Amateur Photographer - UK (2021-01-16)

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LOWEPRO’SProTacticcollectionof camerabags

hasrecentlybeenupdatedwithanemphasison

improvingorganisation,accessandprotection.The

ProTacticBP 300 AWII is thesmallestof three

backpacksandis aimedat photographerswho’d

liketo splittheircameragear50/50withpersonal

belongings.Thebottomcameracompartment

featuresa removableQuickShelfsystemandcan

beaccessedeitherfromthetopwhentheupper

compartmentis empty,or viaaccesspointsonboth

sides.Havingsideaccessis invaluablewhenyou’d

liketo grabyourkitquicklyandby beingableto

lowerthebagoffoneshoulderto gainentrymeans

youdon’thaveto restit downin thedirt,keeping

yourclothingmud-free.Thecameracompartment

measures28x12.5x27cm,whichwaslargeenough

to accommodatemySonyAlpha7 III withtheSigma

100-400mmF5-6.3DGDNOSattached.The

leftoverspacewaslledwithtwosmallerlenses.

AdjustableVelcrodividersallowyouto customise

thelayoutto yourliking,howeverthesearefairly

rmandnottheeasiestto securein position.The

topsectionis separatedfromthebottomsectionby

a thingreydividerand,withgapsat eitherend,

smallpersonalitemscanslipthroughintothe

cameracompartment.Thiscentraldividerdoesn’t

supportmuchweighteither,soyou’llwantto limit

whatyouputin thetopsection.The15inlaptop

compartmentis accessedviathetopof thebag

andusefulpocketsontheinsideof thesideaps

cansafelystoreessentialssuchasa passportand

memorycards.At thebottomof thebagthere’san

all-weathercoverthat’ssewnin sothere’snoriskof

it blowingawayin thewind.Thethick,well-padded

shoulderstrapsmakeit verycomfortableto carry,

whilesternumandwaiststrapsincreasestabilityon

themovewhenthebagis fullyladen.

Verdict
Thekeystrengthof thisbagis itscomfort.Theback
paneloffersgoodventilationandthewell-contoured
straps distribute the weight brilliantly. It offers some
nice touches for photographers who work with one
camera and two or three lenses and fancy some
space to store a few personal items. Its downfall is
the internal divider between the two sections, which
isn’t as strong as other backpacks. Those who like
to carry more camera kit than personal items will
 nd Lowepro’s BP 350 AW II (£149) or BP 450 AW
ALL PRICES ARE APPROXIMATE STREET PRICESII (£186) a better match to their needs.

If youprefershoulderbagsyoumaywish to consider

Lowepro’s ProTactic MG 160 AW II. It features an

easy-to-adjust shoulder strap

with a stabiliser strap and has a

tripod attachment underneath.

It’s compatible with ProTactic

series modular accessories,

fits a 13in laptop and has a

useful water-bottle pocket.

It costs £114.

ALSO IN THE RANGE

MichaelTophamtestsabackpack

o ering a 50/50 storage split

● £160 ● http://www.lowepro.com

Pockets

Thefrontpocketunder

thetopflapis a

convenientandsafe

placeto storea

smartphone.

Laptop

compartment

Thelaptopcompartment

safeguards15inmodelsand

canalsobeusedto storeA4

documentsor

magazines.

Testbench ACCESSORIES

Lowepro ProTactic

BP 300 AW II

At a glance

● Total volume: 19L

● External dimensions:

33x20x44cm

● Camera compartment

dimensions: 28x12.5x27cm

● Top compartment

dimensions: 28x13x16cm

● Weight: 1.6kg

Tripod

A tripodcanbecarried

bypoppingthefeetinto

thestretchsidepocket

beforebeingsecuredwith

a strap.

Suitcase

friendly

It’spossibleto slipthebag

overthetopof a suitcase

handleforeasy

transportation.