Review: ThinkTank Retrospective 10 Bag
Choosing what you are going to carry all that expensive camera gear in can be difficult decision. No one bag is a perfect fit for all situations. Sometimes you only want a small bag to take the bare essentials like a camera and lens with you, but still have room for other things, like bottles of water, and day trip essentials. Other times, you need a huge, sturdy bag that can hold the whole lot, camera, lenses, flashes, tripod, even a mini studio if you can squeeze it in.
I think the trick is to have couple of different bags that can be mixed and matched to the situation you need them for. After doing tonnes of research and using the bags hand on. (very important!) I chose 2 bags that would fit my needs perfectly.
For a small, tidy, inconspicuous day bag that can still hold a lot of gear, I chose the ThinkTank Retrospective 10 Shoulder Bag. And for storing all of my gear, including tripod, I chose the ThinkTank Streetwalker Pro Backpack.
In this post I’m going to run through why I love the Retrospective 10.
The Perfect Camera Bag(s)
The Retrospective 10 is the smallest sized shoulder bag in ThinkTank’s Retrospective Series, in below both the 20 and 30. All three bags are identically laid out, containing the same high number of internal and external pockets and dividers. The only difference is in the overall dimensions of the bag, the Retrospective 20 is slightly taller than the 10 so it can accommodate a 70-200mm lens attached to a camera. The 30 is a little deeper and wider than the 20, and has an additional front pocket big enough to store a pro sized camera body. The retrospective series of shoulder bags are available in 2 colours, Black and Pinestone. (a khaki, green colour).
One thing all ThinkTank Bags have in common is excellent construction and materials. The bag is mainly made up of strong, hard wearing cotton canvas, with double stitching everywhere. The materials used inside are a mixture soft fabric for the internal walls, and soft cotton and Velcro for the removable dividers. The fabric is great choice as it doesn’t deposit fluff or particles of dust onto the contents of the bag. The only downside to the construction of the bag is the slightly less padded bottom section, (where the bag would rest on the ground) which isn’t as thick or padded as I would have liked.
The Retrospective 10 is designed to be a day bag for photographers. Everything from the choice of materials to the layout and size of the pockets are tailored to suit the camera equipment the bag is expected to carry.
What Can You Fit In The ThinkTank Retrospective 10?
- Nikon D700, with 24-70mm mounted with hood reversed.
- Nikkor 50mm f1.4 G
- 2 x Nikon SB900 Speedlights with Flash Stand, diffuser dome and gel holder.
- Spare Battery, Spare Set of AA’s, Microfibre Cloth, Gels, Compact Flash Cards
- Misc Items, Keys, Maglite, etc
Awesome Features
There are a few other features in particular that really make the Retrospective 10 really stand out from other similar camera bags.
Amazingly Good Shoulder Strap - The shoulder strap on the Retrospective 10, is really really superb, and my favourite thing about this bag. The strap is super thick, and made of a great material (cotton?) that makes carrying the bag a breeze, even when its full to the brim with gear. The shoulder strap has a great padded area, that also has rubber grippy bits that rest on your shoulder. This means the bag stays put on your shoulder when you are walking or leaning down.
Velcro Silencers - These are a great idea, perfect for wedding and event photographers. The main cover on the bag has little Velcro “silencers”. These are pieces of material that can be folded down to cover up the Velcro on the flap, making the bag silent to open. It work really well, and are a real help in places where you don’t want to draw attention to yourself by making a huge “frrrptt” Velcro noise when you open your bag to take a shot with your camera or change lenses.
Carry Handle - The retrospective 10 has a nice, sturdy carrying handle on the top of the bag. It’s a little thing, but it means you can pick up the bag off of the ground without fumbling about with the shoulder strap.
Front Pocket and Back Pocket (iPad Sized) - The expanding pocket on the front of the bag is huge when you want it to be, and small and flat when its empty. As with the rest of the bag, there is Velcro practically everywhere, that lets you keep it closed or open, depending on your needs. The slightly hidden back pocket on the bag is the perfect size to fit in an iPad. Bonus!
Internal Dividers For Flash Guns - Inside the bag are two integrated pockets that are perfectly sized to hold a speed light securely. Even a beast like the SB900, which is a gigantinourmous flash gun.
The Best Bit
But the best thing about the Retrospective 10 is that it doesn’t look like an obvious camera bag. Even in black, it doesn’t advertise the fact that it is full of expensive camera gear. The bag doesn’t have any big logos on the outside, and the minimalist styling makes it look like a regular old messenger bag. It makes the ideal day bag for when you are taking a camera body and a couple of lenses, but you don’t want to look like a photographer.
My ThinkTank Retrospective comes to work with me everyday, I can take a camera, a lens, a flashgun, plus have room for my keys, wallet, notepad, lunch etc. The dividers inside can easily be repositioned to accommodate almost everything, while still giving you quick access to you camera when you need it.
The ThinkTank Retrospective 10 is not ideal as your only bag. It’s just too small to hold everything, if you ever wanted to take everything with you. Your limited to camera and a couple of lenses, that’s it. But if you use this bag as quick drawer, home for your essential gear when you are out and about it’s perfect.
;
Pros:
- Well built, and with a lifetime warranty from ThinkTank.
- Plain styling makes the bag inconspicuous.
- Extremely comfortable shoulder strap.
- Unique features made for photographers like Speedlight pockets and Velcro silencers.
- Lots of pockets and storage that are perfect sizes for camera equipment.
Cons:
- Not enough padding on the bottom of the bag. (Be careful putting it down on the floor!)
- Included dividers are a little thin. Sometimes heavy lenses can move around in the bag and bend the dividers.
- When full to capacity with equipment, the bag can be over 6kg in weight. Which is pretty heavy!
- If you live in the UK, there is another downside to this bag. They are impossible to buy. Anywhere. ThinkTank Photo only distribute in 2 or 3 different retailers in the whole of the UK. Luckily for me, one of these companies had a store less than 20miles away from where I live, so I was able to see the bags in person first before buying. Even then I had to wait several weeks as they were on backorder. Which shows just how popular these great bags really are!
About the Author
Written by Chris Scuffins
Chris Scuffins is a creative photographer and blogger from Gloucestershire. With years of experience in landscape and commercial still life photography, he now concentrates on capturing creative, natural and beautiful fashion and lifestyle portraiture, as well as photojournalistic wedding photography.
5 Responses to Review: ThinkTank Retrospective 10 Bag
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
This is the blog of Chris Scuffins, a hardworking, creative photographer from Gloucestershire. With years of experience in landscape and commercial still life photography, his focus now lies on capturing creative, natural and beautiful fashion and lifestyle portraiture, as well as a fun, relaxed approach to photojournalistic wedding photography.
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I’m lkoiong at this bag to be my casual, everyday shooting bag. I have other ThinkTank bags/rollers for more serious trip/events. My main concern with using this bag is the height of my D700 with the battery grip attached. Do you use the battery grip on your D700? And if so, does it fit in this bag?Thanks Scott Flaherty
Hi. I don’t use a battery grip on my D700, but if you check out the ThinkTank website. I think they have a photo there that shows a gripped body inside the bag…
Great review Chris, pretty much answered the questions I needed answers to that most websites are lacking…
Many thanks.
P
Great review and like the info from the videos on your site. Want to get the retrospective 10, but worried about the padding on the bottom. Should it be a concern? Did you do anything to the address your comment about the padding? Thx
I’ve had my retrospective 10 well over a year now, with heavy use. (everyday) and I’ve had no problems with the padding. As long as you don’t drop the bag down on a concrete floor from a decent height, you should be fine.