MantonaMantona Rhodolit SLR camera backpack (suitable for SLRs with attached lens, other lenses, system flash and accessories, incl. rain protection) black

Hey,This is my first product review, so apologies if I'm not following some kind of code or guidelines, although I expect if there were guidelines, the first would be not to ramble on..I've found this product really difficult to review. I spent a lot of time looking for a camera backpack, which would hold the right amount of stuff but not be too large and bulky. It also needed to have a tripod carrying facility and waterproof cover. This is the one I decided on as it seemed to tick all the boxes. It was delivered quickly and initially I was delighted. I have to say the bag is excellent. the side entrance pockets to get quick access to the camera whilst wearing the bag in great. It's extremely comfortable and the top compartment is fantastic for putting your non-camera equipment. It's practical, with pockets for memory cars, batteries etc etc. The Tripod holder works well and the cover acts as both rain and sun deflector I believe... However... Upon its very first trip into the field (which was a long weekend around Exmoor) both zips on the side entrance pockets broke. I only took my 550D Canon and a couple of lenses (70-300 and the old 18-55) and some other bits, so it wasn't heavily loaded.. I wasn't even carrying the tripod on it. But after only a few times of getting the camera out, the zip split and the only way to get it to join was to extremely gently nurse it back together.. no terribly practical. Being a common sense type of chap, I quite quickly reversed all the padding inside so I could use the side entrance pocket on the other side of the bag. But again, within a few uses, this also broke. Now, whether I was unlucky and got a bad one in the bunch, I don't know. I wanted to return it for a direct exchange, however as it's not sold direct by Amazon, I wasn't allowed to do this. I've got a full refund and as always, Amazon are just fantastic with their service. I will be buying another one exactly the same though (presently waiting for it to hopefully come back to the price it was when I bought mine a few weeks back, gone up by £5) and I do hope the new one works, genuinely as I loved the bag.Hopefully just a one off and I hope to write another review when I get the new one saying it's the best thing, although whether the zips will hold when I've got the 7D Canon and 70-200 L series lense in there.. who knows!I guess what I'll say is that I wouldn't stop anyone buying the bag, it looks great, is practical yet a good size, comfortable etc etc, Just hope your zips stay strong!CheersMartin

The bag itself is very nice. Well padded, nicely designed and doesn't scream 'I'm a photographer' too loudly. And it's not bulky. I had a lowepro backpack but it was so large that it was awkward to take out in public without smashing into everyone around you. This is a nicely sized average backpack which still holds a decent amount of camera gear plus a few extras.The reason I'm giving this two stars is that the 'included rain cover' was not included and the way Amazon has handled it. The rain cover was half the reason I bought this as I needed something to take out on trips which had weather proofing. It's mentioned twice in the product details and a couple of reviews on here have commented about the ones they received.Upon contacting Amazon about this they told me that since it's a third party seller they can't really do anything and suggested that I send the whole thing back to Germany and get a refund, then buy another one. Exactly how Amazon planned on guaranteeing the second bag would have a rain cover I do not know.Either way, I bought the bag to be used this weekend so I won't be able to return it sadly. For the sake of a missing part I am very disappointed that Amazon haven't been able to contact the seller on my behalf and ask for it to be sent. I can't even contact them myself which seems incredibly stupid and Amazons only suggestion doesn't work for me.I shan't be using this seller again if I can avoid it. Such a shame.UPDATE: After a few days bundlestar* noticed my feedback and contacted me directly (something amazon insisted wasn't possible for whatever reason) and promptly sent out a replacement raincover. So this is now going from a 2* to a 4*. Better late than never I suppose :)

I first reviewed this bag saying how good it was. And it is. However, since then I have found a much better bag for around the same price, which is the Lowepro Flipside 400.My reasons for why:1. The Lowepro is waterproof2. The velcro compartments on the Mantona undo really easily, allowing small lenses to hop over the dividers into different sections, and large/heavy lenses just pull velcro off.3. The Lowepro opens from the back. With the waist straps, this means you can keep the bag on you, swivel it around and get your camera out without taking the bag off your back. The Mantona is good as you can remove the camera from the side, but it's not the same.3. The tripod holder part is good but if you're using a heavy, sturdy tripod like one of the Manfrotto ones, it cant hold it. The horizontal strap at the top will loosen and the tripod will just leap off the back of the bag.4. I often sling my bag around one shoulder before putting the other shoulder through. On that side of the strap, its showing some wear and tear. This is also because my kit is really heavy.5. The Lowepro has big waist straps which distribute weight really well. The Mantona has narrow ones which just can't compare.It's a good bag, but I really would go for the Lowepro instead, with hindsight. I can't think of any pros of the Mantona over the Lowepro.My original review was:'I can't stress how good this bag is. It holds my Nikon D3 (large body DSLR) with one lens attached as well as 4 other lenses, a flashgun and accessories.The bag opens up from the sides and front which allows you to take out your camera (or lenses) easily, without needing to unpack and repack. It's massively spacious and completely invaluable.'