient an airline is with their carry-on policies, you may have to check that bag in instead of being able to bring it on board as a carry-on. Personally, I would prefer to carry my thousands of dollars worth of camera gear in my carry-on than to have my photography gear be routed as check-in luggage. So that is something to consider with the Xcenior 41 bag, especially if you frequently fly on smaller commuter planes. If you have less photography gear that you need to carry around, the smaller Xcenior 30 bag may also suit you better since that smaller bag is also easier to carry on your shoulder for an extended period than this larger Xcenior 36.
This large shoulder bag is very stylish in its design and shape. Compared to other large professional or prosumer photography shoulder bags that are more boxy with straight lines and seams, all of the lines and seams on this bag are gracefully curved, giving it a very modern futuristic look. The construction and build quality are also impeccable and premium-grade like fine luggage, with very sturdy stitching and tough durable polyester on the exterior. While these Xcenior bags are not inexpensive, if you consider it to be like fine luggage that serves as a portable photography toolbox for professional-grade and prosumer-grade cameras, and that this bag is worthy of carrying and protecting photography gear costing more than $6000 or $8000, the price is very competitive with other quality camera bags of this size.
This shoulder bag is equipped with a heavy-duty 2.0"-wide shoulder strap that includes a very plush one-inch thick layer of padding along the anti-slip area that presses onto your shoulder for soft weight distribution on your shoulder. When I load up this bag with two Canon DSLR bodies, six Canon lenses, two flashes, a laptop, memory cards, card reader, and many other accessories, the total weight can exceed 30 pounds.
This bag includes seven adjustable removable internal dividers. The dividers have a great combination of being both reasonably stiff and thickly cushioned. Three of the dividers having big padded flaps on top that form a cushioned middle floor when storing two layers of equipment.
The well-padded laptop slot inside the main compartment can hold a laptop that is up to 14" wide and 10" deep. Vanguard advertises that this Xcenior 36 can hold a laptop up to "14 inches" in size. But this is a bit of a misnomer since laptop screen sizes are usually based on the diagonal measurement of the screen, and the diagonal measurement of a laptop's screen is longer than the actual width of the screen size. Since the Xcenior 36's laptop storage slot is 14" wide, this really means you can likely fit a laptop that has a screen size of 15" or 16" (measured diagonally across the screen), as long as the width of the laptop's body does not exceed 14". A laptop with a 17" screen will likely not fit inside this bag.
The rear side of the bag has a trolley pass-through sleeve for slipping this bag onto the pull-handle of another luggage. Both the top and bottom of this trolley sleeve can be zipped up to convert it into another spacious padded storage compartment. The addition of two zippers to the top and bottom of a trolley pass-through sleeve may not seem to be all that innovative, but I have other photography bags and laptop bags where their trolley pass-through sleeve always remains open at the top and bottom of the sleeve and thus cannot be converted for use as a roomy pocket when there is no need for a trolley sleeve. So when I saw this nifty feature that none of the trolley sleeves on my other photo and laptop bags had, I thought "Wow, how come my other bags' trolley sleeves cannot zip up?!?"
I do have three nitpicks that I wish was different with this bag. These are not really big deal-breakers, but more like nice-to-haves:
1) Although the well-padded shoulder strap is very comfortable for carrying this bag, I wished that the bag had two extra grab handles placed on both sides of the center handle. Adding two extra padded handles near both ends of the top of the bag would allow for easier lifting of the bag using both hands instead of just lifting the center handle with one hand. When lifting this bag fully loaded with gear, it may weigh over 35 pounds, and having two grab handles would provide better ergonomics when lifting the bag for the purpose of slipping its trolley sleeve onto the pull-handle of another luggage.
2) The detachable nylon rain cover is stored in a zippered pocket located on top of the bag. It can be removed from the zippered pocket to totally enclose the bag, keeping it safe from rain. However, by totally wrapping the outside of the bag, both the carrying handle and shoulder strap cannot be accessed, so I can only carry the rain-covered bag by cradling both hands around the bottom of the bag. When carrying this bag through the rain, one of my hands may already be carrying an umbrella. And even if I do carry the rain-covered bag with both hands, not being able to use the shoulder strap or grab onto a carrying handle makes it more difficult and slippery to carry this bag in the rain. Some larger photography bags include a rain cover that still allows me to continue carrying the bag using the shoulder strap.
3) The main lid on this bag is hinged on the front of the bag, the lid is closed by zipping up two zippers that run along both ends of the top of the bag, and the rear of the lid is attached to the top of the rear wall using a strip of Velcro. However, I wish that, instead of using the Velcro closure on the rear flap of the top lid, Vanguard should have designed the two side zippers to be locking zippers that continued around to the rear instead of using the Velcro flap at the rear. Using locking zippers for the main lid would add more security and prevent people from tampering with the bag's contents inside the main compartment or borrowing my equipment, which may consist of my $2200 Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens or a laptop stored inside the main compartment. Obviously, if the entire bag is actually stolen, then using locking zippers makes no difference in adding security. But there are various situations, both with studio photography and on-location shooting, where I trust that no one will steal my entire bag of equipment, but I also do not want someone borrowing or removing equipment from the bag. So I wish that this bag used two main lockable zippers that zipped around all three sides of the bag, instead of using Velcro to close one side, and then I could lock both zippers together using a luggage lock.
Overall, this is an excellent bag either for professional photographers or serious amateur photographers. During the past eight months, I have used this as my portable photo studio. I can carry two DSLR bodies, several lenses, my laptop, and there is still enough room to carry an external hard drive along with a slim external DVD/CD burner so I can even do on-location proofing and burn a photo CD for someone.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for VANGUARD Xcenior 36 Photographic Equipment Bags
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program At first, I wondered why a camera bag would or should cost so much. Then I saw/received the bag in person and all I could say is "Wow!!"
This bag is absolutely wonderful. It is so extremely well made every single aspect of it. It is very well thought out as far as compartments and storage areas and size. It is durable and beautiful. You will not have to worry about being gentle with it and I do not see a need for replacement for many, many years. This bag is built for the long haul. Definitely an excellent investment.
Xcenior 36 will easily and elegantly carry ALL of your photographic needs and then some. There is a place for everything with this bag and everything stays secure and protected from larger items to memory cards, you will not have to worry about a thing.
It has an extremely impressive, professional look to it. Simply gorgeous and totally functional in classic, sophisticated black. It is pretty heavy though, but the carry strap has a wonderfully padded piece on it to make it comfortable.
This bag is just truly amazing. Highly recommended for it's extremely durable construction, as well as it's efficiency at holding all necessary items flawlessly. You will not be disappointed with Xcenior 36. I absolutely love it!
