Lowepro Slingshot 200 AW

Ranked #13,397 in Arts & Design, #259,592 overall | Donates to Squidoo Charity Fund, March of Dimes, Save the Children

Lowepro Slingshot 200 AW

Finding the right bag for precious DSLR is never an easy decision. There are so many different choices such as size, capacity, carry style, brand etc. Even if you're brand loyal, there are different specs to similar bags not to mention color.
So why this review? Personally, I like to research items before I go out and look for one to purchase. After my research would have made my decision on EXACTLY what I want. Therefore, it is extremely difficult for me impulse buy. Also, it'll take an extremely slick sales person to sell me something else. Most of the time, I can't what I want and end up ordering online.
So, it is my endeavor to provide as many pictures, remarks etc. to help others decide what is right for them if hands on testing is unavailable.
Hope this helps!

NewbiePhoto's Blog

A beginner's guide to photography.

Loading Fetching RSS feed... please stand by

Top Compartment

Seen here is the top compartment with a Canon EF 50mm F1.8 II. It's pretty spacious inside and can fit quite a bit misc. stuff.
On the outside of the lid there is loop to hang things like Lowepro lens cases and such. This loop feels like rubber and is really strong and slightly flexible. You can see it on the compartment in the picture on the lid of the smaller frontal compartment. It's the darker grey rectangle.
There's also a larger loop on the side of the bag.
When my bag is fully loaded, I stick a Lowepro lens case, a Joby gorilla pod and a monopod (throught the larger side loop) through these loops.
Images in the slide show below.

Front Pocket

Here is the front pocket that expands a bit. I put a mint tin in there to show how much it can expand. It expands a bit more. As you can see there's slots for pens, memory cards and papers.

The guts

The inside of the bag can hold a combination of 4 lenses/flases and one dslr with lens attached.There is also a small media pocket at the top of the "lid" and an elastic mesh pocket on the "bottom" wall.
The padded "walls" are all removable/adjustable. The velcro used is very strong. there are more dividers than shown.
The "AW" designation of the bag is short for "All Weather" meaning this bag has a pullout protective layer that's sort of like a rain coat for the bag.
It works but I've never been standing in the rain on purpose to test it but have gotten it reasonably wet. Gear inside stayed dry.
The compartment of the "rain coat" is on the very bottom of the bag when stood upright and the opening is closed with velcro and marked with an orange tag. The opening faces your back. See photos in the slide show for clarification. I need to mention this because I found it by accident a few months after purchasing the bag.
There are two buckles you can see in the picture. That's to stop you from over unzipping the zipper when you're carrying your bag and taking out your camera. Pretty nifty. I've dropped a lens before and I can tell you, the feeling is horrible!

Flexible innards

Fully loaded for a day outing, I fit my
10-22 hood on reverse
100 f2 macro hood on reverse
70-300 IS USM hood on reverse
430 EX flash
Canon 400D+battery Grip with 24-105 F4L attached hood on correctly
It all fits, snug to say the least.
You can see the padding is pretty thick more than enough for accidental bumps and jolts.

My take...

As you can see my 400D + battery grip and with the 70-300 IS USM lens attached fits just perfectly (hood reversed).
When fully packed this bag gets pretty heavy and I end up alternating shoulders when I carry for long durations. This is made easier with an extra strap the clips to the front of the shoulder strap. See picture in slide show.
There's a couple of things I don't really like:
1) Getting you camera out of the bag and ready to shoot is not that quick a process. I think a messenger style bag would be quicker.
2) When pulling out the camera, if your lens is a zoom that extends, the snugness of the bag (the way I have it set up) always pulls the zoom out. Unless I have the lens locked (only the 70-300 can). It's really a pain when trying to quickly get a shot off.
3) The bag warps with use. Maybe I'm abusing it, but I don't think so.

My verdict

I just love the "rain coat"! It's attached to the bag so no worries about losing it. It works really well. If you're a shooter in the tropics, you know that it can rain at any moment making this a must have.
If you have up to 3 lenses and don't mind the inconvenience of having to put the bag down to change lenses then this bag is great! I haven't come across any messenger style bag with a built in rain coat.
Not that I'm getting better, I think and know what I need I think I've outgrown this bag. I plan to get a longer zoom and it 100-400 L and that wont' fit. Also, I change lenses often and it's becoming tedious (and slow) with this bag. So I'm trying to justify another bag: the Crumpler 6 million dollar home.

Buy it on Amazon

Bag and other equipment mentioned here..

I found it on Amazon for you...

Visit my
Loading

New Flickr Photos

Loading

DIY projects to improve your photography

DIY light tent
Build a light tent that will reduce harsh shadows and get a better color tone for your photographs.
DIY Ring light
Make a ring light to add more light to your static macro shots

Come check out my other lenses

Loading

Have a few bucks to spare?

Please consider donating to your favorite charity. Don't have one? How about my favorite? Someone, somewhere will thank you for it.

Devoted to rescuing and housing exotic cats who have been abused, abandoned, bred to be pets, retired from performing acts, or saved from becoming fur coats, and to educating the public about them.

by

NewbiePhoto

I am an aspiring photographer keen on sharing information. Please feel free to check out my website: http://www.newbiephoto.net.

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!