Customer Ratings: 
List Price: $100.00
Sale Price: $47.98
Today's Bonus: 52% Off
I have been looking for a good (semi-small) messenger bag to carry my DSLR as well as my Macbook 13". I found a very nice one from another brand, but it was too small and was more for a netbook or iPad. Searching let me to a great deal (half off I believe) on this bag. It looked like a good deal and the pictures were helpful so I bit.
Upon receiving it, it was somewhat well-made. The zippers were a little too easy to zip and gave the feeling of "cheap" or as if they would be the first thing to fail. The top access zipper was pretty flimsy. The material the bag is made from is pretty cheap. It is nice, and would work well for most, but it seemed like it was pretty thin.
The padding was adequate. The configuration inside of the bag is not extremely versatile. I was trying to get my backup (travel) body, a Nikon d5100 and a 35mm lens and 18-200mm in the bag without much wiggle room and it was tough. I REALLY hate traveling with lenses attached (R.I.P. my first d5100), but there really isn't a good way for that to be done, from what I could figure out. It wasn't really a deal breaker, but I didn't feel as safe as I do with my Lowepro Fastpack 250. The Velcro dividers only attach to one half of the main compartment, so even if you had more dividers, you can't stick them to anything.
The compartment on the bottom is almost a joke. I have a very small monopod and it wouldnt fit. I wasnt sure what to put in there until I was going to a hockey game... then I realized that about 7 beers fit perfectly... :D This compartment could have really been left out. Its a waste of space most of the time... unless you are going to a place that charges $7 for a beer.
The ultimate deal-breaker was the strap. Oh, how the skimped on the strap. The strap material itself is fine, but the shoulder pad is just awful. It is a foam pad covered in a mesh material. Nice for breath-ability, but horrid for staying on your shoulder. I found that it slipped off at-will which was the deal-breaker. I have had several laptop bags over the years that had some sort of rubberized pad that stuck without any problem. I think the best solution would have been to add metal connectors to the side of the bag to allow "aftermarket" or better straps to be clipped on instead of sewing them on to save a couple cents per bag. That might have kept this bag in my arsenal. I could have easily transplanted an old strap.
Pros: Holds 13" Macbook, DSLR, doesnt look like a camera bag, decent padding.
Cons: Arranging a camera without the lens attached is a bit of a challenge. materials seem cheap (zippers, mesh), wish they would have included more Velcro dividers and made the entire interior Velcro.
Final thoughts: its a good bag if you get it on sale. Maybe if you have a shoe repair shop you can get a different strap put on cheap. I just with they had made it more rugged. Other than that, I continue my search...
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Anyone traveling with a DSLR and the accessories involved this is a great bag. Frequent travelers that want a bag that's not only durable but stylish and that holds everything from camera, tripod, laptop and you name it will love this bag.
This bag, while slightly larger than a typical messenger bag does not reveal itself as a camera bag to the casual observer, which is a good thing. Whenever I see someone carrying around a black square bag with Canon or Nikon printed on the side I see a giant advertisement to thieves saying "Tourist with Expensive Camera Equipment Here!"
Pockets Galore! This bag has pockets everywhere. On the rear exterior there is a large flat zippered pocket which is great for carrying travel documents, a small book or anything you need to grab quickly on the go. The main compartment is covered by a large flap that you can buckle shut and has Velcro closures for extra security. The large buckle is a little awkward to close on the fly but isn't a big issue. The flap also folds over the side of the bag giving it a tight seal preventing things from falling out and keeping unwanted hands out of the bag on the street. The main storage area features movable dividers that allow you to store a DSLR and a lenses. I was able to fit my Canon T2i with it's standard 18-55mm lens and a 55-250mm lens comfortably and have room for my G11 next to it with room left over on the interior for other items. The interior space also includes a padded space for a notebook. The pocket will fit most notebook computers but if you're loaded with camera equipment it will be a little snug, you're better off with a thinner laptop or iPad/tablet PC.
The front of the bag includes two zippered area which are also covered/protected by the large exterior flap. One large zippered area reveals pockets for business cards, pens and misc storage of small items. This area resembles the typical storage area of a laptop bag.
On the bottom front of the bag there is a second zippered area for storage of a tripod. Let me note, this zippered compartment takes away space from the main storage area of the bag. I was annoyed at this at first but decided I really like the feature. I don't usually carry a tripod with me so I decided this was a great place to stash cables, chargers, and other miscellaneous items that usually clutter the bottom of my camera bag. It allows you to keep things neat and compartmentalized and organized.
I rated this bag an overall 5 stars despite the couple minor flaws I mentioned but feel this a versatile, well built bag that will serve its purpose well.
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The bag is very thoughfully designed and looks smart. I will list the pros and cons for your own evaluation:
Pros:
1. Handsome design with high quality materials.
2. Ease of access to camera by using the zipper on top of the bag without having to open the cover.
3. The latch and 2 velco at the 2 corners secure the cover to the bag very well.
4. Storage compartment at the bottom of the bag is very useful to store all kinds of accessories like cables, batteries, filters, flash, etc...
5. There is a slim poket at the back of the bag that is useful for quick access to travel document during trip.
6. There is also an organizer pocket at the front of the bag, under the cover, to store cell phones, pens, etc...
7. There is a padded slim compartment inside the bag for ultrabook or touchpad which can also be accessed without opening the cover.
8. Wide comfortable padded shoulder strap.
Cons:
1. There is no way to put a lock to protect your cameras, lens, or laptop during a trip.
2. Although the selling point is you have the option to partition the interior to fit your camera and lenses, only 1/3 of the interior space have the velcro patches to hold the 2 pieces of partition provided. The other 2/3 of the interior space is finished with smooth nylon so there is no way to partition even if you have some extra partitions from other bags.
3. The biggest flaw of the design is this is a considerably compact bag with the space to carry 2 dslr with zoom lens fully atached facing down for easy access, and still have space for 2 smaller lenses but there is no velcro to hold the extra partitions in place.
4. The width of the bag is a little tight for dslr with battery grip. Although my Canon 60D with battery grip fits in fine.
5. Zipper at the bottom compartment is right at the edge of the bag, it would be better to have the zipper higher so the compartment is better protected from moisture.
6. Zipper on top of the bag is not well concealed for better appearance and protection.
However, I haven't found a better designed bag that is both compact and spacious so I will keep it and get velcro partitions added for custom partition.
Appreciate if anyone can let me know where to buy additional velcro partitions.
Honest reviews on Manfrotto MB SM390-5BB UNICA V Messenger Bag -Black
I liked the design and functionality of this bag but some with downsides. It is not waterproof and doesn't come with a waterproof cover. It would be a nice addition if it'd come with a waterproof cover. The inside of the bag has Velcro only on one half of the bag. You have two partitioning cushions and that's it. For this large of a bag, I think that there should be really at least one more partition. It just feel impractical to dump stuff in one compartment.
Ideally this is for large DSLR cameras and a lot of additional stuff except lenses. But if you want to carry additional lenses, you have to have lens cases and that beats the purpose of the bag. I absolutely hate the biiiggg clip which is the most impractical thing on this bag. I returned this and bought a Unica i at a store which works well for my dlsr and one extra lens and small stuff.
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I purchased it for use strictly as a briefcase. This is a beautiful white bag, with excellent compartments and a portable office. When open, the front flap can unzip and fold down, revealing the portable office, stocked as you like.
The internal sections of the (camera) bag are well padded and divided with removable partitions. The bottom of the bag also has a zipper, with an excellent space for carrying power cords and utility items.
The shoulder strap is padded nicely and also looks good, with the pad cover in white and the strap itself is black.
This is a large bag, but manageable nevertheless. I carry two, sometimes three laptops and it works for that without being too cumbersome or uncomfortable on the shoulder.
Looks good, works great and is worth the price.
The only slight drawback is that the buckle clangs when you open the flap of the briefcase and it hits and hard surface. Office, table, desk, counter it clangs. Still, I like the bag very much.
