Lowepro Slingshot 200 All Weather Backpack (Black) by Lowepro
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Digital camera reviews of Lowepro Slingshot 200 All Weather Backpack (Black)
Digital camera Review: Excellent camera bag, but won't carry much else
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this for an overseas trip and it worked remarkably well. It's easy to swing from back to front and comfortable to carry around all day. There's plenty of compartment dividers to keep lenses, filters, accessories, etc. secure and separate. The bag is compact so it's easy to maneuver with.
The only downside is, once you have all your camera equipment in, there's not much room for anything else. The top triangle compartment can hold a 20-oz pop bottle and maybe a small sandwich or bag of chips. If you need more room you might look at the 300 model.
Digital camera Review: Excellent camera carrier for multiple lenses
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been very happy with this camera bag. The slingshot design works well and makes unloading the equipment far less cumbersome than a traditional backpack. I also like the features of the bag. It has all the great Lowepro niceties like a protective sewn-in cloth to cover the sensitive camera viewer before you zip it up, the waterproof covering for that unexpected downpour and compartments for the digital memory cards. It's a good buy!Digital camera Review: Excellent value & construction
Summary: 4 Stars
The slingshot 200 provides easy access to the camera with good storage space for lenses and other items.Digital camera Review: Excellent walk-around bag
Summary: 5 Stars
My goals when purchasing a new camera bag were to replace my small, over-the-shoulder, rectangluar day bag with something a bit bigger, more comfortable, and easier to use. After deciding that I wanted a sling design, my decision came down to the Lowepro Slingshot 200 and the Kata 3N1-20. I examined each before purchasing this bag from Amazon. Both bags have similar features, and I was very intrigued by Kata's system that allows the bag to be a sling, shoulder bag, and full backpack, but ultimately decided on the Lowepro Slingshot 200 for a few reasons:
1. I thought the wide strap on the Lowepro would provide more comfort than the narrower strap on the Kata when used in sling mode
2. The Lowepro has the ability to attach addtional components to the side of the bag and the front of the bag
3. I prefered the look of the Lowepro
After having this bag for a month and taking on it vacation, I am extremely pleased with my choice. I was able to pack quite a bit of gear into this little bag for transportation. I packed all of the following into the main compartment:
* Canon 30D body
* Canon 17-55mm f2.8 lens and hood
* Canon 50mm f1.4 lens
* Canon 1.4 extender
* Canon 70-200 f2.8 lens, hood, and case (note, the Canon 100-400mm comes in the same case and can be substituted for the 70-200mm in my review)
* Canon 430EX ii flash and case
* Pocket wizards (1 Flex TT5 and 1 Mini TT1)
Additionally, the following fit into the top pouch or front pocket:
* Filter pouch with 6 filters
* Additional filter pouch with a Singh-Ray Variable ND filter
* 2 Spare Batteries, Battery Charger
* Arctic Butterfly sensor cleaning tool and loupe
* 3 Spare Compact Flash cards in cases
* Radio trigger and remote
* Small tripod head
and probably a couple other items I don't remember right now. Additionally, using a custom-made attachment for the side of the bag, I was able to carry a fold-flat tripod and a monopod as well. That is a LOT of gear for such a small bag. And, it weighs quite a bit as well. But, the bag never felt as though it were being stressed. When walking around with this much in the bag and using just the over-the-shoulder strap, my shoulder did get tired after 15 minutes or so, but using the cross strap provided on the bag allowed me to comfortably wear the bag for much longer. That said, I wouldn't want to be out on a shoot with this much gear in this bag. However, when I was shooting, by carrying my 70-200 over my shoulder and on my hip, and removing some of the non-essentials, the bag was comfortable to wear all day (8+ hours).
After using the bag multiple times, I really like the sling design. It takes a bit to get used to as far as how to put it on without disconnecting the strap, but pretty soon it becomes second-nature. The sling design makes it much easier to access your camera than a standard backpack. In fact, I found myself walking around with the bag in sling mode (i.e. pulled around to the front of my body) quite often when not in crowed spaces. That manner of carrying the bag also relieves your shoulder if it is getting tired. The build quality of the bag is very high, with the zippers well constructed and the strap very securely sewed down.
Note that the main body of the bag will *not* allow you to keep your 70-200mm f2.8 lens attached to your body and store it internally in the advertised, quick access mode (i.e. simply sling the bag to the front of your body, open the top access zippers, and put the camera and lens in, lens first, so that it sits parallel to the bottom of the bag when carried on your back). However, the main body IS big enough to keep the 70-200mm lens attached and stored in the bag if you remove all the dividers and store the camera in the bag with the back of the camera body lying on the bottom of the pack with the lens pointing to the top pouch. Unfortunately, it is hard or next to impossible to put the dividers back in in such a way that your camera and lens does not regularly shift/bounce around if put in that way. Also, it is not as quick to access your camera if it is stored in the bag in this way. If you want to store your camera the 70-200 lens in the quick-access way, opt for the Lowepro Slingshot 300.
The other drawback to the bag is that there is no laptop sleeve. But, that is not what this bag is intended for-- it really is for your day out, not your week-long vacation where you need your laptop with you. Again, if you want something that is large enough to carry a laptop, consider the Kata 3N1-33.
After all of my research, I ultimately decided that I will need 2 bags-- one just isn't enough for every situation. My goal for this bag, as already stated, was to purchase as day-shoot bag that is small and compact, comfortable, and easy to access my gear. This bag provides all of that. I will also need a bag for my long trips, where I want to bring more gear and my laptop too. I have already decided that, again, it will either be the Lowepro Slingshot 300, or the Kata 3N1-33 (not yet available, but will have a laptop pouch). I was initially worried that the Lowepro would not be comfortable enough for that much additional weight, and would opt for the additional straps provided by the Kata bag. But, after using this bag I am not so sure. Still, that decision will come later.
As you can tell, I HIGHLY recommend this bag.
Digital camera Review: Excellent well thought out bag
Summary: 5 Stars
All is well - I would have preferred a small piece of paper, or even an on-line video showing different ways one can load different things as my bag is full with one lens, one flash, one camera and a bag of small things. Surely the bag can take more?