The Odd Man In

At any one time, our choices in photography can be surprisingly limited. Limited by artistic convention, fashion, and commerce. Often we do not notice it until some exception to the rule comes to hand - then we feel it all the more. This is the case with today's offering - the Think Tank Retrospective Leather 5 Sandstone. Colour is not exactly new to Think Tank - They have experimented with sandstone, olive drab, and RAF blue for years, and have made some wonderful large bags. Their DSLR bags are a standard of the industry. Now in the smaller mirror-less, they have combined that distinctive cloth with 50's leather style. Of course, it is far more business-featured than anything we bought back then - The iPad mini pocket on the back gives that away. Also the myriad of internal pockets and slots for pens, cards, phones, business papers, passports, etc. It would not be too much to say that this could be a complete mini-studio for the travelling pro. That impression is re-inforced in the equipment compartment. Besides the main mirror-less cradle, there are four separate lens or flash holders. Glory be, two of them have velcro'ed straps on the top to stop your gear jumping out if the bag is tilted over. They are also under end flaps that further protect them. Indeed, velcro is used on a number of keepers to tie down the contents - you can heave this up into an overhead locker without getting a shower of lenses. All sensitive edges, including those on the two outside pockets, are edged in leather for comfortable handling. The lid ( flap? ) is good quality leather and has the classic Think Tank sound silencer mechanism. The whole bag is comfy to carry and to rest your arm on. The looks hark back to the 40's and 50's and would be perfect for the retro traveller. Once the bag gets a few scuffs it will blend in anywhere and look experienced. The same would apply to a lot of people we know...