ThinkTank Photo Airport International V2.0 Review

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bags, gear, gear reviews, news, review, ThinkTank, ThinkTank Photo

First of all the reviews that I do aren’t a systematic breakdown of specification sheet material found on the manufacturer’s website. I try to reflect real-life usage of a product that I have paid for and like enough to warrant writing about, so that other people that are interested in this bag may find the information useful. So enough formalities, and onto the review! =)

If you’re after an international carry-on bag big enough to fit all your gear, and be rugged enough to also have it checked in without worrying too much about your precious cargo then I can highly recommend the ThinkTank Airport International V2.0 rolling case. Having used the Lowepro Pro Rollers previously and not being happy with the internal configuration of my gear, I decided to purchase the ThinkTank Airport series of rolling bags for my trip to Vietnam.

ThinkTank Photo Airport International V2.0

With prices of flights overseas drastically coming down over the past few years, airlines have found other alternatives of cutting costs down; primary of which involves restricting how much luggage you can bring on-board.

The Lowepro Pro Rollers are a nice and sturdy bag, however the downside of this was that they look (and are) big and heavy, and that was before you put anything in them. Now if you’re lucky enough to get past the gate nazis at the airport check-in, you may still be subjected to another check at the boarding gates depending on how full your flight is.

Seeing that the Lowepro I had (Pro Roller x200) was pushing the boundaries of fitting into the metal frame at the airport, I was always afraid that I would have to fight to bring my bag and gear with me. This time around I didn’t want to risk my chances of getting my equipment checked in, so I bought the ThinkTank to replace my Lowepro.

And yes, I do know that Lowepro have recently released the Pro Roller Lite series to compete with the ThinkTank Airport range. So why didn’t I buy one of these you ask? Well the reason is that I like ThinkTank’s ability to have two full-sized gripped bodies side by side with lenses attached, whereas the Lowepro still doesn’t do this. Now some of you may not care for this feature, but to me it’s quite important as I work out of 2 bodies when I’m shooting.

The ThinkTank Photo Airport International V2.0 can hold two pro-sized bodies with lenses attached

I have 3 bags and a few accessory pouches from ThinkTank Photo, the one thing I’ve noticed about their design is that they have an uncanny ability to look a lot smaller than what they can fit, yet have adequate amount if padding to protect your precious photographic gear inside.

Check-in went without a glitch. The person at the gate just glanced at the bag and waved me on. So far so good then. =)

Security

So you’ve bought this bag to securely carry your gear around the world. How good is it from keeping sticky-fingered opportunists away from your gear? Luckily this bag has a plethora of locks to keep these kinds of people out. Okay I lied a bit, it only has 3 locks, but still it’s better than most of its competitors!

Now the first lock is the most important one, it’s a TSA Samsonite-type combination lock that secures the main zippered compartment from the right hand side of the bag.

Main compartment lock

The second lock is a cable lock at the back of the bag, and comes with the bonus of also doubling as a semi-useable compartment where you could store a phone, mp3 player or something else quite small. The cable lock is used to wrap your bag securely around an immovable object at a cafe, your hotel room or airport (similar to a Kensington lock for your notebook) so people find it hard to just pick up your bag and walk off with it while you’re not looking.

Rear lock (the PacSafe lock you see here isn’t included with this bag)

And finally the third lock is located in the front pocket and is used to secure ThinkTank’s Artificial Intelligence notebook sleeves (or something similar) to the bag. Personally I haven’t found a use for this yet since the front stretch pocket of the bag I use for storing papers or my iPad.

Front cable lock for ThinkTank’s Artificial Intelligence notebook sleeves

Remember that these locks are just there to keep opportunistic thieves away, so please be mindful of your surroundings and don’t just leave your bag unattended in public areas.

Walkaround

The bag has a few features that are a little different to the Lowepro that I had so I’ll quickly go through some of them in this section.

There are some similarities though, they both are made of ballistic nylon which have been treated to repel water, both have organisers on the inside of the lids for various bits, both use very high quality zippers (the ThinkTank stating they use high quality RC fused YKK abrasion-resistant zippers) and both have the ability to strap a tripod to the side of the bag (this feature I have yet to use).

The inside of the lid has organisers to store all the other stuff

Now onto the differences. Firstly, the ThinkTank has a security ID plate on the back of the bag, that once registered, may allow your lost or stolen bag to be returned to you, which is a nice feature.

Security ID plate

Secondly, there’s a front stretchy mesh pocket where you can either put in some papers for you to quickly grab, ThinkTank’s Artificial Intelligence notebook sleeves can be put in here and locked down to the bag using the front cable lock, or if you’re like me and like to do some work (or fancy a spot of Angry Birds) during transit you can put you iPad in the front for easy access also.

Versatile front mesh pocket

The third feature that I like about ThinkTank bags (my StreetWalker Harddrive has this also) is that it has a semi-transparent section underneath the top handle to put business cards or identification. I find this very useful especially when you’re trying to find the right bag in a sea of similar looking black boxes.

Semi-transparent ID/business card holder

Next, there is the top pocket underneath the semi-transparent ID/business card holder used to store something for easy access. I’ve put the rain cover inside this top pocket since I couldn’t decide what else I would use it for but I’m sure some of you may put your passport in this top pocket perhaps?

Top pocket and rain cover

And finally the rain cover, a useful water repellant cover that covers the whole bag but has cut-outs to allow the handle to extend but not let water inside bag. Very useful if you’re stuck outside and the skies opened up.

Protective rain cover

The not so good…

Annoyingly there was one minor quibble that popped up after getting on the plane. The bag was a little too wide to wheel down the aisles of business class in an Airbus A330 (which I was on for my flight from Sydney to Ho Chi Minh City). A little annoying when you have to lug it half-way down the plane by hand, but it could just be the design of business class on this carrier.

I’ve read online of the many people who have moaned about the flex on the handle, and yes, while it does feel flimsy fully extended it’s held up to carrying a fully loaded Retrospective 7 (about 5kg) on top of it quite easily.

ThinkTank Photo Airport International V2.0 with a fully loaded Retrospective 7 on top

Handle supporting a fully loaded Retropspective 7

Although when you use the handle to wheel the bag around, the weight of the bag pushing down on the handle makes it feels quite solid, so perhaps that was how it was designed? The thing to remember is that the more joints and links you have in the handle the more flex and movement it will have (just like Aluminium travel tripods for example), but ThinkTank seem to have constructed it from decent aluminium so it should hold up to many years of abuse.

Good quality aluminium handle

The Good

Now onto the positives and the first one is that this thing has really nice wheels!!! They’re ridiculously smooth, silent and rolls effortlessly so it makes traversing long distances at airports as well as on the streets of Vietnam a breeze. The wheels ride on ABEC 5 bearings and can easily be replaced as they are basically similar to the wheels used on Rollerblades.

ThinkTank Photo Airport International V2.0 wheels

ThinkTank Photo Airport International V2.0 at the Airport

ThinkTank Photo Airport International V2.0 in the backstreets of Hanoi

ThinkTank Photo Airport International V2.0 at the docks of Halong Bay

It’s also nice that ThinkTank has decided to include a protective kick plate at the back of the bag as well to help minimise the scuffs and damage to the bag as you’re walking along.

Protective kick plate

The other awesome thing about the bag is that each of its side has a grab handle, and the top and right hand side handles being nicely padded. Again, some of you may not care about this minor thing, but being able to lift a heavy bag regardless of which side you pick up is a bonus for me, especially when you need to lift it up or down into the overhead compartments of different types of aircraft or into and out of car boots.

Padded top handle

Padded right side handle

Left side handle

Bottom handle

And the great thing is it easily fits lengthwise inside the overhead compartment of an Airbus A330.

In the overhead compartment

Did I also mention how much stuff this thing can hold while still looking quite slimline? As I’ve mentioned earlier on in this review, the killer feature for me is the bag’s ability to hold two pro-sized bodies with lenses attached while still having space for everything else that you may need on a shoot.

The cavernous insides

Things I found out in use

One thing I’ve noticed is that initially I tend to spin the dials on the locks for the main compartment when picking up or handling the bag using the right side handle. This usually isn’t too annoying bar the fact that when you don’t have the right combination keyed into the lock, it makes it hard for you to put the main compartment zippers back into the locking sections. But after a few times picking it up from the same side handle during the trip, I haven’t move it since. It’s something I thought was worth mentioning just in case someone else does the same thing I did, and may have thought that someone was playing an annoying prank on them.

Wrap Up

No bag will be without its flaws, although despite all of the minor issues I’ve had, the bag has come with me practically everywhere on this trip; from the airports to the busy backstreets of Hanoi, from a boat on Halong Bay, to the back of a tuk tuk and onto an overnight train. The bag was subjected to being bounced along the cobbled backstreets and repel the rain we encountered along the way. It proved to be rugged enough to take a beating and keep on rolling smoothly.

Also fits in the small luggage space on an overnight train

The ThinkTank Photo Airport International V2.0 feels like it is built to last many years of abuse, and that’s a good thing for a working photographer. While I mainly used this bag on my trip as a carry-on overnight bag, on my return this will definitely be one of my bags I will be working out of when I’m on shoots.

I highly recommend this bag to anyone who is interested in a rolling bag to protect and carry their camera gear, with the added bonus of being able to be taken on-board as carry-on baggage on international flights.

– Eric

My mobile office companion

If you want me doing more of these reviews write a comment below, like us on facebook, follow our blog or follow us on twitter! =)

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Canon 5D Mark III Review – 4 weeks on…

Tags

5D Mark III, 5D3, camera, Canon, Canon EOS 5D Mark III, EOS, gear, gear reviews, news, review

First Impressions

Canon 5D Mark III

The Body

Getting it out of the box and in my hands for the first time I realised how ergonomically similar it felt to my 7D, only that the 5D Mark III was bigger. The texture on the body seems to be a little more rough, the body feels a tad larger and overall a bit more solid (not having a pop up flash probably exemplifies this feeling a fair bit).

Canon 5D Mark III rear controls

There are some changes that may not be apparent at first glance (unless you were looking really closely) such as the extension of the grippy rubber material over the memory card door, dual memory card slots and the SET button not rotating when you rotate the rear dial (apparently this annoyed some people).

Grippy rubber material over card door

Dual Memory Card Slots

Canon 7D vs Canon 5D Mark III SET buttons

And there are some changes that are quite obvious, such as the lock on the mode dial (I personally wasn’t a fan at first seeing I’ve never knocked the dial from any other Canon model I’ve shot with, but you get over this quirk quite easily), the new RATE button and the larger screen gracing the back.

Locking Mode Dial

new RATE button

There’s one BIG advantage that is usually overlooked, but for people upgrading from the 5D Mark II or 7D, it uses the same batteries and chargers.

The Battery Grip

Nikon shooters have been spoilt since the D300/D700 battery grips, because they have had side-mounted battery trays, a second multi-directional joystick and a more comfortable shape, so it’s about time Canon did something about it.

5D Mark III Battery Grip

This is by far the nicest grip that Canon has made for their semi-professional line. It is the first time that they have decided to use a side-mounted tray mechanism for the batteries (similar to the 1D series) rather than the rear door design of older grips. This makes the grip much less block-shaped and more triangular, which conforms to the shape of your palm a lot better.

Canon 7D vs Canon 5D Mark III Battery Grip

One thing that this battery grip has that previous grips from Canon were sorely missing, is the second multi-directional joystick that can be used in portrait mode. I personally like this change because I’m forever changing the AF points in this orientation when shooting portraits, it just makes using the camera that much more convenient.

Multi-directional controller on battery grip

Another advantage I picked up is the shutter button on the grip is positioned more forward-facing than previous grips, and has a bit more travel before activating the shutter, so it’s a tad harder to hit accidentally if the camera is slung by your side.

Canon 7D vs Canon 5D Mark III Shutter Buttons

Using it for the first time

Firstly the most obvious change is found by looking through the viewfinder, where you’ll find a 100% coverage viewfinder and a revamped AF system with on-demand grid lines (Nikons have had this for ages but the 7D was Canon’s first DSLR with this feature).

Now I wasn’t a big fan of the 5D Mark II’s AF system when it launched because I was finding it was hunting more frequently in low light compared to my 40D at the time. But the one put in the 5D Mark III is lifted from the 1D X, so it’s super responsive, fairly accurate and has a few more AF points and modes to play with than the 7D, so in a nutshell, it’s really very good.

I must admit when picking up the camera for the first time I was thinking that it was similar to the 7D’s system but with more AF points, but having used it on a shoot, I can tell you it’s not. The first few shots I took from the 5D Mark III weren’t as sharp as I’d like, but this wasn’t the camera’s fault so much as it was my own. Learning a new camera’s quirks and how it performs is something you should do well before any important shoot because it usually takes a while to perfect.

If you’ve come from an older generation camera you’ll also find that the look of menu system on the camera has changed as well. Most of the menu items aren’t nested within other menu options anymore. Now they’re expanded into different tabs, which makes it look a little more confusing at first because there’s more tabs than you’re used to, but you quickly get used to it.

New Menu Layout

Good Bits

As I said previously AF system is fantastic on the camera, it’s fast, accurate and has plenty of modes to make it easier for you to get that shot. I like that some of the good bits from the 7D has carried over, such as the ergonomics and the on-demand grid lines in the viewfinder, but at the same time it improves on this by adding new features such as dual memory card slots, new AF system and an improved video mode.

The camera seems to feel well sorted and balanced, the buttons are positioned logically where you’d like them to be and you can keep shooting whilst changing different settings without taking your eye away from the viewfinder.

The video mode on the 5D Mark III is a treat to use, especially as they have lifted the video mode switch from the 7D, making it easier to activate and record. All the goodies from the firmware upgraded 5D Mark II are there as well including on-screen adjustable audio levels whilst recording and a new high bit-rate recording setting called ALL-I. I haven’t tested the video mode on the camera extensively just yet but I will very shortly and post an update.

Quirks & Gripes

Firstly my combination of camera and lenses were a tad out of focus so some AF calibration and micro-adjustments were needed before getting tack sharp images. While we’re on the topic, one thing I would mention about the AF Micro-adjustment is that the 5D Mark III can have two different values for each lens (one for Wide and one for Telephoto).

Some other minor gripes I do have with the camera are :

• the SD slot isn’t UHS-I optimised so the write speed to SD cards are slower,

• the locking system on the dial impedes quick mode changes,

• the spot meter still isn’t linked to the AF points like Nikons,

• the multi-directional joystick on the body feels a little inaccurate because of the weather sealing (feels a little squidgy),

• when in Live View with a radio flash trigger on top (PocketWizard or Elinchrom SkyPort), the camera doesn’t fire the flashes when you take a shot, and

• the new zoom method using is great for zooming in quickly to 100%, but more annoying at zooming out compared with the method on older cameras (and at the moment there’s no way to customize it).

Now most of these gripes you come to terms with quickly and adapt as you learn the camera’s layout and handling so it quickly becomes a non-issue as you keep shooting with the camera.

On a side note, I’d also like to mention that users of Eye-Fi in the 5D Mark III may find some issues with the Eye-Fi card going to sleep and frequently disconnecting direct mode to an iPad (I’ve set the sleep timer to never on the camera, card and iPad so it shouldn’t be doing this). I’m not really sure if this is a Canon, Eye-Fi or Apple thing but it’s an annoying quirk that I found out personally, so hopefully it’ll be fixed soon.

Things I didn’t know but accidentally found out…

One cool thing I found out by accident is that the ring around the SET button on the back of the camera is touch sensitive whilst recording a video. This is so you can change your settings on screen whilst minimising handling noise from the inbuilt microphone. If you’re serious about video you usually use off camera mics but for people who don’t have this luxury it’s a welcome addition.

The new Quiet mode on the camera is actually really quiet. In fact it was so quiet that I accidentally took a few images of the ground without realising whilst on a scouting mission. The mode’s good for wildlife photography for times where the sound of the shutter can startle the animal, Nikons again have had this feature, good to see it’s on the 5D Mark III.

And in Playback mode, hitting the button above the new RATE button brings up a side-by-side comparison between two images you select, which is really handy for chimping (no I don’t mean monkeys) out in the field.

Side-by-side comparison in playback

1 Month Later…

So having used the 5D Mark III for a couple of weeks now, I’ve become used to the quirks of the camera, and it’s one cracking piece of kit. Overall I find the camera to be very responsive, the AF is quick to lock on, the detail in the images are stunning and overall it feels like a very nice camera to pick up and use.

Western Lowland Gorillas at Taronga Zoo

So far I’ve tested the camera on wildlife, still portraits, some close-up work and running children. It has coped with most situations admirably. I’m still getting used to the fact that Canon hasn’t enabled spot metering linked to AF points like the Nikons, so I’m perfecting my AE Lock, focus & recompose technique to counter this.

Family Photoshoot

I have yet to test out the video mode extensively on a job but first impressions is that it’s quite nice, motion is controlled well with minimal jello and moire effects visible. What I have found is that sharpness needs to be bumped up a little in post just to get it looking tack sharp. Otherwise I’m fairly happy with the results it gives.

Wrap Up

If you own a 7D or looked at one and thought, gee I wish I could have a full frame sensor in this type of body, then the 5D Mark III is pretty much it. Well actually it’s actually more like if a 1D X and the 7D had a love child, the 5D Mark III would be the result. Now sexual connotations aside, all it means is that the 5D Mark III combines the good bits from the 7D (ergonomics, metering system and on-demand viewfinder grid lines) with the good bits from the 1D X such (AF system, battery grip ergonomics and button placement).

I can’t really add anything else to what has already been said by countless reviews online, but you can tell I quite like the 5D Mark III. It seems Canon have listened (for the most part) to the complaints of the 5D Mark II and fixed it.

It’s a well sorted camera that’s very versatile, responsive and takes fantastic images and video. What more do you want? Yes the camera’s not perfect, but no product really is, and ultimately it boils down to personal preferences and shooting styles. In the end it’s not the camera that makes the image, but the person behind it, all the camera does is makes it easier to get that image.

Oh and one final thing, why are you still reading this review? Go out and take some awesome images!

– Eric

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