Customer Reviews

Nikon Backpack for DSLR, Lenses, and Laptop

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I was preparing for a trip and wanted to combine my laptop and my D70 in a single bag. I had just ordered a LowePro computrekker AW when I saw this Nikon bag.

I figured I would like to have a genuine Nikon bag for all my Nikon gear so I ordered this bag figuring I could return the LowePro.

Although the bag is well constructed, lighter and looks great I wasn't impressed at all with the accomodations for my D70. The camera storage is designed for the body with a small lens, maybe the 18 - 70 that came with the kit. With the 18 - 200 mounted the camera just didn't fit in the area provisioned for the camera.

The rest of the bag seemed clumsy to access and there wasn't a lot of storage for accessories.

In my opinion, the LowePro Computrekker AW is a far superior bag. Although it's a little larger it's worth it's weight in gold. I was disappointed with the functionality of this Nikon bag.

After reading the first review I bought this bag knowing it was not going to compare to the 100-200 models made by other vendors, but it does fill a need for a pack that will hold both a digital slr and laptop. The padding is not terribly thick, especially in the upper pouch meant to hold the camera body and lense, so don't think about drop kicking it or expecting to find working gear after you have dropped it off a ledge or something. However, it does have just enough space for my nikon d200, 2 medium lenses, a speedlight flash, ring flash. extension tubes, small idgital video camera (sony) extra batteries, cables, 15 inch laptop and its power cord. It will never measure up to a dedicated camera backpack but is very handy for airplane travel and non-extreme field photography.

This a well made, nice appearing backpack. However, the picture of it holding your digital camera and lense in the top compartment is misleading at best. I own a D70S and it will not fit in the top (or any other compartment without removing the lense. I don't like that at all. I kind of regret purchasing this item.

My girlfriend bought me this camera bag for Christmas. I had checked several stores that offered backpack style camera bags, but couldn't decide on what one I wanted. The stores prices were nowhere near the price listed on Amazon. Based on the reviews of this Nikon bag, I figured that it would work for my needs, and it does.

There are several reviews that state the camera will not fit with the 18-200 VR lens... However, I've fit my D80 with 18-200 VR lens and hood in this camera bag just fine. All of the pockets are adjustable, including the top one which holds the body and lens... People who are saying their camera won't fit, obviously didn't mess around with the pockets enough.

My bag fits my D80 mounted with the 18-200 VR lens in the "camera section", and my 50mm 1.8 lens, 18-135, 20-40 Tamron lens, SB-600 flash, point-and-shoot Nikon Coolpix 5200 camera, chargers and extra batteries for the D80 and Coolpix, external HD, extra memory cards, filters, etc. in the other pockets on the bag. I also feel secure that the camera and accessories are all protected very well, there's enough padding all around. There are clips on the sides of the bags, which if I undestand correctly, which hold a tripod. I've strapped my Slick tripod on, but it made the bag very uneven. I'm thinking of a modification where I could mount the tripod on the bottom of the bag, held on by the waist "brace", would be more suitable for a larger tripod, or simply don't hook the tripod on the camera bag at all.

The laptop pocket does NOT fit my HP dv8000t laptop (which is a 17" widescreen)... The laptop fits inside the pocket, but it does not zip completely (it won't go around the top edge of the computer)... I'm sure with enough effort, I could make it fit... But, that's what my HP backpack is for. :) With a smaller laptop however, it would fit fine.

All in all... I'd say for the price tag ( <$100 ), it's a hard bag to pass up. It may not be enough for a professional photographer who needs to carry multiple bodies and multiple lenses... But in that case, you should be willing to pay more for a bigger, better bag. However as an amateur photographer who wanted the ability to carry all my stuff in the convenience of a backpack, this bag suits me just fine!

Been looking for a backpack style bag for a while and thought "what better than a manufacturers bag". Boy I couldn't have been more disappointed if I'd tried. I got is a gift and feel bad for the gift giver.

Nikon D80 with a 18-135 lens doesn't fit in the camera portion of the bag, and even a Sony VAIO laptop doesn't fit very well. No reason that zippers should be stressed, I was actually worried in my attempts to pack the pack that I'd pop a zipper and be unable to return the product.

If you're shooting with a short lens, like a 50mm or even an 18-55 you might get a body and lens in here, but if you've got a longer zoom it just won't. I'm very unhappy and I need figure out a better bag now.

Here's what I carry in this bag:
Top Compartment - Nikon D200 w/MB-D200 attached and Nikon 18-200mm lens attached with hood reversed.
Bottom Compartment:
D70s body
Nikon 70-200mm VR lens, tripod mount
SB-900 flash, defuser, filters, stand
SB-600 flash, stand
Rocket Blaster
Lens brush
Lens clothe
Headphones
Laptop AC adapter
Wireless mouse
2 CF wallets with 8 CF included
Laptop Compartment:
14" Dell Inspiron laptop
an assortment of magazines
maybe a book
manila folder with travel details(itinerary, tickets, receipts, etc)
Side Pockets:
Assorted cables, AA batteries, 3 camera batteries, remote releases, several jump drives, CF reader

This puppy gets heavy with all that gear but it's a backpack and that's how I carry it.
I'm still able to get it under the seat on a plane. Oh, and there's usually some snacks stuffed somewhere.
I've had it almost 2 years and it's been on about 5 cross-country trips packed as above.
It's been on numerous local trips sans laptop and most everything else in the laptop compartment.
This has been a great bag for me. If I weren't getting so old I'd probably buy another when the time came.

Excellent bag for a camera and a laptop.
I have a 17" laptop which is fairly old and hence quite thick but this bad boy can almost fit the whole thing in...almost being the key word. Any of the newer 17's would fit in quite easily and anything smaller shouldn't be a problem. I like the many compartments which can be customized by using the velcro dividers. The best bit for me is the tripod holder. That was key for me. Keep in mind that this can pretty much hold one SLR only. If you are looking for a bag that holds multiple SLR's this is not the one to go for. Also, I wouldnt count on this baby holding very large lenses in it. All in all a very good purchase for the price paid.

I was a bit hesitant to order this bag due to some mixed reviews. But now I am very happy with my purchase. The bag is very well constructed- the inside padding is really good (far better than most of the bags I have seen in various stores). This bag is probably not meant for the professionals who love to carry lot of lens pieces and other accessories. But otherwise it has got plenty of space. I own a Nikon D90 with 18-105mm & 70-300mm lens. I also have a Nikon D60 with 18-55mm lens. Both these cameras easily fit in this bag along with the lenses. The upper camera compartment fits the Nikon D90 with the lens attached very tightly. So, I place my Nikon D60 with lens in the upper compartment and my Nikon D90 with the lens attached in the lower compartment. Plus, I have a Dell Inspiron 1420 laptop which again fits in the back pocket easily.
People who complain about this bag being small does not know that all the flaps inside this bag are customizable. So you will have to re-arrange the insides according to your needs. It took me about 15-20 minutes to do so. Even the upper camera compartment is customizable. I saw a review in which a guy was complaining that his Nikon D80 with lens does not fit the bag. Man! if my D90 can fit inside this bag then how come your D80 is not fitting. :)
Overall, an excellent purchase.

Even though I have several equipment backpacks that I pick and choose from, I seem to invariably end up using this Nikon pack more than any of the others. Not that its perfect; the camera compartment is indeed tight as others have already voiced, and the single-zipper pull operation for both this and the lens compartments isn't as functional as using a zipper with dual pulls. In addition the available space for an average sized notebook computer is a definite challenge, as is the available space for any number of accessories I might want to bring along. And frankly, I'd rather NOT have the 'Nikon' logo advertising what I'm carrying.

That said, if I take the time to carefully select which lenses to bring along (I usually do anyways), I usually can make this pack work for me quite well about 75% of the time. And a piece of black, self-adhering foam makes quick work of the advertising sewn onto the pack. I can get my D300 with battery grip and a small lens (often my 60mm macro) to fit in camera compartment...though admittedly it initially took a bit of work and wrangling (not so these days, now that the pack's outer material has been worked and stretched over time to allow the camera to fit), and can pick from most of my lenses for inclusion in the lens compartment--though fixed, long telephotos are usually out, as are my larger zooms unless I decide to sacrifice additional lenses. Typical of my usual gear outfitting, I can get my 80-400mm to fit along with three other lenses--usually a wide-angle zoom, general purpose zoom and my beloved 105mm macro...or a fish-eye. Or I can leave one of the lenses at home and bring along a SB800 flash.

The side compartments do offer some room for accessories and my Leatherman, Gerber knife or other tools, although there's not much in the way of protection so I typically have to use hard cases with my filters if I bring any of them along with me. I've switched to an Acer netbook for my computing needs, although even with that small form factor it's plenty tight. A monopod or one of my carbon fiber Induro tripods is then strapped onto one side of the pack to complete the photo-related gear-up. However this Nikon-branded pack seems to handle all the weight and bulk pretty well; the shoulder straps seem quite capable of managing the heft of all the gear, and though overall comfort could be better for me, it's still reasonable for a short day hike (though I do have to carry along a secondary subpack--think fanny-pack on steroids--for the minimal gear and supplies necessary for trail hiking).

During the year or so that I've had this pack I've managed to use it quite a lot. It's held up well though some of edges are starting to get a bit weathered...not surprising considering some of the places I've been to and in line with how most of my other soft packs have worn (some, like one of my SlingShots, have been a fair bit worse). In all, it's been a good value for the price even if it's a bit short of perfect. I wouldn't mind picking up another one when I finally DO wear out my current one...which is about the best endorsement I can think of, tight store compartments notwithstanding.

The backpack is very well made and sure looks nice on your back but it not practical at all!! First of all virtually NO DSLR camera would fit in to the upper pouch, unless you would put the BODY ONLY in there and that is only for DX frame camers since my D700 would not fit there at all. Also the lower pouches gives home to only limited number of lenses and if then especially small lenses, like standard 50mm -85mm or small midrange sooms. Also the Laptop pouch is not big enough for my Mac-Book-Pro. I will try to sell it on eBay and get a Lowepro Vertex 300. You get what you pay for!!!!