This bag offers more room than anything else for $250, at least in depth. Most bags from Manfrotto, PeakDesign or Lowepro at this price point have a depth of 13 to 15cm. 16cm depth is great because it means you can carry a Hasselblad 500C/M with a Prism finder on, sideways in the bag. I know because I'm looking for a 16cm depth bag for my Hasselblad. Can't find one :/
Good review. And you're exactly right (from my point of view) about the ability to go out with it and not regret keeping the camera in it when you don't see anything that grabs you. That happens often enough! So comfort is very important. but efficient packing and easy access are just as important, and often interact poorly in bags. Seems like this one handles that pretty well. As for larger cameras: none of my 8x10s would fit in that bag, but they're all pretty large, probably larger than the Stenopeika. I have a photobackpacker RPT 3 bag that would work, but as time goes on I find that I'm more likely to strap a porteur bag (squarish bag designed for a front rack) on the bike I built up for this purpose if I want to go 8x10 or larger. Much more comfortable to not have it on your back at all! :-) Restricts scenes a bit, so for the serious backcountry landscape shooter the RPT 3 bag is better, but the bike setup suits my shooting pretty well.
