I recently purchased the "Opteka SLR & DSLR Camera Short Zoom Holster Case w/Adjustable Shoulder Strap" to house my Canon 40D (with 28-135 mm lens) for an up coming trip abroad. The holster arrived promptly, to my discovery that it is fractionally too short for my camera.
Re-measuring the 40D, with lens, and the Opteka holster revealed that the manufacturer touts its SRL & DSLR case with, apparently, exterior measurements. The camera's external dimensions wont fit inside the case!
I liked the low price, thick padding, long strap, quick function zipper, handy extra pocket, and black color of this Opteka holster. It is certainly recommended for cameras, with lenses smaller than 7.5" L by 6.5" D by 4.5" H. The "Exterior Dimensions: 7 3/4" L x 4 1/4" D x 7 1/2"H" posted @ Amazon are misleading. (This Opteka holster is smaller than this on the inside. It needs to be, at least, another .5" longer.)
I returned it requesting a refund. Opteka SLR & DSLR Camera Short Zoom Holster Case w/Adjustable Shoulder Strap
I fretted over finding "the perfect camera bag" for too long. With this sucker being $10, I decided "what the heck" and tried it. It is an outstanding value at $10, and it sold me on the idea of using a 2-bag solution -- one for the camera with a default lens mounted and one for the rest of my lenses. I cannot recommending such a combination enough. I have a Pentax K100D and my default lens is a Pentax AF 28-105mm f/4.0-5.6. I keep my DA 18-55mm f/3.6-5.6, DA 50-200mm f/4.0-5.6 and Zenitar FE 16mm f/2.8 in my separate lens bag (although all of those lenses will fit on the camera in the holster).
The front area is great for temporarily storing caps, filters, etc... The top handle is nice, as is the strap -- nice to have both. Although it can go on a belt, it's just too big to sit with it on such. It also looks like that belt loops would eventually give way under the strain. I also agree with another poster than not having a camera brand name splattered all over it draws less attention to the bag, which is a bonus. If you absolutely have to sport your camera brand name, just leave the camera straps themselves danging out or wrapped around the top handle (which I do myself, to make it easier to pull out).
If you have a full frame or large lens, then this may not be big enough. Just FYI. You need to be using a more modern, more compact dSLR and its lenses. While it does fit my APS-C sensor sized (24mm x 16mm) Pentax K100D plus full-frame-sized (standard 35mm compatible) Pentax AF 28-105mm f/4.0-5.6, it won't fit much bigger.
Fits my Canon Digital Rebel XT perfectly (with the lens it came with). Definitely holds JUST the camera, but sometimes minimalism is a good thing. Also, nice that it's made out of all man-made materials. It's really sturdy, and great for the price.
I bought this for those times when I was taking just our Nikon D40 with 1 lens attached to the camera body (standard 55mm or a zoom 200mm lens). While the case is not leather, it isn't expensive either. It's perfect for when I want the camera protected when I toss it into a backpack or carry it otherwise unprotected. I do have a regular gadget bag, but if you don't need a spare lens and any other misc equipment and want to be minimally encumbered but still enjoy the quality of your D-SLR pictures, this is a great and compact way to protect the camera. One note of caution: I don't think you could squeeze a lens longer than the Nikon 200mm in without potentially putting too much pressure on the LED screen when the case is zipped.
Really, I should have known. But, as you can clearly see, this bag gets a lot of respectable reviews. However, the zipper on my case, while it looks normal, is a pain to open and close. In the picture, you can see that the zipper needs to come around two contours. Probably some of them do just fine, but not mine. Now, if you're looking for a small bag, you want it to open on command. I expect this zipper to snag to the point of damage within 10-15 uses (think high school back pack on sale + 4 textbooks). I will now be buying a higher priced bag.
I bought this bag for my Canon 450D with Canon EFS 17-85mm lens and I tell you the camera barely fits in this bag. If my lens was a little larger, I'd have to return the bag. The bag is small and very nice (and cheap). You can't put anything else in the bag beside the camera really. The shoulder strap is just cheap. Overall it's a good product for the price. The only thing I worry about is the zipper. It's cheap (how predictable!) so it might not work for much long. I had some trouble with the zipper trying to fit my camera in the first time. It needs some care. - Camera Bag - Dslr Bag - Digital Slr - Photography'
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