Pros: Ready access to camera; stylish; comfortable; all-weather cover for inclement weather; good for light travel
Cons: Long lens users and wedding photographers need not apply! Also, no ready access to lenses.
The Bottom Line: The SlingShot 200 AW is an exquisite slingpack for the SLR photographer who needs to carry a few lenses and have ready access to the camera without removing the pack.
kedsand1's Full Review: Lowepro SlingShot 200 AW, All-Weather BackPack/Sli...
In my brief time as a photography enthusiast, I have found that one of the most important, but often overlooked, aspects of photography is the conveyance of one's gear. For point-and-shoot camera users, "gear" means the camera, some batteries, a few memory cards, and that's it. But, for digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera users, "gear" means a lot more: camera bodies, lenses, filters, memory cards, batteries, chargers, a possible tripod, lens hoods, flashes, a softbox or Gary Fong Lightsphere, and so on. However, for the emerging DSLR enthusiast, acquiring requisite gear becomes both a financial commitment to buy desired lenses and camera bodies and, literally, a physical burden to carry the gear.
Indeed, the conveyance of one's gear is of paramount importance, and this is more deeply understood the more one becomes interested in photography (or videography). For the point-and-shoot enthusiast, a regular backpack or handbag may suffice, but a DSLR user requires a dedicated camera bag with padded spaces for lenses and other equipment. As one of the leading manufacturers of camera bags, Lowepro designs backpacks and slingpacks with the needs and desires of DSLR users in mind, and the SlingShot 200 AW is an exquisite example of how Lowepro keeps in consideration the gear conveyance needs of DSLR users. The SlingShot 200 AW is the second smallest sibling of the SlingShot line of slingbags; it is larger than the base SlingShot 100, but is smaller than the 300 AW and, in turn, the 350 AW.
To break down the various aspects of this bag, I will focus on what I have found to be the five indispensible aspects of a great camera bag: looks, storage capacity, camera accessibility, gear protection, and comfort. I will score each category on a scale of 1 to 10, weighing the needs of the variety of users out there: amateurs, enthusiasts, semi-pros, and professional photographers.
Looks
It cannot be denied that one has to look good conveying their camera gear, which is why camera bag companies like Lowepro expend much time and resources in market testing to develop bags that look high-tech, stylish, or both. The SlingShot 200 AW is no exception to this approach, as it has both a stylish and high-tech look. The SlingShot 200 AW is an attractive and professional-looking black bag with gray accents. Though it has the girth of a small backpack, it is in fact a slingpack with an strap ergonomically designed to be slung over the right shoulder, with an additional strap that can be secured from the lower-right side of the bag to the primary strap; this system of securing the pack to the body give the SlingShot a feeling of stability that is more inherent to backpacks than slingpack, which can slide off the wearer's shoulders.
The compactness of the SlingShot 200 AW, the elegance of the strap system, and the novel shape of the pack (which has a shape reminiscent of a small, wide rocket) may inspire confidence in both the wearer and those who see the burgeoning photographer with its high-tech, stylish look.
Score:10/10
Storage Capacity
According to Lowepro, the SlingShot 200 AW has internal dimensions of 8.7" wide by 5.9" deep by 11.8" high. This equates to roughly 605 cubic inches of storage space -- this may be meaningful for some, but for most of us, raw numbers convey little when considering actual, usable space. In real-world terms, the SlingShot 200 AW has two primary compartments: the top compartment, which is a triangular space that allows for the storage of personal items, like wallets, as well as such oversized items as Lightspheres, flash softboxes, and overly-large hoods; the primary compartment, which is below the top compartment, can be configured using the included foam-velcro dividers to form four separate chambers to store lenses and flashes, as well as one large cavity to accommodate a camera body with an attached 5 to 6-inch lens. The dividers can be configured to hold fewer, larger items as well; but, what is more appealing is the depth of the bag, which can accommodate 5 to 6-inch lens standing upright. A real-world example is how my wife packs the SlingShot 200 AW: she is able to put a Nikon 105mm f/2.8 micro lens standing upright in one of the chambers, along with a 50mm f/1.4 (which is small) in a second chamber, an SB-800 flash lying on its back in a third chamber, and a Nikon D300 with a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens (which is a 5.5-inch-long lens with lens cap) attached in the large cavity.
Besides the two compartments, Lowepro placed an outer zippered pocket on the face of the pack, which include several small divisions for things like memory cards, flash gels, the odd filter, and a larger space for a small notebook or memory card holder. There is also a memory-card compartment on the inner part of the main compartment flap, where one can place empty or full memory cards.
Furthermore, the SlingShot 200 AW accommodates an expansion attachment on the right side of the bag; for example, if one wishes to carry a lens in an accessory pouch, that pouch can be secured to a loop on the right-side of the pack.
As far as storage space is concerned, the SlingShot 200 AW acquits itself very well for the amateur photographer or photojournalist who wants to travel light with a couple of lenses and a flash. However, for those who plan on sporting a super telephoto lens, like the 8.3-inch Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, or for those who need a plethora of lens and flash options for shooting weddings and family pictures, the SlingShot 200 AW will leave them wanting. How ample the storage space is for any bag is relative to the needs of the photographer. Therefore, when placed in the proper perspective, the SlingShot 200 AW has excellent storage space.
Score:8/10 (more than enough space for a light shoot, but not enough for a wedding or pro photo shoot)
Camera Accessibility
Admittedly, the best and most marketed feature of the SlingShot 200 AW is the accessibility of the main compartment by a side opening. The SlingShot 200 AW opens up to the main compartment by way of a zipper that opens from the mid-right part of the bag, around to the left-side of the bag, down the left-side, and then across the bag to a lower part of the mid-right side of the bag. This opening allows for storage of lenses and flashes in the main compartment. However, while wearing the bag, the wearer can secure the part of the opening that goes across the face of the bag with two interlocking clips, leaving the side-part of the opening accessible. To access the camera through this opening, the wearer brings the bag around from under the left armpit. By pulling apart the two zipper heads, the wearer can then remove the camera through the side opening without having to remove the pack. This eliminates the need to remove the pack to get out the camera or, even worse, soiling or making the pack dirty by placing it on the ground or any surface to remove the camera.
From an accessibility standpoint, the only downside to the SlingShot 200 AW is the need to remove the pack to access the stored lenses and flashes inside. This means that some foresight is necessary when setting up the camera with the lens to be used first and/or most frequently. The inaccessibility of stored gear besides the camera appears to be the trade-off between having the stability and comfort of a backpack with the accessibility of a sling bag: on one hand, the SlingShot 200 AW allows for the access to the camera that a sling bag would appear, along with the stability of a backpack, which does not slide off one's shoulders; on the other hand, one loses the accessibility to accessories that a sling bag affords.
Despite this criticism, Lowepro also sells external lens cases for easy access to secondary lenses -- this may counter the need to remove the pack. Also, an extra lens or flash can be stored in the top compartment, which is easily accessible while wearing the pack. Either of these two alternatives would suffice in a pinch. Nonetheless, a backpack-like bag with ready access to the camera is the major selling point of the SlingShot 200 AW, and one that cannot be easily discounted.
Score:8/10 (ready access to the camera and the attached lens, but not to the accessories inside the main compartment)
Gear Protection
The SlingShot 200 AW is designed specifically for the conveyance of camera gear, so protection of that gear is integral to the design of the pack. As previously mentioned, the main compartment can be configured to encase multiple lenses and flashes in padded chambers that prevent these items from clashing while walking or even running with the bag. Apparently, Lowepro paid particular attention to padding, as all areas that are intended to house camera-related gear are well-padded.
What also serves to protect the contents of the pack is the all-weather (thus, the "AW" in the product name) cover that can be pulled from the underside of the pack and over the pack itself. This weatherproof cover protects the pack from inclement weather conditions, like rain, sleet, or snow. This cover also proves useful when placing the pack on a wet surface, like the deck of a boat or a wet park bench.
However, the one minor quibble I have about the SlingShot 200 AW is the side access to the main compartment flap. Granted, the flap that encases the main chamber fits snugly over the chambers and is secured with two plastic clips and the zipper. But, Lowepro would have done well to secure the flap to the main compartment with an additional clip to secure the mid-point of the flap to the side of the pack; this could further prevent accidental opening of the side access to the camera. The zipper used by Lowepro is heavy-duty grade, but one cannot fully rely on a zipper to prevent a camera from falling out if one, say, forgets to completely zip the flap. That said, gear in the main compartment is very secure, and the top compartment is more than adequate for storing wallets, cell phones, or an additional camera accessories.
The SlingShot 200 AW protects its contents both with padding and with a weatherproof covering. Both of these conventions allow the wearer to day-hike or travel with confidence, as well as protect the contents from minor falls or drops.
Score:9/10 (contents are largely protected, but an additional clip to secure the main compartment flap would be a welcome addition)
Comfort
As mentioned in the introductory part of this article, the SlingShot 200 AW is a slingpack designed to be slung over the right shoulder, with an additional strap that can be secured from the lower-right side of the bag to the primary strap. Usually, when it comes to comfort, slingpacks involve a trade-off between accessibility and stability. With a slingpack or slingbag of any kind, one simply swings the bag around to access the contents from above. This makes slingbags eminently accessible, but it also renders them unstable as slingbags can either swing across the wearer when running or slide off the wearer's shoulders, which is eminently annoying. The SlingShot 200 AW ensures stability both through the aforementioned secondary strap and with a wide primary strap, which is well-cushioned and contoured to curve around the wearer's neck. Thus, the SlingShot 200 AW achieves a fine marriage of accessibility and stability.
But, how comfortable is it? Besides the well-padded primary strap, the back of the SlingShot 200 AW is also padded and contours well to the wearer's back. The bag itself is just over 2 pounds, which does not add much weight to one's gear -- this also lends to a more comfortable bag. Along with the weight and padding, the bag is symmetrical and reasonably balanced, but with more weight on the left side in consideration of the camera body being located there for easy access.
The SlingShot 200 AW is as comfortable as a slingpack can be, considering that ultimately one shoulder bears all of the burden. In this case, as it often is in a right-handed world, the right shoulder bears the burden, which may be a minor annoyance for left-handers who choose to bear weight on their left shoulders. Of course, most, if not all, cameras feature the shutter button and grip on the right-hand side, so a right-handed bag seems to make sense... right?
Score:10/10 (it is well-padded and contoured, but there is no joy for lefties)
Final Score: 45/50
Sadly, the score does not do the SlingShot 200 AW justice because, for most enthusiasts and photographers who want to pack light, this pack is nothing less than spectacular. It is stylist, comfortable, has ample storage space, and provides ready access to the most important piece of equipment: the camera. Anyone with a couple of lenses, a flash, and a camera needs not look any further than the SlingShot 200 AW. For whom the 45 out of 50 score is more meaningful is those who either need to carry more gear or who need to carry big gear. Long telephotos will find no home in this pack, and those wedding or pro photo shoot photographers who require multiple lenses, flashes, brackets, and the odd light meter and/or Pocket Wizard really need a large wheeled case for such things. Then again, those kinds of photographers would know well enough to not even consider the SlingShot 200 AW, as it is a traveler's pack meant for day-trips, hikes, urban strolls, and even photojournalistic jaunts into protesting throngs or war-torn regions... perhaps.
If anything, the SlingShot 200 AW is better than the 45/50 score, so I shall revise the score to reflect the target market: for day-trippers, amateurs, and semi-pros, I would add 2 points for storage and 1 point for accessibility to result in a score of 48. In other words, unequivocally, the SlingShot 200 AW is near-perfection, more than meeting the needs of the wayward DSLR user. For point-and-shoot enthusiasts, though, I would stick to a Jansport backpack or a small handbag; after all, you all only have ONE lens to consider.
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