Let’s get retrospective – review of the thinkTANKphoto Retro 50

How many times have you read a review of a product and the review reads like the spec sheet? You know the type, filled with all the information you could have picked up from Amazon. This review aims to be a little different to that.. I have used this bag every week for the last 3 months so I have a fair idea of its strengths and weaknesses (There is no perfect bag, even if there is a perfect bag for a certain situation). A little of my history with thinkTANKphoto.. I’ve been a user of their photo bags since 2008/9, starting with the Modular system and then the Airport Accelarator. Both the bag and the modular kit are still in regular use and although they have been worked hard, they still look and function great! So having established that I am a bit of a fan of thinkTANKphoto bags, lets see if the Retrospective 50 lives up to my high expectations

My first impressions of the Retro 50.. were twofold 1) Damn it is BIG 2) and oh so pretty! Ok, I get it.. it’s a camera bag and pretty shouldn’t come into it, but it is so nice to carry a camera bag that doesn’t look like it was designed by engineers. As the name implies, this bag’s styling harks back to a more glamorous time when photographers were a rare and exotic breed. I’ll get onto the BIG in a moment, but suffice to say this is the largest in the Retrospective range What else is there to the Retro 50? well, look a little closer and see..

To quote the latest first Sherlock Homes movie.. “In fact, the little details are by far the most important.” This is where I believe ThinkTankPhoto excel. It is their attention to detail that really raises the Retrospective range beyond mere camera bags. Small things such as the stitched leather label bring a pride of ownership that I’ve come to expect.

The level of detail continues into the more functional aspects.. the shoulder strap is wide, and very comfortable with a non-slip padded shoulder pad. This is a good job as the Retro 50 can pack away a serious amount of kit for a shoulder bag I get the feeling that the strap on this bag would easily carry my own body weight if needed, not that I suggest you carry me around in a shoulder bag.

To give you an idea of size, the photo above shows the empty bag next to a second body and macro lens. There is plenty of space for a 15″ laptop, along with camera gear, and the front pocket expands out to fit two pro sized bodies (such as a Canon 1Dx, Nikon D3x or a Canon 5D with battery grip)

The image above might look a little strange to those that know the size of both the 70-200mm and the Canon 5Dii (with battery grip) as they look tiny! There is simply plenty of room for as much gear as you’d like to carry.. it is a stylish alternative to the bag that Mary Poppins owned

To give you an idea of what you can fit into the Think Tank Photo Retrospective 50..

• 15″ Macbook Pro
• Wacom Intuos 4 (Medium) & Stylus
• iPad
• Canon 5Dii with battery grip with the Sigma 120-400mm lens attached
• Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS L
• Canon 24-70mm f2.8 L
• Canon 100mm IS Macro L
• Canon 85mm f1.8
• Sigma 12-24mm
• 2 Canon Speedlites
• 3 Pocket Wizard TT5
• 1 Pocket Wizard TT1
• Lumix LX3 in case
• ThinkTank Photo Pixel Pocket Rocket
• Seagate GoFlex 1TB drive
• Various filters
• Color Munki
• Rocket Blower
• Rain Cover
• Various Cables

Not too shabby for a shoulder bag? If you think that is a lot (and it weighed 15.5kg!) you might be surprised that I didn’t even use the extending front pocket which can easily carry another 2 pro bodies! So in summary, you can carry 3 pro bodies, laptop, graphics tablet and a slew of lenses.. in truth more gear than you’d probably wish to carry. And now to the only downside that I’ve encountered with this bag.. no matter how great the bag, they have yet to devise a way to make the gear inside any lighter. The camera bag strap is the best, most comfortable I’ve ever used, but I’d not want to carry 15Kg+ in a shoulder bag for very long. I have used the Retro 50 every week for the last three months and there is a very good reason for that.. It is quite simply a joy to use, stylish and carries whatever I need, whether that be camera gear, computer gear or a mix of the two. I have found myself using the Retro as a portable office, a walkabout bag and a carry-everything-to-the-client bag. It is very versatile, just don’t try carrying it full! NB I have also used the Retrospective as a carry on bag for flights with no problems Thanks for reading this review and I would really appreciate your thoughts and comments below   Cheers   Scot