DSLR cameras are not cheap, and if you invested in one and maybe a few lenses, you will want to make sure they are well protected when you’re out and about. This means finding a good camera bag that will meet all or most of your needs. You might associate Case Logic with CD and DVD wallets and perhaps its iPad cases. But, as we recently found, its travel products extend to a large collection of laptop– and camera bags. As the name suggests, the Luminosity CSC/DSLR Sling is not a typical backpack or shoulder bag, but a single-strapped sling case. It is quite small at only 38 cm high, 23 cm wide and 16 cm deep. And it feels extremely light at only 772 g, when empty obviously. It’s a solid product though, very well put together with large zips, and sown-in straps and handles that we can’t foresee ripping off any time soon. It’s made from durable nylon, a little slippery feeling, and has a padded mesh back for comfort and better air circulation. The whole bag is thick and well cushioned. The large single shoulder strap is also padded and wrapped with air mesh. It uses a heavy-duty belt clip to secure the top and bottom together, and this allow for easy taking off and putting on of the bag without having to pull it over your head each time. Hidden in the back bottom of the sling is a cross-body stability strap, which can be pulled out at any time and used to distribute the weight of camera equipment evenly and keep the sling more secure.
Testing the Case Logic Luminosity CSC/DSLR Sling
We tested the Luminosity CSC/DSLR Sling over a couple of weeks, both on photography assignments in London as well as on short family trips around town. First impressions were very good. The bag is very comfortable to use and carry around. Even fully loaded, we found it comfortable enough to wear for an all-day walk. It did take some getting use to only one strap over our chest, as opposed to the two shoulder straps of a conventional backpack. There are attachments on the side for carrying a tripod, although even with our very compact and lightweight Manfrotto tripod we found the whole bag unbalanced and awkward to carry.
The sling’s main compartment is large enough for a compact system camera (CSC) or a small DSLR and some accessories. It also has two small pockets for media cards. A compartment on top carries sunglasses, snacks, camera-mount flash or even a small lens. A long compartment running the length of the back is big enough for a 10in tablet like the full-size iPad. At the very bottom is a slit where a weather hood is stored. That came in handy when using the sling bag around rainy London. The problem with choosing a bag like this is that of balancing sizes. We want something as small as possible, light and comfortable, but with a lot of storage space for all our camera gear and extras. This is almost always impossible and we’re left compromising one way or another.
Case Logic Luminosity CSC/DSLR Sling: light and compact
The Luminosity CSC/DSLR Sling is very light and compact, however, as the description suggests this bag is not meant for larger cameras, even if we did manage to just about fit a professional full-frame DSLR into the main compartment. It was a snug fit and not very easy to quickly take it out again. We didn’t have any such problem with a regular APS-C DSLR camera however. There was enough space in the main compartment for a medium-sized zoom lens (Canon EF-s 18-135 mm) fitted to a midrange DSLR like a Canon 60D, plus one additional small lens (EF 35f2IS) or a speedlight. Adjustable divider walls inside can be easily arranged to suit your equipment and provide extra protection from components hitting or scratching against each other. The sling can also quickly be slipped from your back so that the main compartments opening is positioned just in front of you. This allows you to sit down without unclipping the bag. It also allows you to access your camera and lenses without ever taking the bag off. We found this very useful and the reason why a sling design makes a lot of sense. It also makes it easier to keep your expensive gear in front of you where you can see it, a useful security precaution when traveling on public transport. Case Logic claims that this sling case also functions as a ‘work out of station’, so that you can change lenses and accessories while having the bag attached in front of you. We tried this, but soon ended up resting our lenses on tables or floors. It was a bit tedious as the main compartment is a bit small to be useful as a lens swapping station. The small top compartment is exactly that – small. We would have liked to have enough space to be able to at least fit a small packed lunch. We did however find it useful when we wanted to bring along a third lens, a EF100mm macro, which just about fitted inside. (See also: Best laptop bags of 2014.)
Responsible for all original photography and video content onsite and on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel, and rarely found without a camera in his hands, Multimedia Editor Dominik helps us to show as well as tell.
