Reviews for Nikon D70 / D100 / D200 / D300 / D700
Equipment:
Nikon D70s with 18-70mm kit lens,
Tokina 12-24mm f/4
Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro all with hoods
Nikon 50mm f/1.8
Nikon 35mm AF f/2
extender, assorted filters, folded reflector, assorted adapter rings
camera cheat sheet, flash manual, grey card, remote, assorted plugs and cables
Sunpak 383 flash with flash bracket and Omni-Bounce , 4AA spare batteries
camera spare battery, CF cards, small binoculars, pocket compass,
mini maglite, with some rearranging
also a portable hard drive instead of the 35mm/2.
Review:
Because I'm having back problems, I had to get rid of all my backpacks. I'm now using a holster bag or a small shoulder bag with belt for day trips. For traveling I wanted a rolling case that would hold all my gear. Since European airlines are pretty strict about the maximum weight for carry-on luggage, it had to be a small bag. The Lowepro Pro Roller Mini is the smallest rolling case I could find.
The Pro Roller Mini is like a regular carry-on rolling case, with an insert to hold photo gear. It's a bit heavy when empty, but that's where the wheels come in handy. The front of the case has a bungee cord for holding large flat stuff (I only stuff newspapers under it), and a zippered pocket. The zippered pocket isn't of much use because it's rather tight, but you might stuff a magazine in.
The top of the case has a buckle for attaching a belt loop that holds a smal bag, handy when you're carrying multiple bags. It also has a covered ID-tag. I like that it's covered, because I'm always afraid of rogues reading my luggage tags to break into my house when I'm away. Strange enough there's an extra bungee cord included with the case, but there are no D-rings on top for such a bungee, like on the Roller 1 and 2.
The wheels of the Pro Roller Mini are big for such a small case, which is nice, because it gives stability. The case rolls very smoothly, and the wheels hardly make any noise.
You can take out the insert by the straps and use the case as regular luggage, it has garment straps on the bottom for that purpose. The top of the insert has two velcro-closed pockets that hold cables or power adapters.
Both the insert and the case itself have two transparant zippered pockets on the inside. The position of the zippers is a bit weird: when the case is lying flat and you open it away from yourself, with the lid resting against a wall or the back of a chair, the zippers are vertical. That's probably because the same design was used as in the Roller 1 and 2, and those have a stand for propping up the case, so the zippers would remain horizontal.
On the side of the case are a few straps for attaching a tripod holder. That works fine, but only for light tripods. The case is so small that attaching a heavy tripod would make it topple sideways when it's standing upright, unless the case is fully packed.
The case holds all my gear, well, almost. When I want to put the camera in with a lens attached, I have to leave out my 40GB portable hard drive. If I put in the camera without a lens attached, leave out either the 50mm or 35mm, and rearrange some dividers, the hard drive fits in (but not its charger, I would still have to put that in my regular luggage). The disadvantage of this being a hard case is that you can't overstuff it without risking damage to the zippers, I really had to get used to that! And because the case is not very deep (11cm) any camera higher than the D70 would not fit, that is, for any camera with battery grip attached, D1, D2, etc. you would need at least the Pro Roller 1.
The next picture also has written on it where's what in the case. The case is not deep enough to stack two small lenses (for example, the 50mm and 35mm stacked together are too high), but I did manage to sneak various small stuff in by putting it under other things.
All in all, it's a great bag for travelling, very well built, great quality, not too big, and it looks like regular luggage without screaming "expensive photo gear inside". And a big plus for me: when fully packed it's still lighter than 10kg, which is the limit for carry-on with Ryanair.
Likes:
- under 10kg when fully packed!
- very well built
- smooth silent wheels
- compact for the amount of gear it holds
Dislikes:
- a bit heavy when empty
- you can't overstuff it without risking damage to the zippers
- there's no top bungee: the cord is included, but no top D-rings for attaching it
- there's no handle grip on the side: you can only lift it from the top, not like a 'regular' suitcase
Thanks to Nicole de Beer for Review.
Reviews for Canon 300D / 10D / 20D / 30D / 40D / 50D / 5D / 7D
Review #1
(Added 8th May 2008)
Equipment list in bag :
Canon EOS 20D
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
Canon EF 100mm F/2.8 USM Macro Lens
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM
Lensbaby & aperture rings
2 X SB flashes
Lots of AA batteries
Sekonic L-358 Flashmeter
CF card wallet
Filters
Charger
Review text:
This was intended to be a back saver after humping a Mini Trekker rucksack around for a while.
It holds about the same amount as a mini trekker sized backpack but you have to be careful when packing as the bag is rigid and won't close when over packed. The zippers (have loops for a padlock) are chunky and robust but can be stiff and difficult to close.
The bag comes with a multitude of straps and attachments - most of which I haven't figured out yet. The number of internal dividers is generous, though give us a few more of the textile ones!
There are four decent sized internal pockets - which add to the profile of the lids and can make it difficult to close if overfilled.
The nylon wheels look as though they could go a few miles with me.
If the bag was a little bit deeper - just a little bit then I could fit a body with a grip attached. My own fault for buying off the internet and not double checking. I might be attracted by the next sized roller bag because of this and the extra space.
Likes about the bag:
Compact, roller, fits in airplane overhead locker. Includes enough straps to make a dominatrix drool.
Dislikes about the bag:
Not deep enough to fit camera and grip attached.
Thanks to SFC for Review.
