Lowepro Sling Bag Review

We spent a morning in Elk Island National Park on Tuesday, my wife and I on foot while our daughter slid about on cross-country skis. The snow was hard packed on the trail around Tawayik Lake, so walking was easy. As is usual on a weekday winter morning we had the trail to ourselves. With temperatures hovering around freezing and patchy blue skies, it was a pleasure to get out again. We did a bit of photography, but mostly the trip was a chance to be outside again and feel the sun on our faces.

I was also trying out our new Lowepro SlingShot – 300 AW sling bag for its first trial run. I have always found a regular backpack somewhat frustrating, in that you need to take it off and set it down to access your gear–something that is not always possible or efficient. Regular shoulder bags have the habit of sliding off the shoulder just as you are releasing the shutter, and even with an added hip-belt they become clumsy when you need to kneel down for macro work or crouch for stalking. The new sling bags being offered by many manufacturers seem to offer a solution to the problem.

Lowepro Sling-shot 300 AW.

The Lowepro bag I chose is just large enough to hold my basic trail equipment: a Nikon D80 with the 80-400mm VR  lens mounted, Nikon 18-70mm, Tamron 90mm macro, Kenko Pro 1.4x tele-extender, Kenko automatic extension tube set,  Nikon SB-600 flash, Nikon SB-R200 flash, Nikon DR-6 right-angle viewfinder, flash cable, flash diffuser and spare batteries all in the main compartment. The upper compartment holds a shoe-mount level, a lens-pen and my macro-flash bracket and panorama rig, which also doubles as a focusing rail. The remaining front pouch is large enough to hold my basic filter set (77mm B&W slim circular polarizer, 77mm B&W 0 .9 neutral density filter, and a Singh-Ray graduated neutral density with a Cokin P series filter holder and two adapter rings) and a microfibre cleaning cloth.

Comfort was excellent. The bag has a substantial shoulder strap and a hip-belt for extra support. I found that when the camera and large zoom was in hand the use of the hipbelt was not required. When the bag is pulled forward the main compartment can be accessed through the side, however it is a bit awkward to reach all the compartments without first lengthening the shoulder strap. The top compartment is also a bit awkward as it is designed for top access, and it would be far more useful if the zipper opened  at least partially along the bottom. The bag also has 3 slip-lock straps (one on the shoulder strap, 2 on the main bag) that allow the attachment of Lowepro Slip-lock cases – something I am sure I will need soon. Other key features for us are the built-in rain cover that pulls up over the whole bag and the clippable retaining belt that prevents you from completely unzipping the main compartment (and thereby lessening the chance of all your equipment falling out!)  before returning the bag to your back. Although we are happy with the reverse-sewn zippers that provide extra dust protection, we are a bit concerned about the durability as they are much smaller zippers than we are used to.

All in all I am satisfied with the pack so far. Time and many more day hikes will tell if the purchase was worthwhile. If you have any further questions, please add them to the comments or view the website.

(Photo from Lowepro. This is an independent review and I have no other association with the company except as an occasional customer)

 

Lens Combo’s for Macro – First Test Results

As promised, the first round of results from testing various combinations of  stacked lenses, a teleconverter and extension tubes with the Tamron AF90mm f2.8 DI macro lens. My initial goal here was to determine which combinations would best provide higher magnifications (1x life-size plus) while still offering enough lens-to-subject distance (hereafter simply’ l>s’) for supplemental lighting.

Some things to keep in mind:

• In my case, the  ‘l>s’ distance refers to the outer edge of the lens barrel rather than the glass itself, and the distance measured his approximate.
• Stacked lenses refers to the reverse mounting of a short lens in front of a longer lens – macro couplers can be built or purchased. I bought mine from B&H. In all cases this lens is set to maximum aperture (largest opening) and the distance to infinity.
• To determine magnification you need to know the width of your sensor (23.7mm for the D 70)  and the percentage of coverage of your viewfinder (but I did not account for this variance in my calculations). Magnification = width of sensor/width of view through the finder.

 

Lens Combinations for Macro Photography

Being a Nikon user, I do not have the benefit of the amazing Canon MP-E 1-5x macro. I have to find other methods to find magnification beyond the 1x provided by my Tamron 90mm macro lens. From experience gained from my old film-based Olympus system, I know that one of the best ways to increase magnification is with glassless extension tubes, tele-extenders  and, for higher magnifications, by using stacked lenses. But testing is essential here – magnification is not the only factor to be aware of. I want a high quality image, but at high magnifications  another important factor is the lens to subject distance. For instance, there are many ways of obtaining 2x magnification, but all other factors being equal, it is the combination that provides the greatest distance between the lens and the subject that will prove to be the most useful for the macro photographer. This distance is needed for good lighting – which at 1x magnification and over will almost invariably be coming from an electronic flash unit.

To be posted soon: some of the results of  tests with my own lens combinations.

In the mean time, here is a video (from prophotolife.com) on lens stacking. Note that any wide-angle to 5omm lens can be used to stack, however do test combinations prior to making a purchase. Not all zoom lenses will work successfully with stacking.