Think Tank Retrospective 10, Pinestone

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Price: $165.75 $139.00   

Product Feature

• Carries a pro size DSLR with standard zoom lens attached
• Accommodates 2-4 lenses in main compartment
• Front pocket fits a pro size DSLR (body only)

Product Description

Think Tank ~ Retrospective 10, Pinestone

Think Tank Retrospective 10, Pinestone Review

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!!!

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