Customer Reviews

Crumpler 3 Million Dollar Home Photo Bag, Grey/Red

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This bag, like all Crumpler bags, is beautifully designed and manufactured! I highly recommend it to those who want a small but protective camera bag.

Unfortunately, I was looking for the smallest bag that would hold a 5DmkII with a 24-70mm lens and this one is just a smidge too small. The body fits, and the 6" lens fits but the top flap is just barely too small to cover/close securely. I am going to have to go with the 4 million. I figured that I would post this for others looking to fit the same or similar criteria.

I've been looking for a camera bag for my new dslr. I have a Canon Rebel, so it's not a huge camera, and as I'm just a mom who is looking to take excellent photos of my kiddos, I have no need of the latest and greatest gear. I want:

a) A bag that will protect the camera
b) A bag that will work with my existing items I need to carry (diaper backpack, keys, etc.)
and c) A bag that will allow me to pull out and put away the camera with relative ease (photo ops come and go quickly for busy moms)

It doesn't need to be pretty or fancy, just needs to do that. I saw the Crumpler products here on Amazon and was pretty impressed by the photos and the reviews. Upon seeing them in person at REI, however, I was underwhelmed.

PROS: I looked at the 5 mil and this, the 3 mil. Both are of durable material, with solid stitching, zippers, velcro, and snaps. Both have a nice, solid, reinforced bottom. Both hold my camera snugly.

CONS: Just...really? That's it? For the price and the hype I expected... I dunno - More?

Tight fit: The 3 mil was a squeeze to fit a Canon Rebel t3i with a kit lens - and that's all I had in the main compartment. I had to completely remove the velcro-adjustable divider to make the camera fit. It was continually a shuffle to get the thing in and out of the opening, too. I guess the upside is that it holds the camera snugly. The downside was that by the time I got it out, I'd lost the photo op. We bought it and I used it for about a week before giving up. I could never get over how much I had to tug on my smaller dslr to get it into and out of what should have been an easy-fit holster bag.

WIDE bag: This thing looks small - well, it sorta is, but I don't know why people say it looks like a purse. It totally looks like a camera bag to me, especially when it's got a camera inside. It's WIDE - it sticks out from your hip a ways. If you wedge a wallet, cell phone, and keys in there (good luck with that), it's nearly bursting. It's just so wide it bumps up against stuff. It really doesn't look slim and purse-like as in the pictures.

Odd size: On it's own, this thing is wide, awkward, and hard to fit much more than the barest necessities. I didn't even try to fit in an extra battery or the manual or anything like that. But if you try and slip it into a purse or even a largish diaper bag as extra protection, it doesn't work there either. The top flap is such a pain to open and slip the camera out that using it in or with another bag just isn't feasible. It's so wide that slinging it alongside the diaper backpack is annoying and bulky. It takes up all the space in my usually cavernous purse. In short, I don't like the use of this thing on its own and I don't like it with another system either.

Uncomfortable: Because it sticks out a ways and is a strap bag with no padding on the strap, it's just uncomfortable to wear around. It swings around a lot and into my way while walking around the park/town/etc. Just not fun to carry at all. It did make me realize I need to be hands-free, so I guess that's one point in it's favor: it's turned me on to backpack bags.

Looks: I don't care for the brown and orange (the only colors they had). It looks more like a camera sling than a purse, so it's not terribly inconspicuous, but it looks pursey enough that it makes my husband look like he's carrying a purse. I'm totally a practicality-over-looks sort of girl, but this manages to be neither - it doesn't work as well as I'd expect for the hype and the price and it looks dang ugly in the process. Frankly, at this point, I'm returning it and going for some Lowepro backpack that can carry all my diaper stuffs AND the camera and will be easier to get at the camera.

by the way - 5 Mil: I looked at the 5 mil and liked it even less. It was an odder fit for the camera, looked more like a fat purse than this one did, and was more expensive.

SUMMARY: This product is well made with good quality materials, hence the 3 stars. It also does what it's advertised to do - it holds a camera in relative safety. But beyond that, it just is an awkward sort of bag. For all the glowing reviews that Crumpler gets, I'll just have to chime in and say:

"I just don't hardly get it."

Very nice Crumpler bag, great quality. I purchased this for my Sony Nex-5 which fit with both lens (18-55 & 16) and accessories.

I bought this for a nikon d3100 with a 10-24mm lens with the lens hood. It fits but is a bit snug and not easy to pull out. I modified the bag by pulling out the divider and using it on top to further protect the camera. Its a compact and lightweight bag which does not draw attention to itself [in black]. Very well made. Its a bit difficult to get into the velcro protected pockets but at the same time what's in there [battery/SD card] will not fall out.

I was looking for the smallest bag possible to hold my Lumix G3 with the kit 14 - 45mmm lens, a 45 - 200mm, and the incidentals for hiking about (extra battery, lenspen, and SD cards). I ended up calling Crumpler directly and their tech confirmed my gear would fit, although he doubted it until he realized how small the Panasonic is.

My first impression of the bag is that it is well made. I was worried about the brown color, but it is a handsome dark chocolate with subtle orange accents; not gaudy as I feared. The padding is fairly thin, but not to a worrisome degree. The bag is not obviously a camera bag; looking more like a small messenger bag or man-purse.

The gear I'd hope to get in there fits with little room to spare. I doubt I could fit the battery charger in the case, but I never planned for that in the first place. There is room for a cell phone, credit cards, etc. but little else.

My first impressions (based upon a whole two hours assessment) are that the bag is a keeper. I will update this review as I gain more experience with it.

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Update: After some thought, I sent the bag back to Amazon. It was just TOO small. With the micro 4/3 45 - 200mm zoom in the bag, the camera with 14 - 45mm lens sat too high in the bag for me. The cover barely engaged the velco designed to hold it in place and I had to extend the buckle nearly to its end. Nice bag, just not quite big enough for my needs.

This is a sturdy and compact bag. i can carry my Pen-1, 20mm, 40-150, 14-42 lenses (with additional dividers) This is a pleasure after years of carrying around full-sized SLRs.

This is a great bag. Works well however we have a large digital SLR and it is only just big enough. Good for the purpose for which we bought it - as a handy carry case for the camera during sport etc but due to the size won't fit much more than the camera, lens and a couple of spare cards.

Overall a great product

The bag looks great and I love the silent velco feature. Wish my 5 Million Dollar bag had that detail.

I have the black / snot green crumpler bag for my D90(with an 18-105 kit lens) 50mm prime. It's getting pretty cozy with the camera and 1 prime lens, but it's great for times when you don't want to lug around a bulky backpack. Thumbs up.

I bought a new Nikon D5100 camera.
This bag should give good protection for a soft bag. It feels like good quality stitching and it is thick fabric, similar to my Timbuk2 bag.
My DSLR camera fits comfortably in the bag even with the (longer) 55-300 mm lens.
This bag holds the camera and a few small accessories. That is perfect because this is my portable bag, to go along with the larger bag that came with the camera to hold all other parts.