When you think about a camera bag, there are really only 3 things that matter:
- Will it hold your gear?
- Is it well made for its price?
- Does it suit you?
I've had the Slingshot 300 AW from Lowepro on test. This has a novel asymmetric design. You carry it by a single shoulder strap that runs across your body backed up by a chunky waist belt for when you are carrying lots of gear. Unclip the waist belt and you can swivel the bag around your body and open it without taking it off your back. The main compartment sits sideways in the bag so that when you swivel it round you are accessing it through the top. The 300 is currently the biggest of the range and "AW" means there's a pull out rain cover for when the going gets wet.
|
|
 |
Will it hold your gear?
PR pictures for camera bags sometimes tend to be a little "fanciful". You see a bag surrounded by a mound of kit and have to take it on faith that it will all fit. Usually unless you have exactly the same kit you may struggle. The press release on the Slingshot 300 AW says that it will hold an "SLR with a compact zoom lens, 5-6 zoom lenses or flash units, memory cards and personal accessories".
I loaded the bag up for a day's shooting. Here's what I got in it:
- A D2X with 70 - 200 2.8 VR attached. The lens hood had to be reversed but that's a biggish camera and lens
- Another D2X with lens removed (this went in the unpadded top pocket)
- Two SB800 flash guns with diffusers attached and a Lightsphere II diffuser (bulky but it crushes)
- A Nikon 12 - 24 F4 lens (shortish but very fat), a Nikon 50mm 1.8 and a Sigma 18 - 50 2.8 lens.
- Lightmeter and pocket wizards for my studio flash (picture only shows the transmitter because when I packed up I put the receiver in my light bag)
- Flash cable and radio trigger for the camera
- Couple of filters and 8 spare AAs
- I also had plenty of memory with me but by the time this shot was taken I had moved it to my pocket (used memory always goes in my pocket)
For a smallish backpack, that's a lot. It fits pretty well with "SLR with a compact zoom lens, 5-6 zoom lenses or flash units, memory cards and personal accessories" - except that I had a large zoom lens and another big SLR too.
It should go without saying that the bag was pretty heavy with all this in. I would really have preferred two shoulder straps but the waist belt is well padded and adjustable and it was no problem to carry.
If you want to carry more stuff than that then you probably want to think about a bag with wheels. And somebody to carry it.
Is it well made for its price?
The short answer is yes. Here's the long answer...
If you've picked up a Lowepro bag recently then you will pretty well know what to expect. It's made of black material (they call it "ballistic nylon"), buckles are made of plastic and chunky, there is padding on the straps where you need it for comfort. Some of the seams are only single stitched but I've never had a bag seam burst on me - the usual failure point is the zips. The zips on the Slingshot have a peculiar fabric cover which looks like it will make them water resistant. At first it looks like you are trapping the fabric surround in the zip but they run smoothly and should avoid leaks until the rain gets really heavy.
Since the bag has an "AW" suffix, it has a fold away rain proof cover which stashes away so well you might not find it. Pull it out and it covers the whole "outside" of the bag (not the bit that goes against your body). I've used AW bags before but must admit I've never used the AW cover for rain protection - generally the bag itself is resistant to more rain that I'm happy in. I've had bags pretty wet and it has never soaked far enough though the padding to make me worry about the contents.
Everywhere you look on the Slingshot 300 there are little pouches for stashing things. I counted 10 separate pockets - some designed for memory, some for pens etc and some just for stuff. There are also the familiar moveable dividers inside to stop your kit rattling around. You can move them where you want using Velcro tabs.
There are a couple of loops on the outside for attaching even more kit but these are pretty limited because of the way the bag opens. It would be very hard to find a way to lash a tripod to this bag.
One very nice touch is the two snap buckles that stop the main zip opening too much. You can unzip it far enough to get access to the top of the bag (side if it's on your back - top if you've slung it round). But not so far that you can drop all your kit on the ground. For anyone whose ever done that with a backpack, these buckles may make you upgrade!
Does it suit you?
I'm sorry, I can't help you here. Bag selection is a very personal thing and I may love something you hate. So I'll settle for some observations.
In my opinion the design works. I was initially sceptical about a single strap bag that you can spin round your waist. Loaded like you see it above I'd be happier with two straps but the waist belt is thick and well padded and transfers the weight to your hips. You can swing the bag around to the front and access the important stuff easily. This has a couple of advantages. Firstly it keeps your expensive camera gear close to your body for safety and secondly it stops you putting the bag down in the mud to open it.
One further things I found about the design. Once I swung the bag round and pulled out by big zoom, I could brace my elbows on the bag and use that to steady the camera. It's a small thing but I would rate this kind of support as nearly as good as a cheap monopod. A bag that carries loads of gear and makes my pictures sharper is a good thing in my book.
Not for girls?
There are lots of great things to say about the Lowepro Slingshot 300 AW. However, one of our female reviewers pointed out a possible problem with it for women. The single strap sits right across your chest. Some women can find this uncomfortable - if you find a seatbelt awkward then you certainly want to try out a Slingshot before you invest in one.
Also larger breasted women may find it difficult to spin the bag round. Once it's on the front of your body it sits relatively high on your chest. If you're Built for Baywatch then it might be difficult to get the camera out, especially if it has a long lens fitted. You might need to consider one of the smaller Slingshots that sit lower on your hips.
Win my Slingshot
Sometimes we write reviews and say "I'd seriously think about buying one" or "are you sure you want it back?". Well in this case, those nice chaps at Lowepro don't want it back. We have a Lowepro Slingshot 300 AW worth £100 to give away.
Entry is dead easy, just click this link. You'll be asked the following question:
"What is the height of the Lowepro Slingshot 300 AW in centimetres?". Get it right and you'll go in a draw for the actual bag that I used for this review.
Full details of the Lowepro Slingshot 300 AW (including things like the dimensions) can be found here.
 |
|
 |
|
|
We clicked with
Carrys LOADS of stuff, well designed, gives extra stability with long lenses, tough
Shots in the dark
May not suit women, maybe it's too big - weighs a lot when full
Links
More Lowepro information
Price Comparison:
Lowepro Slingshot 300 AW
|
|
|
|
|
 
|
 |
