The CamSafes come in two colors: black and olive. I got the black one, which as you can see from the picture has a very nice, stylish, professional appearance. It doesn't look like a typical camera bag.
Their website gives the specifications as 12.5" wide x 9.8" high x 6.6" deep (32 x 25 x 17 cm) with a 9 L volume. If you have a small frame or do not have a lot of extra gear (i.e., extra batteries, lenses, light meter, etc.), you might consider the CamSafe 100 instead, which is smaller. The strap is slash-proof, with the wire reinforcement found throughout Pacsafe's bag lines.
Like their CarrySafe strap line, the CamSafe has an adjustable, padded shoulder strip which is lined with a rubber-like material which helps the strap slide around less. (please note: this picture is a detail shot of the CarrySafe 100 strap, not the CamSafe strap. However, the interior lining detail remains the same.) The bag is fairly comfortable to wear when hung across your torso (the safe, smart traveler way). It is probably a little on the bulky side (as most camera bags are) to want to simply hang it off one shoulder.
Pacsafe products are about traveler security/peace of mind. The shoulder strap is very well-stitched. On the right end, it has a secure metal anchor which connects to a triangle- shaped loop. Although it looks like a carabiner, I must say it is very firmly attached - I don't think you'd be able to undo this without a wrench, or some incredible arm strength.
On the same end of the bag is a pocket designed to hold a water bottle or can of soda. This pocket is very spacious - as you can see, it easily holds a can of soda (or a good sized water bottle) with very little extra stretch. The other end of the bag has a similar pocket.
It's the other end of the strap, however, which is particularly exceptional. Pacsafe has designed an anchor lock for this bag: you need to enter your personal code in order to unlock and release the strap from the bag. However, in addition to that safety feature, the same anchor has a small strip of coated wire which passes through the zippers of the main compartment of the bag, and locks it shut. Obviously, this makes you feel a lot more secure about the contents. Here's the great part about this strap: since it both locks the bag shut, and locks the slash-proof strap securely to the bag, it means you can lock your bag to something else, such as your chair when you sit down to dine, or to your bed once you're in your room. (Mind you, I would still always recommend putting your valuables in a safe, but this is a pretty good alternative.) You set the 3-digit code yourself.
CamSafe secured in action
The front of the bag has a series of loops that look like they were designed for traditional film canisters. They do not stretch, so I found they were useful to put a carabiner on, and then attach a SIGG-style water bottle. You could probably also attach/strap a lightweight tripod to the front of your bag using those, I would think.
When you lift the front flap, you see one of Pacsafe's traditional security features: a metal clip sewn into the bag which allows you to clip the interior zippers together. (The same feature is found on their other bags as well, such as the MetroSafe, which I previously reviewed.) No stealthy fingers thinking they might nab something from underneath your flap here! Because the cord on this clip is short, it takes a moment to undo the zippers. But again - peace of mind! There is also a mesh outer pocket, which you would probably not put anything secure in, but which is handy to stash a map or something similar.
The lower front and bottom panels of the camera bag are lined with Pacsafe's eXomesh® Slashguard. This front pocket opens accordian-style to reveal four smaller pockets and a couple of loops that are good for holding pens, etc., as well as a key strap. The zippered inner pocket is a good size to hold several digital memory cards; the other inner pockets are suitable for various small items like extra batteries, filters, business cards, cell phone, etc. As you can see, the pockets are deep, because I have something in every one of the pockets!
The back of the bag has one open-top pocket that is large enough to accommodate a book (or other similarly-sized items) with room to spare. There is a carrying handle attached to the bag as well.
Unlike most camera bags, the top flap of the bag does not open from the front; instead, it opens along the back. This not only allows you to access the contents of your bag more readily without removing the bag from your body, but makes it a lot more difficult for people who shouldn't be putting their fingers in your bag.
However, Pacsafe designers understand that a photographer out in the field might want to repeatedly access their bag contents over a short period of time, so the bag is designed with an interior Velcro strap that you can pull out to secure the top flap of the bag for easy in/out access.
When not in use, this strap attaches to the inside cover of the bag, and I found this to be much more useful as a means to secure something that otherwise might take up a lot of room in the bag - a camera strap, for example; or a tabletop tripod. (Pictured: the CarrySafe 100 camera strap).
The interior of the bag has one large main pocket, with two adjustable padded dividers. There is a small interior pocket on either end of the bag as well. What you see as a zipper hanging down in this picture is a shallow interior pocket at the top edge of the inside of the bag. I didn't even notice this pocket at first, but found it when I saw the zipper pull.
The small zippered pocket has a set of elastic loops inside. I found these could easily accommodate two, sometimes three each, of SanDisk Ultra SDHC memory card cases (depending on how bulky the plastic casing is). The slightly larger SanDisk Ultra II CompactFlash Card cases are a slightly tighter fit, but you can still fit two per loop, for a total of eight. There is just enough room in the pocket that you would still have a little extra space to stash your credit card or cash, etc.
On the CamSafe 200, the interior is spacious enough that you can fit a surprising amount of gear in what looks like a compact bag. In this shot, I have stashed remote control cords in the side pocket, a Nikon D80 with 18-135mm lens attached, a Canon 50D body on the right with its 18-200mm lens detached and placed under an interior divider on the left, and still have a bit of extra room for straps or other items.
In this set up, I have placed the same Canon D80 with lens attached on the right. On the left are various extras - a boxed light meter, two pocket cameras (Canon PowerShot A570 and Pentax Optio W30), some extra batteries and a couple extra filters for the Nikon. The small top pocket also has several memory cards in it. Still plenty of room.
The Pacsafe CamSafe 200 bag, typical of all Pacsafe products, is sturdy and well-constructed. Whether just a hobbyist or a pro, you will feel comfortable that your equipment is secure and protected. I spent a lot of time hiking around parks in California with this bag, and liked that it always felt comfortable, and I felt secure with all the bag's features. The many compartments and pockets made it easy to keep all my gear organized, and to easily separate my unused memory cards from the ones I had already filled. It was easy to get my cameras in and out of the bag, and I particularly liked the locking strap. I would feel comfortable recommending this bag to other photographers who are looking for a solid, mid-size bag, and especially to those who are concerned about the security of their gear.
2 comments:
Thank you for such a thorough review! I am trying to figure out a solution for my camera/personal items for a 4 week trip around Europe and this was something I'm considering. Just wanted you to know that I appreciate it!
Thank you for the feedback, I'm glad you find it useful! I've been using the bag for six months now and I'm loving it. :)
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