Customer Reviews

Tamrac 5500 Micro Explorer Camera Bag (Black)

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

 

 

This bag exceeded my expectations for a fit for my new S3. It is excellently padded on all sides, with a velcro-secured divider panel allowing for customization. There is room in the main compartment for a snug fit for my camera and either the battery charger or another necessity. There is also plenty of room above these or in the zip pouch in the inside cover. In the front circular compartment, there are two secure net holders for your media cards and extra room for either your filters, a CD disk, or other needs. There is also a small zippered pouch in the outside front flap of the top cover. This bag comes with an adjustable shoulder strap and a 2" wide, solid belt loop. This is the only concern one might have, as you must remove your belt to put the bag on it. Personally, I don't think I would want this bulky of a bag hanging off my belt anyway, but it is an option and certainly appears that it would be secure, and most accessible as well. The cover fastens securely with a double zipper and a hefty plastic luggage-type clasp. This camera bag is everything I was wanting and more, and a bargain for under twenty dollars. I highly recommend it.

This would be a great bag, but it is much too small for the Nikon D80 and I am sure it is too small for most other DSLRs.
Too bad really because it is well thought out except for the size.

This will not hold a Nikon D40x with a small 18-55mm zoom. That is just to small to be useful.

My Panasonic FZ28 fits real nice in this bag. It fits in sideways so the lens faces the side of the bag, which is the easiest way to grab it out because your hand is already positioned in the place it should be. The one minor setback: inside is two strips of velcro along the front and back and one on the bottom to hold in a divider, which I wouldn't be using. The velcro edge catches and the camera drags along it. I wanted a case that I could slide in the camera without worry so I found a solution. I turned the bag inside out and used a sewing thread removal tool to take out the velcro. Now the case is GREAT! You can even fit in the hood for the camera if you position it on the bottom of the bag facing up because of the gap underneath the lens. All in all very nice for $20. Oh wait one more complaint the shoulder strap is not removable, and it would be nice if the belt loop had velcro on the bottom so you didn't have to take off your belt to put it on, kinda stupid. Anyway still nice and a good fit for the fz28.

this bag is much to small to hold an SLR camera. i was very disapointed. For the short while i used it i had to take apart my camera everytime i used it, and was unable to have a strap on it. it work well if you had a small camera, such as a click and shoot.

Shipped very fast. It's very good product, very neat bags. But It isn't fit on my camera (Cannon SX10 IS). I regret to return this. I'm looking for the other Tamrac one too!

The Micro Explorer is made for larger compact and Super Zoom size cameras. For travel, long weekends and events, the Micro Explorer is a perfect trip case for the Panasonic FZ28. I load it up with two spare battery packs, the battery charger, two extra SD cards with a reader, lens pen with a cleaning cloth, a filter lens and the lens hood. There is still a little more room in the Micro Explorer case to add more accessories like the HD cable if needed.

When carrying the camera but not using it, the strap closure is extra security that the camera and case contents will not fall out. A tip to open the strap closure latch easily: pinch it at its very bottom on both sides at the same time. The zipper pull located on each side of the case cover eliminates the problem of fumbling to open and close the case. The trick is to move both zipper pulls to the middle to close the case and to slide both zipper pulls in opposite directions to fully open the case.

For everyday use, I carry the FZ28 in a Tamrac Aero 20 which holds just the camera and only essential accessories, but it is much lighter and less bulky than the Micro Explorer.

It is a misnomer to call the Micro Explorer a DSLR camera bag and Tamrac does not advertise it for DSLR use. Amazon does a good job advertising products, but it still pays to research manufacturer's websites to see if an item is right for one's use. This is the Tamrac webpage for the Micro Explorer: http://www.tamrac.com/5500.htm.

The Explorer 1 is a good bag for small DSLR cameras or for carrying an external flash and accessory lens for an advanced compact camera. The webpage for the Explorer 1 is: http://www.tamrac.com/5201.htm

this wouldve been a great bag if the specs for its size were actually true.

i wanted to travel light and carry just the camera and lens. after taking measurements from my Rebel XT + nifty fifty lens, and comparing several bags for size and looks, i figure this would be a great fit at a good price.

well, the price is good, but the fit is horrible. it shouldnt be advertised as a DSLR bag at all, as it can barely fit the body, let alone body+lens as shown on their website, even after removing the little divider it comes with.

i really dont know how they get their interior measurements, as its just very misleading. its not even worth the money to resell this, as the shipping will probably cost more than the bag is worth. i shouldve stayed with lowepro; at least their measurements were more accurate for when i owned an FZ18

I recently used the Tamrac Micro Explorer DSLR bag to carry my Panasonic DMC-FZ28 digital camera for a week while on vacation. I was able to store the camera and lens hood in the main area of the bag. I place the lens hood in first with the front of the hood pointing down, and then place the camera in the bag with the lens pointing down. The camea fits perfectly and there is plenty of room for the camera shoulder strap on top of the back of the camera. The camera slides out easily when stored this way without any extra space for the camera to move around. I stored a spare battery and the lens hood adapter in the front compartment. There are two slots in the front compartment to store memory cards, and each has a red tab that is used to indicate which memory cards are used or are free to record on. The bag has a full coverage top with a zipper and a quick release latch. This is a perfect bag for the Panasonic camera offering good protection without being too bulky.

I purchased this bag for my Canon A720 IS camera. I typically carry a mini tripod, a Sony Cycle Energy battery charger, with 8 spare batteries, a lens adapter, a wide angle lens, a box of filters, and a couple of spare memory cards. All of this is in a form factor that is only 7"H x 5-1/2"W x 6"D when fully loaded. I commend the top flap design, with both zipper and squeeze-clip fastening options, because it's hem, using either option, is long and secure enough to keep the elements out of the bag - and this is very important in the environments I use it in. I generally carry this bag inside a larger shoulder bag, so the top handle is great for easily removing it from my main bag. I do not carry this bag on my belt, as it is a bit too bulky to wear on my hip or front, and too complicated to wear in the back and still access it. The provided shoulder strap is narrow and cheap, but fine for infrequent use. This is the only characteristic that I have even a slight negative comment about. This camera bag is the best I have found for my needs and I highly recommend it.