Cambags

for Canon EOS 1D

Equipment list in bag :
Canon EOS 1D Mk I
Canon EF 300mm f/4 IS USM(mounted)
Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM
Canon EF 100mm F/2.8 USM Macro Lens
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
(2)NP-E3 batteries
Canon 580EX Speedlite (in case).
Note:  all hoods except for the 10-22 hood are reverse mounted on lenses.

Review text:
I originally considered the Slingshot 200 AW to carry a lightweight travel setup.  When I heard about the Slingshot 300 AW being released I decided to wait for one so I could try it with my 1D 'main' setup.  I managed to get hold of one of the 'early' release SS 300s that Lowepro sent to B&H. 

The bag arrived wrapped in a large Lowepro marked plastic bag with all the tags and packing material.  Workmanship is fairly typical for Lowepro, however my initial impression was that it was not quite as well finished as my older Lowepros (Orion AW, Spec. 85 AW, Trim Trekker, and Omni Trekker).  This bag had more of a shiny look to it, whereas my older bags 'feel' more rugged.  This isn't necessarily a knock against this bag-just a note of the difference in 'feel'.  Other than that, I have no issues with the build quality.

The bag offers a full waist belt with large support 'wings' on each side.  Depending on your view, this may or may not be a good thing.  In my opinion NO waist belt should ever be permanently attached to any bag.  I'll even go one step further-NO strap of any kind should be permanently attached to a bag.  This is one reason why I shied away from the Tamrac Velocity Series.  They have permanently attached straps.  (In defense of the Tamrac Velocity bags though, the waist strap can be tucked into a pouch in the back of the bag.  No such pouch on the Lowepro Slingshots, all that waist belt remains exposed). I prefer to use a belt of my choosing, and have the option of using it only when I want to.  Otherwise they just get in the way.  And with such a large belt as used on the Slingshot 300 AW, it really does detract from the comfort level and ease of carry.  The main 'strap' that goes over your shoulder is well padded and curved to follow the contours of your back.  This strap is also permanently attached at the top of the bag, with an adjustable buckle arrangement at the bottom.  There is plenty of slack on all of the straps to fit any sized person I could imagine.  One that I really miss on this bag is any type of back pack harness attachment points or a way to integrate this bag into the Street & Field line of belts and accessories.  Bascially, with this bag you have to "take it or leave it".  Oh-almost forgot, there are four sliplock attachment points on the bag (two on the waist belt and two on the front of the main bag).

The three pockets (top-main, front, inner CF card pocket) are well thought out and sufficient for the task of holding the small essentials such as extra batteries, CF cards, and cleaning gear.  They will also hold a lens hood or two if needed.

The main compartment will easily carry a Canon 1 Series or Nikon D2? sized camera (or any of the "semi-pro" bodies like the Nikon D200 or Canon EOS 30D with a grip installed) with a Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM lens mounted.  I had no trouble putting my 1D with a Canon EF 300mm F/4 L IS Lens attached in it, and could probably have fit my Sigma Zoom Telephoto 100-300mm f/4 EX DG IF HSM in there as well.  I was able to put my Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 EX in it, but it was not mounted on a body.  The rest of the compartments are pretty straight forward hook and loop adjustable dividers.  One thing to note is that while there are 6-7 'compartments, I found it impossible to put more than four lenses and the 300mm prime in them.  This was because I had the hoods on them reversed, and that takes up a lot of room.  If you use and carry hoods for all of your lenses like I do, this may impact you as well.

As of this writing I haven't decided whether to hang onto this bag or not, so I haven't 'field tested' it beyond my living room.  It does seem comfortable, at least for the few minutes I've had it on.  Something to consider if you are short in stature like me (I'm 5ft. 6 in.), is that the bag will ride best if you wear it 'high and tight' on your back.  Not really a problem, except that when you swing it around to the front position it will be at chest level which is pretty high for accessing your gear.

Right now, for me, the jury is still out on this bag and whether or not it truly offers any advantage over Lowepro's 'regular' shoulder bags like the Stealth Reporter Series bags...

Likes about the bag:
Concept, design, and workmanship.  I like the  fact that it will hold a 1 Series body.
Dislikes about the bag:
Has a 'bulky' feel to it.  Permanently attached straps are a bad idea,  No 'back pack' harness option.




Thanks to Anthony Gargani for review.

Reviews for Canon 300D /10D/20D/30D/40D/50D/60D /5D / 7D

Equipment list in bag :
Canon EOS 30D with BG-E2 grip
Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM
Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8
Canon EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM
Canon 430EX Speedlite, Hyperdrive hd80

Review text:
I originally had the Slingshot 200AW and thought it was the ideal bag for the type if environments I found myself in. Even after getting a 70-200 f/2.8L IS lens and 1.4 TC, I could still have the 30D attached in the 200AW. However putting a BG-E2 grip on the 30D was just too much. I had to have the 70-200+TC separate from the body. I could get everything in the 200AW but it was a tight fit and required careful arranging of all the pieces. It detracted from the easy access that first drew me to that bag.

I think the 300AW now meets my requirements with the current lineup of equipment I currently have. While I don't want to carry any more weight, I did want to get back the flexibility and easy access that I originally had with the 200AW.

In comparison to the 200AW, the 300AW is a wider/deeper version of the 200AW. The height is exactly the same. To be clear, that's the vertical height when worn on your back (shoulder to hip). When the bags are side-by-side, the 300AW looks so much larger. However, when worn on my back, I don't notice the difference at all. This might be a different story for people shorter than I am (~6'0").

One nice surprise was an additional mesh pocket on the inside of the flap to the top compartment. The 200AW has a strap that is attached to the lower right corner of the bag and can be snapped to a chest buckle on the main shoulder strap. The 300AW has replaced this with a well-padded waist strap. All the other features are exactly the same as the 200AW.

With my usual complement of equipment loaded in the 300AW, the total comes to about 16 pounds. If I cinch up the waist belt, a fair amount of the load is taken off the shoulder strap. After a 45 minute walk it was still comfortable. My feeling is that I could wear it this way for quite a while longer. Without the waist strap on, there is definitely more pressure on the shoulder strap.

I would not want to add any more weight regardless of the Slingshot model. In fact I am rethinking what combinations of equipment I would actually want to carry around for different events.

If I was going on an extended hike or need to carry more equipment then I would move to a regular backpack style bag. If I just needed the camera body plus 1 or 2 smaller lens then I would look for a waist belt setup. For general shooting, the 300AW provides a reasonable balance between comfort and carrying capacity.

I'm reserving final judgement in regards to the waist strap. On one hand, it is functional and aids in distributing the weight. On the other hand it is permanently attached and may get in the way in situations where I need to repeatedly swing the bag around for access.

The worst thing I can say about the 300AW is that it makes it too tempting to load it up with even more equipment. Overall I am very pleased with the "upgrade" from the 200AW to the 300AW. For my equipment load, style and type of photography, I find the Slingshot series it to be the ideal combination.

Likes about the bag: Well made, easily to re-configure, comfortable, easy access to equipment, holds 30D+grip+TC+70-200

Dislikes about the bag: Large size makes it tempting to overload, waist strap can get in the way




Thanks to Art Bori for review.

Review #2
(Added 20th Feb 2007)

I was looking for a bag that was less bulky than a backpack, yet had pretty decent protection. Having just made the jump over to Canon, my current setup is very small and basic. However, I wanted a bag that would be able to carry my 5D with a mounted 28-300mm (future upgrade) and a few other gadgets needed for work.

The bag has 2 major compartments along with 2 smaller pouches. The main compartment has 7 user adjustable partitions (2 large, 5 small). The middle compartment has enough space to pack the camera left to right or up and down, whichever floats your boat. With the bag opened up, there's enough room to be able to drop a 580EX vertically.

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empty interior shot

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left column (top to bottom)
Charger + 2 Batteries
Filter Packs
Canon 580EX Speedlite

middle column
Assorted Cables
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
Canon EOS 5D

right column
Lightsphere II C4 + Stofen Omni Bounce

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I suppose this isn't the way the camera was intended to be inserted. If I'm wearing the bag, and want to access my camera with the bag on me, this is most comfortable. I'd imagine that a 1Ds/5D w/BG-E4 would fit perfectly fine this way as well.

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A microfiber cloth is part of the bag and is stitched in. If you don't want to use it, you can tuck it into it's own pocket.

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The second biggest compartment is pretty good. I usually carry my PC Card router, PC Card, AC Adapter and Cigarette power adapter in there. At the top is a storage net that's closed using velcro. Under my junk is another net which is held closed by elastic

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Flash card pocket.

another pocket

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Fully covered by weather guard.

The shoulder strap can't be changed (only adjusted for height). The bag loads on you as if you're wearing a front seat passenger seatbelt.

Thanks to Balance of Light for review

Review #3
(Added 24th Feb 2007)

Here is the packing list of what went into the bags:
Canon EOS 20D with grip
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM with hood
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM with hood
Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM with hood
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8
Canon EF 2X Extender
2 Delkin AA battery cases (holds 8 AA each)
2 BP511 Batteries
420EX flash
Canon Off Camera Shoe Cord 2
Large Rocket Blower
Vortex Media Warm Cards
Gepe Compact Flash Holder for 4 cards
Newton Di100FR2 folding flash bracket
Hoodman HoodLoupe Professional
Neck Strap

The Slingshot 300 is another sling-type bag that is a little larger than the Velocity, but it is a moulded shape. There is a little bit of give if something is a tad too big. Unlike the Velocity this bag has 2 compartments as opposed to a large compartment and a flap in the front. There are little extras in the Slingshot like a built in lens cleaner, too may places where CF cards can live and 2 mesh storage areas in the top compartment. Even the area where the all weather cover is contained could be used to carry a magazine or something thin. Lenses with the hoods, except for the 16-35L, also fit into this bag and the 70-200 will fit mounted and unmounted if you do some planning with the dividers. I have mine where the flash is stored under my 70-200 on one side and my other lenses on the other. The 20D with a lens mounted is in the middle with a spare compartment relatively empty with only my

This bag when slung across the chest and the pack in the back also sits right in the middle like the Velocity and is very easy to bring forward and retrieve your equipment. Unlike the Velocity it is very comfortable when only slung on one side. I might add that it is the left hand side that feels more comfortable. Finally, something made for us southpaws!

I think that I like this bag a little better that my Velocity because of the fact that none of the lenses have to be stacked and are easier to get to. Even thought the top compartment now is the home for the hood for the 16-35, warming cards, batteries and the flash bracket it can still store more items such as a small snack for the long shooting days. Overall a great alternative if you need something small to carry a decent amount of equipment.

Pros
-Lots of compartments
-Sits upright when set down
-Comfortable if just slung over one shoulder (left side)
-Quick visibility of equipment

Cons
-One of the slip-lock straps is on the bottom of the bag?
-Seems a little too rigid (not used to it yet
-Small carry handle on the top

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size comparisons with Tamrac 5749 Velocity 9 (right) and Tamrac 5549 Adventure 9 (left)

Now that I have all three of these bags I still can't decide which one I lile the most. I think that I will be getting rid of my Computrekker consideing I have a Pelican case that I can use to store my other equipment I'm not using. I like the Adventure 9 for all the extras that it can carry, the Slingshot because it's easy to get to the stuff that you need and the Velocity for the fact that it's very adaptable. I might end up taking 2 of the three bags when I go on my Italy trip..... So much for traveling light! Overall I've been gravitating towards the Slingshot for my daily carry, but I haven't been out and about with the Adventure 9 yet. Maybe I'll post more info when I do take it out more.

Thanks to Ryan (ToyGuru) for review

Review #4
(Added 16th Dec 2007)

Equipment list in bag :
Canon EOS 40D with Grip and mounted Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Tokina 12-24mm f/4
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IS USM
Canon 430EX Speedlite
Canon 400D Digital Rebel XTi
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8

Review text:
Quality bag and dust free, But when heavy used and loaded the lining sticks come in between the zipper

Likes about the bag:
Instand shoot with the possibility to access three lenses (one mounted and one on each site through the Velcro strips

Dislikes about the bag:
Velcro strips are getting tired and are not that sticky any more.

Thanks to Robert for review