Customer Reviews

Tamrac 5608 Pro 8 Camera Bag (Black)

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

 

 

The Pro 8 is one tough cookie. My goal in finding a great gear bag was one that could hold 2 SLR bodies and 3-4 lenses, a flash and multiple other goodies. The bag had to hold it securely, be weather resistant and have top-notch foam padding. i.e. Built to last, so my camera gear would, too! I shoot in all seasons, even winter in Minnesota. I can slip one or two of those neat little "hand heater" pads into the bag in the winter and the INSULATING qualities of the Pro 8 keep the gear warm. The opposite is true in summer or when you must leave your gear in the car during warm days. A "cool pack" in one of the spare compartments does the trick for keeping things at a reasonable temperature for hours. The detachable film bag goes right from the fridge to the Pro 8 quickly, or detaches for inspection at airports in a snap. If you have one camera body and 1-2 lenses,use the extra space for lunch! The Pro 8 is worth every penny.

I never tried a Tamrac camera bag before, and I must say that I really like this model. Nice durable construction with a padded interior to protect your camera(s) and equipment. That being said, I am a little dubious about the claim that it will fit two SLRs with lenses attached. Certainly if your lenses are fixed then it shouldn't be a problem, but if both are equipped with zooms then you may run out of room. I have a Nikon D70s, and with the 18-70mm DX kit lens attached it reaches just about to the center of the bag or slightly past it. Either way, two cameras like that would result in the lenses touching tightly at the caps. As my other camera is a Coolpix 5400 room isn't an issue, but it did factor into me giving the Pro 4 stars instead of 5. So basically, if you have one SLR and want a roomy bag with adjustable dividers and pocket space then this may be what you're looking for, otherwise you may want to look for a larger model.

I bought the Tamrac 5608 Pro 8 because it easily holds holds two pro sized SLR bodies (Nikon F3s with short-ish lenses and the 8 AA battery powered MD4 motor drives attached) and 4 additional lenses, but its active career in my 'photo-arsenal' was short lived.

My main gripe with this bag is with the seam used to join the bag to the main zipper (it isn't taped over and will lead to inevitable fraying and zipper jams) and the tripod holder is a complete joke (only good for the very lightest duty tripods). If you have a bunch of filters, you will need to get a wallet-style holder to hold them safely and securely.

For the price, this bag is quite the bargain as comparable products will set you back at least twice as much - but in retrospect I think I should've shelled out more in the beginning. I ended up trading up to a LowePro backpack.

I looked long and hard before deciding on the Tamrac Pro 8. I received my bag a little over a month ago and until last night I was pretty much satisfied with it.

The division system is a bit hard to get used to but you can rearrange it since the walls are velcro. It is important to point out that with the default configuration you will be stacking lenses. The lenses on the bottom row will be covered with a velcro pad and not easily accessible. I will point out that after coming to a setup I could work with I had a nice amount of velcro debris in the bottom that I ended up vacuuming out, you will want to do the same so those buggers can't make it into your gear.

I mentioned I was more or less satisfied until last night. A trident on one of the quick snap buckles broke off. I'm more careful than most with my gear so if the bag is already breaking down with light use I'm a bit worried about the long term implications here. Tamrac has a 5 year warranty on their bags but the caveat is you must pay shipping each way and they quote at least a two week turn around. There are plenty of other snaps so I'll hold off on getting it serviced for now. It is nice to know that if it degrades any further I can have it repaired or replaced for the cost of shipping both ways.

I am looking for a bag for casual purposes, like hiking. This is a bag of good compromises. Too small, you can't hold more than a couple of spare lens. Too big, it starts to look weird and bulky. Yet it is roomy enough to allow creativity. I have looked around and for its size, 5608 holds the most stuff. Without hood, I can fit the following all in the main compartment:

- 40d with F2.8 17-55mm attached

- 10-22mm

- 100mm macro

- tamron 70-300mm

- tamron 1.4x tele convertor

- 430ex

- macro flash(big)

- dust blower

- a disposable water bottle (for hiking). The bottle can be replaced with 70-200 F4, I suspect.

Sure it is packed, but everything is still well padded. I don't have a 2nd body, but you can replace a lens with a 2nd body, no attached lens. I would not recommend getting this as your only bag if you have 2 bodies, since 2 lenses have to be put under the bodies and that makes changing lens inconvenient. I put the least used macro lens underneath the body and on the other side, I put 2 lenses upright instead of top/bottom.

Well finished, balanced, beauty... a very very nice camera bag. I'm not fond of back-packs or kangaroo pouches for carrying my photo gear. I prefer the classic, standard, shoulder-hanged bag. I particularly feel this one as a very safe and rugged one.
You'll find enough space in it to accomodate bodies, lenses, flash, and several minor gadgets. Side-slip pocket is a real hit, very handy indeed.

Not quite as big as I expected it to be, I almost wish i would've shelled out the extra bucks for the pro 12 to get a little extra comfort room in the big internal pouch. But, I don't think it would've been worth it an extra $40-50 for that little extra room. Nevertheless this is an excellent bag and It's actually probably better that I went with the pro 8 instead of the 12. It's big enough to fit it all, but small enough to carry it around everywhere and not be too much.

This bag is definitely well built and durable, ready to take on the winter months coming up with its total coverage top, 4 clips, a zipper and velcro to keep the top secure. The inside is nice with the dividers and tons of velcro for maximum personalization to any gear you have. tons of pouches, pockets and slots for all that little stuff from memory card slots to cables, cords, cell phones or anything you can think of.

So in this nice roomy little bag I managed to fit:

-Stroboframe bracket (tight fit tho)

-Olympus E-510 Dslr w/ 14-42mm and hood attached (and strap)

-Canon Rebel 2000 film slr w/ 28-80mm attached (and strap)

-40-150mm lens w/ hood

-FL-50 TTL Flash

-2nd manual flash

-Portable Hard Drive

-1 Wireless flash trigger and 2 receivers

-Cables and cords

-Memory cards, film and any other little things like lens caps.

-Small Tripod

-Plus plenty of room for little stuff left in the pockets and pouches

The only thing I've found is that this bag is slightly different from the description in that they must have came out with a newer model that doesn't have the detachable film bag, but does have red flags for memory card slots, check the Tamrac site for the correct version/photo.

Overall it is an excellent bag and I'm very pleased with it.

Tamrac is a great company. This bag is well constructed, visibly durable and nicely designed, but it just isn't a good size. If you really do hope to fit in two DSLR's with lenses attached of normal length, you'll be disappointed to find out theres hardly any room left to fit a long lens or a even two normal lenses. It's just too cramped. Although the pockets on the top, front, and sides of the bag are great and fit lots of things, the main compartment is too small to fit two cameras and lenses comfortably. I'm returning mine and upgrading to the Pro 12, which is a perfect size for two bodies and 2 or 3 lenses and a flash.

I purchased this bag after trying a few others for my Rebel XT. The problem was, I like to carry my small video camera with me and could not find a bag to hold both without it feeling very cramped with concern that the cameras would bang together. In this bag I am able to carry my Rebel XT with 28-135mm lens attached, my Canon video camera where the second camera body would go, a 24mm lens, 60mm macro lens, 85mm lens and 70-300mm DO lens. I also have room for batteries, image cards, battery charger, wallet, cell phone and other misc in the pockets. I was afraid this would be really uncomfortable to carry when filled but so far it feels fine. I think I finally found the bag I was looking for.

Tamrac's 5608 camera bag is well constructed, made of durable materials, and adaptable for various uses. It is heavily padded, with a stiff solid bottom, and is large enough to carry a couple of SLR camera bodies, even with battery grips attached, plus a fair amount of accessories.

The interior of the bag can be divided into up to eight smaller compartments. Each camera body however, will take two spaces, so if you carry two bodies, there will be only four compartments remaining. The bag is bout 8" deep, and lenses, flash units, flash meters, battery packs, and the like, can be stored in these compartments. If you carry your SLR unassembled, you can carry quite a lot in this bag.

If you want your camera ready to shoot with a lens attached, the dividers are designed so that a body with a zoom lens can be place down the middle of the bag. A camera with a telephoto lens up to around 10 inches will fit in the bag. If the lenses are about three inches each, two SLR's with lenses attached can be accommodated in the down the middle configuration. Whenever a camera is carried this way, you may need to arrange your things carefully if you want to carry other gear.

There is a zippered pocket with two compartments on the bottom of the bag's cover flap, that is suitable for carrying things like filters, flash diffusers, memory card cases and the like. There is a zippered drop down compartment with pockets in the front. A pouch with velcro fasteners is on each side of the bag. The flap may not be likely to slip open, but carrying a valuable or heavy item in these pouches might not be a good idea. They are a decent size, and are good for items that are not too fragile. On the back of the bag is a shallow zippered pocket.

The bag has a padded heavy duty carrying strap, and also has straps at the base for carrying a tripod. If you don't use a memory card case, there is a wallet for carrying digital media, batteries, and other small accessories. The wallet is attached to the bag with an elastic band, and sides into a compartment on the side of the bag. The wallet is about six inches smaller than the compartment, resulting in more space to store items if you like.

The design of this bag is excellent. Spaces are easy to access, gear is well protected, and there is capacity to conveniently carry a large amount of equipment. As with any camera bag, its ultimate usefulness depends on the user, and the particular gear to be carried. Getting hands-on access to different bags is not always possible, so study the photos and diagrams here, or at Tamrac's website, and make a determination if this bag has enough space for your gear. The 5608 is available in either black or blue color. In general, camera bags are expensive, and prices are on the rise, so if you can afford to wait, try and get one on sale.