I Bought a $20 Honx Camera Bag And It Is Awesome!

Now that Malaysia is under partial lockdown (or MCO 3.0) and I can't do shutter therapy at all (referring to the previous blog, government officially banning photography), I guess the next best thing to keep myself sane and in good spirit is - RETAIL THERAPY. Nothing beats the thrill of buying something new, stylish and functional for my gear. I bought a Honx shoulder camera bag for USD20 only, and I thought it looks gorgeous and is really functional at the same time. Oh the joy of buying new bags, I guess women would understand this more than a guy like me? I want to talk about that bag here, and I did make a video mini review (click here) for the Honx shoulder bag, for those who prefer to watch rather than read texts. 

I got myself a Honx shoulder bag, model HNX-008, color Navy. It costs me USD20 only, including shipping from Indonesia. 

I don't think I have the butt to model this bag, but yeah. The bag looks super nice!

For those interested, here is the Shopee link. Take note I am not sponsored and I do not earn anything from this. You can check them out on their official Instagram page (click). 

HONX is a camera maker from Indonesia, and the bag that I bought was made in Indonesia. I have known about this brand for quite some time now, but could not purchase anything here locally in Malaysia. As I was browsing aimlessly on online shopping platforms in Malaysia, both Lazada and Shopee, I chanced upon the Honx bags selling online by accident, and they do ship to Malaysia! I was so excited and I immediately ordered one. The price of the bag including shipping at the time of me purchasing it was USD20 only. I noticed there is a slight hike in price since, now the updated pricing is probably closer to USD25, but the online price fluctuates, and it also depends on seasonal discounts and online promotional events. Buy the items online at the right time, you pay significantly less. 

The Honx bag that I ordered was model 008, and the color option I chose was Navy. There were many other options, variations, sizes and colors to pick, I just selected the one that I thought I'd like. The Honx bag arrived within one week since I ordered, and that's fast considering it was an overseas shipping. 

My first impression of the bag - wow! It looks so stylish, even better in real life than in photographs. As I held the bag in my hand, the bag did not feel too light at all, there is a heft to it, and it did feel very well made. Perhaps not premium grade, but it was definitely far from feeling cheap. I really like the retro look, matching my Olympus OM-D cameras which do have classic design, especially my E-M5 Mark III silver. The brown top of the bag and navy overalls color scheme is easy to match any outfit that I wear. I thought the camera bag looks really stunning, and who would have thought you can get something like this for USD20 only?

The build quality is very good, surely much better than I expected for the price tag. The bag was made of entirely fabric, but high quality, dense and thick fabric. The connections, seams, zippers, any part of the bag felt very solid and there was a lot of attention to detail while designing and making this bag. There was also definitely thick enough padding all around the bag to protect your gear, in case of bump, shocks or drops. This Honx is a high quality camera bag, with the design and build, I'd say other brands would charge as much as 10 times more than what they asked for. This is a steal!

Love the retro design of the bag. It matches my classic looking cameras, such as the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III silver. 

I like that the bag is small, I have given up on carrying larger messenger or shoulder bags. Need to take care of that shoulder and back, I am not getting any younger. But a small bag to carry minimal gear, that is perfectly fine. 

I can totally see myself using this bag for photowalks. Unfortunately, no photowalks now. Banned in Malaysia. 

I should have worn a red shirt to intentionally clash with the bag's navy blue color. 

I really like how the bag looks so good no matter which angle you look at it. 

Yes, I am happy I bought something. Though it is cheap, it is still new and I love it. 

You can fit quite a lot of items into the bag, though the build is quite small in size. I can comfortably throw in:

2 camera bodies (OM-D sized)

2 large lenses, or 3-4 smaller lenses, like Olympus primes

A 10-11 inch laptop, or tablet. I carry with me a 10 inch Android tablet

A mini photobook

Accessories like batteries, powerbank, headphones, SD cards, etc

I would not fill the bag to the brim, I can see myself just carrying one camera and maybe two lenses, to keep the weight down, and maybe an Android Tablet (I am team Android), for quick email replying or doing some work on social media. 

I also won't be using this bag for any serious photography work. I do have larger bags, backpacks or shoulder bags that can fit a lot more, 3-4 cameras, 5-6 lenses, 2-3 flashes, tripod, and a 13 inch laptop. Those are for work, and this Honx camera bag is certainly not built for professional use. 

What do I wish that can be improved on Honx 008?

1. Add a quick access. 

There is no way to get to the camera quickly. You need to undo TWO buttons at the front, flip the flap over, and unzip the bag before you can reach your camera. That is too many steps. If I am doing street photography I need quick access, every second means I am losing the shot. A top access with zippers would be appreciated. 

2. Weather-Proofing

The bag is made of fabric, and is not water-proof. That is fine, considering the price, but I would have appreciated a raincoat provided as a cover in case it rains. Indonesian weather is very similar to Malaysia, I would have thought the bag maker should take this into consideration. There is no protection against water at all. 

3. Side pockets

I wish there are small side pockets, to access small items like batteries, or even wireless earbuds. 

I guess these are small complains and honestly are not deal breakers. The bag is only USD20 and for that, I am asking a lot already. For what it is, I appreciate the beautiful design and overall functionality of the Honx camera bag. I do enjoy using it tremendously. 

Do you guys wear your shoulder bag lower, or higher? I used to hang the bag much lower, around waist level or even lower than that. As I get older the bag goes higher and higher. 

You can fit a lot into the bag, despite the small size. There are two rather large front pockets for accessories like batteries, SD cards, cables, etc. 

Side view of the bag. 

So far, I am really loving this bag! Highly recommended to anyone. 

For those who are familiar with Honx camera bags, please let me know your thoughts about this Indonesian made product! I personally thought it was a well made bag, and looks fantastic as well. 

Since the lockdown started, I have been looking for cheap, guilt-free purchases online, and many of these items that I have bought are photography related. I will share more very, very soon. 

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