Happy Mother's Day! Happy Father's Day! Happy Graduation! Photo.net has great photography gift ideas for the Mom, Dad, or Grad in your life. Shop for camera bags, lenses, DSLRs, and more...
Clubs, bars, and small venues are the places where most concert and live music photographers get their start, the reason being that there are fewer restrictions since the performers are less likely to...
Lowepro
Slingshot 300 AW: ideal for a pro DSLR camera with an attached
zoom and 5-6 extra lenses or flash, this bag is good for
photojournalists allowing for easy access to your gear.
My Experience
I loaded the Slingshot 300 with a Canon 5D and a 70-200/2.8 attached,
24-70mm, 15mm fisheye, 430EX flash, and other accessories. I was
surprised how much the bag could hold. The exterior pockets had plenty
of room for filters, lens cloths, and other smaller items. The
Slingshot 300 holds as much gear as my Domke
J2 bag and nearly as much as my Lowepro
CompuTrekker backpack.
When testing the bag, I noticed how surprisingly comfortable it
was. The shoulder strap is well-padded and the waistbelt transfers
weight to your hips. Running with the bag was comfortable; with a
shoulder bag, running is uncomfortable as the bag bounces around and
slams against your hip. The SlingShot is a cross-hybrid: it is a lot
more comfortable to wear for extended periods of time than a shoulder
bag, but the load is not as well-supported as with a backpack. I found
it convenient to not have to set down the bag in order to access my
camera, as I would with a backpack.
The "sling" aspect of the bag works well to access your main
camera/lens combo. As designed, the bag swings around your body and
presents you with the zipper for the main compartment. I'm a smaller
guy, so the 300 version of the bag was a little unwieldy to swing
around. I have also used a
Slingshot 200 AW, which fits a smaller
body better. There are two quick-release buckles that keep the main
compartment zipper from being opened any further than is necessary to
access gear. This is good, because opening the compartment any further
would result in lenses falling out. Just remember to reattach these
buckles.
Specifications
Capacity: Pro SLR with attached 70-200 mm f/2.8 lens; 5-6 extra lenses or flash unit
Interior Dimensions: 11.8 x 6.5 x 11.8 in. / 30 x 16.5 x 30 cm (W x D x H)
Fabric: water-resistant micro fiber ripstop nylon and 600D TXP
Special Features
padded camera compartment with adjustable dividers
comfortable waistbelt
built-in memory card pouch, and two organizer pockets
I have a LowePro Slingshot AW 200 and find it to be pretty comfortable carrying a Nikon D300 with 18-200mm zoom and a few other odds and ends. I was surprised to read that the AW 300 has a waist belt, since the 200 doesn't. I've done a bit of looking around and don't see any evidence that the 300 has a waist belt, but I might be interested if it did. The 200 has a diagonal strap you can attach if you won't be "slinging" the bag for awhile, but I haven't found that it does all that much to improve the comfort, though it does improve stability.
, August 24, 2009; 06:19 P.M.