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I was taking some snaps of my Think Tank Retrospective 5 bag for a friend just now and thought since I’ve already taken the photos … I might as well blog about it here. Well … I was actually taking the photos for a friend who wanted see how it actually looks like (she says images in products’ official pages are usually misleading) and why I like it. Ermm … ok … I try … I try …

Here it is … my pinestone Retrospective 5 … ‘posing’ with a few cams to give a rough idea how small (or big?) the bag is. Based on the specs … it is 25.5 x 21.5 x 15 cm. The size is perfect for my everyday (or rather … weekend and non working day) use. I could pack either a compact/prosumer digital camera and a couple of film ones plus rolls of films and accessories. Compared to the Domke F-5XB which I used to own (and love … for a while) and given to a friend recently, the Retrospective is like double the size and now I can lug around more cameras when I’m in trigger happy mode.

The designer (of the bag) claims that they had ‘blended the look and feel of “old-school” camera bags and infused it with “new-school” features’.

Photo (below) shows how I can shove in a Lomo LC-A+, a Fujifilm X-100 plus a Diana F+ into the bag. Pretty spacious despite not being a big bag! There are still some space left for rolls of film, spare batteries and memory cards. See the side pocket (on the inside) that I’ve shoved in my iPod pouch? I think with some adjustment, I can slot in my Galaxy Tab in there too. Neat!

On the outside … at the front … there is another pocket that is used to store the ‘raincoat’ … in case it starts to pour and you need to make sure none of the precious things inside get wet.

‘Sound silencers’. Huh? I was wondering what that was when I read about it online and apparently they ain’t some super devices that makes silent velcros. Hahahaha! What they actually do … is allow you to flip down the flaps (that has one side of the velcro) and thus ‘silencing’ it. This means once you ‘silence’ the flaps … the front ‘cover’ will not be ‘locked down’ by the velcro anymore. Good for fast and easy access … as well as preventing all the ‘krrrrrrrraaaaak’ sound when you are opening the bag … let’s say in a performance hall.

There is a pocket (with zippers) at the back too.

The shoulder strap is wide and comfy …

I got a free security tag with the bag and if you are wondering what it does … it is actually a tag with an unique serial number that you can register online (in Think Tank’s website) together with your personal info like name, address etc. So if your bag ever get lost … the finder and then try contact you by using the serial number (through Think Tank’s website). Well … it ain’t a guarantee that you will get your bag (and the precious stuffs) back for sure but then … there are still honest people out there.

The bag is made from some very tough yet comfy canvas material on the outside. Not sure if it is due to the comfy canvas material or those paddings I have around my waist (and butt), the bag feels really comfy in real use too.

The Retrospective 5 is one of my favourite sling bag so far. If you are planning on getting a bag that doesn’t scream ‘CAMERA BAG!’ and love the simple and rugged look … I’d definitely recommend this one.

For more details about the Retrospective … check out their official page here.