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Reviews for Canon 300D / 10D / 20D / 30D / 40D / 50D / 5D / 7D

Review #1

(Added 23rd July 2010)

Photos contain:

Canon EOS 5D
  Canon EOS 50D (gripped) w/ Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM II attached (hood reversed)
  Canon EF 70-200mm F/2.8L USM II (hood reversed)
Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
Canon EF 100mm F/2.8 USM Macro Lens
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
+ spare batteries, blower, cable release, lens + LCD cloths, spare memory, wallet, cell phone, keys, etc. etc…

I recently took shipment of the Think Tank Retrospective 20 shoulder bag and I thought that I’d give you all my first impressions and a review of the bag.
I ordered this bag directly from Think Tank Photo for $159.00 + Shipping/Tax

Why I purchased this bag:

Ever since purchasing a 5DII and having my 50D converted to infrared, I’ve been looking for a shoulder/sling bag that could carry both bodies ready to shoot (lenses attached) + 2-3 other lenses. It needed to have easy access to the bodies and lenses. This way I could be out street shooting and not really worry too much about missing a shot while fumbling around trying to get a lens or the other camera out.
I wanted a bag that was going to be inconspicuous, functional, comfortable, and not so big and boxy that I felt like I was carrying a microwave oven over my shoulder.

Needless to say, this is a lot to ask from a bag. I thought I was out of luck and was fully prepared to curl up in a fetal position and give up my search (there may or may not have been crying involved)…That is until…

Enter the TT Retrospective series…
I ordered a 20 in pinestone right away:

Exterior:

“HOLY F***, this is a gorgeous bag!” I exclaimed upon opening the box.
No joke…that’s what I said. I have witnesses and everything.

This is a BEAUTIFUL bag. It’s made from a high quality cotton canvas treated with 3M to be highly water resistant. It’s very well built. The seams look well sewn and fabric well worn. The metal hardware completes the look of an old style shoulder bag.
Think Tank’s bags have always been very practical and user friendly but I’ve always thought they were second to Domke and Crumpler in terms of design and style. It’s very nice to see that this is no longer the case with the Retrospective series.
Here’s a shot of the bag with everything it comes with (two additional large dividers already in the bag):

In the next shot, you'll notice the side pocket (one on either side of the bag). This is great for a water bottle or other things of similar size. I was also able to fit my 580EX II in it.
Also notice the horizontal strap right above the side pocket. This would a great place to attach a carabineer or other accessories such as pouches for expandability:

The bag sports a removable hand strap for easy carrying when the bag is not over your shoulder.
A note about the shoulder strap: As a longtime user of shoulder/messenger bags (since middle school), I’ve gone through A LOT of bags with just as many different kinds of shoulder straps. This is by far the most comfortable, stable, and well made shoulder strap I’ve EVER used. It has comfortable padding in addition to non-slip sections to prevent the bag from slipping off your shoulder. I love it:

You’ll also notice a nice zipper pocket on the back where you could put any number of things; Magazine, newspaper, paperwork, the rain cover, etc… I saw a video where a guy put his iPad and it fit in perfectly:

Interior:

The inside of the bag is completely customizable. With the dividers provided (3 large and 2 small), it would be possible to set this bag up in a multitude of different ways. The tops of the large dividers are able to fold to any angle to provide for camera support or to completely partition off a section of the bag.

You’ll notice two inner side pockets in addition to the ones on the outside of the bag, which are used for storing flashes. I had no problems fitting my 580EX II in these either.

The bag has two more pockets on the inside (front and rear) to store things like pens, batteries, lens caps, filters, lens cloths, cable releases, wallet, cell phone, keys, etc… The one on the front has smaller compartments inside:

As you can see, it has yet another bigger velcro pocket on the front for larger things. Later In the review I’ll show you what I keep in there.

One really nice feature about almost all the Velcro on this bag is that it’s essentially optional. The pockets all have an outer Velcro strip so you can close the pocket and in inner strip so you can keep it open and access your gear without hearing a huge ripping sound.
The main flap has this feature too (dubbed “sound silencer”). You just undo the Velcro and flip it over on itself (pictured below). This way the bag is completely silent. You can also just fold up one strip so the bag becomes a little easier to open. You’ll also notice a business car holder on the inside of the main flap:

I was photographing a concert a couple of days ago (first night with the new bag) and this feature made my bag completely silent throughout the whole night. In the past, my bag was always the noisiest part of my kit (either from zippers or Velcro), but now, it’s my shutter clicks. I shoot a lot of concerts where the sound of Velcro ripping open or a zipper opening could ruin the feel of a song…and get a lot of people mad at me…so this feature is perfect.

Needless to say, the main flap also makes accessing all of your gear EXTREMELY easy. No fumbling around to get your camera past an awkward zipper or small opening. Just flip up the flap and pull out your camera or lens.

Gear:

Alright, now on to the stuff that really matters: Where to put all my gear?
Let me just say that this bag fits A LOT of stuff. I’m reminded of this Chevy Aveo commercial where some basketball players, who are a good two feet taller than the car, get in and then it shows a view from inside the car and they are the size of children on the seats. This is the same way I feel about this bag.
Roomier than it looks? Yeah. Quite a bit.

Here’s the bag with a one-camera setup. I didn’t think to put the battery grip on my 50D for this shot, but rest assured, it fits easily:

As you can see, I currently have 4 lenses in addition to the camera + 70-200 2.8 combo. I should also mention that if I flip the 16-35mm on it’s side, I could easily fit my 24-70mm on top of it (if it weren’t being used to take the picture). So that’s 5 lenses and camera + lens combo.
All my accessories (lens pen/cloths, batteries, cable release, battery covers, spare memory, keys, wallet, etc.) are stored in the two inside pockets and as you can see hardly add any bulk to the bag.
Here’s the same setup with the front outer pocket closed:

I should also mention that in all of these pictures my ‘L’ lenses have their hoods on and reversed.

Okay. Let’s stop for a minute and I’ll let everyone pick thier lower jaw up from the floor. That’s pretty impressive stuff from such a “small” bag, right? Well, ladies and gents, with 849 cubic inches of space on the inside (a mere 48 in^3 less than the Retrospective 30), this baby has plenty of room to go around. …And it only gets better. Read on:

“Now, Glade. Didn’t you mention something earlier about wanting to be able to carry around two cameras? Ready to shoot?”
Oh, right…that…well…
Fine: 
all ‘L’ lenses have their hoods on and reversed:

Oh and sorry about the random WB and lighting shift. This series was taken with a P&S.

The 24-70mm and 16-35mm are on their sides. There is still a good 2.5-3 inches between the 24-70 and my 5DII. This means that I could add my 100mm Macro on its side or my 430EX II flash. Of course, I forgot to do this while shooting these photos, so you’ll just have to trust me.

Okay, anyone need to take another breather? This is getting ridiculous. I mean, that is almost my WHOLE kit people. That’s 2 Cameras w/ lenses attached + 4 other lenses + Flash + PWs + accessories…and do I need to remind anyone that one of those lenses it the 70-200 f/2.8L II ?!?!?!

Jeez, I think I need to take a break.
But before I do that, here’s the same setup except the 50D is now gripped:

I could probably fit my 430EXII in on top of the 24-70mm still.
If I ever get a grip for my 5DII, I could mirror the orientation of the 50D and it would be a snug fit, but workable.

Now, let’s be reasonable here. Carrying around my WHOLE kit is going to be heavy. Did some quick math and came to a total weight of 18.3lbs (8.3kg).
That’s one HEAVY shoulder bag. Now, I’m used to carrying heavy shoulder bags for school (huge textbooks, etc. etc…) and I have a pretty strong frame, but carrying around that much gear for a day shooting candids and street photography in San Francisco (the hilliest city in the US) isn’t going to do my back any favors and isn’t really practical.
For a day like the one described above, I’d probably leave the flashes behind, take my ‘L’ zoom trinity, 10-22, and both bodies. This brings it down to under 14lbs which I’ve found to be manageable. Adding the 50 1.4 wouldn’t be the end of the world either.

It is, however, very comforting to know that this bag has enough room to fit in just about whatever combination of gear I need for any given occasion.

Wearing The Bag:
One of the best things about this bag is how it feels fully loaded and on your shoulders.
As I previously stated, the shoulder strap is the most comfortable strap I’ve worn to date.
Here are a few shots of me with the bag on. For a size reference, I’m 5’11” (1.8m for those of you on the metric system).

Seriously, though:

This bag has everything I want in a shoulder bag:
Huge load with slim profile.
Stylish looks coupled with essentially unending functionality.
Form fit and ultimate customization.
Ease of use and, yes, the loveliest strap to ever grace my shoulder.

Oh, and stealth capability.

I wanted a bag that would fit my specific and (honestly) a bit outlandish needs, but I got so much more:
A bag for virtually every occasion.

Thanks to Glade for review