Customer Reviews:
 My favorite of 6 different camera bags/backpacks July 24, 2008
Lowepro Topload Zoom 1 Camera Bag (Black)
Lowepro Topload Zoom 2 Camera bag (Black)
Lowepro Nova 3 AW Camera Bag (Black)
Lowepro CompuTrekker AW Camera Backpack (Black)
Crumpler THE WHICKEY AND COX Camera Backpack (Gun Metal/Grey)
Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home Photo Bag (Dark Red / Red / Dark Blue)
I have some decent photo gear, and I wanted a good bag to hold most, if not all of my equipment when on the go.
* I started off with the TMZ1 when I just had a D70 w/ kit lens.
* Stepped up to the TMZ2 when I got my 40D w/ kit lens.
* Went with the Nova 3 AW when I added a 24-105 L lens & 580EX flash to my 40D
* My collection grew some more and I found myself with no place to put my gear, so I opted to go with a larger backpack that could accommodate a laptop
** Whickey & Cox was a very nice backpack, excellent padding but the shape limited the amount of gear (body, 2 lens & flash and some accessories)
** Computrekker AW was able to fit my whole collection & my laptop, but, the overall package looked HUGE, not very inconspicuous...
So, I bought a 7 Million Dollar Home bag and I can't be happier (almost).
In this bag, I store a Canon 40D & grip w/ 24-105 f/4 L attached, 70-200 f/2.8 L IS, 17-40 f/4 L, 50 f/1.4, 580 EX II flash & various accessories & hoods.
The strap is comfortable, the interior is smooth with strong velcro, making for easy, endless configurations. Best of all, the bag isn't very "camera bag like", looks almost like a diaper bag for my baby. The bag weighs around 10 pounds fully loaded, but, its very easy on the shoulders.
The padding on this bag isn't as grand as either of my other backpacks, but, decent. I expected a little more for such an expensive bag. The only other complaint I have, is that there is only 1 velcro on the front, so when you carry the bag by the top handle, the bag shows some distress.
 ALMOST the perfect compromise June 4, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I walked all over Asia carrying this bag with the following inside: 1 large SLR (w/ battery grip and tripod bracket), 24-70/2.8, 70-200/2.8, 16-35/2.8, 15mm fisheye, 1 speedlight, 1 angle finder, bunch of spare batteries and CF cards. The bag was able to hold all the gear, although some clever puzzle-like arrangement was required, and it took me a few tries to find the best configuration to make things fit.
The good things about this bag:
1. it looks smaller than it really is and does not look like a camera bag, so it draws very little attention.
2. very well made. it endured quite a bit of abuse being shoved under airplane seats, brushed against crowds of people... etc. and it held up well.
3. provides good protection for your equipment. the paddings are more than adequate for most situations to keep your investments inside safe from the elements.
The bad things about this bag:
1. with the gear listed above, the fit is tight. changing lenses in a hurry, especially in a crowd and w/o a flat surface to work with (which is most of the time when you're traveling in Asian cities), is very difficult.
2. there aren't any small compartments in the 2 large accessory pockets. so your spare CF cards and anything else small get totally lost in there and they're hard to find when you need them.
3. the velcro closures, while very strong, are VERY noisy. so if you work in an environment where you need to remain quiet and discrete, this bag won't do.
4. the padding on the shoulder strap slips out of position often
5. the shoulder strap isn't interchangable with those from other brands.
all in all, i was very happy with the bag. i don't think you can make a perfect camera bag, simply because the requirement changes just about every time you go out and shoot. but i think this one is pretty good, a few minor flaws aside. i own no less than 1/2 dozen camera bags of all sizes and shapes, and i think this will probably end up being the one i use the most.
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