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Case w/o external pouches. Near the bottom on the right side, is a nylon Uniloop that slides left or right, so the T164 or ballhead pouch can be positioned to the side. Above it is a pair of Uniloops for positioning the A257 Body Pouch to the side, so a tripod be mounted in the center.
Rear/side view with lid partially pulled back.
Top handle.
Rear view of lid.
We’ve changed our logo! Old label on the left—new one on the right. Some current inventory may have old label.
Side handle for carrying the case horizontally.
Metal slider on the back of the case for attaching a backpack harness (covered by the lid when not in use).
Attach a backpack harness to any long lens case.
L522 — PolyCore™ Long Lens Case 500 (w/ shoulder strap)
Under the lid is a removable piece of Velcro for faster field use.
D-shaped profile of case. Zippered pocket under lid.
A monopod will fit in the side pocket and is secured to the top using built-in straps. L511, NOT L522 shown.
Add a tripod to the rear (or right side) of a long lens case with the addition of a Y204 strap & T164 pouch. Or mount the tripod upside down when using a ballhead with a ballhead pouch instead. L511, NOT L522 shown.
Mesh pocket with an elastic closure fits water bottles up to 1 liter in size.
Inside dimensions for L321, L522 & L622 PolyCore cases. 195mm = 7-¾", 203mm = 8", 190mm = 7-½".
This photo illustrates just how rigid and tough a PolyCore long lens case is.
A257 body pouch attached with Y515 Shoulder Strap in the foreground.
A257 body pouch attached with Y515 Shoulder Strap in the foreground.
A257 body pouch attached with Y515 Shoulder Strap in the foreground.
$224.00

L522 — PolyCore™ Long Lens Case 500 (w/ shoulder strap)

This is a robust shoulder-bag style case for 400/2.8, 600/4 and 800/5.6 lenses with a DSLR body attached and the hood reversed. Some mirrorless 400s will fit with the hood in the shooting position. It also holds some shorter lenses like a 300/2.8 or 200-400/4 with a body attached and hood extended. The inside height of the case with the stock “flat” lid is 55.2cm (21-3/4"). 

  • This case features PolyCore™ case with semi-rigid sidewalls & bottom — an exclusive Kinesis design offering semi-rigid side walls yielding more protection than traditional soft-side cases
  • This case has a “slip on” lid that also utilizes a partial Velcro and buckle closure. If you want a case with a zippered lid, then choose the smaller diameter L311 or L511 (not suitable for most 400/2/8s or 600/4s).
  • Converts to a backpack with a H255 harness & Kinesis waistbelt.
  • The L522 has been our most popular model for carrying 400mm and 600mm lenses. Some 600s with a body attached were just a little too tall for it’s predecessor, the L521, so we made it 25mm (1") taller. Technically, this pushes it over edge as a legal carry-on for some US airlines, but most of the time they don’t check it when it is that close. 

Please Note: This case is sized to fit a full-sized DSLR or mirrorless body (with a little extra room so you can reach in and around the body) and 600/4 or 400/2.8 lens. You may find the 300/2.8 lens dwarfed by the large inside diameter of this case. We highly recommend the L029 Foam Insert when using a 300mm or 500mm with this case. Otherwise choose the more compact E976a, L311 or L511 instead. Product Update: We have transitioned from a solid nylon fabric pocket (as shown in most product photos) to a mesh pocket as shown in the detail shot.

Compatible Equipment

  • 400/2.8 lens with full-sized DSLR body attached (with quick-release plate attached) and hood reversed.
  • Nikon 600/4 VR lens with a large (D3) body attached, hood reversed with the leatherette cap in place (We are getting reports that the new Nikon 600/4 lens (2011) and stock leatherette lens hood will not fit inside this case. The diameter of the case is too small. We recommend use of the aftermarket Don Zeck lens cap instead).
  • Canon 600/4 IS lens with a body attached but with the hood reversed with the leatherette cap in place. - 500/4 or 200-400/4 lenses with a full-sized DSLR body (& quick-release plated attached) with hood reversed.
  • 300/2.8 or 200-400/4 lenses with a full-sized DSLR body (& quick-release plated attached) with the hood in the shooting position (double-check by measuring your extended rig and compare to “height” dimensions below). We highly recommend the L029 Foam Insert when using these smaller diameter lenses. Otherwise choose the more compact L311 or L511 case.

Field Reports

  • Nikon 300/2.8 VR in L521, L521a or L521b: Fits with hood attached and in the shooting position + 1.7 teleconverter + D2x body (June 2007)
  • Nikon 600/4 VR w/ RRS tripod foot in L521, L521a or L521b with hood reversed, body attached and with leatherette cover on. “The 600 lens fits once I got it started. It is snug, but it fits. To remove it I have to use a strap attached to the lens — it comes out easily though.”(August 2008)
  • “The [shorter] L521a long lens case fit my Nikon [VR] 600mm f4 just fine [w/ Nikon leatherette cap or sock]. It is a snug fit with the lens slip cover in place but it is easy to extract the lens from the case using the attached strap and I prefer it to be a snug fit rather than having the lens slide around inside the case.” (May 2009)
  • “My L128 Padded Deep Extension Lid arrived today and is now attached to my L521 Long Lens Case (discontinued, an inch shorter than the L522). It holds my Canon 600mm f4 L IS USM lens with the hood extended and a Canon 7D with 1.4 X tele-extender attached.” (August 2010)
  • “The Nikon 600/4 VR with Don Zeck lens cap, RRS foot and a D2X body attached fits OK into the L521 with the regular flat lid.” (July 2011)
  • Canon 800/5.6 IS in L521, L521a or L521b with hood reversed and body attached. “It fits the 800mm lens very easily with plenty of room on top for a lens and body such as the EOS 1Ds Mark III. There is plenty of space for the lens to fit in and out of the L521” (June 2008)
  • WOW! I just had to write you about your Kinesis pack I just ordered.
    have been struggling for a very long time with my 1DX+400mm 2.8L is Canon lens combo. I was using a Glass Limo bag
    from Think Tank, but since it wasn't long/tall enough, I had to store it with the hood reversed. It just took too long to
    try and pull it out, assemble it and start shooting. Can't tell you how many shots I have missed because of this fumbling around!
    have been looking on the internet and in many camera stores here in the Seattle area for months on end for a solution. No one
    seemed to have what I needed. 
    Sadly, I can't remember where I heard about your company, but WOW, am I glad I found you! As you can see from the cell phone 
    pictures I included, the 1DX+400mm f2.8 combo fits even better than I thought. It pulls out so easy, its hard to believe. I still have
    to make final adjustments to the straps, but I can't wait to use it in the field soon. (Sept 2015)
  • Canon 600mm f4 L IS II USM with the hood in the shooting position should just fit (with 12mm / 1/2" to spare) into the L522 with the L128 Extended Lid in place of the stock “flat” lid. (April 2016)
  • Canon 600/4 IS II + Mark 1D Mark IV + 1.4 extender + Lenscoat Hoodie: Fits with the hood reversed inside the L522 with the L127 Expansion Lid (instead of standard flat lid) with a slight bulge in lid (2015).

External Attachment Options

Lower Position
- One A257 or M330 can be attached in the lower center of the case (standard position & shown in photos).
- Two single-wide pouches (E105, E280 etc.) can be attached to either side of the lower A257, covering the collapsible pockets. Alternately, a double-wide pouch (A257, M330 etc.) can also be attached to either the left or right of the standard A257 Body Pouch, but this attachment location is a little loose which may cause the pouch to shift around a little, unless secured with a Y205 strap.

Upper Position
- The upper part of the case will house AN equal amount of pouches, except it has additional attachment points, so two single-wide pouches can be attached in the center.

Back (flat) Side of the Case
- A double-wide pouch (A257, M330 etc.) can be attached to the lower back or flat part of the case, although this disables use of any backpack harness or may make using a shoulder strap awkward.

Tripod Use
Remove the A257 center pouch (shown in photo above) and replace it with a T164 or T317 pouch for attaching a tripod (see this page for pix). Attach a Y204 to the top of the case to hold the top part of the tripod. The A257 can then be reattached to the upper or lower part of the case, slightly off center.

Specifications

The sidewalls are constructed with our exclusive 13mm-thick semi-rigid PolyCore™ and the lid uses 10mm closed-cell foam. The bottom also uses a piece of stiff 13mm PolyCore™, plus an additional layer of 6mm closed-cell foam.

Long Lens Case Instruction Sheet (PDF)

U.S./Imperial
21-3/4h x 7-7/8" dia I.D.*
23h x 10-1/4" dia O.D.
Volume = 1235 cu in
Weight with A257 pouch & Y515 shoulder strap (approx.): 4 lbs. 10 oz.
Weight w/o A257 pouch & Y515 shoulder strap (approx.): 4 lbs. 1.5oz

Metric
55.2h x 20cm dia I.D.*
59.0h x 25.8cm dia O.D.
Volume = 20 lit
Weight with A257 pouch & Y515 shoulder strap (approx.): 2.05 kg
Weight w/o A257 pouch & Y515 shoulder strap (approx.): 1.81 kg

*Height (I.D. or Inside Dimension): There is a little give in the stock “flat” lid (approx. 15mm or 5/8"), allowing a lens/body combo up to 57.0cm (22-3/8") to fit inside this case.
Diameter (I.D. or Inside Dimension): this is the maximum diameter of the front element and/or lens cover that will fit inside this case. The circumference of this case is 71cm (27-7/8") and measures the entire inside perimeter of the D shape of the case. It is larger than 3.14 times the diameter to allow extra room for the lens tripod foot. To reduce the diameter of the bottom of the case consider L029 foam insert.
Diameter (O.D. or Outside Dimension): Please note than the outside diameter of the lid is 28cm (11").

Designed & Crafted in USA

made in usa