AvidMax & SellNSend Photo Blog

~Cory

Over Labor day weekend I took my new Fastpack 200 on a quick trip to Minnesota, Twin Cities to be exact.  I have nothing but positive feedback for this backpack.  It basically went everywhere with me on my trip, Vikings (Broncos-gotta keep the bosses happy here in Denver) game, State Fair and multiple other venues.  If anyone is looking for a small but capable travel backpack, this may be the one.  Previously, I had a Tamrac Adventure 7.  I was never happy with this bag because it was very difficult to access your photo gear, very uncomfortable after multiple hours wearing it, and really couldn’t hold that much stuff.  Needless to say I’m really glad I made the switch.

One of the best features of this bag is the ability to be accessible.  Wherever I was I could always swing the bag around and access my camera gear on the convenient side access pocket.  My water bottle was also conveniently positioned for an easy grab on the side mesh pocket of the bag.

Capacity was exactly what I was looking for as well.  It held all the camera gear I needed, DSLR,  mid to wide range F/2.8 zoom, wide angle F/2.8 zoom, 50mm F1.4, mid size flash and of course some small accessories, too.  The best part was I could also hold a lot of travel accessories, like blanket, DVD player, snacks, plane ticket info, and some small toys.  Like I said, this bag held everything I needed.  For anyone needing to hold a laptop you can upgrade to the Fastpack 250.  It will give you the extra slot for a 15″ laptop, everything else is the same.

Lastly it was comfortable.  I wore it for over 8 hours on multiple days and could still have gone longer.  No complaints in that arena.

I did also like the little pocket on the front left shoulder strap.  It was a great place for little accessories like an extra battery or memory card.

All in all, the Fastpack 200 far exceeded my expectations and I would highly recommend this bag to anyone looking for a great travel accessory that can carry more things than  just your camera gear.

Happy shooting,

Curt @ AvidMax/SellNSend

Throughout the years we have seen the camera backpack go from very simple that only carried your camera, lenses, and film to a very versatile and functional system. There are tons of new features in Lowepro’s modern backpacks that are designed with the modern photographer in mind. Some of the revolutionary new features Lowepro includes in it’s backpacks are:

• SlipLock attachment system to customize your bag the way you want
• AW (All Weather) covers designed to protect the contents from unpredictable weather conditions
• Hideaway Tripod Mounts to carry your tripod, or get out of the way when you don’t need it
• Plus lots more…

• Secure backpack with rear entry
• Very functional, waist belt holds up backpack like a table when opening it
• Side entry pocket for miscellaneous accessories (200 and 300 models)
• 400 can hold up to a 300mm f/2.8 size lens
• 400 series has more padding and bigger accessory pocket in the front

Flipside 200          Flipside 300                    Flipside 400

Flipside 400 opened            Flipside 400 Backside

• Versatile backpack that can accommodate all your items
• 250 & 350 have a side access for a 15.4″ and 17″ laptop respectively
• Security flap keeps gear safe when opening bag using side access
• Adjustable mesh pocket to hold water bottle
• 250 & 350 have bigger padded waist belt

Fastpack 350                      Fastpack 350

Pro Runner 200 AW, 300 AW, 350 AW & 450 AW

• Pro Runner 200AW is the perfect backpack for a smaller person, but can still hold a 70-200 f/2.8 size lens
• 350 & 450 have adjustable sliding chest strap and an extra quick access pocket on front side
• 350 & 450 can hold a 15.4″ and 17″ laptop respectively
• Backpack padding is very good, slightly more padding waist strap on 350 & 450
• Overall excellent Classic style backpack

Pro R 350 AW opened   Pro Runner 450 AW

• Serious padding in strap system, very comfortable, a lot of attention given to comfort
• Excellent quick access pockets in front of bag, very well organized
• 100, 200 & 300 models holds 14″, 15.4″ & 17″ laptops respectively
• Weather resistant zippers / Glide lock system for mounting tripod and monopod
• Vertex 200 and 300 hold a ton of gear for the photographer that wants to bring it all

Vertex 100 AW                  Vertex 200 AW

Vertex 300 AW               Vertex 300 Backside

• 10 point adjustable harness, excellent strap system, makes it more comfortable than it looks
• Adds hydration reservoir holder – 70 oz.
• Multiple tripods holders, on each side and front
• Waist belt turns into slip lock belt, and top cover of bag turns into belt/fanny pack system.
• All models come with a 15.4″ laptop sleeve
• All models have all weather loop zipper, which makes it easy to handle zippers with gloves on

Pro Trekker 400 AW              Pro Trekker 600 AW

I know what you’re thinking,  but this is not a photoshop’d image. It is one exposure of a boy doing a back flip on a trampoline. The exposure was 1 second at f/5 taken with a Nikon D70 and an SB-800 speedlight on a tripod.  The trick here is the SB-800 was set to the repeating flash mode (Canon calls this Multi Stroboscopic Flash.) This shot was 4Hz (4 flashes per second.) So in this 1 second exposure the flash fired 4 times. Each time it flashed it captured the subject at a different part of the flip. The ambient light was dark enough that there was no overexposure from outside light.  The result is a surreal looking image. There are a ton of subjects that this same technique can be applied to. A few things to remember are that you need fairly dark ambient light, your camera on a tripod, and a moving subject. The rest is up to you to experiment with!

For instructions on setting up your specific flash, you should refer to your flash’s instruction manual. If you would like to learn more about your flash or camera in a more user friendly format, check out our camera training DVDs.

To learn more about your Canon speedlite including the stroboscopic mode, click here.

For Nikon flash training, click here.

Happy Shooting!

Typically when you’re looking for a camera bag, it can be a pretty daunting task.  With so many different models and styles to choose from it’s hard to narrow it down.  Is there really one camera bag that fits all of your needs? Probably not. Think of it this way: Is there only one pair of shoes that fits all occasions? The answer is most likely no. When you look for a camera bag you’ll have to consider comfort, ease of access, and flexibility with what your going to be doing.

1.  Comfort is very important in a camera bag.  If it isn’t comfortable, you might as well leave it at the next street corner for someone else to try.  Of course you’ll want something that has plenty of padding, adequate support when you put all your gear in, and does not restrict movement when you wear it.  Other things to look for is where you want your straps to be. There are backpacks, waist belts, sling bags, and shoulder bags.  This is definitely a personal choice, but each have their advantages.  Depending on what you’re doing a certain style might have it’s own advantages.  For example when I ski, I really like the way the Slingshot can swing out of the way when I get on the chair lift.

2.  Which bring me to my next point, ease of access.  It happens all the time, you see something photo worthy and you tell the subject to HALT!  But of course the subject doesn’t listen to you, and by the time you get your camera out to take the picture, you missed it.  So the moral of the story is to find a bag that is versatile enough to get the camera out quickly and still get your shot.  The Slingshot and Classified bags do a great job of accomplishing this.

3.  And finally, flexibility.  There are many different activities that people do these days, so if my camera bag can carry my jacket and snack too, then I’m a happy camper!  Flexibility in our camera bags can be very important.  Whenever I find myself traveling I always bring my camera bag as my carry-on.  With that, the  toys, blankets and water bottles I also carry when I travel with my daughter, a bag that can carry other stuff too can be a lifesaver.  Bags like the Versapack, Fastpack and Slingshot are only the start of the options of versatile camera bags.

So, is there a camera bag for every situation?  Yes, just like there is the right kind of shoes for every situation. So when you are looking for your next camera bag, think about the comfort, ease of access, and flexibility when you’re looking at all of the options out there. If you would like a recommendation based on the specific gear you have, we would be happy to assist. Just give us a call or shoot us an email.

Thanks for reading,
Curt @ AvidMax Outfitters

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