blonde
12th of February 2008 (Tue), 19:12
Since i haven't done any reviews in a while, i figured that i would do a new one of the latest addition to my ever growing bag collection. So without further adieu, i give you the full Blonde's review of the Think Tank Rotation 360 bag!!!!
Alright, before we begin i would like to take a moment and share a little secret with you: this is the first time i have ever bought a bag just because it looked cool. I really didn't think that i have a need for this bag and i also didn't think of many uses for such a bag but damnit, this thing looked awesome on the TT website!!! I will also admit that when i first saw how much TT charge for this bag, i almost killed my computer by spitting coffee all over the screen and keyboard. When the initial price tag heart attack wore off, i quickly remembered that TT is always expensive but you ALWAYS get what you paid for. i paid quite a lot of money for my other TT bags and i can honestly say that they are all worth every single penny.
So, i finally got the bag and started playing around with it. All i can say is that it should be easier to get into MIT than it is to fully figure out this bag. in my opinion, this bag really shows what TT is all about and why i view them as the geniuses of the industry. Time and time again, they are able to truly innovate and you can immediately see that their products are made for photographers by photographers. honestly, i have owned over 30 bags in the past 3 years and i have never been this impressed by a bag before.
http://sgphoto.smugmug.com/photos/235830628_EztZF-L.jpg
alright, enough with all my rumbling, time to get down to business. after about an hour of me trying to figure out this bag and finally managing to set it up properly, i decided to put the bag through its paces and see if i can really use this bag in the field or if it is just a neat gimmick. i mean, there are plenty of "sling bags" out there that all allow you quick access to your gear so why would this one be different?
http://sgphoto.smugmug.com/photos/235829299_68kL9-L.jpg
http://sgphoto.smugmug.com/photos/235830059_BqGvJ-L.jpg
http://sgphoto.smugmug.com/photos/235829536_BVD8y-L.jpg
So for my tests, i decided to simply do what i normally do and simply use the bag. after about 20 mins with it, it was very clear to me why the bag costs so much and why it is so much better than other Sling Bags solutions out there. First of all, the bag is just amazingly comfortable. it sits perfect on your back and even while hiking, lying in the sand or even just walking around the city, the bag just feels great and allow free movement. also, due to the design of the bag and the fact that only the bottom part rotates, the bag always sits great on your bag while still allowing you full access to things that you might need quick access to. for example, the first configuration that i tried was for landscape use. in this config, i used the upper part (the part that stays on your back) to host my 100-400 and my 24-70 and used the lower part to host my filters, extra batteries, remote cable, extra cards, flashlight and other things that i frequently use while taking landscape shots. this configuration allowed me to have the bag secured to my back while walking on the beach with my tripod and the my camera with 17-40 mounted and quickly get to all my accessories without dropping the bag or losing any precious time (we all know how quickly time goes by when you are trying to get a sunrise shot).
http://sgphoto.smugmug.com/photos/235827636_bGrau-L.jpg
The next thing i wanted to do was see how i can make this bag work for me while i do what i normally do and that is doing bird photography. As some of you know by now, i am a big fan of vests so at first, i really had a hard time believing that i would ever pick this bag instead of reaching for my trusty vest. well, i can honestly say that i was wrong. what this bag allowed me to do is carry all the things that i normally like to take with me when i use my 500mm F4 lens while at the same time still allowed me to have the freedom of movement that sometimes a vest won't allow. for example, most of the things that are in a vest are in the front pockets. what this means is that in order to get down low, i either have to take of the vest or take a chance of really risking all the items by lying on them. In contrast, by using this bag, i was able to secure the bag to me with all the straps and go from flat down to fully up in seconds all while having all my gear secured. for this configration, i used the bottom rotating part to host all my various items that i use a lot while shooting birds like my TC's, Flash, extra batteries, bubble level and even my ipod which i sometimes use for calling. in the top part, i still had my 100-400 and 24-70 because you never know when you will need something a bit wider
http://sgphoto.smugmug.com/photos/235826917_8LwN4-L.jpg
of course, this bag is even better for all you city shooters because it is very comfortable and will also allow you very quick access to additional lenses, flash etc..
http://sgphoto.smugmug.com/photos/235828900_FyS4F-L.jpg
So after all the tests were done and over with, i can honestly say that i am amazed by this bag. the versatility and utility of this bag is just outstanding and it is a joy to use in the field. Do i think that the bag is perfect? no i do not. i can think of a few things that i would like to see done a bit differently. for example, i would like the bag to be a bit wider because right now, it is almost impossible to use the bottom part for hosting a professional camera body. i am guessing that this is limited by design since making the bag wider will also prevent the bottom part from rotating but i would still like to see that improved because i think that this bag is a bit on the smaller side. with that said, overall i find this bag to be simply fantastic. TT as usual has thought of all the small things like the various included straps (one for attaching the camera to the bag which is great and even one for putting over your longer lens so it stays flat on your chest), all the dividers, business cards spot, built in rain cover and many other small touches which really sets TT apart from other bag manufactures.
http://sgphoto.smugmug.com/photos/235829811_X3QsA-L.jpg
Alright, before we begin i would like to take a moment and share a little secret with you: this is the first time i have ever bought a bag just because it looked cool. I really didn't think that i have a need for this bag and i also didn't think of many uses for such a bag but damnit, this thing looked awesome on the TT website!!! I will also admit that when i first saw how much TT charge for this bag, i almost killed my computer by spitting coffee all over the screen and keyboard. When the initial price tag heart attack wore off, i quickly remembered that TT is always expensive but you ALWAYS get what you paid for. i paid quite a lot of money for my other TT bags and i can honestly say that they are all worth every single penny.
So, i finally got the bag and started playing around with it. All i can say is that it should be easier to get into MIT than it is to fully figure out this bag. in my opinion, this bag really shows what TT is all about and why i view them as the geniuses of the industry. Time and time again, they are able to truly innovate and you can immediately see that their products are made for photographers by photographers. honestly, i have owned over 30 bags in the past 3 years and i have never been this impressed by a bag before.
http://sgphoto.smugmug.com/photos/235830628_EztZF-L.jpg
alright, enough with all my rumbling, time to get down to business. after about an hour of me trying to figure out this bag and finally managing to set it up properly, i decided to put the bag through its paces and see if i can really use this bag in the field or if it is just a neat gimmick. i mean, there are plenty of "sling bags" out there that all allow you quick access to your gear so why would this one be different?
http://sgphoto.smugmug.com/photos/235829299_68kL9-L.jpg
http://sgphoto.smugmug.com/photos/235830059_BqGvJ-L.jpg
http://sgphoto.smugmug.com/photos/235829536_BVD8y-L.jpg
So for my tests, i decided to simply do what i normally do and simply use the bag. after about 20 mins with it, it was very clear to me why the bag costs so much and why it is so much better than other Sling Bags solutions out there. First of all, the bag is just amazingly comfortable. it sits perfect on your back and even while hiking, lying in the sand or even just walking around the city, the bag just feels great and allow free movement. also, due to the design of the bag and the fact that only the bottom part rotates, the bag always sits great on your bag while still allowing you full access to things that you might need quick access to. for example, the first configuration that i tried was for landscape use. in this config, i used the upper part (the part that stays on your back) to host my 100-400 and my 24-70 and used the lower part to host my filters, extra batteries, remote cable, extra cards, flashlight and other things that i frequently use while taking landscape shots. this configuration allowed me to have the bag secured to my back while walking on the beach with my tripod and the my camera with 17-40 mounted and quickly get to all my accessories without dropping the bag or losing any precious time (we all know how quickly time goes by when you are trying to get a sunrise shot).
http://sgphoto.smugmug.com/photos/235827636_bGrau-L.jpg
The next thing i wanted to do was see how i can make this bag work for me while i do what i normally do and that is doing bird photography. As some of you know by now, i am a big fan of vests so at first, i really had a hard time believing that i would ever pick this bag instead of reaching for my trusty vest. well, i can honestly say that i was wrong. what this bag allowed me to do is carry all the things that i normally like to take with me when i use my 500mm F4 lens while at the same time still allowed me to have the freedom of movement that sometimes a vest won't allow. for example, most of the things that are in a vest are in the front pockets. what this means is that in order to get down low, i either have to take of the vest or take a chance of really risking all the items by lying on them. In contrast, by using this bag, i was able to secure the bag to me with all the straps and go from flat down to fully up in seconds all while having all my gear secured. for this configration, i used the bottom rotating part to host all my various items that i use a lot while shooting birds like my TC's, Flash, extra batteries, bubble level and even my ipod which i sometimes use for calling. in the top part, i still had my 100-400 and 24-70 because you never know when you will need something a bit wider
http://sgphoto.smugmug.com/photos/235826917_8LwN4-L.jpg
of course, this bag is even better for all you city shooters because it is very comfortable and will also allow you very quick access to additional lenses, flash etc..
http://sgphoto.smugmug.com/photos/235828900_FyS4F-L.jpg
So after all the tests were done and over with, i can honestly say that i am amazed by this bag. the versatility and utility of this bag is just outstanding and it is a joy to use in the field. Do i think that the bag is perfect? no i do not. i can think of a few things that i would like to see done a bit differently. for example, i would like the bag to be a bit wider because right now, it is almost impossible to use the bottom part for hosting a professional camera body. i am guessing that this is limited by design since making the bag wider will also prevent the bottom part from rotating but i would still like to see that improved because i think that this bag is a bit on the smaller side. with that said, overall i find this bag to be simply fantastic. TT as usual has thought of all the small things like the various included straps (one for attaching the camera to the bag which is great and even one for putting over your longer lens so it stays flat on your chest), all the dividers, business cards spot, built in rain cover and many other small touches which really sets TT apart from other bag manufactures.
http://sgphoto.smugmug.com/photos/235829811_X3QsA-L.jpg