Review is for the 53F model. I bought this hard case to transport my 10x8 large format camera, lens and various accessories. I’d been looking for some time for a suitable bag for this purpose and hadn’t really had any luck. I’d used a Vanguard Skyborne 51 and a Lowepro 450 AW II, both of which managed to house the camera (with some difficulty), the former also with a lens. But nothing else sizeable fitted in either bag - the dark slides most crucially.
Extras like the dark slides needed to be carried in a shoulder bag, along with the focus loupe, lens, shutter cable, air blower, dark cloth and so on. On top of this was the tripod which meant an awful lot of camera gear was carried, the weight alone also made these bag options difficult, and it’s quiet the task to do, and not good for the knees or back in the long term. All this made large format photography a very dedicated thing to do and so I needed a bag that would alleviate these strains so I could more easily pursue it.
I purchased an expandable trolley that I strapped the Lower bag to but this wasn’t ideal and certainly not on varying terrain. Like cheap luggage, it would flip to one side if the centre of gravity was compromised in the slightest.
I’d looked at Peli cases but these were extortionate in cost, especially for one of the larger models I’d need. I stumbled upon this Vanguard series and as I’m a huge fan of Vanguard (have used their bags, tripods and tripod heads in the past) I investigated whether one would house all my gear as needed. I took note of the internal dimensions and using photoshop, mapped out the size of the bag and my gear to see if it’d fit. Lucky me, it did.
On delivery, I was immediately concerned at the sheer weight of the bag. I knew it’d be heavy, but bloody hell, it’s heavy. The 53F size bag crucially has two wheels and a retractable handle. These two features make this bag usable, as otherwise, it wouldn’t be. The handle locks into place either when fully out or retracted and is released via the easy push of an orange button.
The foam linings are in five parts in total - one in the lid, two thin ones at the bottom and in the middle, is the two main customisable pieces of foam. These two customisable pieces are wonderful and incredibly easy to mould. I’m flabbergasted at the reviews that suggest otherwise…. Simply hold the bit you don’t want to break away, hold the bit you do want to break away, and pull. BOOM, you managed to break away the bits you wanted to breakaway while leaving the bits you didn’t want to break away unbroken… Honestly… The hexagonal shape is far superior to flat sided foam as this grips better and allows for extra snug padding that isn’t achievable with square cut foam. Square foam would need the item being inserted to match the exact dimensions of the space - something that is almost never going to happen. All foam can be removed. The bag’s locks are very easy to release and lock with very little pressure required. I’d say they’re almost too easy to release as if you were to catch one on something, you’d be at risk of it popping lose, and possibly compromising the seal. Speaking of which, the pressure valve looks like a screw top, but crucially, don’t try and unscrew this as it isn’t meant to. It’s fixed. An odd design if you ask me. There is space to add two padlocks on the front clip locks, should you need them, such as when travelling.
The bag seems to be incredibly sturdy. One of he product images appears to have a car tyre resting on top, but this is a little misleading as the bag is *only* capable of resisting 150kg (in the picture, you can see the tyre is actually partly resting on the curb). The bag is also allegedly water proof to 5m, but I don’t see this coming into play for me, pending an accident near a lake. Most useful is that I can allow it to be rained on should the weather change while I’m out photographing.
Careful consideration must be given to how you’ll arrange your gear in the foam, as you won’t want things too close to the edge, for the sake of avoiding damage caused by severe bumps, or too close to each other. Replacement foam can be purchased, as can the inner lining compartmental bag from the 53D version of the bag. In fact buy the 53F version and the the lining from the 53D version to save money (assuming you’ll need both).
I highly recommend this hard case if you have a similar need to transport (and store) a large format camera and related equipment.
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 67 x 55.2 x 27.2 centimeter |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 13 Kilogram |
| Item Dimensions L x W x H | 63 x 52 x 24 centimeter |
| Item Weight | 10.4 Kilogram |
| Brand | VANGUARD |
| Colour | Svart |
| Model Year | 2011 |
| Part number | Supreme 53F |
| Style | 53F |
| Tillverkare | VANGUARD |
| Artikelnummer | Supreme 53F |
| Produktens mått | 63 x 52 x 24 cm; 10.4 Kilogram |
| ASIN | B0030GBAR8 |
