Customer Reviews

Lowepro Apex 60 AW (Arctic Blue)

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

 

 

I purchased a Canon G11 camera and had a very difficult time finding a case that fit my needs. I wanted as small a case as possible, but the G11 is fairly large compact camera.

Kind of funny story about trying to find a case at a large electronics store: I had gone to this store in the past to buy a camera case (for a small nikon P&S) and brought my camera with me to size it correctly. When I walked in the door, I told the security guy that I was bringing in my camera to size a case, he said no problem, let me put this sticker on your camera. What?! No way are you putting a sticker on my new camera. I'm here to buy a case to protect my camera, not get sticker residue on it. I lost the argument, so this time I didn't bring my new G11 with me; I memorized the dimensions and hoped for the best. Well, the G11 had just been released and fortunately they had one on display attached to a metal cable. So I kept going back and forth between the cases and the cameras, trying to stuff the display camera into cases attached to cardboard backing. It wasn't really working very well and the young sales people kept asking me if I needed help. I was having problems fitting the case because of the cable so when one of the young sales people asked if needed help again I said "yeah, what's the conversion factor of inches to centimeters" because the camera's dimensions were in inches and the case I was holding had dimensions in centimeters (funny, because the camera is Japanese and case was a Lowepro). The young sales person said 12. I told him that he was probably thinking of inches per foot. "Good call dude!" was his reply (sorry, that was the funny part of the story). But to his credit he said he would find out and proceeded to google it. Also he took the camera off the cable and let me try out a bunch of different cases. Ultimately, I did not find what I was looking for.

I wanted the smallest Lowepro case possible with a spot to hold my USB SD card reader. I also wanted a little padding. The G11 is big enough that if you were desperate for a case, you might end up picking small video camera case at the local store. I drove around a lot, looking for a case. I really wanted a case as soon as possible, but I had my criteria, so I went online.

A person who had purchased this Apex case had posted a picture of his G10 fitting inside the case. The overall size of the case was still a shad big, but it was the best I had seen and from the pictures, the G11 looked like it fit really well. The waterproof cover was a really great bonus too. In fact, there is another Lowepro case that I believe is smaller (D-Pods?) but I liked the waterproof cover so much (I live in the Pacific NW) I went with the Apex.

The outside of the case is constructed of Lowepro's usual great nylon materials and the base has a really nice rubber skid pad. Living in wet climates, I thought this was a great feature in case I needed to set the unit down on wet ground. There are two rubber loops on the outside that I presume are for attaching the shoulder strap. The rubber loops are so wide, that the shoulder strap clips are a little awkward to attach and more so to detach. There are three really tiny nylon loops on the outside, two on the front by the zipper, and one on top; they can be used as alternate strap attachment points I suppose. There is a belt flap on the back that is secured by velcro. I think you could just stuff the flap down your pants if you wanted and that is why the belt flap is not permanently attached. I would be a little nervous though. Maybe it's so you don't have to unbuckle your belt (that's probably a better idea, don't just stuff it in your pants unless they're super tight!) The all-weather cover pulls out from the bottom and wraps around the top (very handy). There is a tag that has an icon of the sun, rain, and wind, so I believe that cover probably offers UV protection too. The zipper has a very nice rubber pull strap attached to it.

The inside is divided into two compartments with a floppy padded divider. The divider has a very soft material on the camera side. The front compartment has two pockets, one with a flapclosure and one in a cargo net style. The small compartment is useful for very small items like memory cards and small USB card readers. I can also squeeze the G11's neckstrap in there, but not much else. Even though it is not an important feature to me, it should be noted that the battery charger for the G11 will not fit inside this case while the G11 is in it, but an extra battery will fit (snug though). The main camera compartment fits the G11 really well with just a little bit of play on the sides. To me, the amount of padding is just right. The front compartment adds a buffer for protection on the front and the weatherproof cover stuffed in the pocket on the back adds additional protection for the back. The sides have the least amount of protection, but that is not to say it's lacking. The sides feel like they have a layer of neoprene or something similar for padding material.

I really really like this case. The G11 is an expensive camera, but I trust the Lowepro Apex 60 AW to keep it reasonably protected. I think that the case is good balance between minimal size and protection. I only have a minor issue with the case: the shoulder strap and it's attachment points seem like an afterthought. Unless the economy changes sometime soon and I can afford to go on some sweet vacations, I don't intend on using the shoulder strap too often, so it doesn't bother me in the least. Even if I was using the strap, it wouldn't be that big a deal.

Last thing, I really think that Lowepro offers a really good quality product for the price. I saw a lot of cases that had a similar price, but were of lower quality.

This case was recommended as a good fit for the Canon G10. And, it is. I would say that it adds a fair bit to the thickness of the camera. But, that means there's room to put a little extra in with the camera.

There is a flap that separates the camera from anything else you might put in there.

One of my concerns with this case was the belt clip. I couldn't find pictures of it anywhere on the net. I'm very satisfied with it. It isn't really a clip. There is a stiff flap that goes over your belt and sticks to some Velcro, then another flap comes up from the bottom and Velcro's over the first flap. It is very secure. And, when not in use, it doesn't stick out like many clips do.

Another think I like is the interior is bright orange. I hate bags that are black inside...you can't find anything.

There is also a weather shield, although I probably won't ever use that.

I bought this item for my new Canon Powershot G9. It fits the camera, strap, charger and extra cards perfectly. I can wear it on my belt. The picture on Amazon actually makes the bag look bigger than it is. Again - the size is perfect for my G9.

While I'm not wild about the blue (shows too much dirt) this has been a great case for our Canon G9 digital camera. It holds an extra memory card (and nothing else) and keeps the camera protected from dirt, dust and water. I just wish that the black was in stock when I placed my order.