the think tank retro 7!

back alley

back alley

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so, camera bags...can’t live with them and can’t drop your gear on the floor.
i know there are a few brave souls out there that never use a bag and some that carry a camera bare handed...clearly this review is not intended for you but read on if you like.

i was lucky enough to have think tank bags ask me to check out one of their bags and to write my ‘truth’ about it and my experience using it. i plan to do just that.

think tank bags are not new to me, in fact i already own two of them...and i own about 8 other camera bags as well, which is sort of funny as i only own 3 cameras and a handful of lenses, but i’m not here to talk about other bags...not in detail anyway.
in the past i have used old war gas mask bags to hold my gear and i think many of us have...i see it as a part of our youth experience. i have used bags that cost as much as the gear that i put inside and some utilitarian cheapies that worked just fine...for the most part.
my favourite bags were made by a professional photographer who decided that he had to have something that worked better for his needs and they worked for me too, but i always wished they looked a bit more...classy.

and then there was think tank. my first experience with think tank was going down to my local pro shop to check them out. i had decided that one of their bags looked perfect for me but i never got to find out as the store was constantly back ordered or sold out of the particular model and size that i wanted...talk about lousy timing on my part.
then one day i noticed the retro series and thought this bag could be the one that i have been waiting for. i bought the retrospective 5 and fell in love...and then i bought the retrospective 10 and fell in love again...and then think tank sent me the retro 7 and that was it...camera bag ecstasy!

the 5 was so great as it held some of my gear with great ease and using it was a joy...but it didn’t hold all my stuff so i got the 10...which was really too big for my rangefinder gear but did a fine job with my dslr kit. we had a discussion (one of many) on rangefinder forum about think tank bags and a few of us pined for a retro 7.5 or maybe an 8 and then one day there it was in the perfect form of the retro 7!

the 7 easily holds 2 rangefinder bodies with lenses attached and another couple of lenses as well. i say easily with the meaning that i can grab a camera and pull it out of the bag without swearing about it getting stuck on something inside...and i can put that same camera back into the bag without effort.
one of the measures that i use for all of my gear is ‘does it stay out of my way’?
my current camera straps stay out of my way...as they should. and now my camera bags stay out of my way!

one thing i discovered is that there really is no perfect camera bag but there can be a perfect combination of bags that work for my daily needs as they change depending on the what, where and how i will be shooting.


want some details?

the think tank retrospective 7 has a nice long strap so you can hang the bag high or low, on the shoulder or across the chest.
the padded part of the strap is a bit more narrow than on my other tt bags and has a thicker pad for better comfort. i love the small rubber nubs that keep the strap and bag in place on my shoulder.
it comes with 4 dividers, all very useful to configure away to your hearts content.
the 7 has lots of small compartments for media cards and business cards, extra batteries (even film) etc.
the shape of the retro 7 is long and low and wide as a camera body, some bags are too high for rf or mirrorless camera gear.
and the best perk of this bag is that i can fit my ipad in the outside pocket in it’s protective holder and there is lots of room left. this is a great perk! i have another bag that holds my ipad as well, but it has it’s compartment inside the bag and it’s no where near as effortless to take the ipad out to use and no one gets a peek at my camera gear as i pull out the ipad!
it will also hold a smaller notebook computer if you don’t use a tablet.

and that folks is the end of my first ever camera bag review!!
 
I've been looking for a good bag for two M bodies and three or four lenses, plus film. The Retro 5 seems too small for that, and the 10 seems too large. The 7 may be the ticket.
 
coelacanth said:
+1. ;)

But sounds like Retro 7 is a perfect bag for you and many other 2-body RF shooter including myself. Love to see some photos...
Click to expand...

it really is perfect for 2 body shooters who may want to add another lens or 2 to the bag. camera entrance and egress is so easy.
i like to hang the bag long, usually behind my back or just at the hip...great for the street.
 
Hi Joe, how does it compare to the Retro 10? I have that one and at times I feel that it's too tall for my m4/3 combo. Any insight would be appreciated.
 
bwidjaja said:
Hi Joe, how does it compare to the Retro 10? I have that one and at times I feel that it's too tall for my m4/3 combo. Any insight would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

the 7 is not as tall...fits m4/3 and rf much better.
i much prefer the shape of the 7 but then the 10 is better for a dslr kit and it's longer lenses.
 
I have an evaluation copy of the Retro 7 and have been carrying my Hasselblad and accessories in it for a while now. I'll be doing a full video interview before long. Short version: great bag. The Retro 5 had trouble getting out of its own way, IMO, but the Retro 7 seems to be a "Goldilocks" bag.

Here's a picture with some Hasselblad gear in it. Click through to see my notes on the photo.


Think Tank Retrospective 7 by mike thomas, on Flickr
 
Will they be doing a bag for the new Monochrom? ... with a couple of partitions blocked of and slightly dearer of course! :angel:
 
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