I used to work in downtown Boston a few years back and I rarely ever took my camera with me because it didn’t fit into my “work bag”. I could have added a camera insert to the bag but it would have made it awkward to carry and I would have had to remove some other important items, like my lunch. The other option would have been to use a camera bag as my work bag but, along with being big and bulky, camera bags do not excel at carrying my day-to-day items. Also, big and bulky bags make you unpopular very quickly on crowded subway cars. So what bag do you use if work/school (laptop, phone, notebook, documents, lunch, etc.) is your focus but you also want to bring along your DSLR? Methinks you should grab one of the new Lowepro ComuDay bags.
Specs
Lowepro has thoughtfully created two versions of the CompuDay bag, the CompuDay 150 (messenger style) and CompuDay 250 (backpack). I will be reviewing the CompuDay 150 but Sander, another writer at The Phoblographer, has already reviewed the CompuDay 250 (read the Sander’s review here). Both offer similar features so it just comes down to which style you prefer.
Video Review
We’re going to try something different here at The Phoblographer, a video review of a bag. This is my first shot at a video review so go easy on me in the comments section. All kidding aside, please let us know what you think of the video review.
What’s in the Bag?
Here’s a list of what I had in the bag during the review:
- MacBook Pro 15″ with power adapter
- Canon 5D with Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 and Camdapter Hand Strap
- Other World Computing external hard drive
- Within the Frame by David duChemin
- X-Rite Colorchecker Passport
- Lens cloth
- Spare battery and compact flash cards
- Panasonic GF-1 with Panasonic 14mm f/2.5 pancake lens
- Sigg Water bottle
- Vivitar Wireless Trigger for Canon 5D
Likes
- Works well as an everyday bag
- Included accessory pouch
- Lightweight yet well-made
- Plenty of functional pockets
- Room for essential gear (laptop, external hard drives, books, etc.)
- Collapsible camera compartment with easy access opening
- The price
- The price
- Not sure if I mentioned this…the price
Dislikes
- No rain cover
- The handle on the top of the bag is not well placed. If you pick up the bag and it is not securely closed, you may loose some of your belongings.
- No shoulder pad on the strap. This bag holds a lot and it can get heavy quickly.
- I’d like to see a strap on the inside to snitch down the laptop compartment. Lowepro made this section big to accommodate most laptops but if you have a relatively thin laptop (e.g. MacBook Pro), it feels like the laptop may move around a bit.
- I would have preferred the camera compartment on the other side of the bag; not everyone wears a messenger bag over the same shoulder. It would have been nice if Lowepro made two versions of this bag, one with the camera compartment on the left and the other with the camera compartment on the right. I’m sure Lowepro didn’t do this for cost reasons which is understandable.
Conclusion
The Lowerpro ComuDay 150 works well as a regular messenger bag but it kicks things up a notch with its dedicated camera compartment. This is an ideal bag for everyday use whether you are going to work or school. The ComuDay 150 can hold all of your essential gear (laptop, books & accessories) but it also gives you the option to bring along your DSLR and lens when needed.
While it’s not perfect, I was still impressed with the Lowepro ComuDay 150‘s performance. But when you look at the price, it’s hard to fault this bag for anything. Right now, the Lowepro CompuDay 150 is available at B&H for under $70! I personally think that is a STEAL for this bag.
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