Customer Reviews

Olympus Compact E-System SLR Gadget Bag + 2 Spare Rechargeable BLM-1 Batteries + Charger + Cleaning Kit for Olympus E1, E3, Evolt E300, E330, E500 & E510 Digital SLR Cameras

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

 

 

It's a good thing I bought this for the batteries. The bag is too small to hold the Olympus E-510 with a lense attached with anything else. The bag is a waste.

I bought one to go with my Olympus E-510. Here's my rundown:

The bag: I agree with the other reviewers - it's small. It's part of a budget package though so I wasn't expecting much. But even with its diminutive size, the E-510 fits in snugly. I actually prefer it that way rather than having a big bag only to have my camera bounce around during trips. My E-510 came with 2 lenses. With 1 lens always attached to the camera there's enough space for the other one in one of the two main accessory compartments. Doesn't matter which lens is mounted on the camera, the other one will still have space to fit. The other main accessory compartment fits the rapid charger and its 12-volt cigarette lighter cable. The bag is 6-inches high so when you've got the major stuff set snugly there's a padded cardboard panel that you can put on top of the main compartment. Doing so gives you a bit more space with 1-1/2" of depth, enough to store your strap and USB cable. There's also a small zippered compartment underneath the top cover that will do well to store your memory cards, but not much else I'm afraid. A Velcro-closing pocket in the front is also available though it's really not big enough to handle anything but the camera's manual. The build seems solid in my opinion, excellent stitching and quality padding throughout. It can probably take quite a bit of abuse. There are 2 quick-release locking mechanisms that form a cross, helping ensure that your camera stays safe inside. The carrying strap can be adjusted anywhere from 12-inches to 24-inches which should be enough for just about most people.

The spare batteries: Haven't been able to test them fully yet since the original Oly battery just doesn't seem to know when to quit.

The rapid charger: Not so rapid in my experience. Claims to be able to fully charge a battery in 60 to 90 minutes, but my experience puts charging time around 2-1/2 hours. Not as fast as I hoped, but still faster than the standard Oly charger - a sloooooooooow 5 hours. Personally I prefer to use the slow Oly charger, as fast charging might shorten my batteries' lives. Hey, when you've got 3 batteries you can spare a few hours, eh? Having a spare charger (and a faster one to boot) can't be a bad thing though.

The cleaning kit: It's a nice little package with an air blower, a lens cloth, cleaning fluid, a brush, cotton swabs, lens cleaning tissues plus a carrying case if you ever need to bring the kit with you. I do my best to keep my camera clean so I've never had to use the kit though. Of course, I'm still glad it's there as sooner or later we all have to clean lenses.

So is it a good buy? That depends. If your setup is still basic (no 6" zoom lenses or big flash units) and all you're looking for something to store your precious camera and a few accessories in, something that provides ample protection and doesn't take up much space in your closet, the bag works and I'd recommend this package. But if you're looking to buy major accessories sometime soon you might wanna pass up on it and look at something that's more up to the task, perhaps something like the Lowepro SlingShot 200. I'm uploading snapshots of the bag. Hope they help you decide. I'm giving it 4 stars. Why? Because 1: It does what it's supposed to (and what it's supposed to do, and can do, is clear from the seller's pictures) and 2: The quality is good. If it were big enough to carry a flash unit too I'd give it a 5.

Thanks for reading my review and Happy Shooting!

I still have yet to receive all the items for this. The bag is a bit tight for the camera and extra lens. The strap isn't adjustable enough. The Cleaning kit is OK. I havent received the spare battery yet. But for the price its ok.

I ordered this kit for my Oly E-510. The bag is compact, as per the item description. However, if you're good at utilizing space, a lot will fit. I'm able to get the body, two kit lens (14mmx42mm and 40mmx150mm), filter kit, closeup kit, teleconversion, three batteries (one in body), Oly battery charger w/ cord, misc cables, Extra CF cards, and External Flash in this bag with no room to spare, but not bulging. I've only had the need to use the batteries a couple of times, Oly lasts forever, but charged with the 'slow' Oly charger they seem to do well. Haven't used the travel/quick charger, probably won't. Cleaning kit is typical. Over all I was very impressed with this accessory kit.

E510 is a tight fit with lens and spare lens. Does not leave room for much else. Contents are useful, batteries, charger, cleaner.