Tumeg
15th of January 2009 (Thu), 13:06
Last Monday, I got the Kata DR-465 photo "rucksack." I got it, as an upgrade (well, more of a downgrade) from the Lowepro Slingshot 300 AW. I decided to switch out the Lowepro bag for the Kata, because the Lowepro was just too big, bulky, and heavy for my taste. It was way bigger than I needed it to be, and, I didn't really like the one strap (I have gone through every type of bag, and I have finally settled on backpacks). After much deliberation, I ordered the DR-465, new, on eBay.
When I first opened it, and started putting my stuff in the bag, at first, I was disappointed; at first I didn't really like the layout, especially the camera compartment. But after a few days, the layout is growing on me, and it isn't as much of a problem for me as it was. Everything I needed the bag to hold, it holds, with some extra room. It currently is holding:
-Canon EOS 40D w/ 17-40mm f/4L Attached
-Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
-Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
-Canon 430EX Speedlite
-Extras (Batteries, memory cards, iPod, wireless flash triggers, etc.)
With all of this, there is still just enough room for one more prime. There is probably just enough room to add a 135mm f/2L (4" tall, 3.3" diameter). If you need this bag to hold a telephoto (the largest lens this bag can hold, is probably the 70-200mm f/4L IS), it will work, but (in my case), I would have to take out the flash, in order to have enough room for the telephoto. There is also room in the above compartment, to hold an extra camera body (no grip), and a lens or two (depending on the size). So, it holds a lot more than I expected.
One slight con I have with the bag, is, I can not fit the 40D w/ 17-40mm attached, with the hood on the lens (reversed). That makes the end of the lens just a bit too wide to fit in the bag (with the rest of the gear). It fits, but, it takes too much pressure\effort to pull it out, and I am not comfortable putting that amount of stress\pressure on the flimsy hood. But, there is room in one of the other front compartments to store the hood for when I need it.
I am still working on getting use to the camera compartment of the bag; you unzip it, and then you pull it out, and it sort of slants out. (Some people describe it has a "hinged bucket") This can get pretty annoying, because sometimes when pulling the camera out (with the hood attached to the lens, at least), the compartment comes\tilts out so much, that you need two hands and something to support the bag, to push the compartment back into the bag. But, if you are laying the backpack down on it's back when using the camera compartment of the bag, this is no big deal.
The DR-465 does not have a laptop compartment, but the slightly more expensive 467 does. The DR-467 is the same exact bag, as the DR-465, just it has an extra slot in the back for a laptop. (I believe Kata says it can hold up to a 13" laptop, but people can easily fit their 15" MacBook Pros into the laptop compartment of the DR-467).
I currently have no pictures to go along with this review, but I will try to post some in the near future.
Compared to the Lowepro Slingshot 300 AW, and my needs, I give this bag a 4 out of 5.
**UPDATE** I totally forgot to talk about the comfort of this bag!
This bag has GREAT support. It has the two main straps (like any backpack), which are padded (along with the back of the bag, which is also padded), and on the two main straps, are two "support" straps. One clips over your chest, the other right around your waste. These really help to distribute the weight, and they keep the main straps from sliding apart\off your shoulders (at least for me).
This bag is SO comfortable to carry, especially compared to my previous Lowepro Slingshot 300 AW. That bag had very little padding, and not much support, and it made my shoulder sore after an hour of carrying it.
When I first opened it, and started putting my stuff in the bag, at first, I was disappointed; at first I didn't really like the layout, especially the camera compartment. But after a few days, the layout is growing on me, and it isn't as much of a problem for me as it was. Everything I needed the bag to hold, it holds, with some extra room. It currently is holding:
-Canon EOS 40D w/ 17-40mm f/4L Attached
-Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
-Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
-Canon 430EX Speedlite
-Extras (Batteries, memory cards, iPod, wireless flash triggers, etc.)
With all of this, there is still just enough room for one more prime. There is probably just enough room to add a 135mm f/2L (4" tall, 3.3" diameter). If you need this bag to hold a telephoto (the largest lens this bag can hold, is probably the 70-200mm f/4L IS), it will work, but (in my case), I would have to take out the flash, in order to have enough room for the telephoto. There is also room in the above compartment, to hold an extra camera body (no grip), and a lens or two (depending on the size). So, it holds a lot more than I expected.
One slight con I have with the bag, is, I can not fit the 40D w/ 17-40mm attached, with the hood on the lens (reversed). That makes the end of the lens just a bit too wide to fit in the bag (with the rest of the gear). It fits, but, it takes too much pressure\effort to pull it out, and I am not comfortable putting that amount of stress\pressure on the flimsy hood. But, there is room in one of the other front compartments to store the hood for when I need it.
I am still working on getting use to the camera compartment of the bag; you unzip it, and then you pull it out, and it sort of slants out. (Some people describe it has a "hinged bucket") This can get pretty annoying, because sometimes when pulling the camera out (with the hood attached to the lens, at least), the compartment comes\tilts out so much, that you need two hands and something to support the bag, to push the compartment back into the bag. But, if you are laying the backpack down on it's back when using the camera compartment of the bag, this is no big deal.
The DR-465 does not have a laptop compartment, but the slightly more expensive 467 does. The DR-467 is the same exact bag, as the DR-465, just it has an extra slot in the back for a laptop. (I believe Kata says it can hold up to a 13" laptop, but people can easily fit their 15" MacBook Pros into the laptop compartment of the DR-467).
I currently have no pictures to go along with this review, but I will try to post some in the near future.
Compared to the Lowepro Slingshot 300 AW, and my needs, I give this bag a 4 out of 5.
**UPDATE** I totally forgot to talk about the comfort of this bag!
This bag has GREAT support. It has the two main straps (like any backpack), which are padded (along with the back of the bag, which is also padded), and on the two main straps, are two "support" straps. One clips over your chest, the other right around your waste. These really help to distribute the weight, and they keep the main straps from sliding apart\off your shoulders (at least for me).
This bag is SO comfortable to carry, especially compared to my previous Lowepro Slingshot 300 AW. That bag had very little padding, and not much support, and it made my shoulder sore after an hour of carrying it.