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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program When I bought my first DSLR camera (Canon Rebel XSi) I naturally bought a carrying case for it those things are not meant to be carried in your pocket. I was very happy with my first camera bag it was big enough to hold my camera and a couple of other items, but it was still small enough to be unobtrusively carried around to almost any location. However, with time I started acquiring more and more accessories and lenses, and soon enough my little bag was bursting with all the stuff that I had jammed into it. I've been looking for a suitable upgrade for it for a while, and I find that Case Logic DCB-308 SLR Camera Sling perfectly fits my current needs. The sling is much larger than an over the shoulder bag, but not quite as big as a backpack. It is packed with features, some of which I'll outline below.
The sling-strap that will keep your sling on your back is very strong, sturdy, and comfortable. At first I was a bit concerned about having a single strap instead of the usual two on a backpack, but in terms of comfort and the sturdiness I didn't notice that any compromises had been made. The strap is really wide and nicely padded so the whole sling rests comfortably on your back. The strap makes it also possible to take your sling off more easily you can accomplish this by just unbuckling the front of the strap. In addition, the strap setup allows you to bring your sling from your back to your front without taking it off just by swinging it around your upper body. The front position is actually incredibly convenient if you are changing your lenses on some outdoor location. I usually find myself fumbling with my lenses and looking for a place to put both the lens and the camera bag down while making the switch. This can be very inconvenient. Having the whole camera bag in front of you in a very sturdy position makes this whole procedure incredibly easy to pull off.
The main compartment can hold a DSL camera with an attached lens, plus two more lenses, a lens and a flash, or a similar configuration. The various subdivisions are adjustable and you can configure this compartment in a myriad of different ways. You can also use a compartment at the top of your sling to place another lens, but this is not particularly convenient. So if you need to take more than two additional lenses with you, or are using two DSL cameras for your fieldwork, this sling may turn out to be a bit cramped.
I wish that there were a compartment that could hold a small laptop or a netbook, as these could be useful when you are traveling. I was able to fit my Acer Aspire into the capacious front pocket, but it was a very snug fit and I don't think that it's a good idea to carry your computer in front of your backpack or a sling, even the one that is remarkably well padded.
The sling has two handles: one at the top and one on the side. This helps you can carry it in your hand in several different ways.
There are several smaller pockets that can be used for various camera or traveling accessories. There is a side pocket with a strap at the top, which is meant for a tripod. I have a not-too-large tripod and I would be hard pressed to fit it into this pocket. However, a monopod would almost certainly fit, as would a smaller tripod.
Inside of the top pocket there is a small "raincoat" for your sling. This could come in handy in a case when you get caught in a downpour, but I would not use it to plan a trip to a rainforest.
The overall make of this sling is great. It is built out of very sturdy and durable materials, and I suspect it will last me a really long time. Or at least until I acquire even more lenses and camera accessories than what I currently own.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Summary: Super functional camera bag for the mobile photographer. Outstanding ergonomics and very attractive. Even space for an oversized netbook! Straps hold the sling securely for running and jumping. Single strap is not as comfortable for very long hikes, however.UPDATE: The seam where the strap meets the body of the sling has come open, to the point I can put my pinky through. This was after a week of light hiking. I've contacted Case Logic, which is owned by Thule, and will report back on the warranty experience. UPDATE: Case Logic gets 5 STARS they replaced it quickly and conveniently at no cost to me. Upon inspection it's clear that they have upped the bar tacking on the inside of the pack in this area. My original pack had a date code of November '10 and this is December '10.
I'm accustomed to lugging tons of 35mm stuff, from extra film, lenses and filters to a Vivitar 285HV flash and a mini tripod / shoulder stock. I'm used to an over the shoulder camera bag to hold all my stuff, and this is the first camera bag I'd consider as a replacement.
Recent outing: Camera body with 18-55mm lens attached, 10-24mm lens, 85mm 1.4 lens, Vivitar 900 shoulder stock, mini tripod, Vivitar 285HV flash. 10.1" Netbook room to spare.
I received this and the Case Logic DCB-309 SLR Camera Backpack (Black) for a side by side comparison. After a few outings I have the following observations
1) While the DCB309 backpack carries a TON more stuff than the sling (including a 15.6" laptop) the access to the compartments isn't as convenient if you are on location. You basically will need to take the backpack off. The sling, on the other hand, pivots around your torso and allows you to access the main compartment while still on your body. Ideal for shooting in a crowd or in awkward situations like in a subway car. There's an extra handle inconspicuously tucked on this side so you can quickly pull the sling into position. I do a lot of shooting on the run, and if you're in the woods or in a crowd, there's seldom a good place to swap lenses or futz with your flash, etc. This gives you in instant "tummy table" to work on.
2) One shoulder operation feels a little funny it takes a while to get used to it as it definitely does not feel like a backpack with only one strap. With the second strap in place it's comfortable enough for longer hikes, though if you're really carrying a lot of weight, you'll want a backpack. We had a week long trip in the SF bay area including day hikes in the city and in Muir Woods. This pack was ideal for carrying a single SLR, two lenses, a flash, netbook, maps, etc. I keep the mini-tripod / shoulder stock in a separate pocket and am able to put a skilly botle of water in the tripod pocket, though it did fall out once. Not perfect but it works. I'd still like to see a better way to stow a water bottle since many people who will use this pack will likely be doing a hike of some sort.
3) Both the sling and backpack were very nicely padded. Not that I tried, but I'd think my gear would be fairly well protected from maybe a 3 foot drop onto a hard surface.
4) The interior compartment dividers are both very configurable, and also very secure once in place. This definitely adds to the security factor
5) The interior is a high contrast orange-red. Very nice since it provides a visual reminder to zip up
6) Both the sling and backpack are styled very nicely my wife wants to use the sling as a purse / travel bag!
The strap and the back of the backpack is a ventilated mesh. Still winter over here so haven't been able to test it for real but will certainly be comfortable for the summer. UPDATE It breathes about as well as you would expect, decent but not as good as wearing nothing.
The one potential downside I see is that if you want to leave a super long lens on your SLR, the sling may not be convenient. For reference a 55-200mm on a Nikon D5000 is fine, but I don't think the 70-300 would fit.
I also have a larger netbook, which fits easily in the flat outside pocket of the sling. Very handy for downloading and viewing images in the field. The DCB-209 Backpack fits my wife's 15.6" laptop, but I don't see bringing that out on a hike.
I'm a righty but one thing I noticed is that the sling is designed to come around your torso from the right. This might be a little awkward for lefties but maybe not if you still pulll the camera out with your right hand (Most cameras have the grip on that side anyways)
This also comes with a rain cover ideal for hiking. If there is one thing I would have added, it would be a way to carry water. For now I'm attaching a SIGG bottle to the tripod loop where it dangles and is raher annoying. I do have room inside but am of course leery of putting a container of water in with electronics!
Disclosure: I received this item through Amazon Vine. If you've found this review helpful or have questions, please let me know!
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Short Review Great bag design, shoddy constructionLong Review This bag is great for travelling. It has a main compartment to hold your slr with one lens attached (I have the 28-135mm), two smaller areas to hold two additional lens, a great place to hold your sunglasses/passport as well as a sleeve area to hold a Galaxy 10.1 tablet.
Overall, great design as I'm in love with it as I was able to pack all my travel needs into one area.
Now with reality of using this bag. To make it short, the construction of this bag is shoddy.
For bag #1, I went on a 2 week trip to Japan and on day 2, the main shoulder strap started to tear. It ripped about 3/4 of an inch and it was obviously due to weight. This bag may have all these great pockets and compartments, but it cannot support the weight if you fill the contents. For the remaining days overseas, I emptied out the bag to carry just the SLR (Rebel T3i), 3 batteries, and my passport. The bag did not rip any further but my disappointment with this bag did not end here.
After returning to NY, I called Amazon and they were kind enough to send a replacement bag with 1 day delivery. Great!, I thought. I received the bag yesterday and brought it out with an SLR + 28-135mm, 3 batteries. No issues until I returned home.
As I was opening the main SLR compartment, to my surprise and disgust, the shoelace material that surrounds he main SLR compartment, rips. I spent 15 minutes trying to get the shoelace material reattached to no avail.
I had enough with this bag, it's way too much stress over a bag and I'm just grateful Amazon's customer service is exceptional and allowed me to return this item.
Once again, I reiterate, the design of the bag is well thought out and I absolutely loved it. It is very functional for your SLR and travelling needs; however, the shoddy manufacturing of this bag really disappointed me.
Thank you Amazon, Thank you Case-Logic Design Team, Shame on the manufacturing team.
Honest reviews on Case Logic DCB-308 SLR Camera Sling (Black)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program This is THE bag if you have an SLR. I really like this. The main compartment can be accessed from the top and through the side. There are velcro dividers that can be infinitely adjusted to set it up however you like. There are also a few small pockets on the outside of the bag. The shoulder strap feels great and has a buckle if you don't want to put it over your head or want to attach it to something (like a low tree branch). There is also a cross strap to make it even more secure, but the extra strap can be easily folded up with a velcro tab to keep it out of the way.The bag is very well padded and has grab handles on the top and side. It even has a rain hood that rolls up nicely inside when not needed.
The best part is that it doesn't really look like a camera bag so you can feel free to carry it with you without drawing too much attention to the thousands of dollars of gear you might be lugging around.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine ProgramI love this camera bag! It's far less bulky than the original Canon bag we received with the camera and holds the same amount of stuff!
As far as positives go, this has many. It's soft, yet protective. It makes for easy access to all the compartments in the bag, including the most important one-the one that holds the camera! There is no need to put your camera bag down at all due to the ability to 'twist' this bag to your side. I love the sleek look and the overwhelming amount of pockets this bag has.
My only real gripe about this product is the directions. The camera bag has two different straps and the directions don't make much sense when it comes to how to wear this bag. We have decided the easiest way is to slip one arm through and latch the clip at the waist. Another school of thought is that you are supposed to stick your head and arm through, then latch at the waist, but that doesn't seem to work really well. Clearer instructions would have been nice!
Check out my video review for a clearer idea of what this bag has to offer! Be kind, I'm just getting the hang of these video reviews! Note: Video slightly edited to cut some time and to appease those who keep knocking me for wearing it wrong (said in jest)!
