Lowepro Slingshot 300 AW

Contribution · Jul 2015

User overall rating

9.0 out of 10

Comfort

9.0 out of 10

Features

9.0 out of 10

Build

9.0 out of 10

Price

9.0 out of 10

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.

1 / 5

Contribution · Jul 2015

User overall rating

9.0 out of 10

Comfort

9.0 out of 10

Features

9.0 out of 10

Build

9.0 out of 10

Price

9.0 out of 10

This bag holds two cameras with attached lenses ready to shoot, and can still be worn comfortably on the back. The interior can be modified easily. The 70-200mm/2.8 can be attached to either D300 or D80, a reversed lens hood will fit the compartment too (not shown).

1 / 2

Contribution · Jul 2015

User overall rating

9.0 out of 10

Comfort

9.0 out of 10

Features

9.0 out of 10

Build

9.0 out of 10

Price

9.0 out of 10

This bag holds two cameras with attached lenses ready to shoot, and can still be worn comfortably on the back. The interior can be modified easily. The 70-200mm/2.8 can be attached to either D300 or D80, a reversed lens hood will fit the compartment too (not shown).

1 / 2

Contribution · Jul 2015

User overall rating

9.0 out of 10

Comfort

9.0 out of 10

Features

9.0 out of 10

Build

9.0 out of 10

Price

9.0 out of 10

Empty it feels very comfortable and can be made to sit very low on the back. Full, well full by my current standards it weighs in at about 3.5 - 4kg. That includes the D200 and grip, the 18-70, the 70-200, the TC 1.7, two spare batteries, blower, power cord, USB cable, battery charger, manual, sunscreen, high vis vest and so on. Even in this configuration it still feels comfortable, I can see that the waist belt will be used when carrying it for extended periods fully loaded, however I don't see this happening that often as I usually have the camera out. The top section is surprisingly roomy. There is enough room to stick a couple of flash units, a spare camera body (no lens attached) or a few munchies for a long day shooting. The later being what I will use it for in addition to the sunscreen, rain poncho and other items already in there. The front section expands a little, but those familiar with any Lowepro backpack will recognise all the little areas in here. Space for the manual and other special resources, business cards, a pen and so on. As I mentioned earlier the main section is quite large. There is room for up to a pro body with 70-200f2.8 attached and six additional lenses! All this with the usual Lowepro movable velcro dividers! Currently I have this set up to hold the D200 with grip and 70-200 f2.8 attached, the 18-70 kit lens, spare batteries, charger, TC 1.7 and a few other goodies. For those wondering, adding the TC 1.7 to this will still fit in, JUST. It is a squeeze and the bag is not really designed for the additional strain it will place on zippers, but it will fit. By far the biggest bonus to this bag and the Slingshot series is the access panel or side panel. With the bag slung over the shoulder you can easily swing it around to access this panel, and from within you can draw out the camera ready to go. All without taking the bag off of your back! This is the main reason I bought it, to be able to put the camera away easily. Incorporated into the top of the access panel is a CF card holder pouch, this is another nice little option for those that want easy access to put them away and out of pockets. While I have not field trialled the bag yet, first impressions are that it will do the job I require. It will be comfortable to carry on my back / shoulder and allow easy access to the kit I readily need when shooting. The biggest drawback for some people will be the fact that there is no where to attach a tripod. This doesn't worry me too much as my primary use is not hiking but walking around a motor sport track. The usual Lowepro attachments are available and rigging up a monopod attachment will be very easy (when I buy one that is). I would also like each of the zippers on the top and front sections to be double zippers rather than a single as I like this feature more. This is just a niggle though. Overall I am impressed with the design of the bag and its features. There is a AW cover included with the bag, although I have not shown it, stores away in a dedicated velcro closed pouch at the back. Not sure how weatherproof it will be as it seems to be the usual spray jacket type of material, nothing scotch guard waterproofing can't fix.

+3

1 / 8

Contribution · Jul 2015

User overall rating

9.0 out of 10

Comfort

9.0 out of 10

Features

9.0 out of 10

Build

9.0 out of 10

Price

9.0 out of 10

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.

1 / 4

Contribution · Jul 2015

User overall rating

9.0 out of 10

Comfort

9.0 out of 10

Features

9.0 out of 10

Build

9.0 out of 10

Price

9.0 out of 10

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...

+6

1 / 11

Contribution · Jul 2015

User overall rating

8.0 out of 10

Comfort

8.0 out of 10

Features

8.0 out of 10

Build

8.0 out of 10

Price

8.0 out of 10

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

1 / 3

Contribution · Jul 2015

User overall rating

8.0 out of 10

Comfort

8.0 out of 10

Features

8.0 out of 10

Build

8.0 out of 10

Price

8.0 out of 10

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...

+6

1 / 11

Contribution · Jul 2015

User overall rating

1.0 out of 10

Comfort

1.0 out of 10

Features

1.0 out of 10

Build

1.0 out of 10

Price

1.0 out of 10

+1

1 / 6