AmazonBasics Camcorder Bag with Shoulder Strap
Posted by Notcot on Sep 8, 2010 in Photography |
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This case is designed to hold a small to medium size camcorder, and it looks well suited to that task. It’s too shallow to hold a small SLR, but could probably also be used to hold a bridge compact or similar digital still camera.
The build quality of the case is fine – the main compartment is well-padded and includes a movable divider. In addition to the main compartment, there is a somewhat bizarre triangular zipped pocket at each end, which look like they might hold a memory card or a lens cap, but nothing bigger, and a slightly larger semicircular zipped pocket on the front which again will only be useful for small, thin items. This final pocket is covered by a completely pointless flap, secured by Velcro – said flap would be far more useful to protect the opening to the main compartment. I dislike pointless design features, and this strikes me as one of them.
The Amazon Basics branding is well to the fore, as usual – five over-sized zip pulls with the logo in orange. This seems a bit unnecessary – a little more subtlety in the branding would make you feel less like a walking advert for Amazon.
A dishonourable mention to the packaging – this comes in aplastic bag, inside a cardboard box, which was then packaged for shipping inside an enormous outer box which would have comfortably held 5 or 6 bags like this. Really not necessary for something that isn’t fragile.
It’s a lot cheaper than comparable offerings from Sony, for example, and doesn’t give much away in terms of quality. The design and branding make it a qualified recommendation, rather than an unqualified one.
Rating: 3 / 5
I bought a Panasonic SD60 high-definition camcorder recently. It’s a tiny little thing, and I thought I should buy a suitable case to protect it. I went for the Panasonic case that comes as part of the Panasonic Accessory Kit, which consists of a battery charger, a battery and a quite flimsy case with no external pockets that’s not even really the right shape for the camcorder. I was, quite frankly, a bit disappointed.
By contrast, the Amazon base is a lot cheaper, and much better thought out. My SD60 fits vertically inside one end of the main compartment, protected by the velcro-attached internal divider, and there’s still loads of space for a compact camera and the camcorder charger. There are little external pockets big enough for spare batteries, and a pocket at the front that seems just right for keeping SDHC cards. All of the pockets are zipped, and the front pocket has a velcro cover too. There’s a carrying handle, belt clips that are big enough to attach to a backpack strap, and a webbing shoulder strap with quite rugged plastic clips (which are almost identical to the Panasonic ones). The padding is a lot thicker than the Panasonic bag’s.
I’m impressed by the quality of the Amazon Basics range, and this bag is no exception. The five rubber zip handles have “Amazon Basics” on them in orange and white, so if you’re into designer labels in a big way, perhaps this bag isn’t for you. For the rest of us, it’s a pretty good case.
Rating: 5 / 5
The bag is the perfect size for a compact handheld camcorder. My machine fits snugly inside the bag with no room to slide about.
The bag isn’t overly bulky – it is small and smart looking with top handle, shoulder strap attachments (strap is inside the bag) and 2 strong, double stitched, double material thickness belt attachments on the back of the bag. It has a padding of approximately 1 to 1.5 cm thick.
The external measurements are 14 cm (height) by 18 cm (width) by 14 cm (depth). The internal dimensions are approximately 13 cm by 8 cm by 12.5 cm. There is a small degree of “stretch-ability” in the bag meaning that a machine which is a little larger (but not much bigger) will be able to fit with relative ease.
There is a front zipped pocket (with an inner webbed pocket) which opens from the bottom on one side round to the bottom on the other side, and has a flap, for extra security, covering the pocket and held down by a Velcro pad. There are also 2 side pockets which are zippered for smaller items. These do nicely for the extra memory cards/units and batteries.
Inside the main pocket is a Velcro divider – it is movable/removable and can be used to secure the camcorder inside the bag, however I have used it to secure the cables that come with the camcorder in a small pouch so they do not bang against the device and scratch or damage it. It is the one problem that I have with the bag; there is no separate section for the cables.
The bag comes with a 126 cm (maximum) length, adjustable, woven, strong shoulder strap, which is let down only by the weak plastic connectors.
I don’t know how much protection the bag would give to the camcorder if you dropped it (and I’m not planning on finding out – fingers crossed), I can say that it feels sturdier than the cover that came with the camera itself.
You can also use the bag inside your case or travel bag for storing any special items you are taking with you. It is possible to use a small padlock to secure the main pocket meaning that if you have valuables with you and you have to leave them you can be doubly sure of their security by locking the bag inside your suitcase/travel bag. This is something which is a great relief if you are on holiday or in hospital and worried about your valuables.
Rating: 5 / 5
Enough specifications here, so I will concentrate on a few points I like about this bag.
First of all, with the image here you may get an impression that this is a fairly big bag, but in fact it’s a tiny little one. Just about the size of a modern HDD camcorder.
My camcorder is a SONY DVD one, and it was slightly too big for the bag, so I had to remove the padded compartment divider in it, and now it fits perfectly! If you have a middle-sized digital camera, an iPod or any (not too big) electric devices, this bag will be very useful to either carry them around or to simply store them when you’re not using them.
This bag also has a number of small pockets, so you could also carry your extra memory cards, an extra battery or even an OysterCard etct etc. It comes with a shoulder strap so you could carry it like a shoulder bag, but you can also attach it to your belt, so if you wear it around your waist, both your hands are free, which is nice as carrying a camcorder or a camera can be heavy! You could also put some valuables during a flight, e.g. your passport, so it would be a useful bag in many ways! I’m already loving it!
Hope this helps!
Rating: 4 / 5
The AmazonBasics range offers this simple little black fabric bag for your camcorders at a brilliant affordable price. The inside sports a velcro adjustable brace (which stops your camcorder from getting jostled about and offers a bit of space for your charger or spare battery. The front offers a space for cards, and a few small side pockets offer room for other neccessaries (spare batteries for a light attachment?). The back of the bag also offers a slot for a slim tripod. The zips are even made of sturdy rubber rather than metal (which as we all know has a tendency to snap off after general amounts of abuse). This is just brilliant and everyone should have one to keep their camera safe while on the go.
Rating: 5 / 5