Lowepro Stealth Reporter D650 AW

Owner contribution

Where you want me start? The pics speak for themselves. If you are looking for a Shoulder Bag with reasonable access (slip from the top), a bag that will hold two bodies with grips (D80 and D300 or D300 and F5), a bag that holds the following lenses: 50mm1.8, 28-70/2.8 AFS, 80-200/2.8 AFS (hoods reversed on lenses),Sigma 28-105/f4, 18-200/2.8 attached to D80, SB 800 and SB600, Extreme 2GB CF cards (3 or 4), A 13" Macbook Apple Laptop and some accessories not shown are Cell,pen & pad, and lens cleaning solution and cloth(s). I think that's everything.

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Owner contribution

Owner contribution

This is my vault bag. It holds all my digital SLR kit except the 600 and the heavy tripod (see pic). This means it is silly heavy and really only used for storage at home or carrying kit to the car, then onto a (nearby) fixed shoot. Considering how heavy it is it is remarkably easy to carry and a few flights of stairs or a couple of hundred metres do not bring on a hernia. The strap is thick, strong and well padded but it also adds a waist strap to keep it from flapping around. It also has a separate handle which, essentially IMV, goes around the bag so you are not picking everything up by the lid. It is up to the usual Lowepro quality with good quality fitments and ballistic nylon. The layout is easy to modify and offers good protection being well (maybe to well) padded. It comes with a media wallet which is a bit over engineered (and so sits in a draw) and a mesh pouch which I haven't found a use for either. It also has a dedicated space for any laptop you may care to put in it. I use this for other things but YMMV. It is easy to access most of what you want quickly and many of the features seem well thought out. You can access a body with lens attached and most of the top level, through a weatherproof zip on the top, without opening the main bag. It has plenty of pockets and likewise, most of them can be got to without opening the main lid. It is pretty weatherproof but has a waterproof cover if it gets really bad. You can attach several Lowepro accessories at either end if you need more space or flexibility. Usually I decant what I need for any shoot to other bags from here but it is still good to go straight away. The top layer has the Nikon 17-55 2.8, Sigma 10-20 (H), Nikon 300 2.8 VR (D), Nikon 70-200 2.8 VR (G) and the D2X body (F) The D200 (E) can be stored attached to any one of the top layer lenses without needing to mess around with the layout (Usually the 17-55 as in the picture). I can also grab the SB800 flashguns leads and brackets (K), blower (I) or remotes. (J) Also on the top are a monopod (A), folding tripod and FLM head (B) and a table tripod (C). Spare batteries and memory cards are in open topped pockets. Tucked away but still fairly easy to get to are the less used gubbins. 50mm 1.4 (L) 85 1.8 (M) Sigma 30 1.4 (O), Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro (P) 1.4 1.7 and 2.0 Tcons (Q) The MB200 Grip (R) and the usual assortment of storage, caps, cleaning, batteries and filters (S). All of this together with hoods for all of the lenses fits comfortable but it is snug these days. In conclusion. It is pretty much ideal for what I use it for but I can't see it being much use on a long hike or for city exploring. I think it's too big for carry on and not sturdy enough for the hold so, for travelling, a hard case and a smaller bag is still the way to go. The only improvement for me would be an external tripod loop, but then you'd loose the "Stealth" part I expect

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Owner contribution

This is a very large bag, I personally use it as my carry everything to the car bag. It's a great bag but I wouldn't suggest anyone get this as any sort of daily carry bag because as loaded it weighs 25lbs. The bag advertises that the foam is removable, but unlike Think tank bags when the foam is removed it doesn't support any dividers in the bag, making the bag next to useless.

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