Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/09/28
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I have a P550 (no longer offered but the same as the P595 but no end pockets) which I picked up cheap at a pawn shop. First the good news: The divider system is PERFECT for Leica gear (which often gets lost in D-brand compartments) because you can set the dividers very close together (just trim the Velcro tabs) to accomodate the smaller Leica bodies and lenses. The bad news? The top compartment is TOO large. If you put much in it at all you'll find it cumbersome when getting in and out of the bag (it will hold a tabletop tripod and large ball and socket head nicely, though). The outside pockets are secured with strips of VERY STRONG Velcro -- so strong in fact that they are impossible to get in and out of quickly without a giant ripping sound (I taped off part of my strips with gaffers tape so I had less area of Velcro at play). Also, the bag does not ride nearly as well on your shoulder as the D-brand. Like other padded bags it tends to bounce off your hip rather than hug it and the strap doesn't want to stay put on your shoulder nearly as well as the D-brand bags. It almost seems like the form of the bag and the inferior strap conspire to want to slip the bag off your shoulder. I'm constantly having to hoist mine back into position -- unlike that other brand which tends to stay right where I want it. As for the long strap and buckle arrangement that secures the top of the bag -- this is a mixed blessing. When cinched down it's very secure, when backed off to hold the lid open, it does this job well but the rest of the time it's just something to mess with -- a consideration that rarely arrises with the D-brand bag. What I was wondering was if the dividers from the Pro bags would work in Tenba's Metro bags -- which are a rip-off of the D-brand original bag -- that would seem like the perfect world answer. I posed this question to the e-mail address at the Tenba website but the guy who answered never really understood what I was asking so I didn't get my question answered. My overall feeling abou the Tenba Pros is that if you tend to carry your gear somewhere, set it down and then work from that fixed position then they're pretty nice bags. If you work out of your bag on your shoulder then the D-brand is superior. Hope this helps. Bob