We see a lot of photographic equipment bags here in our shop - one of the major suppliers is Lowepro. They have the market covered for all sorts of gear - small compacts, medium mirrorless cameras, big DSLR's. You can get nearly any size and configuration of bag that you could imagine - they are always thinking up new designs.
One of the recent additions is a range of bags that they title " DSLR Video Pack AW ". There are several in the set, ranging from the 150 model up - they get bigger as you go. The basic configuration is familiar to a lot of Lowepro users; a camera space at the bottom of the backpack with a separate accessory/lunch compartment at the top. The bottom camera section has a zipped flap that opens to the side.
All the normal good features of the Lowepro line are there - decent aerated padding for the back, padded shoulder straps, a couple of D rings on the front of the shoulder straps to sling a camera from. There is the integrated waterproof rain cover - the AW designation tells you that - and a waist strap to keep it from flopping about when on the back. What has been puzzling me is the DSLR Video tag that they put on it and how they saw it as different from several other bags in their range. I know what a DSLR shooting video does, but what the heck is there about this bag that specializes it?
So I looked all over, hoicked it onto my back, pretended to be a video shooter, and then the penny dropped. The tripod support that Lowepro incorporates in many of their bags is located differently on this model. Simple as that.
Normally the bucket or pouch that holds tripod feet is something that hangs over the back of a backpack. The same position that Marines used to carry their trench shovels when they clambered down the sides of ships. A position for hikers and bikers as long as the tripod is not too big. Good for carriage but bad for deployment - you need someone else to take it off if you still want to wear the backpack.
The DSLR Video Pack lets you keep in wearing the thing and just reach around to your right to fish out whatever you are using - short tripod, video shoulder rig, monopod, .44 SA Army Colt - whatever. You can also use it as a support point for a monopod attached to your DSLR. You shoot while taking the weight of the rig into the pouch. With the backpack still on your back, you can get up and run when needed - note that running can be in several directions - sometimes the one that gets you the best shot can also provide someone else with the same opportunity...
These are nice bags, and this is a pretty good new design feature.
