Cheaper alternative to the Tinktank retrospective 20

technics100

technics100

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I have just found this bag and think it would be perfect for walking about. It will hold a body, spare lens and flash.. the only downside is the price. I like the messenger feel it had and also that its quite flat and thin and not too bulky.

http://www.sevenbyfive.net/hardware/think-tank-retrospective-love/

Are there any cheaper alternatives? I have a small tamrac but it has no room for an extra lens, I also have a backpack but I keep everything in it and it's too heavy walking about..

Cheers
 
technics100 said:
I have just found this bag and think it would be perfect for walking about. It will hold a body, spare lens and flash.. the only downside is the price. I like the messenger feel it had and also that its quite flat and thin and not too bulky.

http://www.sevenbyfive.net/hardware/think-tank-retrospective-love/

Are there any cheaper alternatives? I have a small tamrac but it has no room for an extra lens, I also have a backpack but I keep everything in it and it's too heavy walking about..

Cheers
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I looked at these in Grays of Westminster last month. Nice design, but rather expensive for the occasional user, I guess :|.

You could look at the Tamrac 'Rally' range. I have the medium and large models (in brown & tan) and think that they look most un-camera bag like. Pricewise, I think that they are about half the cost of the equivalent Thinktank model, but that might vary depending on your location :|.
 
Cheers, the Rally 4 looks good. Also the Lowepro Exchange Messenger is only £20 from amazon in grey.
 
A secondhand Retrospective 20? There have been a couple in the classifieds around the £80 mark. It's a cracking bag, I really like mine.
 
I would really consider the Retrospective bags, IMO they are excellent value for money. They come with a life time warranty from thinktank and they are just built superbly.

My Retro 10 (and now 20) go everywhere with me, all weather, 10 hours a day, everyday. They are tough little bags, and the little features like the "silencers" and speedlight pockets are unique to any camera bag I have seen....
 
Op you get what you pay for. Just save up and buy a retro 20. Far cheaper then your camera gear that you already saved up and spent on
 
cam1986 said:
Not everyone has £100+ to spend on a bag
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Yet that same Person has 300+ to spend in a dslr?

edit: looks like the OP'S kit cost way more then £300 in total.
 
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Everyone has a budget for items. £100+ for a bag, for me, is too much.
 
Well you should have stated that mate instead of saying "not everyone has £100 to spend on a bag" which implies you dont have and cant afford to save up £100 which i basically pointed out being strange as even you have gear worth way more then £100 which indicates you can enquire £100 if you really wanted to.


personally i wouldnt buy cheap straps, bags etc to hold £1000+ worth of gear. Thats just me though. if i can afford £xxxx of something, i dont go cheap on the extra bits and bobs that goes with it.

for me the retro 20 is a bargain. i've seen far more expensive bags like luis vuittons that cost more then my gear lol each to their own though but for me i would never skimp on a bag, camera straps or tripods.
 
Everyone knows you have an expensive bag with expensive items in it when you are walking down the street!! :thumbsdown:
 
jonneymendoza said:
Well you should have stated that mate instead of saying "not everyone has £100 to spend on a bag" which implies you dont have and cant afford to save up £100 which i basically pointed out being strange as even you have gear worth way more then £100 which indicates you can enquire £100 if you really wanted to.
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That makes no sense whatsoever. Apart from having no idea how someone could "enquire £100", to suggest that someone could afford £n on one thing because they spent £n on another is nonsensical, not least because cash flow fluctuates and priorities change.


personally i wouldnt buy cheap straps, bags etc to hold £1000+ worth of gear. Thats just me though. if i can afford £xxxx of something, i dont go cheap on the extra bits and bobs that goes with it.
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You're confusding price with value. I've never seen a LowePro bag that was anything other than extremely well made, durable and entirely trustworthy.
 
no knocking lowepro. i have one myself lol but all im saying is that IMO if you can dish out £1000 worth on photo gear then £100 for a reliable solid bag not so bad. again IMO
 
cam1986 said:
Everyone knows you have an expensive bag with expensive items in it when you are walking down the street!! :thumbsdown:
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99.9% of the population think the retrospective series is just a messenger bag, especially if you're younger. Everyone ive met has been hugely surprised its a camera bag, but thats just me.
 
I agree with Sam and Jonney, no one ever thinks my Retrospective 20 is a camera bag. The Pinestone colour makes it appear to be a messenger bag which suits me just fine.

Appreciate that it is more expensive than some others but I researched many options and I am sure it will suit my needs for a long time. Preferred to make that investment rather than buy 2 or 3 versions before getting what I really wanted.
 
jonneymendoza said:
no knocking lowepro. i have one myself lol but all im saying is that IMO if you can dish out £1000 worth on photo gear then £100 for a reliable solid bag not so bad. again IMO
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That still doesn't make sense. I've got £10,000's of kit but wouldn't want to spend £100 on a messenger bag.
 
I just got my Retrospective 30 today and I can recommend it. The quality is outstanding. This will be my new walkabout bag :thumbs:

20110928205018v2.jpg
 
What I really like about my Retrospective 20 is that I can carry other stuff besides my camera at the same time. The front will fit A4 papers, a small laptop or tablet and the main compartment has enough space for camera, umbrella and water bottle.
 
SamP said:
Well what would you buy then?
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I've no idea, it's not something I've looked into. One thing's for sure though, any use I'd have for a messenger bag would be limited to needing a bag to carry either just a GF1 or at most D300 with single lens, and the main function would be to carry other odds and sods around in, such as iPad, food, drink, coat etc. There's no way I'd spend £100 on a bag just for that.
 
NorthernNikon said:
I've no idea, it's not something I've looked into. One thing's for sure though, any use I'd have for a messenger bag would be limited to needing a bag to carry either just a GF1 or at most D300 with single lens, and the main function would be to carry other odds and sods around in, such as iPad, food, drink, coat etc. There's no way I'd spend £100 on a bag just for that.
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Sounds like a lot of functionality for a single bag. I searched for your jack-of-all-trades and the Retrospective 20 was the closest.

You get what you pay for. The £25 Lowepro Rezo I once had, was even worth less than the £25 it cost (at least to me).
 
Cistron said:
What I really like about my Retrospective 20 is that I can carry other stuff besides my camera at the same time. The front will fit A4 papers, a small laptop or tablet and the main compartment has enough space for camera, umbrella and water bottle.
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Hit the nail on the head imo. I use mine as my main bag for uni, so my diary/notebook goes in the front, camera in the middle with my lunch. When im actually taking photos ill swap my food for lenses and my notebooks for other useless expensive crap I drag around! :lol:
 
NorthernNikon said:
Does it? It just sounds like a bag to me, functionality limited to putting things in it.
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Well, if it comes down to this, bubble wrap and Tesco bags will do.

A good bag stays with you for a long time. See it like getting a nice mechanical watch, or a neat fountain pen.
 
Cistron said:
Well, if it comes down to this, bubble wrap and Tesco bags will do.

A good bag stays with you for a long time. See it like getting a nice mechanical watch, or a neat fountain pen.
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How wonderfully quaint. I've more than enough experience in buying and using camera bags to not need the analogy. In fact, having over £750 worth of camera bags already is one of the reasons why I wouldn't pay £100 for a messenger bag, which was the point being made.
 
NorthernNikon said:
How wonderfully quaint. I've more than enough experience in buying and using camera bags to not need the analogy. In fact, having over £750 worth of camera bags already is one of the reasons why I wouldn't pay £100 for a messenger bag, which was the point being made.
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Right, I give up. You're one of the few people who doesn't think it's a worthwhile investment.
 
Cistron said:
Right, I give up. You're one of the few people who doesn't think it's a worthwhile investment.
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Have you read the thread? It's not about whether it's a good investment. My initial comments were in response to the disbelief that someone might not be prepared to spend £100 on a bag.
 
Get a messenger bag that you like (preferably with two pockets on the front) and buy a photo insert for it. Job done. This is coming from someone who uses a £150 messenger/camera bag (Billingham Hadley Pro). As for why I could justify such an expense, it's perfect for me in terms of style and functionality, so why not? I don't see myself needing to change the bag for a good few years now. However I would be the first to admit that a nice messenger bag (I saw a good one in River Island for £28) plus a suitable insert would work about 90% as well (the other 10% being the little features Billingham have put in such as weatherproofing, better build quality etc.) Infact I used an old canvas messenger bag that was £7 from Primark for about three years before I got a 'proper' bag.
 
I guess this is just down to cost vs value.

If you can't see the value of a bag like the retrospective series, then nothing anyone can say will change your mind.

The same could be said for buying anything really. No need to worry about it.
 
I got the lowepro messenger at £19 from amazon, great bag although I would prefer a hard back on it as it bends a bit.. holds my D90, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm & SB-800 no probs..
 
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