Thinktank retrospective 10 reveiw:

Thanks for this review Ben. I just purchased this same bag but in pinestone. Love it so far.

This is my configuration:

5D II w/ 35L attached
85L in one pocket
580ex II, pocketwizards, light meter in the other pocket.

Have plenty of room left. It was a lot bigger on the inside than what it looks like on the outside. Great stealthy bag.

s2kennyc wrote in post #12647333
Thanks for this review Ben. I just purchased this same bag but in pinestone. Love it so far.

This is my configuration:

5D II w/ 35L attached
85L in one pocket
580ex II, pocketwizards, light meter in the other pocket.

Have plenty of room left. It was a lot bigger on the inside than what it looks like on the outside. Great stealthy bag.

With that amount of gear in it, which to me doesn't sound like much, do you feel that the bag is too big or "too much bag"?

I bought this bag as a shooter's bag. The Retro5 wasn't out.
I carry a dslr with a grip and 2 zoom lenses. It's not too much bag. Having a little extra room makes lens changing easy.
My concern, and I'm being critical of myself not the bag or TT, is that I don't like the raincover. It leaves a portion of the back of the bag uncovered. It's fidly to put on. Once on, I can't open the bag without taking it off. (My habit is to put it on as insurance, and then I want to be able to keep shooting. So I'll have it on when I suspect it will rain. Might as well not have my camera with me.)
Jon pointed out that my Domke F3X is a good alternate. Keeps the water out if the flap is in the right spot 8-] and I keep checking.)

So it's a good bag if it suits your shooting style. If you have longer/larger lenses the R20 might be better.

^ how often do you shoot in the rain though? I've NEVER used a rain cover on any of my TT bags. If it's light rain, I don't need it. If it's heavy rain, odds are I'm not shooting anyway.

StayLucky wrote in post #12648255
With that amount of gear in it, which to me doesn't sound like much, do you feel that the bag is too big or "too much bag"?

For the above setup, I like having a bag that has a bit more room. I also have a 70-200 2.8 IS II and a 100L macro. So I wanted a bag that can carry a lens as big as the zoom.

My typical setup is the 35L + 85L. But I would also use the 35L and 70-200 at times too.

jacobsen1 wrote in post #12649963
^ how often do you shoot in the rain though? I've NEVER used a rain cover on any of my TT bags. If it's light rain, I don't need it. If it's heavy rain, odds are I'm not shooting anyway.

Ben, I left for the day and I was walking. Cape Cod. My fix was to take the grip off, and wear the camera under my goretex coat. I have a bad leg (tib/fib history) and managed to trip and fall. lucky the uncovered camera was restrained by the coat. It did better than I did.

Carrying the Retro10 bag another day, the first time the skies darkened I put the raincover on. That's on the PineSol version of the bag. Then I couldn't use my camera without taking the raincoat off.

I should have bought the black Retro10. I think the Black material will stand up to rain and such better. ..I would love to hear from owners that trust the PS fabric to rainy use.

The day I bought my bag at Henry's a "new" black one with tags still on was already salt stained. (it was winter). I didn't buy it. (Cdn price at Henrys was $209. I said I was inclined to buy but US list price was $149. They sold it for $168, which was close.)

I have too many bags. However, one thing I'll check in future is whether the raincover is practical to put on and functional.

Got mine today and I'm sending it back. The dividers are much too thin for my liking. Any time I'd try and set a 1D series body on top of it the velcro would almost instantly come peeling apart. Didn't make me feel too safe. Going to look at the Urban Disguise bags again. Hoping they have more padding and can support my gear better.

great info on this thread, much appreciated!

StayLucky wrote in post #12652601
Got mine today and I'm sending it back. The dividers are much too thin for my liking. Any time I'd try and set a 1D series body on top of it the velcro would almost instantly come peeling apart. Didn't make me feel too safe. Going to look at the Urban Disguise bags again. Hoping they have more padding and can support my gear better.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that noticed that. I was surprised this was not mentioned much in many of the reviews I saw/read. It wasn't enough for me to send the bag back, but I definitely don't like how flimsy the dividers are. I might look into getting some alternative ones.

thenextguy wrote in post #12653253
I'm glad I'm not the only one that noticed that. I was surprised this was not mentioned much in many of the reviews I saw/read. It wasn't enough for me to send the bag back, but I definitely don't like how flimsy the dividers are. I might look into getting some alternative ones.

I considered looking for alternative ones, but its not worth it to me. I think bags are going to be another accessory for me. Sort of like lenses where each one serves a specific purpose.

UD dividers have the same padding, but they can be velcroed in with double tabs basically, if you fold the top all the way over..

oh, and I complained about the dividers in my video review. Also, if you think they don't hold on well enough, fold them over (as I show in my video) and it double's the velcro so they hold still. Also, put them in so things push them against the wall instead of pulling them out. IE the tabs go on the side of the lens with the body if that makes sense, so that lens and camera push against those tabs and force them into the wall. Hard to explain but I struggled with my dividers for a few weeks before I sorted it out. I even emailed them and got UD dividers to replace them, but guess what's in mine now (and in the review)? The OEM dividers that were in the bag when I got it.

here's my video review: http://www.benjacobsen​photo.com …spective-10-video-review/

Thanks for the review! I am considering getting this bag, but I am wondering if it will fit:
5D2 + 70-300L + 35L + 135L + flash or
5D2 + 17-40L + 70-300L + 35L + 135L

Does the 580EXii fit in the front pocket? I am being to greedy??