Customer Reviews

Tamrac 5502 Explorer 2 Camera Bag (Blue)

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Quite roomy for a small camera bag. I had a difficult time finding a small camera bag that could fit my camera. This top-loading bag can hold a larger SLR with a battery grip, hand strap and medium zoom lens attached with a non-reversed lens hood. And there's room for more -- another lens or two or a flash unit and some smaller items like batteries, filters, memory cards, film, etc. The padded lens compartment dividers are velcroed and can be adjusted to fit your equipment. The right and left lens compartments can be further sub-divided with two included padded velcro partitions but I don't find it very useful to stack equipment in this fashion.

The bag is sturdy and well-padded with a top handle and an adjustable shoulder strap. The top is held closed with quick-release nylon buckle for fast extraction of your camera but can also be zippered closed for added protection from the elements. Great bag for short trips!

I needed a new camera bag for my new camera, so I shopped a local camera store to see what they had. I was really impressed with the quality of the Tamrac products they had in stock. The canvas sides of the bag, the straps and the padding were all a notch heavier and better quality than similarly priced competing brands that I saw in that store. But I didn't buy there, since they only carried backpack styles in the Tamrac brand, and I wanted a more conventional, non-backpack style bag.

I did an Internet search for Tamrac products when I got home and found that they have a huge and varied product line of camera and video bags, many more than I saw in the store. Since I now knew of their quality, I simply picked a Tamrac bag by the advertised features, size and price.

The Tamrac Explorer 2 is fairly small, but ideally sized to carry my Nikon D80 DSLR with a 18-135 Nikkor zoom attached. There is also enough additional room for a good sized flash and an extra lens. And, there's plenty of space for small things like extra memory cards, batteries, cables, etc.

My camera's body with the lens attached measures a total of 6.25 inches long (back of camera body to end of attached lens), 4 inches tall (camera body base to hot shoe) and 5 inches wide. This bag will accept a camera body that is even wider than that, but the 6.25 inch total length is close to the max that this bag will comfortably handle. If your camera/lens combination is longer than that, you will want to look at a larger bag, if you intend to carry your camera with the lens attached.

Finally, this is a bag that should last you many years with only minimal care. It is solidly built from quality materials. Just keep in mind that the size of this bag is suitable for just one camera body, a couple of lenses (one attached to the camera body), a flash attachment and the assorted small items that support a DSLR system. If you want to carry more than this, get a larger bag.

Very pleased with the quality of this bag. Shoulder strap pad is made to conform to your shoulder and does not feel bad even after a full days use.
Strap could be a bit longer IMO, I like to put the strap over my head and carry it on the other shoulder so it will not slip off.. just not long enough to keep top of bag as low as I like, but still works just fine.
I'm 6 foot and wear a size 42 long jacket as reference if that helps at all.

I would suggest that you go by the actual inside measurements rather than Tamrac saying WHAT it will hold. Not sure just what lenses and flash units they are testing with, but seem to be of smaller size than what I have in use.

Normally, I carry a backpack type camera bag to hold all my gear, but now and then find I don't need everything with me and would still like to protect my gear and keep it ready for quick use.

I stepped up from the Explorer "1" to this size just as I was about to order, because I wanted plenty of room and it's not quite what I thought in that area based on how many items they state it will hold.

This does hold a Cannon 20D or 40D with battery grip plus shorter lens like the 17-85. (Don't pull the velcro divider straps all the way flat)
a full size flash and flash grip, along with extra batteries, memory cards etc.

They do make various, smaller, add-on cases that can mount on the strap and that works well also if you need to carry more items.


One feature I messed up on.... I started looking at smaller Tamrac bags and they featured a way to strap to your belt along with a shoulder strap and I like that in my other bags.
However, I used the Tamrac site "quick look" to look at the line and kept up-sizing until I saw what seemed to hold enough items, but failed to see that it dropped the belt feature at some size, so just be sure and read the features and measurments well before you order yours.

If you get one too small, you have to pack it tight in the main compartment, makes you lose the use of all the other zippered compartments as filling these will make things fit worse or not at all.

I love this camera bag. I looked through tons of different camera bags and narrowed it down to this one. I use it to hold my Nikon D40X camera with a 18-55 lens (attached to the body), SB-600 Nikon flash, Nikkor 55-200 lens, spare set of four AA batteries for my flash, a spare battery for my camera, an extra memory card, and my Nikon Digital Field Guide book. The main part of my bag is full, but there's still plenty of room for extras like cables more memory cards and other small accessories. It's compact and carries all my necessities in a very organized fashion. The bag is weather resistant and seems very durable. I would definitely recommend this bag and consider it a must have for a DSLR camera owner.

I bought the Tamrac Explorer 2 for a Nikon D80 recently, and it seems to be pretty good. I like the general look and design of the bag, as it looks like a traditional gadget bag. I especially like the extra zipper for the cover, which helps keep dirt and dust away from the main compartment where I store my camera, and the single clip securing the cover works well when I don't need the extra protection of the zipper. While reasonably compact, the bag is fairly sturdy, although I haven't "taken it on the road" yet to see how it holds up under normal travel wear and tear. Storage seems adequate for now, although I only have one lens for the camera (18-135mm), which I keep mounted on the camera when I store it in the Tamrac. Adjusting the velcro-secured panels to accomodate my stuff took a little time, but the final configuration seems to meet my needs, and secures the camera quite well. My only complaint is that when I store my camera "lens down" within the space I created with the velcro panels, the lens extends when I remove the camera because the fit is so tight. I also wish the Tamrac Explorer 2 had side pockets to store additional items. Other than that, it's a nice bag that keeps my camera safe. The shoulder strap seems comfortable, but I won't know how it feels after extended use and lugging the fully loaded bag around on my next vacation. Overall, I would recommend buying this bag.

Giving only three stars is for the misleading information in the advertising - the bag is good quality, nice looking, and practical.

The drawing in the advertising is the primary misleading factor....
I purchased this bag to carry a camera with a pro lens 24x70mm 2.8, (a bit under 6 iches long) and a flash - I was thinking that will fit - wrong answer!

The flash was the first problem. I have a normal Nikon SB-800 flash which will not fit horizontal or vertical. I need to turn the flash to a 90 degree angle to fit and he then takes up so much space that no additional lens will fit, with exception of a very small Nikon 50mm.

Second problem is that no pro lens will fit. 6 inches lenght as stipulated is okay but most of theses lenses are simply to large in diameter.

Third problem is the camera grip. Yes, my Nikon D200 with grip will fit, but I have to really force the zipper over the flash bracket and I need to use a very small camera strap.

I can fit my Nikon D200, the Nikon Flash SB 800 in a 90 degree angle, a small Nikon lens 18x55mm lens monted on the camera, and an extra 55-200 Nikon lens. (both lenses are small). Then, everything is so tight pressed together and I need to push and shuff to get anything in and out. I wonder how long it would take until something is broken being treated like that...

Hier a more adequate item description:
Wery nice and durable camera bag. Will fit a medium size digital or film camera without grip, or smaller size camera with grip, plus two small lenses, and a very small flash.

I still recommend the quality of this bag, and I will keep mine. Nevertheless, I need to purchase another one to get what I need.

This bag has held up well for me over a year and a half. In the bag a lone, I keep my D50 with 18-135mm lens attached, a Sigma 10-20mm and a 50mm f/1.8 with extension tube attached.


I also added 2 Tamrac M.A.S. lens cases (MX5378) to hold an SB600 and 70-300mm VR. They can attach to the side of the case and they give me quite a few options on what lenses I can carry, how many I want to carry at one time and where I want to carry them in the case.

The bag also has a nice front pocket to hold things like filter, off camera flash cord, etc

I purchased this bag hoping to fit my Canon Digital Rebel (300d) with a 75-300 zoom attached and some room for extras like the kiet 18-55 lens, a filter case, batteries and a charger, and a few spare memory cards. This bag nailed it! Plenty of extra room still left for another lens or an external flash, and obviously durable enough to last until longer than I can possibly use. My only complaint is the front buckle - it's a strange design (different from any other plastic clasp-buckle I've ever seen) which seems to make working the buckle considerably more difficult than it needs to be. All in all, a great bag!

I've been using an Explorer 1 to carry a Nikon D40x+lens, two extra lenses, and a flash. Everything "kind of" fits, but the bag's overstuffed, so the camera sticks up above the zipper. The bag closes, but bulges, with the LCD pressed against the top flap. A Nikon D90 is just a teeny bit taller & wider, so it sticks up even more... too much more for my peace of mind.

The Explorer 2 is just a little bigger in all dimensions than the Explorer 1... big enough to comfortably hold all the same equipment for the D90, and the camera does not protrude. The "2" also comes with a pair of horizontal dividers to let you stack things on top of each other, on either side of the camera. Getting to a lower lens might be a little challenging, and my gear doesn't need these; but they could be useful for some people.

This Explorer 2 is only $5 more than the Explorer 1, and I wish I'd gotten it in the first place, only because it's roomier. The construction and extra pockets are the same for both bags: excellent workmanship, good protection, and places for lots of little things.

This is a decent camera bag. It holds all the camera equipment I have so far. I have a Nikon D60, SB-600, 18-55mm lens, a 55-200mm lens on camera and a lens hood. All these fit in the main compartments and my spare battery and cleaning stuff fits in the front pocket. It is a decent buy and I would recommend it if you have about the same amount of camera equipment.