Sleek and hip, Tamrac's new Adventure Messenger 3 has a comfortable slim profile for navigating life while safely and discretely transporting your photo gear.
This compact messenger bag is perfect for carrying a digital or film SLR with a zoom lens up to 5½" attached, an additional lens, a flash and accessories. The Speed Flap™ Top opens to reveal adjustable, foam-padded internal dividers that provide a custom fit to camera equipment. The zippered front pocket, full-length zippered Speed Pocket™ on the flap and an open pocket in back provide extra storage for accessories, manuals and personal items. A side pocket is perfect for carrying a cell phone or MP3 player. A shoulder strap and EasyGrip™ carrying handle provide convenient carrying options. You can add Tamrac accessories to the shoulder strap using the attachment slots for our Strap Accessory System™ products.
This is a compact bag that hold 1 DSLR and 1-2 lens/flash. The bag is good looking and not too bulky, in fact, it can't be smaller. The shoulder strap is comfort, and there are some place to add more Tamrac accessories. I think the major problem with this bag is there not much protection on top -- once you flip the cover, the camera is there, ready to use or fall. There could be one more zip cover to hold the camera, my D50 fell once because of this design, but this should not be a big problem as long as you take care.
What works
good looking, not too bulky
Room for improvement
should have a lock/zipper on top beside the cover
In the bag
Nikon D50
50mm f/1.8 D
Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX kit lens.
Accessories include SD card, lens cloth etc.
nikon d50
Following up my recent purchase of the Adventure Messenger 4 I picked up it's little brother the Adventure Messenger 3 for my father's D40 kit.
The bag is virtually identical with the biggest difference being 4" narrower internally, all other dimensions are within 1/4"-1/2" of the version 4's internal dimensions.
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Tamrac 5533 & 5534 side by side
tamrac 5533 adventure messenger 3 photo 2
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front view of 5533
tamrac 5533 adventure messenger 3 photo 7
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side view of 5533
tamrac 5533 adventure messenger 3 photo 3
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empty view..
tamrac 5533 adventure messenger 3 photo 4
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with gear..
tamrac 5533 adventure messenger 3 photo 5
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gear outside...
tamrac 5533 adventure messenger 3 photo 6
There's not much to say that I didn't already cover in my more comprehensive review of the version 4. The bag is perfectly suited to use with the D40, it fits plenty of gear for a small outfit and has all the benefits outlined in the other review.
So far I've easily packed the following:
Nikon D40 w/ Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX lens down center, hood on
Nikon 50mm f/1.8
Nikon Speedlight SB-400
- Cleaning gear, cloths, etc.
- Memory cards
It could fit at least another smaller lens like a 10-20mm if I moved the strobe to the front pocket, which I've yet to use. There is also a back zipper pocket and a cell phone size pouch on the right side of the bag that I've not used yet.
Plusses:
- Small enough for a day bag.
- Nice fabric, supple, conforms to body
- long strap for wearing cross shoulder
- good padding, not too thick though (i.e. low bulk factor)
- quick release buckle, easy one-handed operation
- small amount of velcro on flap, keeps the bag shut but isn't obtrusive
- covert, doesn't really look like a camera bag
Neutrals (I don't really have any minuses), there are only a few:
- the buckle works well but I prefer the brass snap on the Domkes
- probably not as tough as canvas but time will tell
- not as utilitarian as I like, I prefer the Plain Jane Domke look and feel
That's it. Overall, if you're looking for a shoulder bag that will do more than a holster (my father also has a LowePro Rezo TLZ20 which is very nice but won't do anything but the camera and lens) for a smaller camera like the D40 this one is hard to beat. It's also pretty cheap at around $35.00.
In the bag
Nikon D40 w/ Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX lens down center, hood on
Nikon 50mm f/1.8
Nikon Speedlight SB-400
- Cleaning gear, cloths, etc.
- Memory cards
nikon d40
