Tamrac 574501 Velocity 5 Photo Hip Pack Convertible (Black)

by Tamrac

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 11.5 x 9 inches ; 1.7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000067O86
• Item model number: TA-5745/01
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 24, 2002

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars cozy fit for an SLR, January 3, 2004

By 

Digital Puer "digital_puer" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tamrac 574504 Velocity 5 Photo Hip Pack Convertible (Blue) (Electronics)

This is my first dedicated camera bag I've bought. I got this bag to hold my recently-purchased Canon 300D Digital Rebel SLR. The bag is just big enough to hold the camera (with an attached lens) and two other lenses. You should take a look at Tamrac's website to see the internal diagrams of this bag. I have the Canon 28-135mm lens, which is a pretty hefty lens, and the fit is a bit too cozy for my taste. If I keep the lens attached to my camera and place the camera in the main compartment, pulling out the camera occasionally knocks off the lens cap if it isn't very firmly attached.

Additionally, there isn't much room for other material. There are three other compartments. One is in a small plastic zippered housing in the lift-top, another is in a large zippered compartment on the front of the bag, and the last is in some webbing in the front. All in all, there is just enough room to keep some spare memory cards/film and batteries. However, when I go travelling on foot, I tend to keep a lot of extra papers with me, including maps, guide books, and other junk, and it looks like there isn't much room for that. Behind the bag is a snap-buttoned lining for holding the attached belt. I use this enclosure for keeping my compact 10" tripod.

Other than that, this is a fine bag as long as you keep your accessories and other personal items to a minimum. There were other things I liked. One, inside the bag there is a good 1" of clearing between the camera and the lid. This is good, because I don't want anything touching (and potentially scratching) the LCD on the back of my camera. Second, the internal compartments are very well padded. Finally, the bag doesn't look like a camera bag. It looks like a typical daypack (with a nice blue colour to boot), so this will minimise the potential for mugging!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars almost perfect, May 27, 2005

By 

D. Kim "bummster" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tamrac 574501 Velocity 5 Photo Hip Pack Convertible (Black) (Electronics)

I'm using this to carry my Digital Rebel 350 XT, the 17-85 EFS IS USM lens, B&W MRC UV Filter, sunpak grip strap, and the EW73B petal hood. When everything is attached/assembled it slips in fine. however, with the petal hood reversed for storage, the hood tends to snag on the velcro on it's way up. this causes the lens to zoom out. it doesn't happen every time you reach for the camera, but it does happen.
the simple solution is to just live with it, or don't store the hood on the lens. (which is probably better with this lens since the hood obstructs the zoom ring quite a bit)
I'm able to store the following in this bag with space for more.

1) Rebel XT w/ EFS 17-85 IS USM lens + B&W MRC UV Filter + EW73BII petal hood reversed on the lens + Sunpak grip strap
2) body cap and back lens cap tucked into the space on one side of lens
3) B&W filter box tucked on the other side of the lens. (no it doesn't sit flat against the bottom or side. instead it divides the space into 2 triangles.)
4) memory cards and batteries in the turbo top clear pocket.
5) USB2 and Video cable in front pocket
6) battery charger and CF PCMCIA adapter in front pocket
7) pen in the pen holder in front pocket
8) cheap blower brush in front pocket
9) microfiber cloth in front pocket
10) nothing in the front mesh pocket.

the strap has 2 Strap attachment slots. it is also fairly comfortable. I'm sure neoprene straps are better/more comfy.

the turbo top itself is semi useful. you need to get used to opening and closing the top. opening it means having a grip on the left side of the bag, and then pulling, as the zippers have some resistance to them. closing the top is a little easier. reason being, there's no need to grip the right side due to the buckle being located there. in the field, i tend to keep the turbo top half zipped for quicker egress of the camera.

the hip straps work great. very pleased with them. I've got a 31" waist. there is a lot of slack when adjusted.

this bag doesn't have tamrac's red flag digital organizer system. but the clear top works great for storing batteries and cards. it won't hold a 67mm B&W filter though.

no camera bag is perfect. I'm still searching for my version of it. for some, this bag will be their perfect fit.

UPDATE - 6/24/5
I'm able to fit the following in this bag...
It the main compartment, with only 1 foam divider
a Sigma 70-200 EX HSM with hood reversed and the tripod colar attached.
Canon Digital Rebel 350D XT with EFS 17-85 IS USM with hood reversed.
In the front gear catcher area, the charger, giottos rocket blower, giottos brush, PCMCIA CF Card reader, body and lens caps, and a pen.
In the clear turbo pocket, giottos micro fiber cloth, spare CF card, spare battery.

It packs in REALLY tight but it does fit. the Sigma lens and the canon rebel 350D body fit very cozy. Would probably not work if i tried to fit a 20D or a 300D.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very nice, affordable hip bag ..., June 26, 2006

By 

Man F. Wong (NYC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tamrac 574501 Velocity 5 Photo Hip Pack Convertible (Black) (Electronics)

I generally agree w/ other positive reviews about this bag. I've owned one for nearly 3 years now and still like it though I have finally outgrown its cozy size/fit w/ my Nikon D200. I originally did a lot of shopping before choosing this bag for my then Canon Powershot G3 kit, which included tele and wide lens converters and a 420EX speedlight, w/ expectation that I would keep using it when I eventually upgrade to a D-SLR. And when I did upgrade to a Nikon D70 (upon its initial release back in 3/04), the bag continued to serve me well though yes it was a very tight fit w/ the D70 + a small-to-mid-size lens attached pointed down and Sigma 70-200 EX f/2.8 next to it -- the tightness was mainly between the width of the D70 body and the width of the 70-200 f/2.8 telezoom. FWIW, I also briefly had a Nikon D50 that fit quite a bit easier and comfortably cozy w/ the same configuration.

Still, I like that the bag also offers these side notches for attaching additional small bags/cases/pouches, which Tamrac calls their MAS system (and Lowepro calls Slip-lock), and I usually use that to attach a Lowepro D-Res 25 to carry an additional small-to-mid-size lens (eg. Nikon 85mm f/1.8, 35mm f/2, 18-70mm DX). I like this configuration partly because I could also quickly detach the D-Res 25 bag and go lightweight w/ just my D-SLR out in the open w/ its neckstrap plus an extra lens in the D-Res 25, which I do quite often.

The waist belt might be useful for a bigger person, but for me, the bag is really too tall to be worn around the waist (and probably too heavy also w/ D-SLR gear) although it worked ok for brief periods on a couple occasions back when I was still using it for my Canon G3 kit. Some might also find the waist belt useful w/ the bag worn behind (instead of in front) when riding a bike I guess.

Anyway, now that I have a Nikon D200, I'm again shopping for a new bag as I can no longer squeeze that in the bag next to the 70-200mm f/2.8 telezoom. The top candidates right now are the Lowepro Slingshot 200 and the Tamrac Velocity 8 and 9 as I prefer to get a sling-like bag that doesn't require removal for quick, reliable access. I'd also consider another hip bag that's just like the Velocity 5, but a bit bigger to fit the D200, but alas, there doesn't seem to be one that quite fits the bill -- the Adorama Slinger comes close, but it doesn't look as well designed nor have an equiv to the Tamrac MAS system that I find essential for bags of this size. The Lowepro Slingshot seems almost perfect to me, except I'm not too sure it'll work well for me ergonomically speaking since I much prefer wearing the strap on my left shoulder, instead of right shoulder like most other folks I guess, and slung across to my lower right side.

Addendum: For anyone looking for a moderately bigger slingbag (for D-SLR use), there's now also the increasingly popular Kata T-214 GDC Torso-Pack that I recently bought and love. I find that compares favorably to the other slingbags I mentioned above, especially if you prefer slinging over the left shoulder (though it works fine both ways unlike the Lowepro Slingshot).

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