I don’t usually review equipment, or anything for that matter. But seeing as there wasn’t a single review on the Tenba sling bag anywhere on the Internet, I was still compelled on getting one. There was something about the Tenba bag that stood out for me from the Lowepro’s 300AW boring bulky look and Kata 3N1-20’s cheap and confusing interior design.
Please visit Tenba to read more about the bags features. If you find their sales gimmick a little weird, I’m with you on that one!!
My review doesn’t cover what Tenba has already featured in their video. What I’ll be focusing on is what most of you want to hear about; how’s the quality? Can it hold “these” lenses? How comfortable is it? The short review will also only cover Medium size, not the Small.
Quality: The material used to make these bags is superb, the second you touch you want to learn more about it. The YKK zippers are a little hard to use, but their worth the extra protection from water or snow. There is also plenty of back padding support if you need it.
Design: Very ergonomic, not a lot of zippers or pockets to confuse you. The sling fits really well, only thing it lacks is some padding around the shoulder. Guessing Tenba didn’t add it because I’d constantly get in the way when you swing it back and forth. If your not going to haul as much equipment as me, then I think most people would do just fine.
The depth is just right when you have a medium zoom lens. If won’t fit if you try to drop a Canon 70-200 2.8 with a body attached, but you can settle by laying the camera across or just leaving the lenses down on it’s own. In the main compartment I was able to arrange it so my 5D + Contax 35-70, 17-40, 50 1.4, 70-200 2.8, 580EX, and two pocket wizards fit pretty comfortably. The lens hood of the 70-200 was the most troublesome! I think they only imperfection about the bag is the tripod holder. It swings around to much, maybe adding another brace at the would have helped. I was using the Manffrotto 725B as a test.
Pros:
- Material
- Design
- Weather cover
- Zippers
- Clean Interior
Cons:
- Tripod swings
- Lack of padding around the shoulder
Highly Recommended
Tomasz Approved!
