Lowepro Slingshot 200 AW
After the past couple of weeks and with the last SMART Expo behind me, I decided to treat myself to something for my photography fetish. New friend Simon was bragging about his new Lowepro Slingshot 100 system and I’ll be honest, I was a tad bit jealous of him. Apparently shifting faster than you can say paparazzi, the Slingshot 100 is often out of stock, leaving the larger Slingshot 200 feeling like the ugly second cousin and on the shelves.
Not bad for me since I snagged one this evening at a photographic store in Peninsula Plaza1. This is an ideal bag for the mobile photographer2 and a biker all rolled into one.
So the features?
- Unique design rotates from front to back for easy access to camera equipment. Essentially this means you can swing your bag from your back to your front, open up the camera storage and whip out your camera without the need to rummage through your bag or have things fall out on you. It even serves as a stabilizer where you can rest your elbows to steady yourself. For a biker, the swing action is invaluable as well without the need to disentangle yourself from two straps.
- Ergonomic sling strap and tuck-away stability strap distribute weight comfortably. Nice idea but lets see that in practice after two weeks usage.
- Zip-stop buckles control zipper opening to protect camera and accessories. So when you slide the bag to your front, when you open the camera compartment these nifty buckles just stop you from opening it entirely and have your precious lenses fall out.
- Patented All Weather Cover protects against weather, sand and dust. This is a nice idea and what sold me on the Slingshot versus other Lowepro’s. Tucked away at the bottom of the bag is a small compartment storing a silver waterproof cover. Essentially, this works in conjunction with the bags waterproof nylon making the bag itself waterproof. However, the inner padding facing your back is still not water resistant and I haven’t tried it on a bike during rain storm where the tensile strength might be compromised.
- Customizable padded main compartment with adjustable dividers and 180 degree access provides excellent protection. Sort of a given for any photographic bag.
- Reversed zippers with silent zipper pulls resist sand and dirt. The zippers are designed to be sand and dirt resistance but silent? Don’t think so.
- Hypalon Sliplock loops expand carrying capacity.
- Large outer compartments organize accessories
- Built-in micro fiber LCD cloth protects against nicks and scratches. Although I have a cover already, this feature is a useful cleaning aid for your lens.
- Built-in memory card pocket manages multiple memory cards You get about 8 compartments for this as well.
Not so large in my opinion but good enough for a days serious shooting.
All in all, the Lowepro strikes me as an ideal bag for the mobile photographer. I perhaps should have gotten a bigger one which could fit my laptop but I felt it wasn’t really willing to buy a bag and have to lug my laptop around the whole day while on shooting. The 200 is probably the better pack to go with since it allows a little more room to put non-photography related items but not much.
