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List Price: $100.00
Sale Price: $89.88
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This bag and its larger cousin the SM390-7 is different from other camera bags, and fits into an unusual niche in this product category. If you understand what it's designed to do, and if that's what you need, it may be a good choice. If you expect it to be a standard camera bag like all the others, you may be disappointed.
EXPLANATION:
As many reviewers have noted, the interior of the bag has only limited customizable space, and few of the standard velcro dividers that other camera bags use to arrange multiple bodies and lenses; more than half the interior space does not allow for this customization and is seemingly wasted because it does not closely fit or protect most camera gear. This seems very puzzling, and obviously is making a lot of the reviewers mad. But it is central to what the bag is designed for.
This is essentially a "hybrid" bag it is designed BOTH as a camera bag and an ordinary everyday messenger-type shoulder bag. The bag has some limited space for camera gear, other space customized for non-camera gear, and a lot of non-customized space that could be used either way. In other words, the bag is designed for casual but serious photographers who want to take some high-level photo gear with them but are not carrying a full professional photo kit, and who still need space for personal items. This could be reporters or writers working on a story and doing their own photography, vacationers who have to compromise between photography and other activities, or people going about their daily routine who still want a better-than-point-'n-shoot camera kit with them. The bag's appearance also reflects its "messenger" aspect, and thus helps hide your photo gear, while certain design features still reflect its commitment to carrying and protecting that gear.
If you fall into one of these "hybrid" categories and don't have a huge kit of gear to carry with you, this bag could do you very well. If you have multiple bodies, more than 2 lenses, a big flash setup, etc., and you want the capacity of a regular dedicated photo bag, this bag is not for you. It is designed so that not all of its space will be used for photo gear, so of course it will seem as if that space is wasted, if photo gear is all you want to put in it. If you have more than one thing to do, and need to carry a limited DSLR kit with maybe 2 lenses and/or 1 flash, a small tripod, a few incidentals like batteries or filters, plus a small laptop, some papers, a couple of books, and more, this bag will perform excellently for you and let's admit it, that's a huge task for any single bag!
DETAILS:
The bag has one main compartment that is about 40% covered with fuzzy velour, and has two velcro-edged padded dividers that stick onto the velour, allowing you to divide that small space horizontally and vertically (once each); the rest of the main compartment is just an open rectangular area with no dividers, and it is not velour-lined so you couldn't even add a velcro divider to it. Obviously, the velour area is intended for camera gear; you can make space for one camera body with lens, and possibly a second lens or flash underneath it. (You can't divide it into two vertical bays, like for two zoom lenses; it's too small and there aren't enough dividers.) The main area is intended for non-camera gear; it is big enough to hold a few paperback-sized books, or other items like a folded sweater or whatever you like. The entire main area is padded, so you can put extra photo gear in the larger compartment, but it would roll around without padded dividers to hold it snugly.
Behind these two areas, within the main enclosure of the bag, is a thin padded compartment to hold a small laptop.
On the back of the bag is a zippered pouch to hold papers or documents this is very thin and tight, and only fits very flat items; it would stretch the material to put books or anything large in there.
In front of the bag is a zippered compartment that has a few small pouches or pockets large enough to hold cellphones, batteries, etc. (including one specifically designed to hold a little gimmicky Manfrotto table-top tripod, though you can use it for other things), and a few pen loops. The compartment is large enough to hold other small items tucked in loosely.
Underneath the main compartment, on the bottom of the bag, is another zippered area that is only a couple of inches high. It is designed to hold a tripod, although on the SM90-5 bag this space is barely a foot wide and very few full-height tripods will fit into it (the SM90-7 is larger). It does conveniently hold small water bottles or anything else you want to put into it.
The front of the bag folds down over the top, like a messenger bag, but it is not just a flap it is a contoured rectangular closure that fits over the front and edges of the bag like the top of a shoebox, providing some protection to the corners and making it hard to reach into the bag from the side (a security feature). It closes with a weirdly large aluminum quick-release buckle that, as one reviewer noted, does in fact clang like a cowbell and is a little fiddly to close. There are two large velcro patches on the front corners of the flap that hold it closed even if the buckle is undone.
The bag is padded on all sides and on the inside, and provides moderate protection for your gear.
There is a lift handle on the back top edge, though, as another reviewer noted, it is not over the center of gravity and the bag tips over considerably if you use that handle to carry it (especially dangerous if the front flap is open the bag would spill out immediately). Another bad design feature is the shoulder pad on the nylon-webbing shoulder sling it is sewn in place and does not slide on the sling, so it moves off your shoulder if you shift the bag and can only be positioned correctly by adjusting both sides of the sling and holding the bag at a specific angle. These two features could have been easily improved with better design.
One unique feature is the large zipper that goes across the top of the closure flap. This simply creates a hole through the top of the flap, so you can reach down into the main compartment while the flap is still buckled down. Thus, to use the bag you put all your important gear into the main compartment and buckle it closed, then open the zipper to remove or replace what you need through the gap without exposing the whole bag. This system actually works very well, although you sometimes have to use two hands to hold the zipper open so the edge of the opening doesn't hang up on your gear. You can easily reach both the camera and non-camera areas of the main compartment, as well as the laptop sleeve, this way, and it also helps maintain the low-profile "not-a-camera-bag" look even while the bag is in use. The zipper is the plastic-coil type and is not very strong, but it is not intended to hold weight.
The bag is not "waterproof" but does provide decent protection from light rain. (I know from experience.) It does not come with a waterproof cover.
CONCLUSIONS:
As a hybrid, this bag suffers from the problem that inevitably infects every compromise design: it does several functions fairly well, but none of them excellently. It has customized compartments for camera gear, but they're not large enough for a full, serious kit. It has compartments for non-camera gear, but they're also small and cramped. It helps protect your gear by not looking like a camera bag, but as a result is somewhat cramped and awkward to use. On the other hand, it offers the advantages of hybrids as well: it serves multiple purposes much better than would be possible with just one bag optimized for just one purpose. It provides customized space and protective padding for camera gear while also holding a laptop, papers, and personal items. It allows you to pursue multiple activities while having enough equipment camera and non-camera to do what you need to do effectively. And it's flexible enough that you can optimize it in one direction or the other if that's what you need putting camera gear in the non-divided main space or books and papers in the bottom tripod compartment, or removing the velcro dividers to use it as a standard messenger bag and replacing them when you want to take your camera gear with you. (You could even sew in permanent dividers for camera gear in the non-velcro area and make it a full-size camera bag, if you felt that strongly about it.)
Again: this bag is designed for a particular niche, to be used by people with particular needs that include carrying both photographic and non-photographic gear simultaneously. It is NOT designed to carry a full photo kit, and likely not designed for full-time professional photographers or for amateurs on a serious photo-taking mission. If you want it to do more than it's designed to do in one area, and nothing in other areas, it's probably just not the right choice. But if you need to carry a bunch of stuff and are not doing photography exclusively, and you want a decent selection of serious photo gear ready to hand, this bag may answer your needs.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
I was skepitcal becuase I have tried lots of different bags and styles, configurations and types, Over the shoulder (laptop style), Backpack and now the meesenger bag all to have pretty major disappointments.
I have been using it for a couple of months now and it is by far the most flexible bag I have used. It is not near the volume of other bags but it holds everything I need for a typical road trip that won't require remote strobes and tripods.
But for the Airshow, Xmas Tree farm or any other outing, it is perfect.
This is also the first bag I have had that I can drop my camera (With battery grip) with the Canon flash and the Gary Fong diffuser all attached and assembled and zip it up without a problem. This alone makes this bag worth every penny.
The strap is surprisingly confotable and the bag arrangement where you can sling it behind you is extremely convenient, esecially if you are also responsible for small children and the camera gear, a very handy arrangement.
This bag is more than a bag for me, it is a tool for photography, meaning it enables my photography more than other bags have in the past. This bag is well contructed and works like a champ.
My only reqret is not buying it sooner.
Best Deals for Manfrotto MB SM390-5BC UNICA V Messenger Bag -Champagne
Larger than I thought. Do not have too much stuff, so this may end up being ideal. Hope to fit a Sigma 50-500 in side compartment when I can afford it. Right now, My DSLR with attached 18-270 fits in the camera side, and my fisheye too. My 60-250 stays where I hope the Sigma will fit. My Dolica TX570 Ultra Compact Tripod with Professional Ball Head (Black) fits neatly in the tripod compartment. With the tripod inside, it is pretty stealthy. Just a nice looking bag. Maybe too nice. Lots of spare room for my needs.
Honest reviews on Manfrotto MB SM390-5BC UNICA V Messenger Bag -Champagne
Very good quality, well made I pictured it smaller wanted it for a camera bag, I guess I didn't pay enough attention to the dimensions.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Manfrotto MB SM390-5BC UNICA V Messenger Bag -Champagne
Overall, great bag. Great style, good construction and so far has held up well (4 months old). My only complaint is that this bag is not very wide, so a Nikon D300s with battery grip (or similar camera body) doesn't fit well. I had to take out the divider and lay the camera down rather than use the top load feature. Its also a little hard to close with both a laptop and full size DSLR in it, but it does indeed still close.
Overall great bag.
