VANGUARD Supreme 46F Camera Case with Customisable Foam Insert

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.

I have rather an extensive, not to mention expensive, Nikon DSLRs and lenses, both in full frame and DX size. As a result, I had four to five camera bags which cluttered up the house a lot, much to the annoyance of my wife. I decided to look for an all-in-one storage case to store all my cameras together, but my search proved fruitless until I came across the Supreme 53F Camera Case from Vanguard. I already had the customisable insert so bought the case with the foam insert as it was, at the time, much cheaper than the 53D. As can be seen from the photograph this case easily swallows five Nikon DSLRs, each with an attached battery grip and twelve lenses (one compartment has two in it). The zipped mesh lid holds accessories such as remote release cables, spare SD cards and spare batteries.The case itself is nigh on indestructible and is secured with six strong latches and two padlock points. It's heavy enough on it's own, but fully loaded it's backbreakingingly heavy! However, Vanguard have thoughtfully included a pull out handle so the case can be pulled along on it's two wheels - a very nice touch indeed. I use this case primarily for storage purposes in the house. Not only does it free up house space, but it also means that all my kit is in one place. I now have the option of simply selecting what camera & lenses I wish to use and transferring them to my camera bag of choice. When going on holiday I can also load the Supreme 53F Camera Case into my car and do the same thing from there.Overall I'm very happy with this purchase. It keeps all my camera gear in one place, makes selecting what gear to use on a particular shoot more easy and most importantly it offers an unprecedented level of security for my equipment. It's expensive, yes, but quality often is. I have nearly £8k's worth of camera equipment so £161.00 is a steal for the convenience and peace of mind that this case brings. For those photographers that have a smaller set-up, Vanguard also do smaller cases in this range. Overall, I'm very, very pleased with this purchase and have no hesitation in recommending it to others.

Wow, this is a large case. Built like a tank, not tried driving over it but I guess it would certainly stand up to it. Plenty options to customise the interior to accept whatever your precious cargo of choice is. I see this as a case to use for moving around in your vehicle of if you are placing in the cargo hold of an aircraft

A good solid case for transporting HAM radio equipment. FTDX10 and accessories fit inside easily.

The Vanguard Supreme 53F case is the largest in a range of sizes of watertight, dustproof, crushproof equipment cases which are fully featured and competitively priced. As the largest it is wheeled and includes a convenient extendable handle as well as the usual side and front handles.This case is ideal for the safe transportation of photographic gear, laptops, electronics and fragile or expensive kit. Two packing levels of hexagonal pick `n' pluck foam are included to enable customisation of the interior of the case, offering excellent protection against impact, vibration and shock. An added value to this case is the effortless release latch for the extension handle. The cases are O-ring sealed, waterproof (up to a depth of 16.5 feet/5 meters), airtight and built to withstand the most extreme conditions (-40°F/-40°C to 203°F/95°C). Included is an automatic pressure equalization valve. Thick, quick-release latches lock in place and steel-reinforced lock holders are great for use with pad locks for added security.This case is built for rugged dependability in the harshest environments- perfect for the travelling photographer!