Enlight IOShutter cable
Think Tank is a premier photography bag company
and also makes versions
of the bag that are smaller (Retrospective 5,7,10, and
20) and larger
(Retrospective 40 and 50) but for my size frame, the 30 is
a perfect size.
I have many camera bags in my collection and each one plays
a different role
depending on what and where I will be photographing. Most of
them I've purchased
for very specialized uses such as day hikes in the wild,
on-location portrait shoots,
studio use, travel, event photography, macro
and nature photography, landscape photography, etc. The Think Tank
Retrospective 30 bag turned out to be a perfect
fit for the unknown scenario.
Sometimes I'm not sure what I will need on a shoot so
I bring along a variety
of items. In the past I would bring several different bags of items
to a shoot
and I was lacking a bag that could accomodate practically everthing but the
kitchen sink. I needed something that could fit the whole Kit And Caboodle yet
still be comfortable and non-obstrusive to carry. The Think Tank Retrospective
30 fits the bill perfectly and I now affectionally call it; "The Kit And
Caboodle Bag".
I've always felt that Think Tank photography bags are the
"cream of the crop" but since their cost was typically higher than
many of their competitors, I opted for lower-priced bags. Now that I've been
able to own and use a Think Tank bag, I've realized that their features and
quality provide me a value that far exceeds their cost. Since the contest, I
have purchased additional Think Tank products to replace some of my other
"kits".
I will post about those in future updates to this blog.
Think Tank Retrospective 30 And Essentials
As I've mentioned, this is the bag I take with me when I'm
not sure what I will need. From the picture above, you will notice that I also
take a couple of other items that I consider essential. These include:
If I think that I will need a larger tripod or monopod, I
will bring either an Oben or Manfrotto monopod and/or a Manfrotto or
ReallyRightStuff tripod.
As you can see in the photo, the Retrospective 30 bag is
filled to the brim but there is actually still room inside one of the many
compartments, nooks, and crannies along with a back pocket that can fit an iPad
or iPad mini. Now let's get to actually exposing the wonders of the
Retrospective 30 and see what I put in it.
A wonderful little ThinkTank accessory is the Cable
Management 20 bag (shown in the above photo at the top of the bag) containing
my rechargeable batteries and several battery chargers. Here is a top view of
the filled Retrospective 30 bag without the battery/charger bag:
Kit And Caboodle Inside Top View
It may not look like there is much in the bag (looks can be
deceiving) so here is a view with everything taken out of the bag.
Full Kit And Caboodle Contents
Surprising, isn't it?
Contents:
- Spudz 18% Gray Microfiber cloth
- Inova Flashlight
- Think Tank Pixel Rocket Memory Card Wallet
- Litemaster Pro L-478DR Light Meter
- Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 Zoom Lens
- Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6 Wide Angle Zoom Lens
- Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 Zoom Lens
- Nikkor 50mm f1.8 Lens
- LensBaby Spark Lens
- Nikon D7000 Camera and MB-D11 Battery Grip
- Nikon EN-EL15 Batteries (2)
- Zeikos LCD Viewing Hood
- Nikon SB-800 Flash and accessories
- Think Tank Cable Management 20 bag filled with chargers,
cables, and batteries
- ThePOD Yellow Camera Bean Bag
- Fader MkII ND filter
- Heliopan Polarizer filter
- Cokin P-Series ND Grad Filter
- 72mm - 77mm Step Up Ring
- BetterBeamer Flash X-Tender
- Photoflex 12" White/Gold LiteDisc Reflector
- Gary Fong Puffer On-camera Flash Diffuser
- Sandisk and Transcend Class10 SDHC Memory Cards (several
4,8,16,32GB)
- Think Tank Retrospective 30 Rain Cover (not shown)
Carrying a filled Retrospective 30 camera bag was suprisingly
comfortable and not too heavy if you carry it messenger style with the bag
across your body from the right shoulder with the bag resting on the left hip.
I think the comfort can be attributed to the soft, thick, padded shoulder strap
and also to the soft canvas fabric of the bag that conforms across my left hip.
I also like the look and style of the bag and the feel of the material. The bag
is designed and constructed with a myriad of pockets and compartments inside
that sometimes plays on my memory to rediscover where I stuffed something.
Let me know in the comments if you like this write up on my
gear and wish to see the other "kits" of camera bags that I use for
specific purposes.
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Improve your photography while spending the day on an airboat along the river of grass learning from the pros // PLUS WIN // some awesome product from MindShift Gear, Peak Design, Think Tank Photo and Polaroid University plus free prints from Image Pro International. We are good to go with two final seats available!
