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Product Description
Think Tank ~ Retrospective 10, Pinestone
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
49 of 51 people found the following review helpful
By Shakti
Amazon Verified Purchase
I came to know of Think Tank's Retrospective series from pro photographer Matt Brandon's (@digitaltrekker) tweet. The Retrospective 30 was on his Thanksgiving wish list. So going in, I knew this had the credentials to be a good DSLR bag. But I still did my research anyway. Before settling for the Retrospective 10, the other finalists were Timbuk2's The Snoop Camera Messenger Bag and Crumpler's The 6 Million Dollar Home. I ended up picking the Retrospective 10 because it doesn't look like a camera bag and it came highly recommended (again, by virtue of being on Matt Brandon's wish list).
I currently own a Kata DR-467i Backpack that I still love, but because I use the Black Rapid RS4 shoulder strap for my Nikon D90, I needed a shoulder bag so I could free up one shoulder for the strap. Now that we're done with why I chose the Retrospective 10...
What do I think of it? I love this bag so much, if you had to take it away from me, you'd have to pry it from my cold, dead shoulder! Here's why...
1. Rugged construction: The Retrospective series is made of durable materials that's tough, and yet, surprisingly flexible. You can put a hobbyist level of gear in it and it just keeps expanding! Even the strap is great - made of canvas, it's thick and wide, which makes it comfortable and easy on your shoulder even after long hours of shooting. The strap has a big breathable, cushioned pad that's really, really comfy. And the pad does have the non-slip grip, so the bag stays exactly where you put it on your shoulder. There's a carrying handle that's removable, if you're not the carry-in-your-hand kinda person like me, you'll love that flexibility to remove it completely.
One thing I'd like to mention, esp because I didn't find this easily when researching this bag, is that it is also well padded to protect your gear. For some reason, the pictures and reviews don't mention this (either I missed it, or it was a given that a DSLR camera bag is padded). But I was a little worried that there may not be any padding or maybe just very little. Concern notwithstanding, I ordered anyway trusting Matt Brandon and Amazon's return policy. However, that concern was put to rest as soon as I opened the main flap. There's enough padding in the main compartment to keep my DSLR and lenses safe. The bag also comes with extra dividers so you can customize how the main compartment is organized. The dividers themselves are pads, so the camera and lenses don't beat each other up. The gear is protected by pads form the bottom as well.
2. Room, and lots of it: My current gear includes a Nikon D90 with a Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 Zoom Lens attached, a Nikon 50mm f/1.8D Lens, a Nikon SB-600 Speedlight Flash Unit, a BlackRapid shoulder strap, a lens hood for the 18-200mm (since there's enough room in the bag, I don't attach it to the lens when not in use). Even with all of this, there's room for at least another 70-200mm lens (which is on my wish list). Plus, I can fit the camera manual or a notebook in the front pocket. I also have my lens dust blower in the bag. Trust me, even with all of this stuff, there's still room in the bag for more.
The bag is also very well organized. For example, I store the SB-600 flash unit in the inside side pocket. There's one on each side on the inside. There's also one exterior side pocket on each side for a water bottle, etc. On the front, there's a pocket on the exterior of the bag which I've already fleetingly mentioned above. Pretty roomy for a point and shoot, a book, etc. The bag came with the rain jacket pouch hooked into this pocket. The pouch itself is removable. Behind this pocket is the organizer pocket. This pocket has place holders for pens, credit cards/business cards, keys, pens, etc,
There's a zippered pocket on the inside that runs the width of the bag to store important docs or other valuables. There's another zippered pocket on the back (exterior).
In short, well organized and more room than meets the eye.
3. Attention to detail: The main flap has two velcro strips that safely secures the flap to the bag. Just so the velcro doesn't make a loud sound when you're opening the bag in a situation that requires silence (church, wedding, etc), this bag has "velcro sound silencers." A little touch of genius whereby half of the velcro on the flap folds onto itself to seal itself (kinda hard to explain). Now the velcro on the flap will not attach to the velcro on the bag, so you can open the flap without requiring to rip 'em off. Crazy cool! This also gives you the flexibility to only keep one of the velcro strips active so you only have to rip one velcro to access the bag, not two. Just another option.
Think Tank even uses a new YKK zipper technology that makes the zippers smoother to operate.
There are webbing loops on the exterior on both sides which can be used to attach small accessories using carbiners.
4. Looks: This bag has a retro look that I just can't get enough of. More importantly, it's not flashy. You can barely see the Think Tank logo even. I didn't want a bag that screamed "expensive equipment inside." It looks just like a messenger bag, so you're not advertising your equipment to evil eyes. It's simple to look at, but packed with features and room.
Anything that I didn't like? Brutally honest: not really. But to keep this review honest, I'll mention these caveats:
a. Weight: I know some reviews mention that the bag is a tad heavier than most other DSLR messenger bags. True, but not a deal breaker for me. With all the standard accessories included, the bag weighs 3 lbs. Which didn't seem heavy to me at all even with all my gear in it. That's how good the strap cushion pad is. Plus I've removed dead weights like the rain jacket and the carrying handle. I wouldn't say the weight is a problem, by any standards. It's 3 lbs because of the durable and good quality of materials used. That said, Think Tank could probably improve in this area for version 2.
b. Tripod straps: The Timbuk2 has straps on the bottom to hold a tripod. The Retrospective series don't have that feature. Again, not a deal breaker for me. In the 2 years of using my D90, I've used the tripod once: at home, for a family picture after Thanksgiving dinner, 2009. Given this stat, how important is that tripod strap to me? 0%. For the rare occasions that I will travel with my tripod, I'll carry it in my hand, tyvm. Besides, the whole concept of the Retrospective is to keep it inconspicuous as a DSLR camera bag. Attaching a tripod will be contrary to that goal. If the tripod is an essential part of your setup and you must attach it to your bag, then you'll either have to hook it to the side of the Retrospective using a carbiner, or look for a different bag altogether.
Despite a & b above, for me, it's still a solid 5 stars.
For those debating Retrospective 10 vs 20 vs 30, although the Retrospective 10 is the smallest in the series, don't be fooled - it's got lots of room in it (a point I've tried to stress in this review). Unless you have lenses that are bigger than a 70-200mm, or if you have more than 2 DSLR bodies, 3 telephoto lenses, two flash units, etc, you really don't need the Retrospective 20 or 30. The 20 is a taller version of the 10; and the 30 is a wider version of the 10.
The icing on the cake was the Amazon seller: Norman Camera. I got FedEx Ground which was the default method for free shipping. So the estimated delivery was 5-7 business days. You won't believe this (I certainly didn't till I actually got it at the door), but I got my bag the second day after I ordered. That's right, at my door in less than 48 hours of ordering and it was free shipping! Incredible!!! I haven't had this kind of service in my 10+ years of online shopping. Kudos!
Can you tell I'm happy with the purchase!!!
I currently own a Kata DR-467i Backpack that I still love, but because I use the Black Rapid RS4 shoulder strap for my Nikon D90, I needed a shoulder bag so I could free up one shoulder for the strap. Now that we're done with why I chose the Retrospective 10...
What do I think of it? I love this bag so much, if you had to take it away from me, you'd have to pry it from my cold, dead shoulder! Here's why...
1. Rugged construction: The Retrospective series is made of durable materials that's tough, and yet, surprisingly flexible. You can put a hobbyist level of gear in it and it just keeps expanding! Even the strap is great - made of canvas, it's thick and wide, which makes it comfortable and easy on your shoulder even after long hours of shooting. The strap has a big breathable, cushioned pad that's really, really comfy. And the pad does have the non-slip grip, so the bag stays exactly where you put it on your shoulder. There's a carrying handle that's removable, if you're not the carry-in-your-hand kinda person like me, you'll love that flexibility to remove it completely.
One thing I'd like to mention, esp because I didn't find this easily when researching this bag, is that it is also well padded to protect your gear. For some reason, the pictures and reviews don't mention this (either I missed it, or it was a given that a DSLR camera bag is padded). But I was a little worried that there may not be any padding or maybe just very little. Concern notwithstanding, I ordered anyway trusting Matt Brandon and Amazon's return policy. However, that concern was put to rest as soon as I opened the main flap. There's enough padding in the main compartment to keep my DSLR and lenses safe. The bag also comes with extra dividers so you can customize how the main compartment is organized. The dividers themselves are pads, so the camera and lenses don't beat each other up. The gear is protected by pads form the bottom as well.
2. Room, and lots of it: My current gear includes a Nikon D90 with a Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 Zoom Lens attached, a Nikon 50mm f/1.8D Lens, a Nikon SB-600 Speedlight Flash Unit, a BlackRapid shoulder strap, a lens hood for the 18-200mm (since there's enough room in the bag, I don't attach it to the lens when not in use). Even with all of this, there's room for at least another 70-200mm lens (which is on my wish list). Plus, I can fit the camera manual or a notebook in the front pocket. I also have my lens dust blower in the bag. Trust me, even with all of this stuff, there's still room in the bag for more.
The bag is also very well organized. For example, I store the SB-600 flash unit in the inside side pocket. There's one on each side on the inside. There's also one exterior side pocket on each side for a water bottle, etc. On the front, there's a pocket on the exterior of the bag which I've already fleetingly mentioned above. Pretty roomy for a point and shoot, a book, etc. The bag came with the rain jacket pouch hooked into this pocket. The pouch itself is removable. Behind this pocket is the organizer pocket. This pocket has place holders for pens, credit cards/business cards, keys, pens, etc,
There's a zippered pocket on the inside that runs the width of the bag to store important docs or other valuables. There's another zippered pocket on the back (exterior).
In short, well organized and more room than meets the eye.
3. Attention to detail: The main flap has two velcro strips that safely secures the flap to the bag. Just so the velcro doesn't make a loud sound when you're opening the bag in a situation that requires silence (church, wedding, etc), this bag has "velcro sound silencers." A little touch of genius whereby half of the velcro on the flap folds onto itself to seal itself (kinda hard to explain). Now the velcro on the flap will not attach to the velcro on the bag, so you can open the flap without requiring to rip 'em off. Crazy cool! This also gives you the flexibility to only keep one of the velcro strips active so you only have to rip one velcro to access the bag, not two. Just another option.
Think Tank even uses a new YKK zipper technology that makes the zippers smoother to operate.
There are webbing loops on the exterior on both sides which can be used to attach small accessories using carbiners.
4. Looks: This bag has a retro look that I just can't get enough of. More importantly, it's not flashy. You can barely see the Think Tank logo even. I didn't want a bag that screamed "expensive equipment inside." It looks just like a messenger bag, so you're not advertising your equipment to evil eyes. It's simple to look at, but packed with features and room.
Anything that I didn't like? Brutally honest: not really. But to keep this review honest, I'll mention these caveats:
a. Weight: I know some reviews mention that the bag is a tad heavier than most other DSLR messenger bags. True, but not a deal breaker for me. With all the standard accessories included, the bag weighs 3 lbs. Which didn't seem heavy to me at all even with all my gear in it. That's how good the strap cushion pad is. Plus I've removed dead weights like the rain jacket and the carrying handle. I wouldn't say the weight is a problem, by any standards. It's 3 lbs because of the durable and good quality of materials used. That said, Think Tank could probably improve in this area for version 2.
b. Tripod straps: The Timbuk2 has straps on the bottom to hold a tripod. The Retrospective series don't have that feature. Again, not a deal breaker for me. In the 2 years of using my D90, I've used the tripod once: at home, for a family picture after Thanksgiving dinner, 2009. Given this stat, how important is that tripod strap to me? 0%. For the rare occasions that I will travel with my tripod, I'll carry it in my hand, tyvm. Besides, the whole concept of the Retrospective is to keep it inconspicuous as a DSLR camera bag. Attaching a tripod will be contrary to that goal. If the tripod is an essential part of your setup and you must attach it to your bag, then you'll either have to hook it to the side of the Retrospective using a carbiner, or look for a different bag altogether.
Despite a & b above, for me, it's still a solid 5 stars.
For those debating Retrospective 10 vs 20 vs 30, although the Retrospective 10 is the smallest in the series, don't be fooled - it's got lots of room in it (a point I've tried to stress in this review). Unless you have lenses that are bigger than a 70-200mm, or if you have more than 2 DSLR bodies, 3 telephoto lenses, two flash units, etc, you really don't need the Retrospective 20 or 30. The 20 is a taller version of the 10; and the 30 is a wider version of the 10.
The icing on the cake was the Amazon seller: Norman Camera. I got FedEx Ground which was the default method for free shipping. So the estimated delivery was 5-7 business days. You won't believe this (I certainly didn't till I actually got it at the door), but I got my bag the second day after I ordered. That's right, at my door in less than 48 hours of ordering and it was free shipping! Incredible!!! I haven't had this kind of service in my 10+ years of online shopping. Kudos!
Can you tell I'm happy with the purchase!!!
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By Old Hacker
Amazon Verified Purchase
The good: Very well made. LOTS of thought obviously went into the design. Lots of pockets and padding configuration. Great looking fabric. Seems lo-key and rugged. Doesn't scream "Steal this expensive camera!". Fits my 5Dm2 with a couple spare lens's, light meter, and other misc goodies. Much better padding than my Domkes.
The bad: It pays a weight penalty for the heavy fabric/padding. Nothing like a hardcase mind you, but to me it was surprisingly weighty. (I'm probably just spoiled from carrying unpadded Domke cases for so long.)
Other: My sealed/unopened package was missing the clip on carry handle. When I informed 'Think Tank', they had me a replacement handle on the way within hours. My first impression of the Think Tank company is very good. I had the feeling I was talking to other working photographers who understood the business and my needs.
If you need a great rugged lightly padded soft case, designed by other working photographers, and your shoulder doesn't mind a little extra weight, then this is close to a perfect bag from a very responsive company.
The bad: It pays a weight penalty for the heavy fabric/padding. Nothing like a hardcase mind you, but to me it was surprisingly weighty. (I'm probably just spoiled from carrying unpadded Domke cases for so long.)
Other: My sealed/unopened package was missing the clip on carry handle. When I informed 'Think Tank', they had me a replacement handle on the way within hours. My first impression of the Think Tank company is very good. I had the feeling I was talking to other working photographers who understood the business and my needs.
If you need a great rugged lightly padded soft case, designed by other working photographers, and your shoulder doesn't mind a little extra weight, then this is close to a perfect bag from a very responsive company.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent quality, perfect for my needs, but be careful about size
October 11, 2011
Amazon Verified Purchase
As a former pro getting back into photography I wish I hadn't gotten rid of a lot of my equipment and accessories that would still be viable today -- especially my favorite camera bag, that seemed to hold twice as much equipment as its size indicated. A colleague suggested Thank Tank products, so I took a look at their web site and immediately liked the look of the Retrospective series. Of course, the problem with buying a camera bag you haven't actually seen is that it's hard to judge whether or not it's really going to hold the equipment you want it to hold. I wanted something that could handle everything I'm taking with me to Kauai--so that I can carry all my equipment on the plane, then rearrange things on the other end and carry what I need for each day's shoot. I wavered between the model 10 and wider model 20. I dismissed the 30 as too tall--stuff would just get buried in the bottom. I finally took a risk on the smaller model 10. From the moment it arrived there was no question I had made the right choice of manufacturer and series. Then I laid out all my equipment and started moving and adjusting the dividers, packing and unpacking, rearranging--for two hours! I was about to give up and exchange the 10 for the 20, but after giving my brain a 10-minute break, I came back to it and everything just fell into place. The bag now holds both Canon 60D and XS camera bodies (with lenses removed so the TSA won't fiddle with them), 18-55 and 55-250 S-series lenses, a 50mm 1.8, a chunky 10-20mm including saucer-sized hood, hoods for the other three lenses (stacked, not reversed), a Rode Pro microphone, a CarrySpeed viewfinder in its case, a 430EX flash, two rain sleeves, six connecting cords, a six-filter wallet, four battery packs with two chargers (airline regs say those will have to be moved to the checked luggage), two camera straps, and the rain cover that came with the bag. All snug but well padded. I've had one job since the initial pack, and was able to remember where everything goes--in fact, it went together better the second time. So the bag ended up being perfect for my needs. HOWEVER...If you are not patient enough to go through what I went through; if you don't like everything fitting snugly; or if you don't like having to bury less used items in the bottom of your bag; this bag will likely be too small for you. As I said, when I take it into the field I will carry about half of what will carry on the plane. The only flaw I can see in the design (not enough to deduct a star) is that accessory pockets on the front, back, and sides can't help but take away from the interior space if you put anything at all of size in them. The two end pockets are so flat as to be useless for anything other than sunglasses or a small notepad. (Interestingly, they are lined with waterproof material as though they were intended for water bottles--that would only work if the bottles were less than 1-inch thick. But, bottom line--I love this bag and I expect that it will be my bag of choice for many years to come. After all, it's guaranteed for as long as the original owner uses it.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nice case that doesn't look too much like a camera bag
Nice altogether. I really like Think Tank products and have several of them. This is a good addition and it holds my DLSR with 18-200mm attached, two smaller lenses, and other... Read more
Published 2 months ago by M. L. Hirsch Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars
getting back into it the right way
I spent more time researching my new camera bag purchase than I did for my new camera. Camera choice was relatively easy. Read more
Published 3 months ago by malbytoast
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very good small-mid size bag
I used to use backpack the logiccase which can carry 5d mark III with battery grip on 24-70 lens.
After keep adding more gears which I don't have a cabinet for storage. Read more
After keep adding more gears which I don't have a cabinet for storage. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Kz
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pricey but worth it
I'm glad i spent the extra cash and went with this bag. It easily holds 2 full frame lenses (28-70 and 70-300), a camera body, and all the extra's that go with my camera. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jed
3.0 out of 5 stars
petty nice bag, but shoulder strap too short for some
I ordered one of these bags thinking I'd like the size, look, and that it wouldn't stand out so much as a camera bag. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Dave
3.0 out of 5 stars
Be careful when ordering size
The description on Think Tank's site states this will fit one pro size DSLR and 2-4 lenses, but just what type of lenses are not mentioned. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Susan
4.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it, but I had to leave it
Like someone else mentioned, it's a wonderful bag but it just wasn't for me. I know the dimensions are stated clearly, but it didn't look quite like what I was hoping for in terms... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Wallix
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spectacular!!!!
Just spectacular! I just got mine and what can I say ..... Pockets for everything , even my Ipad.
I will be using it for travel. Read more
I will be using it for travel. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Jordi A. Fabara
4.0 out of 5 stars
Built like a tank
Have used it for a few trips, its quality construction and sturdy velcro partitions provide alot of flexible configuration options. should give me years of use. Highly recommended. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Louis Bradley
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great bag
Great bag ...
I liked, and excellent interior spaces. I carry the camera inside the Nikon D 300 and an additional 70-200 Nikon lens and flash also SP 900 and the iPad and the... Read more
I liked, and excellent interior spaces. I carry the camera inside the Nikon D 300 and an additional 70-200 Nikon lens and flash also SP 900 and the iPad and the... Read more
Published 12 months ago by mjubran
