( 11 reviews )
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Posted: 07-30-2009
Recently I ordered first the Tenba Shootout (medium) and later the Kata 3in1-20 sling bags. A friend had recently picked up the LowePro AWS sling, which I also tried out; I liked the lowepro, but the top compartment was too small.First some thoughts - overall, both Tenba and Kata are really solid, well put-together bags. Some notes on each follow...TENBA Shootout- very solid, pretty stylish, but rather bulky- very stiff/rigid; for me, this was not a good thing as I wanted a less bulky bag- roomy top compartment- zippers were quite stiff; taking the camera out was slow, required both hands and quite a bit of force on the zippers- wide strap was very comfortable around the shoulders (though I didn't wear it for more than an hour on my short trek); secondary strap secured the bag against the body quite well- very easy to "swing about" to access the camera- interior access was fantastic, as the entire back unzips- interior dividers OK, but not as good as the KATA's- side strap for tripod and back bungee for misc stuff handy (though securing a tripod on the side strap seemed kinda iffy, as it would tend to slide down & out)KATA 3in1-20- very stylish bag, not much smaller but much less "bulky" than the Tenba- roomy top compartment- one-handed "unclip & zip-back" to reveal the camera was fantastic, very easy to use!- interior access was just OK, as only half the bag unzips (not a huge issue, imo)- nice interior dividers, and the neon yellow makes it very hard to lose something!- the top side pockets were very useful; lacking on the Tenba- harder than the Tenba to "swing about" to access the camera- the main issue w/the Kata was the sling strap; it is much less wide then the Tenba, and so in sling mode wasn't nearly as comfortable; in fact, during a short trek and w/the bag only moderately loaded (D90, + three lenses), I found myself adjusting the bag quite often to relieve slight discomfort on my shoulder. (didn't use the bag in backpack mode, though presumably this would be more comfy)FWIW, the gear I stowed in the bags was a D90 with 18-200, 35-70/2.8 and 85/1.4 lenses, along with some camera miscellany (SD, batteries, cleaner, etc).The Tenba bag went back; the Kata 3in1 bag (as I've already taken it on one trip) I'm going to try to sell locally.
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Posted: 07-30-2009
Recently I ordered first the Tenba Shootout (medium) and later the Kata 3in1-20 sling bags. A friend had recently picked up the LowePro AWS sling, which I also tried out; I liked the lowepro, but the top compartment was too small. First some thoughts - overall, both Tenba and Kata are really solid, well put-together bags. Some notes on each follow... TENBA Shootout - very solid, pretty stylish, but rather bulky - very stiff/rigid; for me, this was not a good thing as I wanted a less bulky bag - roomy top compartment - zippers were quite stiff; taking the camera out was slow, required both hands and quite a bit of force on the zippers - wide strap was very comfortable around the shoulders (though I didn't wear it for more than an hour on my short trek); secondary strap secured the bag against the body quite well - very easy to "swing about" to access the camera - interior access was fantastic, as the entire back unzips - interior dividers OK, but not as good as the KATA's - side strap for tripod and back bungee for misc stuff handy (though securing a tripod on the side strap seemed kinda iffy, as it would tend to slide down & out) KATA 3in1-20 - very stylish bag, not much smaller but much less "bulky" than the Tenba - roomy top compartment - one-handed "unclip & zip-back" to reveal the camera was fantastic, very easy to use! - interior access was just OK, as only half the bag unzips (not a huge issue, imo) - nice interior dividers, and the neon yellow makes it very hard to lose something! - the top side pockets were very useful; lacking on the Tenba - harder than the Tenba to "swing about" to access the camera - the main issue w/the Kata was the sling strap; it is much less wide then the Tenba, and so in sling mode wasn't nearly as comfortable; in fact, during a short trek and w/the bag only moderately loaded (D90, + three lenses), I found myself adjusting the bag quite often to relieve slight discomfort on my shoulder. (didn't use the bag in backpack mode, though presumably this would be more comfy) FWIW, the gear I stowed in the bags was a D90 with 18-200, 35-70/2.8 and 85/1.4 lenses, along with some camera miscellany (SD, batteries, cleaner, etc). The Tenba bag went back; the Kata 3in1 bag (as I've already taken it on one trip) I'm going to try to sell locally.
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( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: 05-23-2009
Overall i think this is a great bag. You just can't fill every void with gear or else the weight can cause problems for comfort and construction. I had mine for about two months before the main shoulder strap started to separate from the bottom of the bag. When I contacted Tenba for warranty info they were amazing. I actually heard back from someone with a name and she said to send it Attn to her specifically and she would send a replacement. I accidentally left my charger in the bag when I mailed it off and sent her an email asking her to send it back if she found it. The next day she called and found the charger and put it in the new bag to be shipped back. How perfect is that? Aside from the the fact that Tenba stands by their products so reliably, the bag doesn't fit larger cameras in the side pocket very well if you intend to carry around more than a couple lenses. My Canon 40D (without battery grip) fit fine but the attached lens was quite snug. I carried a 50mm 1.4, a 60mm macro, an 11-16mm, 70-300 zoom, a flash and 4 filters and speakers for my ipod. You have to get creative with how you place your lenses in the bag if you plan on carrying around your full kit and even then perhaps the weight is too much. But considering Tenba's level of customer service, it's worth the risk of buying this bag to see if it works for you.
