Think Tank Photo Retrospective 6 Shoulder Bag and Production Manager 50 (Free Gift Offer)

Think Tank Photo Retrospective in Leather Sandstone

Think Tank Photo bags have a great reputation for being well built, durable with excellent designs, but often times they only come in a plain black design. The retrospective was one of the first bags to bring some character to the Think Tank Photo line up, so it makes sense that they’d use this bag to take it to the next level with this cool new leather sandstone design.

If you like the Urban Disguise series, then you’ll love the retrospectives as it’s a more stylish alternative. 

Think Tank Photo Production Manager 50

If you are like me and shoot on location – especially with studio gear – then you’ve probably already heard of the Logistics Manager. I love mine and use it whenever I have to pack the studio gear to go, but for as big as it is I still find myself having to carry at least one more bag (usually my Airport Security roller bag). Well now the mother of all Think Tank Photo bags, the Think Tank Photo Production Manager 50 offers a one bag to rule them all solution that would make Tim Taylor proud!

This won’t be a bag that you stuff in a SMART car, but for serious shooters carrying serious gear, this is a great solution to toss into the back of your SUV.

The Production Manager 50 is a monster, designed to hold C-stands, multiple flash heads, power packs, monoblocks, softboxes, and light-stands.  What it used to take two people to transport, you can now do by yourself.

Conclusion

I’ve been using Think Tank Photo bags since 2007 and travelled with them overseas many times. These bags take a beating, but my gear has always been safe and secure inside them. With great zippers that have never failed me under over packing situations, and smooth wheels that are a blessing when running to catch trains, planes and taxis. I highly recommend any bag from Think Tank Photo, so I’m excited about the release of these new bags.

Where to order – Free Gift Offer

Click here to learn more about Think Tank Photo bags and enjoy a special offer when you use my links.

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

• REVIEW: Think Tank Photo Retrospective 20
• REVIEW: Think Tank Photo Logistics Manager–Take Your Studio With You!
• Think Tank Photo – Index of Reviews

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

Think Tank Photo Test Drive–FREE 30 Day Trial!–EXPIRES on May 31st, 2013

Click Here for Ron's Review of the ORIGINAL Logistics Manager

My friends at Think Tank Photo just announced an exciting new Test Drive program and the release of a new version of its monster rolling camera case, the Logistics Manager™ 30.

Click here for Ron's Retrospective 20 Review 

With the Test Drive program you get to try out any of Think Tank’s very popular Retrospective® soft shoulder bags for 30 days for free!  Should the shoulder bag meet your needs, then your credit card will be charged at  the close of the 30 days.  Should it not meet your needs, return it within the Test Drive time period and your card won’t be charged.  The Retrospective series was created as an homage to classic photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank.  Designed for the photographer who wants to remain inconspicuous in any situation, its "old-school" look mixes with "new-school" features giving tribute to the days when bags were visually simple but highly functional.  It comes in nine models and three colors. This offer is good only on shipments to U.S. addresses.

And, Think Tank just released a new version of its largest rolling camera case, the Logistics Manager™ 30.  Its roomy internal dimensions of 13.75”W x 27.5”H x 8.25 – 10”D (35 x 70 x 21 – 25.5cm) allow it to hold multiple combinations of cameras and lenses, lighting gear such as strobes and reflectors, and accessories of all kinds.  Use this link and you will receive a free gift with your orders from Think Tank.

And don’t forget, there is free shipping on all orders through May 31, 2013.

Conclusion

This is a great chance to try out these awesome bags!

The Test Drive program will run from May 15, 2013—June 15, 2013 or while supplies last.

Where to order

Click here to do the Retrospective Test Drive

Click here to do the Logistics Manager 30

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

• Learn more about Think Tank Photo products and Special Offer Details
• Think Tank Photo Logistics Manager
• Think Tank Photo Retrospective 20
• Think Tank Photo Modular Components V2.0
• Think Tank Photo Airport Security v2.0
• Think Tank Photo Airport 4-Sight
• Think Tank Photo AirStream
• Think Tank Photo Airport TakeOff
• Think Tank Photo Airport Commuter (vs StreetWalker HardDrive)
• Kelly Moore B-Hobo & Boy Designer Camera Bags
• Kelly Moore Chapel and Thirst Relief Camera Bags (NEW)

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

REVIEW: Think Tank Photo Retrospective 20

*** Special Offer at the end of this article! ***

Retrospective 20 Rear View – Copyright ® Ron Martinsen

When the Think Tank Photo (TTP) Retrospective bags first came out I asked TTP why didn’t they just call these Urban Disguise (UD) bags with colors? From the web site I couldn’t see much difference so it didn’t make a lot of sense to me at first. After reviewing these bags I understand the subtle differences and more importantly I’ve come to appreciate both the Urban Disguise Series as well as the Retrospective Series much more. I still wish they’d make a UD bag in the Retrospective material, but hey that’s just my 2 cents.

A Closer Look

Retrospective 20 Front View – Copyright ® Ron Martinsen

You can see my review of the Urban Disguise Series and the Urban Disguise 40 v2.0 for a closer look at them, but the one thing I noticed right away about this series is the material. It’s much more flexible and doesn’t seem anything like a camera bag on the outside. TTP bags are known for being stealth, so this takes it to the next level.

One complaint I had about the front flap shown above is that it doesn’t have an external pocket like you see on the Urban Disguise series bags like the UD 40 v2.0 shown below:

Copyright © Think Tank Photo

On the inside the Retrospective 20 is going to feel familiar to Urban Disguise bag owners. I can say that compared to my 40 that it felt taller as shown below where it swallows the 70-200mm pretty easily:

Inside View – Copyright ® Ron Martinsen

Since this bag doesn’t use the buckle system found in the UD series you end up with massive pieces of Velcro. This results in a loud noise when you lift the flap, so you can release the flaps shown below called Sound Silencers to cover the big Velcro strips to quiet the bag.

Sound Silencers can be used to prevent the Velcro tearing noise when needed
Copyright © Ron Martinsen

While I appreciate the thought, I actually don’t like this feature because I think you are taking a greater risk of spilling your gear. I do wish this bag had the UD series style buckles instead of big Velcro.

Video

Here's a video tour of the bag that I have. My apologies for the poor quality video and sound, but hopefully you’ll still get the idea. I must also point out that I incorrectly describe the sound silencers in the video due to my review of a separate back intended for HDSLR’s.

Please note that an HD version is available in the link below:

HD Available – Click Here

As you can see it can hold a lot of gear, but honestly I’d recommend something smaller than a pro body. It fits, but not comfortably. My 5D Mark II (or the Nikon D7000 I reviewed) is actually a better fit. In real life, usually use it to hold my 24-105mm on camera as shown along with a 580 EX II flash and an one other lens like a 16-35mm.

Conclusion

Before I got this bag I wasn’t very interested in reviewing it as I didn’t see any value in having it. I have Urban Disguise bags which I love and use often, so I just didn’t see any value in having a different color bag that seemed the same.In may ways I still think the Urban Disguise Series additional features make them the better choice, but when I had both bags available and sitting next to each other I kept find myself wanting to use this one.

Ultimately I learned that they aren’t the same and came to appreciate the nice look and flexibility of this bag. I also appreciated the fact that it looked less like a camera bag when I had to leave it in the back of the SUV when parked. Camera theft is going way up in my state, so stealth mode is super important these days. Of course, I don’t recommend you leave your bag in plain site and camera insurance is a must, but sometimes you’ve just gotta leave the bag in the car for a bit so I appreciated this feature. 

I recommend this bag for those who are looking for something more stylish or softer. I find myself using mine and enjoying it quite a bit when I need to take a camera bag to a friends house and I don’t want to look like the photography geek.

A note to Canon owners: The photos (not video) in this article were shot with Canon’s new 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM lens that I reviewed here.

Special Offer

Visit my Think Tank Photo to learn about a special offer on how you can get a free bag when you place your order, plus links to other TTP reviews. You can also visit my discount coupon code page for other discounts and offers.

Disclosure

I was given a bag to review for this article and I may get a commission if you make a purchase using the links in this article. Please support this blog by using the links.