Customer Reviews

Tamrac 3537 Express 7 Camera Bag (Khaki)

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After trying a few box like bags, I looked for a messenger style bag that would be at once more discreet and efficient. The box like bags are more difficult to set up and waste space, unless you have tons of gear, in my opinion.

What I have in this bag:
D40 camera with attached tripod QR plate.
Kit lens 18-55
Lens 55-200
Lens 30mm prime
Small SB400 flash
Filters.

It all fits in perfectly. The D40 + 55-200 with the hood attached also fits in perfectly because of the depth.

Build quality is good and is comfortble to lug around.

Caveat: Other than the flap, there is no other, inner, cover. I.e. you open the flap and expose the camera. I was a bit scared at first, but the design works very well. There is a short tab on each side that helps contain your gear and makes sure nothing can fall out. This also explains why the carry handle is sewn to the back of the bag and not in the center/top.

Bottom line, everything is secure, but easily and quickly accessed, explaining why the name of this bag is "Express"...

I needed a bag that does not really look like a Camera Bag, is small enough to carry around and holds my most important gear.

The Tamrac Express 7 came closest to what I wanted.

After the box arrived I was a little puzzled as to how small the box was but hey, it's a soft bag.

The bag itself seemed a little small for my needs and I was not sure how I can make the stuff I needed to carry around fit. But to my surprise it fit OK. Snug but it worked.

Here is what I have in there (usually)

Left side: Canon 580EX Flash with diffuser attached
Middle Bottom: Canon 50mm 1.8 prime lens
Middle Top: Canon EOS 40D with Sigma 17-70 with hood
Right side: Canon 70-200L with hood

Various Memory Cards and stuff in the front zipper.

The overall quality of the bag feels very nice and it carries very well.

The reason I gave it only 4 stars is that I wish it was just a tad larger for todays SLR Cameras.

I was considering between this Tamrac express 7 and crumpler 5 or6 Million dollar bag and I ended up choosing this one since it is almost only half of the Crumpler price.
This is a stylish bag that doesn't look like camera bag, light, big storage room and lot of pockets for filters, cell phone, MP3..etc
Khaki color appears better than in the picture too.

I am able to fit
1.canon 350D with Zeiss Jena 35mm/2.4
2.580 speedlite flash
4.50mm/1.8
5 sigma 10-20mm with hood
6.canon 28-135mm/4.5~5.6 with hood

that is 1 body +4 lens + 1 flash !
this bag is way better than advertised. Highly recommended!

I am a professional photographer and I debated endlessly about this bag. I wanted something that would carry my 5D, 24-70L and 70-200L with hoods.
Unfortunately this bag is way too small.
Further with the included lens hood, it is virtually impossible to pull a lens out of the bag.

Why did I give it 5 stars? While it didnt meet my needs I think it is perfectly suited for someone that owns a small dSLR such as the Canon Rebel XT/XTi series. The construction is top notch and it looks great. Just not big enough for a pro.

The bag itself is well made and padded and has enough space for me to carry my two DSLRs with telephoto lenses (30D with Sigma 70-300 DG APO and 450D with 70-200 f/4L), and an assortment of extra batteries and memory cards. However, when the DSLR/lens combo is stored with the lens pointing down and the lens hood on backwards, it's awkward and difficult to pull the camera out with one hand because the lip of reversely attached lens hood always gets caught on the velcro strip that runs about 2" below the bag top, parallel to the bag top.

The shoulder strap also isn't particularly comfortable, and the thread holding the rubberised area over the extra padding for the shoulder is already becoming to come undone (only had the bag for two months, and used it for maybe 3 outings). I'm going to go to a travel goods store and see if I can get a replacement strap.

I read reviews stating the Express 6 bag was too small, so I went for this one instead. It is a nice size if you need to pack around a decent amount of stuff. However, for me, it is actually bigger than I wish it was. I want a bag that I can just throw over my shoulder with just my camera and a lens, maybe two. This is like packing along a large laptop bag. Don't get me wrong, it is nice when I need more stuff (like a full vacation), but for many short outings, I want something smaller. This holds my Canon XTi, kit lens, all accessories, and my small camcorder with room to spare.

If you need more room for a few lenses, or have a bigger camera than the XTi, you will probably love this bag. It is well made and very conveniently arranged.

As a mom, I compare this to my large diaper bag -- nice for a long day or trip, holds all you need, but is too much bulk for a short outing or trip to the store. That's what the smaller diaper bags are for.

I will probably use this as my "home base" bag, and get a smaller bag to use on a regular basis, pulling a couple things from the large bag as needed.

I bought this bag just before a week-long trip, and it's perfect for my needs. Firstly, it doesn't look like the typical camera bag, so I feel a little more confident with it in public. Also, the tall profile, rather than the typical short-and-fat look of larger bags, makes the bag much more comfortable to carry. This bag pulls directly down on my shoulder, rather than away from my body as my larger and deeper bags tend to do, so it stays on my shoulder without trying to slip off.

I store the following list of items in the bag, and it's pretty much exactly full:
- Canon Digital Rebel (original verson) with 18-55mm kit lens attached
- Canon HF100, which is a very small SD-card based HD camcorder
- Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 non-IS. This lens fits perfectly in both height and diameter, though I didn't include the lens hood or tripod mount, which would be difficult to fit. I would imagine that the IS version (which is a good bit fatter) would have trouble fitting.
- The wide-angle attachment for the HF100, several spare batteries, plus lots of cables and extra cards in the front pocket

One tradeoff with the generally vertical design is that you may have to remove items on top to get to items buried lower in the bag. This was a little annoying at times since I kept my camcorder at the bottom and the Rebel on top (with a padded piece between them), so I had to remove the Rebel anytime I wanted to shoot video. I consider this a reasonable tradeoff, however, because the bag is so efficient and comfortable otherwise.

The bottom of the bag is padded, but I put an folded washcloth at the bottom for extra padding because I wasn't entirely confident in the built-in padding. The Velcro inserts are flexible for most purposes, and I was able to configure them to my liking without any tricks. Also, because the handle on the bag is placed at the back of the top flap (rather than at its center), you don't have to worry about the flap flying open when you pick it up if it's not properly closed. There are two additional flaps on the top of the interior (you can see them in the photo) that do a good job keeping light rain and sand out of the bag when it's closed. I recommend this bag!

I own a larger Tamrac bag for storing my equipment/camera, a Canon 40, some lenses and a flash, but I wanted something that I could use when I went to family gatherings, sporting events, and places where I wouldn't use or need all my lenses. This bag is perfect! You can easily fit a camera with a 6" zoom lens, a spare lens, say a 60 mm or 50 mm and a flash. It has compartments for spare batteries and memory cards and when I use this bag, I can even put my cell phone in the side pocket and other stuff in the zippered front pocket so I don't have to carry anthing else with me. It is perfect!

After carrying this around an airport and on a plane, I LOVE this bag. At first I thought it felt too stiff and boxy, but not anymore.

It's padded very well and does a great job of protecting your equipment. There's three equally sized compartments inside. To have quick access to your camera, you can only use one side for carrying a lens and the other two combined for the camera. For travel, you can put your camera in the center and one lens each on either side.

One complaint is that the flaps on the inside divider pads are a little too high. When my D60 is resting lens down into the bag, the camera sits up a little too high. I can close the outside flap over it, but I would prefer that my camera would nestle further down into the bag and be more secure. Right now it feels as though it's just resting on top rather than being "hugged" or held in.

All that said, it seems to be the best option out there at the moment. I wanted an inconspicuous camera bag that had just enough room to carry around the camera essentials, allow easy & quick access to my camera & extra lens, and have pockets for any extra items required for sightseeing (maps, wallet, Point & Shoot camera), and this will do the trick. It's also a seemingly very sturdy and durable bag. Time will tell, but for now it seems to be of good quality and will hold up well.

**Update regarding my concerns on the ultrasuede accents**

I have had this bag now for six months. My son has accidentally gotten some soda (not soaking, a small puddle the size of my hand though) that had to be washed off on the bag, it has fallen over into the sand and gravel in the driveway and survived other mishaps over the past few months - I carry the bag as a purse because I want to have my camera available whenever. It still looks like it did when I got it. A damp washcloth has been sufficient to clean off whatever and it is just like it was when purchased. The weight of the bag has created some wrinkling on the straps where they go into the plastic d-rings on the bag. Other than that it really doesn't show much evidence of use at all. I am VERY pleased with its durability and the fact it still looks nice after regular use. I would whole-heartedly recommend this bag and will probably be purchasing one for my husband at Christmas.

**original review**

I got a Canon T1i for Christmas 2010 and the next time we were at Wal-mart I bought the largest Lowepro bag that they sold there. Then, of course, I began acquiring lenses (let's face it, the kit lens doesn't have a lot of reach). Well, the Lowepro bag we got wasn't able to hold the other stuff I'd like to keep with my camera (like the battery charger, so I don't lose it) and my 50mm f/1.8, and the Sigma 50-200 zoom that I got for the eventuality of hubby getting his own DSLR (this was because he said we had to share mine, then said he wouldn't WANT one with the kit lens, and I found the zoom lens and got it before I got him his own camera).

So, I bought hubby his own T1i and we needed another camera bag. I've been obsessively shopping all camera accessories (it's a sad addiction once it starts), and read countless reviews, sat down with a yard stick to visualize the dimensions, looked at pictures and diagrams (when available) of how bags were packed and organized, etc., and decided that I wanted the Tamrac Express 7 for cost vs. organization and capacity. It arrived today.

I was a little surprised at how small it looked out of the plastic (most people have thought it looked larger than they expected). It is actually a little more shallow than the Lowepro bag we have, though about another third larger (if you divide the lowepro in half and add another half, you're at about the size of the Express 7). I first let hubby look at it empty and he said it seemed to be well enough made. I'm pleased with it, though a little nervous at the "ultra suede" accents on it - they're likely to not look as nice in a few months, I'm sure.

I put my T1i with the 50-200mm Sigma lens on it (that lens will be returned to hubby when my Canon 55-250mm arrives tomorrow), my 50mm and my kit lens in it, as well as my lens cleaning kit, filters, battery charger, battery cover, air blaster, etc., without any problem. There's still room, actually, for another small lens or rearranging to add a flash. The strap fits comfortably on my shoulder and across my chest with the bag on my hip (I'm 5'8"). I was surprised that it didn't feel heavy when it was completely loaded. I had expected it to be a little uncomfortable.

I haven't worn it and carried it for a long period of time, but I promise I'll come back and update in a month or two regarding durability and comfort after I've spent some time with it.

I was surprised by the velcro underneath the front flap in addition to its plastic clip/snap closure. I don't remember reading about it anywhere, and it makes the flap additionally secure and reduces the strain that would be put on the plastic clip. I'm not sure how useful the back zipper pocket will be - it seems awful thin so I'm not sure what I will put in it. There are zippered compartments on the front AND the back of the front flap, pockets on each side of the bag(one is very tight but doesn't have any type of closure, the other has a magnetic closure/snap type of closure and is a size that will hold a cell phone of MP3 player). Inside there are vertical partitions that attach at top and bottom with velcro so you can make the size of the partitions larger or smaller or even remove one or both. It has three padded horizontal partitions that can be moved up and down in the bag's three compartments and reattached with velcro (pictures, etc., had made me believe there would only be two; three is definitely better!). It is well padded on all sides, including the bottom, and if it remains comfortable and I don't go too much more crazy on lenses (i.e., swapping out when I upgrade instead of holding on to all of them), I expect this will be a bag I could use to carry my camera daily. I'm a hobbyist, though I've had an offer to buy some of the photos I've done since I got the new camera, and I know that there has to be Murphy's Law of Photography that says the best pictures happen when you walk out the door without your camera.

I'd recommend this bag without reservation. It is well-organized, well-padded and seems comfortable to carry. If you're just starting with a DSLR camera set-up, you might want to invest in this instead of a slightly smaller one, because it is unlikely that a really small camera bag will be something you can still use once you add another lens with better reach, maybe a 50mm prime and a flash. Save yourself the money and invest in a larger bag to start with. If you're like me and don't want it to scream "I have a camera in here," look at the Express 7 - it really fits the bill.