Domke FA-230 3-Compartment Insert - for Domke F-802, F-803 or F-804 Satchel Bag

Comments about Domke FA-230 Insert:

I love this insert in my F-803 bag. It works well for organizing lenses and maybe a small camera body/lens. I normally use it for just lenses and film and carry the camera in my hand.

Comments about Domke FA-230 Insert:

I purchased a Domke Reporter's Bag specifically because I wanted a durable, good-looking bag that was made in the USA, which the bag is.

I read the reviews and realized that this insert would be somewhat smaller than the bag interior, and I was okay with that. Unfortunately, this very thin insert is made in China, and feels like typical China quality - which is to say low quality.

Comments about Domke FA-230 Insert:

Although designed for the F-803, this insert fits the Domke J-803 perfectly.
It doesn't use all the bag's space, so you'll still have room on the side. I use this extra-space for a slim bottle of water, or anything else.

It can hold a mirrorless system with three lenses easily and is well padded. The velcro on the sides will hold it in place in the bag and it comes with two separators, that also attach with velcro. It might not be as robust as a Crumpler insert, but it is less expensive, lighter and also a lot less bulky.

Comments about Domke FA-230 Insert:

I use this with the Domke F-803. Works perfect together as a solution for a micro 4/3 system. Fits the Olympus OM-D E-M5, three lenses, and a flash.

Comments about Domke FA-230 Insert:

I configured the insert into 2 sections - 1 for the camera with an attached lens and the second for an additional lens. Getting my Canon Digital Rebel in and out is not as easy as I would like. It does fit, but does not slide right out quickly. This insert is great quality, but a better fit for lenses, flash or smaller accessories.

Comments about Domke FA-230 Insert:

Nice (kind of) insert which is supposed to fit my F-803 bag. It almost does. The insert is too small so you lose a bit of space. But yes, it does fit inside.

Comments about Domke FA-230 Insert:

I've used this insert for about a week now and still have mixed feelings about it. On the plus side it offers better protection than what I had before in the bag (which was nothing). The workmanship and quality are good, and the insert appears sturdy. On the down side, though, it's a somewhat awkward fit in my F-803 bag - it doesn't fit completely from side to side inside the bag, leaving roughly an inch or so of wasted space between the outside wall of the insert and the inside wall of the bag (each side). Getting a Canon 7D into my F-803 is now a very tight fit as the insert is small. The styrofoam walls of the insert (which now cause the front of the bag to bulge out making it kind of fat) and small size have turned my formerly spacious camera bag into a crammed experience. I have configured a two-section setup with the dividers and there is just barely enough room for my 7D in one section with a 70-300 telephoto upright in the second section. The insert would probably be fine, though, for smaller-size DSLRs. Time will tell if this insert will work out for me or not.

Also of note, the internal design is now different from what the product image depicts. The inside of the insert is now entirely padded and there are two removable divider panels with Velcro strips that attach to the walls of the insert so you can customize the interior: no more fixed or sewn-in-place dividers as all the product pictures on the Web depict. This is a huge improvement over the original version of this insert.

Comments about Domke FA-230 Insert:

I bought this insert for Domke F-803 thinking I could divide the bag more evenly for my NEX-7 and several lenses.

Pros - Just your typical insert.

Cons - It comes with 2 dividers that go up and down the height of the insert. You can fold the dividers so that you can stack 2 lenses.

I ended up using inserts from other bags I had.

Comments about Domke FA-230 Insert:

Quick to install, durable and great feel

Comments about Domke FA-230 Insert:

This insert is clearly not worth the money. It is nothing more than cardboard and some cloth. This is totally unacceptable. If you are looking for inserts and are on a tight budget, try the Kata inserts (and bags). If you have more money to spend, grab a Billingham. I currently use one of their bags and the insert in it is incredible. It last forever!

Comments about Domke FA-230 Insert:

This insert fits my Domke F-802 better than other brand inserts. It is narrow enough, yet serves the intended purpose of keeping gear separated and protected. I'm using one divider, making it a 2-section insert, but this works with my 24-105 and large binocular in separate sections, leaving room outside the insert for a 60d with 100-400 attached.

Comments about Domke FA-230 Insert:

way overpriced, not at all compatible with the F-802 satchel as advertised. Insufficient width resulting in lost space of atleast five inches.

Comments about Domke FA-230 Insert:

for use with F-802 the width is short by about five inches which results in wasted space, unless you have something that size not needing cushioning. I could have bought a regular sheet of half inch foam to stuff the front and back pockets of the satchel for much better results at a fraction of the cost.

Comments about Domke FA-230 Insert:

It's simple....why would Domke not make the two inner dividers, a) Adjustable, b) allow the top few inches of them to flap down - (like every other divider made!). You should be able to drop your dslr cam + lens straight in to the middle hole - and have the two center dividers flap outward, allowing the body of the camera to rest on them. Instead, it just crushes the dividers, since they are sewn up to the top of the insert. Very poor design.

Comments about Domke FA-230 Insert:

I bought this to carry my gear in a smaller compartment of an old backpack (specifically, the middle compartment of the North Face Yavapai bag).

It's a very tight fit, but I can cram my external flash, 40D with mounted 17-50 2.8, and my 70-200 f4 in there. Unfortunately the compartments are just a little too narrow to accommodate the 70-200's hood, and the fact that the dividers are sewn in rather than velcroed is a huge con.

In contrast, my gear fits comfortably into the Tenba Photo Insert, which has padded, movable dividers, but the insert is too wide for my backpack.

Comments about Domke FA-230 Insert:

I carry a 70-200 2.8, a wide angle f4 zoom, a 2.8 normal zoom, a teleconverter and a D300 W/battery pac in the maim section of FX2 my bag. Replacing the standard square four bay incert with the three bay rectangular insert allows all of that to fit and and be accessable. The Domke FX 2 bag is great. I can carry the three fast zooms and teleconver that give me coverage from the (full frame equivalant) 18 to 600 mm, a small spare body, SB 800 flash, monopod, spare batteris, memory, filters etc. If a had a bigger bag I would just carry more which is cumbersome, especially when you need to move fast. The bag is canvass but Which I find more functional and comfortable (with the "postmans" strap cushion) than the modern ballistic nylon bags. I carried my last one for ten years. Along with the advantages enumerated above, it developed a nice patena over the years. It looks salty, which is not a bad thing.

Comments about Domke FA-230 Insert:

Use this product for lenes and flash. Works well.

Comments about Domke FA-230 Insert:

The FA-230 Insert was bought to supplement my trusty Domke F-802 Reporter's Satchel when I occasionally need to haul photo gear along. Unfortunately the insert is only usuable with slim lenses and strobe units and cannot be cutomized which means I can't get an camera body in. I have to make-do by wrapping a small DSLR body in a wrap and squeezing it into one of the outer pockets-not ideal on a crowded underground train. To make things worse the bottom of the insert is not padded, although is enclosed. To be fair to Domke this combination is purely improvised and they do make dedicated photo satchels which may suit better if you have to carry files, paperwork and photo equipment.