Ahhhhh…..The Great Salt Lake. It’s that little sliver of light at the bottom. A friend of mine told me that the sunsets in Utah are a product of both the dust from the Salt Flats to the west and the reflective qualities of the Great Salt Lake. After witnessing a few of these this summer, I would tend to agree!
Gear Update & Mini Review
My Think Tank Retrospective 10
This summer I was looking for a more discrete camera bag for travel, exploring cities, and photo-walking. I ended up picking up the Think Tank Retrospective 10. It has served me well now for several months. I just received word from them that they are running a special holiday promotion on all their retrospective bags so I thought I would share it with you. If you buy any of the Retrospective bags, you will get $20 back. If you use this link or my affiliate code on checkout (434) you get to choose from 1 of 11 free bags.
Here are my findings after a couple months of use.
- It is pretty discrete.
- I feel like it might be something Indiana Jones would use if he was into photography.
- It fits my iPad in the front pocket, so it is a viable travel companion.
- The shoulder strap is super comfortable.
- Although I don’t normally carry a flash with me, it has to dedicated internal pockets that can fit your flashes if need be.
- The ‘stuff’ organizer is really well thought out.
- I think it is cool that my bag has velcro silencers.
- The front pocket can easily hold my GoLite Gortex jacket and some snacks.
- Yes, you can put a bunch of stuff in this bag, and this is the 10. I can’t imagine what you could put in the 20 or the 30? That being said, be honest with yourself, just because you can fit it in doesn’t mean you are going to enjoy carrying it for a full day. No matter how comfortable the strap, more gear means more weight. More weight means less fun.
- Also, be aware this is a soft sided bag. It does a good job protecting gear from most stuff, but if you drop if off a building, there are no guarantees.
- Because it is a soft sided bag, it kind of collapses on itself a bit so you might end up digging around for stuff if you have it packed to the brim. But we don’t want to do that because more stuff equals more weight, and more weight equals less fun!
Here is a look at my ‘street/travel kit’. This is the kit I carry around when I’m out about exploring cities, photo walking, etc. I carry the second body for portraits. This is the kit I was using when I shot the image above.
If I’m only carrying a single body, but I want the best image quality/versatility I can manage, this is what I carry. All of it fits nicely inside and is pretty easy to work out of.
Need to be quiet? Just put it in stealth mode!
Wonderful colors Justin. Just love the composition. Nice review of the Think Tank bag. I have way too many bags already, most of them being made by Think Tank.
Thanks much! Don’t we all? I just put a bunch of my bags on Craig’s List for super cheap. I can’t even give them away.
That is one amazing shot sir!
Pretty interesting bag with the quite release.
Stunning image Justin. Great review. Looks like a great bad I’ll check it out.
I love Salt Lake City and the one sunset I saw was amazing! Great review on the Retro 10 too!
That’s so cool. What a cool little velcro silencer. Beautiful shot by the way. Sometimes we equate no clouds with bad sunrises and sunsets, but they can be just as awesome and powerful. I think you got this one at the perfect moment. Thanks for sharing your gear. Its always neat to see what other photographers are carrying!
Awesome shot, Justin. Such a great design with just the two little clouds up there. Well done!
Justin: If any of your readers are looking for a less costly alternative to the ThinkTank bag, here’s an option. Last summer I was in the checkout line at the camera store with this exact ThinkTank Retro in hand, getting ready for a trip to Europe. Then I glanced at a rack filled with Domke camera bag inserts. There were many options (sizes, compartments) and sure enough, one was a perfect fit for an old, beat-up looking — but well made and still strong — canvas briefcase I had in the office closet. With the insert it holds as much as the ThinkTank. There’s room for my D300, 2-3 lenses, a flash, some accessories, and there is plenty of zippered external pockets for pens, paper, maps, a book or magazine, etc. The Domke insert was about $30, and provides ample protection for the gear. If someone doesn’t have a briefcase or messenger bag lying around, you can find them at all kinds of stores and online (try LL Bean, Eddie Bauer, or type “canvas messenger bag” at Amazon), often for less than $75. And they never scream ‘Steal Me! because they’re so commonplace — they just blend in.
Thanks for the heads up Terence! I have used a similar set up by using a Timbuk II messenger bag with a Teneba insert. The think I like about the Think Tank a bit better is the strap is more comfortable, it has a built in rain coat, and the strap goes all the way under the bag so there is no fear of it breaking. They are really nice. I agree, you can definitely dial in a bag like you are suggesting.
Nice image! Utah sunsets are amazing! Looks like a nice bag for a photowalk!
Lovely image. I am a sucker for a sunset silhouette shot. You really nailed this one.