Tim Gray
Well-known
I got this bag today. Haven't had a chance to load anything in it yet since I'm at work and my cameras aren't.
It looks really well made. It's a nice size, but a bit stiff. It has a lot of little pockets and flaps and stuff, which kind of adds to the structure of the bag. I don't see this as a bad thing necessarily as it holds it's form, but it's really not going to mold to your hip all that well. However, considering that it's not that large, this shouldn't be too much of an issue.
The pads on the bottom of the bag really help the bag keep it's shape. I think if you took them out it would collapse down a bit more. A softer more malleable pad might be a better choice down there.
The zip pockets on the back, both on the inside and outside, really aren't suited for anything with any bulk. Think boarding passes, maps, etc. It's nice that there are two - important stuff can go inside while a map or something can go on the outside for easy access.
The front pocket is pretty expansive. The two side pockets on the outside are point less. If you put anything in there that isn't tall enough, you aren't getting it out. And they really wide enough to put any thing in with any bulk. Maybe a couple pens or something similar.
The two side pouches on the inside of the bag are kind of cool, but remember that they take away volume from the rest of the bag. I'll probably use one for external finders. The interior organization pocket on the front inside of the bag, but given the small overall size of the bag, they probably could have cut down on the number of pockets in it. It has one main pocket with a couple little credit card sized slots, a couple of pen slots, and a key hook. There's also another zippered pocket in here. All these pockets are cool, it's just as you put bulky items in them, they'll push into the main compartment a good bit.
As far as the main compartment goes, this looks like a one camera, two lens bag to me if you are going for easy access. Depending on your lenses and how much you are willing to stack, you could probably stick another lens or two in there. You could also probably go 2 camera bodies and an extra lens if one of the bodies had a smallish lens on it. With my normal travel kit, 2 cameras, a 28, a 50/1.4, and a collapsible 90, everything should fit in. I'm curious though with my 75/1.4 - it's a large enough lens that it might have to travel unmounted, which is a pain, or the camera with lens mounted might need to be stowed holster style, with the lens facing down. This obviously would require moving some stuff around inside, so I'll try this out tonight.
I'll have to figure out where film is going to go. The outside pouch is an obvious place, but it's not as secure as inside the bag; I can imagine knocking a roll or two out if it were really packed full. Of course, if you used a third of the main compartment for film, you could fit a good 8-12 rolls or so, but that's one less lens. On long trips, I might be lining the bottom of the bag with film and layering gear on top.
Oh, and it comes with plenty of dividers. The bottom padding is two wide and thick dividers. If you don't want padding on the bottom, they come out. There's also one full height divider, 3 half height ones, and one right angle one that is half heigh and then goes horizontal. So you should be able to configure this bag in several ways. And if you really want just one big pouch, all of this stuff comes out.
The rain cover takes up a fair amount of space when it's folded up. As Chuck said, you can't really work out of the bag when the rain cover is on, so the fact that it takes up the front pocket when not in use is annoying. I prefer the Lowepro style of rain cover that slips into a slot in the base of the bag. You kill two birds with one stone that way - you always have the cover with you when you need it AND you have some padding on the bottom of the bag.
Anyway, I'll see how I like it once I start using it, but it's pretty much what I expected and wanted and I think I'll like it quite a bit. A great camera bag for a smallish kit.
It looks really well made. It's a nice size, but a bit stiff. It has a lot of little pockets and flaps and stuff, which kind of adds to the structure of the bag. I don't see this as a bad thing necessarily as it holds it's form, but it's really not going to mold to your hip all that well. However, considering that it's not that large, this shouldn't be too much of an issue.
The pads on the bottom of the bag really help the bag keep it's shape. I think if you took them out it would collapse down a bit more. A softer more malleable pad might be a better choice down there.
The zip pockets on the back, both on the inside and outside, really aren't suited for anything with any bulk. Think boarding passes, maps, etc. It's nice that there are two - important stuff can go inside while a map or something can go on the outside for easy access.
The front pocket is pretty expansive. The two side pockets on the outside are point less. If you put anything in there that isn't tall enough, you aren't getting it out. And they really wide enough to put any thing in with any bulk. Maybe a couple pens or something similar.
The two side pouches on the inside of the bag are kind of cool, but remember that they take away volume from the rest of the bag. I'll probably use one for external finders. The interior organization pocket on the front inside of the bag, but given the small overall size of the bag, they probably could have cut down on the number of pockets in it. It has one main pocket with a couple little credit card sized slots, a couple of pen slots, and a key hook. There's also another zippered pocket in here. All these pockets are cool, it's just as you put bulky items in them, they'll push into the main compartment a good bit.
As far as the main compartment goes, this looks like a one camera, two lens bag to me if you are going for easy access. Depending on your lenses and how much you are willing to stack, you could probably stick another lens or two in there. You could also probably go 2 camera bodies and an extra lens if one of the bodies had a smallish lens on it. With my normal travel kit, 2 cameras, a 28, a 50/1.4, and a collapsible 90, everything should fit in. I'm curious though with my 75/1.4 - it's a large enough lens that it might have to travel unmounted, which is a pain, or the camera with lens mounted might need to be stowed holster style, with the lens facing down. This obviously would require moving some stuff around inside, so I'll try this out tonight.
I'll have to figure out where film is going to go. The outside pouch is an obvious place, but it's not as secure as inside the bag; I can imagine knocking a roll or two out if it were really packed full. Of course, if you used a third of the main compartment for film, you could fit a good 8-12 rolls or so, but that's one less lens. On long trips, I might be lining the bottom of the bag with film and layering gear on top.
Oh, and it comes with plenty of dividers. The bottom padding is two wide and thick dividers. If you don't want padding on the bottom, they come out. There's also one full height divider, 3 half height ones, and one right angle one that is half heigh and then goes horizontal. So you should be able to configure this bag in several ways. And if you really want just one big pouch, all of this stuff comes out.
The rain cover takes up a fair amount of space when it's folded up. As Chuck said, you can't really work out of the bag when the rain cover is on, so the fact that it takes up the front pocket when not in use is annoying. I prefer the Lowepro style of rain cover that slips into a slot in the base of the bag. You kill two birds with one stone that way - you always have the cover with you when you need it AND you have some padding on the bottom of the bag.
Anyway, I'll see how I like it once I start using it, but it's pretty much what I expected and wanted and I think I'll like it quite a bit. A great camera bag for a smallish kit.
Tim Gray
Well-known
So I played around with this some more. The bag pretty easily fits two M cameras with lenses mounted and another lens. I have the bag divided into thirds. If it's a big lens like a 90/2 or a 75/1.4, that.s the only lens that will fit on that side of the bag. If you use one of the little dividers to divide off one third of the bag into sections, you can fit two 'normal' sized lenses there side by side. I fit a 50/1.4 and a 21/4.5 in there. So, depending on the lenses, you can fit 2 cameras and 3-4 lenses with two of them mounted. When it's loaded like this, there's not that much room inside the bag for film. It'd have to go in the front pouch, which can probably hold a decent amount. If you stored your second camera with no lens mounted, you could probably fit a bit more as well.
With just one camera, you can obviously devote the other third of a bag to 2 more lenses or film.
I'm storing the cameras vertically with the front of the camera pointed towards the bag. If you have a big lens like a 75/1.4 (or the 90/2 probably), it will NOT fit in the bag in this manner. You either have to make a section larger and have the camera facing a side of the bag, or store it 'holster' style with the lens facing down. When I did this, I was still able to store 2 cameras and 2 lenses in the other third of the bag. It all fit, but it was a bit awkward.
It'd probably be nice if the bag was maybe an inch wider. But, I'm sure you always want a bit more room, and the whole point is to not have a gigantic bag. I think I'm going to like this bag a lot. It fits a lot and would work in a couple different configurations. 2 cameras/4 lenses is pretty good, as is 1 camera, 3 lenses, and a lot of film/accessories.
With just one camera, you can obviously devote the other third of a bag to 2 more lenses or film.
I'm storing the cameras vertically with the front of the camera pointed towards the bag. If you have a big lens like a 75/1.4 (or the 90/2 probably), it will NOT fit in the bag in this manner. You either have to make a section larger and have the camera facing a side of the bag, or store it 'holster' style with the lens facing down. When I did this, I was still able to store 2 cameras and 2 lenses in the other third of the bag. It all fit, but it was a bit awkward.
It'd probably be nice if the bag was maybe an inch wider. But, I'm sure you always want a bit more room, and the whole point is to not have a gigantic bag. I think I'm going to like this bag a lot. It fits a lot and would work in a couple different configurations. 2 cameras/4 lenses is pretty good, as is 1 camera, 3 lenses, and a lot of film/accessories.
goffer
Well-known
Thanks for the write up Tim... pretty sure I'm going to grab this bag.
rdeleskie
Well-known
I also picked up this bag today, to replace a Crumpler 5MD bag I never really took to. Very happy with it. Tim gives an excellent and accurate appraisal of what fits into it. For me, that means my M6 w Ultron 28/2 and Bessa R3A with Summicron-C 40/2, with enough room for a Summicron DR 50/2, several rolls of film, a few filters in cases and a Sekonic lightmeter in the front pocket. I can throw in a pair of sunglasses and a (paper) notebook, and I'm pretty well set. I suspect I could get my Elma 90/4 in there if I tried.
I really like the Pinestone material - it reminds me of the army surplus satchel I carried around in university. It's also more supple than the Crumpler and manages to look more casual/low key and stylish at the same time. So far, very pleased.
I really like the Pinestone material - it reminds me of the army surplus satchel I carried around in university. It's also more supple than the Crumpler and manages to look more casual/low key and stylish at the same time. So far, very pleased.
pismo923
Established
Just picked mine up today. Pinestone material is very nice. It's going to the mountains with me this weekend so we'll see how it goes. This is my first Think Tank product but my initial impression is that quality is very good.
pismo923
Established
After a few days of actual use, I am very happy with the Retro 5. The size is perfect for a small RF kit. Very comfortable to carry and work with. No regrets here.
rdeleskie
Well-known
Quick follow up: after about one week of use, I can say this bag is perfect for my daily usage. If something doesn't fit into the bag, it probably doesn't need to come with me. I've carried it around for hours without getting tired, used it in the light rain without gear getting wet. Love the way it looks. Feel like I've had it for ages. I think I found my camera bag.
dogberryjr
[Pithy phrase]
It's about $30 out of my comfort zone. Damned shame, too because I like the looks of it.
back alley
IMAGES
did you find it locally or online?
pismo923
Established
I ordered it at Don's Photo. Took about a week and a half to get it. McBain's has it on their website at $159 and Don's matched the price. I looked at Adorama but by time you add shipping, GST it's not much of a savings unless my math is wrong.
back alley
IMAGES
they seem to never be in stock at mcbains...
Tim Gray
Well-known
I ordered mine from ThinkTank direct. There's a ton of affiliate links out there that let you get a free accessory bag with your order too.
back alley
IMAGES
i was hoping to see one 'in person', before i buy ANOTHER bag.
Tim Gray
Well-known
Got it. You're more than welcome to stop by my place if you want to see it 
back alley
IMAGES
Got it. You're more than welcome to stop by my place if you want to see it
thanks for the invite...but philly is a hike from here...maybe next time i visit home...nyc
joe
Tim Gray
Well-known
Haha, yes slightly problematic.
pismo923
Established
You are more than welcome to check it out next time we have an RFF meet here. Or send me an email and maybe we can meet somewhere convenient for both of us.
kxl
Social Documentary
I have the Retro 20 for my DSLR gear, and despite apprehension about the Retro 5 looking too much like a woman's purse, I ordered one anyway. I've had it for about a couple of weeks and it has become my everyday bag for RF gear. Down the road, I may also get the Retro 10.
ornate_wrasse
Moderator
back alley
IMAGES
sounds good.
there are a few flickr folks meeting at the downtown market this sat. at 11 at sobeys...you're more than welcome to join us.