Kata H-16 - For the 1D series...

TeamSpeed wrote in post #7184606
Hopefully the new Sigma solves this issue with their 18-200 when they bring out the new 18-250! Good luck and report back here once you receive the bag and configure it with your equipment.

Thanks all for your excellent assistance. I will report back when the H16 arrives.

Larry

As promised, I am now reporting back since my H-16 arrived.

Here are my findings:

The bag is very nicely made andjust about what I had expected in almost all respects. The outer side seems tough and protective, the inner linings are soft and also protective. The styling is very nice as well, as are the locations and sizes of pockets, zippers, compartments, etc.

The bag, with careful planning, will actually hold all 4 of my lenses as well as a 580EX II flash, Sto-Fen diffuser, XSi body, extra batteries, and SDHC cards. This is really quite amazing since the lens are quite large, including an 18-200 zoom, 12-24 zoom, 18-55 zoom, and a 50 f/1.4 prime. It is an extremely tight fit, and not one I will likely use for any real travel, but I possibly may consider it based on how comfortable the shoulder strap really is with all of this weight after a long day of walking around.

There is one very annoying and pretty glaring defect in the design in my opinion which some other folks have mentioned:

The front large flap of this bag is secured with a large plastic clasp which is sewn to the inner side of the flap and mates with another plastic clasp on the bag. The clasp needs to be open and shut in order to keep the flap secured or opened.

The problem / defect comes from the attachment being far too short to allow for easy use. Getting your fingers / hand around the clasp to operate it is extremely challenging. The net result is that openeing and closing the case for "rapid fire" camera use is essentially impossible.

There are 2 small zippers, one on each side of the clasp, and these can also be used to secure the flap and keep the case tightly sealed against dust, dirt, etc. But they are not intended to be the only or the primary closure method.

A little work with a sewing machine and some matching fabric could solve the problem, but it is a true shame that this specific detail is poorly executed.

Hope this is useful to other folhs looking at the Kata H-16. If I had it to do over again, I would still buy this bag even with the limitation noted.

Larry

LSHorwitz wrote in post #7238153
There is one very annoying and pretty glaring defect in the design in my opinion which some other folks have mentioned:

The front large flap of this bag is secured with a large plastic clasp which is sewn to the inner side of the flap and mates with another plastic clasp on the bag. The clasp needs to be open and shut in order to keep the flap secured or opened.

The problem / defect comes from the attachment being far too short to allow for easy use. Getting your fingers / hand around the clasp to operate it is extremely challenging. The net result is that openeing and closing the case for "rapid fire" camera use is essentially impossible.

Larry

I have the earlier version, H-14, but the design of the H-16 is identical so my following comments do apply to the H-16...

I, too, was quite annoyed when I first got my bag some years ago for the same reasons as you stated above. It took a while to get used to it. I basically learned to simply ignore the zipper and use the plastic clasp when I'm shooting. Since I hardly use this particular bag for shooting in situations where dirt could pose a problem, this method was okay for me.

However, one time that I was really appreciative of the bag "design" -- and I think that's the reason behind the design -- was when I was caught off guard in drenching rain while traveling across South Korea. The monsoon season came a bit earlier than expected, and I got soaking wet while hiking up a mountain with no cover. I was obviously quite worried about the gear inside the bag. However, the flap and the sturdy zipper kept every moisture out and kept my expensive gear dry. Since then, I stopped being frustrated with the bag. The design has its use after all...

i agree, and the bag is really excellent in all respects except for this one nag. I need to use this for a while, and most likely will learn to love it!

I was thinking about upgrading my H-14 to H-16, but I ended up upgrading my Kata Torsopack 212 to 214, instead. I still might get the H-16.

Shoulder bags become painful when loaded up with all this gear so a torso bag makes sense!

Hi all,
I am seriously considering this bag for a light-weight 2-lens setup. Will it take a 1DsmkIII mounted with 24-105 (with hood) and 70-200 4.0 IS with reversed hood?

Would it be able to accommodate the body with the 70-200 4.0 IS mounted, i.e., is it long enough?

I don't really have a shop in the neighborhood to try it out so your feedback would be very useful.

Thanks,
Richard

I am pretty sure I was able to have my MKIII w/70-200 2.8 in the middle section, so the 24-105 would definitely fit, and should with the 70-200 f4, as it is smaller than the 2.8 equiv.

Now with the hood reversed on the 7/2 and stowed in the side pockets may be an issue, they are long enough, but they barely hold the 7/2 2.8 or my 100/400 bare, and I know with a hood, they would not fit the side pockets. However, you should be able to put the hood in the other side pocket if all you have are 2 lenses and a body.

Thanks a heap!
This sounds encouraging

Would somebody by any chance be able to compare Kata H-16 with
the ThinkTank Speed Racer (my second alternative)? I know that the H-16 is primarily a shoulder bag and the Speed Racer is a waist bag so they are different in that regard, but still I'd be curious to hear a user comparison if someone had a chance to use both of them.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #8245670
I am pretty sure I was able to have my MKIII w/70-200 2.8 in the middle section, so the 24-105 would definitely fit, and should with the 70-200 f4, as it is smaller than the 2.8 equiv.

Now with the hood reversed on the 7/2 and stowed in the side pockets may be an issue, they are long enough, but they barely hold the 7/2 2.8 or my 100/400 bare, and I know with a hood, they would not fit the side pockets. However, you should be able to put the hood in the other side pocket if all you have are 2 lenses and a body.

Just got the K-16 this afternoon - awesome build. It takes my 50D + grip and Canon 18-200 zoom with hood installed. The bonus for me is that when I travel, this bag fits inside my Samsonite BackPack with a laptop. The backpak has roller wheels too.

I have read all the posts in this thread and I'm very interested in purchasing the H-16, however I'm concerned about the side pockets. My planned configuration is Canon 5d MK2 attached to a Canon 70-200 IS f4 in the main compartment. In the side pockets I plan store the Canon 17-40 and Canon 24-105 - they both have 77mm filter threads so they are quite chunky. I'm concerned that they won't fit in the side pockets, or they will take too much room in the main compartment (mentioned in an earlier post) to get he 70-200 in. Also, are the side pockets nicley padded?

Thank you in advance for any advice.

Mark,
It sounds like a very tight fit but it may all work. I have a Sigma 18-200 in the main compartment which is 72mm and probably about the same length as your 70-200. In one side pocket I have a full sized Canon flash and I have a Tokina 12-24 in the other side pocket which I imagine is like your Canon 17-40. I am just not sure if your 24-105 can fit where I keep the flash. It will unquestionably be a tight fit if it fits at all.

Larry

PerkinsMark wrote in post #8776915
I have read all the posts in this thread and I'm very interested in purchasing the H-16, however I'm concerned about the side pockets. My planned configuration is Canon 5d MK2 attached to a Canon 70-200 IS f4 in the main compartment. In the side pockets I plan store the Canon 17-40 and Canon 24-105 - they both have 77mm filter threads so they are quite chunky. I'm concerned that they won't fit in the side pockets, or they will take too much room in the main compartment (mentioned in an earlier post) to get he 70-200 in. Also, are the side pockets nicley padded?

Thank you in advance for any advice.

I have been able to put my MKIII with a Sigma 24-60 lens in the middle, a 70-200 IS lens in one side pocket, and a Sigma 12-25 in the other. It is a tight fit, but after a bit of maneuvering it works. The latter two lenses are very chunky and the 70-200 is very long and barely fits lengthwise in the side. Now I have my 7D w/17-55, 70-200 IS and 12-24 in the bag.

aridan wrote in post #6148057
OK, I just got this bag (H-16) and am very disappointed. Now, I'm not sure about the rest of you guys, but for me, being able to carry the hoods is a must. The H-16 may hold everything which was posted above but no way you'll be able to fit in the hoods.

Here is the config I tried:

Main compartment: 40D + BG-E2N + 17-55 f2.8 IS
Side compartment 1: 100-400 L
Side compartment 2: 50 f1.2 L or 580EXII

As soon as you stick the two lenses in the side pockets, there is no way the 17-55 (mounted on the camera) will fit in the main compartment along with its hood.

As to the 100-400 hood reversed on the lens: Forget about it - you won't be able to even zip up the side compartment.

Last point: Even without the hoods, I was under the impression that two lenses can be easily fitted in the side compartments with much room to spare in the middle. This is not true. After sticking two lenses in each side compartment, the main compartment turns into a very tight triangle one, which can barely fit a camera and a mid-size lens (17-55 or 24-70 for example).

That's too bad. With such big external dimensions you would think you could shove much more into this bag.

I think this bag is going back to B&H

I take everything bad I said about this bag back....

A year+ later, and I can fit the following (including hoods):

1DMkIII+24-70 L
70-200 f2.8 IS L
100-400 L

The trick is to know how to arrange things, and in what order the bag needs to be packed.

The 70-200 and the 100-400 fit in the side compartments. The hoods are then stacked on top of each other and are inserted upside down (as if they are reversed), into the bag. Lastly, the 1DIII+24-70+hood go in face down. The 24-70 hood (mounted reversed on the 24-70) fits right into the reversed hoods of the 70-200 & 100-400.

Hope this helps a bit.

aridan wrote in post #8778055
I take everything bad I said about this bag back....

A year+ later, and I can fit the following (including hoods):

1DMkIII+24-70 L
70-200 f2.8 IS L
100-400 L

The trick is to know how to arrange things, and in what order the bag needs to be packed.

The 70-200 and the 100-400 fit in the side compartments. The hoods are then stacked on top of each other and are inserted upside down (as if they are reversed), into the bag. Lastly, the 1DIII+24-70+hood go in face down. The 24-70 hood (mounted reversed on the 24-70) fits right into the reversed hoods of the 70-200 & 100-400.

Hope this helps a bit.

That is funny, you have a 3 way stack of hoods in the middle, that is very creative! If anyone watches you unpack that bag, I bet they get a mental image of the small clown cars where 20 clowns pop out of that thing.