Review of Safrotto CF 600 shoulder bag

[yatsunil]

This is a review of the Safrotto CF600 shoulder bag which is a copy of the Domke F2. Mine is the sand coloured one. I just brought this bag on a 3 week backpacking trip to Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bosnia and Poland. Items carried throughtout the trip were :-

1. Nikon D60 body with 16-85VR lens attached
2. 2nd D60 body with 70-300VR lens attached
3. Lonely Planet Guide Book for eastern europe
4. One litre of drinking water
5. snacks (eg. chocolate bar and banana)
6. lens cleaning kit
7. Northface jacket
8. maps and brochures from hostels and museums
9. misc items (eg. mobile phone, keys, medicine etc)

Total weight of the above items is 6.5kg

This bag survived trips on public buses, trams, ferries and overnight trains without me having the slightest fear of anything falling out or getting stolen. It even kept my stuff dry in a heavy drizzle.

What I especially liked about this bag was the clips that keep the bag closed. Not everyone will like these clips but I love them. The are extremely secure against prying hands and yet give me easy access to my gear. They are easily opened from the side of the person carrying the bag but not from the opposite side. These clips are also very stealthy. I can open my bag in quiet churches and museums without attracting any attention as compared to others I saw who used bags with velcro systems.

The shoulder strap was also very comfortable despite the weight of my stuff. I had cross slung over my left shoudler most of the time. It is also rubberised to prevent slippage if you decide to sling it over one shoulder only.

Overall I'm very pleased with this bag. It doesn't look huge but carried all my travel gear without a problem. It also doesn't look like an expensive camera bag. (I removed all the brand labels anyway) I recommend this bag to anyone looking for an affordable and practical shoulder bag. I'll probably get a smaller one for everyday local use!!

Cheers!

 

[Reportage]

pictures pictures pictures and how muchie?

 

[benedetto13]

so seems like it's pretty worth the money eh? i'm thinking of getting one. the prices are like more than half price of domke. and material wise, feels kinda the same when i feel both materials. that's for me. is it??

 

[yatsunil]

so seems like it's pretty worth the money eh? i'm thinking of getting one. the prices are like more than half price of domke. and material wise, feels kinda the same when i feel both materials. that's for me. is it??

Yep...the material is similar. I also own a Domke F3x and as far as I can tell, the Safrotto canvas is thicker which makes the bag heavier but other than that, no problem.

 

[benedetto13]

Yep...the material is similar. I also own a Domke F3x and as far as I can tell, the Safrotto canvas is thicker which makes the bag heavier but other than that, no problem.

i so want a domke f3x but it's way over budget for a student like me. and i personally feel, it's just doesnt worth spending so much on a bag. just me. haha. after hearing you say that, i feel so safe in getting one, and i'm getting it tmr! too bad they dont have sand colour.

 

[Andrew Ng]

Yup. Its Good.

I scotch guard it and put a layer of foam on the flip cover for cushioning as I had cut off the interior cushion 'bag'.

Can carry

1 x D300 w/Grip
1x 17~35
1x 80~200
1x 12~24
1x 60mm
1x 10~17
1x 1.4 TC, 1x 2.0 TC
1x SB 800
1x Remote cord
1x Flash cord
3 x Filters (GND, ND8, CPL)
Couple of spare batts
Couple of CF Cards
1x umbrella
1x big trash bag (for lying on the floor or act as camera cover)
1x collapsible Umbrella
1x 500ml water bottle
1x Map
1x cleaning kit (Blower, clothe, lenspen)

All good for a few fun days of shooting. :-}

Its a Good buy!

 

[benedetto13]

that's alot of stuff! hahaha cant wait to get my from the camera workshop tmr, do you know whether they have sand colour other than blue and black?

 

[chiangkxv]

i did a search on google.. looks good.. how much did u gt it for?

 

[Andrew Ng]

that's alot of stuff! hahaha cant wait to get my from the camera workshop tmr, do you know whether they have sand colour other than blue and black?

Sand colour? Get from Jack, Benphoto... Quite limited. gets dirtied and looks rugged quite fast.. I use a green one. Price... You have to ask.. shall not disclose mine.. I got it really cheap new. Bought lots of stuff. :-}

 

[yatsunil]

that's alot of stuff! hahaha cant wait to get my from the camera workshop tmr, do you know whether they have sand colour other than blue and black?

So did you go down to camera workshop? What colours and sizes do they have left?

 

[benedetto13]

So did you go down to camera workshop? What colours and sizes do they have left?

yea i did! just came back. i got the CF500, the domkef3x clone. the uncle was really nice, chatted with him for quite awhite while i decide which colour to get. i was stuck between khaki and black. i got the black in the end haha tho i went there looking for khaki. i got it for a cheap price, haha i wont say. i would say it was a steal because i see people selling in B&S at $10-$15 more for second hand.

 

[yatsunil]

yea i did! just came back. i got the CF500, the domkef3x clone. the uncle was really nice, chatted with him for quite awhite while i decide which colour to get. i was stuck between khaki and black. i got the black in the end haha tho i went there looking for khaki. i got it for a cheap price, haha i wont say. i would say it was a steal because i see people selling in B&S at $10-$15 more for second hand.

Congrats on your purchase. I hope it serves you well.

 

[fibredrive]

yeah saw the safrottos today at TCW and the uncle was comparing it to my Domke F3X. quality is pretty good i must say and canvas seemed hardier. but i bought my domke in HK which was about SG$130 from Tin Cheung. guess in SG it's more worth it to buy the Safrotto.

 

[synapseman]

I'm a Safrotto fan myself, and I also had the CF-600.

Over the past 5 years, I've used 3 bags, and the only reason why I change is because as my equipment gets more, I need a bigger bag.

Since 5 years ago, I think their quality has improved by leaps and bounds. The first Safrotto I had had very thin sponge lining and extremely poor quality stitching. The newest ones are really comparable to their American-brand counterparts. (I am currently using the P-8, a Lowepro Magnum AW clone). Very solid quality.

However, I don't know if Safrotto has fixed the problem whereby the metal buckles that adjust the length of the shoulder strap keep breaking (even under moderate load), leaving sharp points that cut into your skin as you're carrying them. My latest P-8 bag uses plastic buckles, no problems so far, but the CF-series that use the metal buckles at the shoulder strap does seem to have this seemingly common problem.

So what I did was, after the strap broke, I took it to a cobbler and have the strap double-stitched together so that it no longer becomes adjustable (how often do we adjust our shoulder straps anyway?). Then I'd wrap up the sharp edges with black electrical tape. Good to go.

And oh yah, I bought my P-8 for less than a hundred bucks brand new. I didn't bother finding out how much the Magnum AW costs, but I think when the quality standard is so close, IMO it's quite a no-brainer which one represents better value for money. :thumbsup:

 

[Daedalus Trent]

Thanks for sharing, yatsunil & Andrew Ng!

I'm kinda looking for a bag like that too!
(but man, the Domke J-2 is tempting )

 

[kengster]

Anyone can enlighten on what is the market price of the CF600?

 

[synapseman]

Try the Camera Workshop, give them a call?

 

[yatsunil]

Anyone can enlighten on what is the market price of the CF600?

Less than half the price of the domke original F2!

 

[+evenstar]

to TS, there's a "Others" subforum for discussion on bags

 

[darrrrrrrrrr]

was quoted 75 for the f3x clone (cf500?) and 85 for the f2 clone (cf600)