Think Tank Photo: http://thinktankphoto.com

Crumpler is a company that has become known for trendy and cool bags for many different markets.  Crumpler has also been known for quality of build and durability.  Late last year, Crumpler introduced the latest in its Million Dollar Home line called the ‘8 Million Dollar Home’ to give a fashionable alternative to the typical, usually black, technical looking camera bag.

At $170 retail, this bag is not strictly just a camera bag, but fashionably carrying your camera gear is a task it seems to do quite well.  As I first received this bag, I spent much time looking at it, flipping it around, studying the stitching, the internals, the straps.

What I realized first that this is a quality built product.  I don’t care how rough you are on your gear bags, the 8 Million Dollar Home from Crumpler will stand up to your daily use as well or better than any bag I have ever used.  The shoulder strap is well padded.  The material is thick and durable.  This bag is built to last.

Next I tried to figure out the functionality of the bag.  Camera bags tend to come in all sizes and shapes these days from backpacks to fanny packs, from rollers to shoulders.  Most all of them are black and pretty typical looking.  No matter where you go, you walk in announcing that you are carrying a bag full of camera gear.  Now, this is not necessarily a bad thing, but not everyone wants to announce “photographer” with every entrance to a room.  This is the next area that this bag is very well designed.  It simply does not look like a camera bag.  It looks more like a trendy saddle bag.

The model I have is gray on the outside and a bright, neon green on the inside, trimmed with red accents.  The inside has a series of compartments that are fully configurable and there are plenty of extra dividers to allow you to make more than enough small compartments for your needs.  With velcro on the ends of the soft divider panels, locking them into place is easy.  I was able to get a 70-200mm and 2 other lenses in, plus my camera body with a lens on it, a flash, meter and lots of small accessories.  For me, this was plenty of room to load what I needed for a weekend casual trip or a light business shoot on the road.  And the bad was solid and protected enough to make me comfortable that my gear was safe.

One of the most unique features of the bag is the silent closure option. The 8 Million Dollar Home is secured on two corners by two large pieces of Velcro underneath the top of the large messenger flap that encloses your equipment.  An interesting, thoughtful twist is that you can choose to un-tuck a cover, place it over the Velcro, and close the flap with two clasp enclosures allowing for a silent opening and closing without the rip and tear commotion caused by the large, Velcro fasteners. A nice option when you need to get to your gear without disturbing those around you.

Inside, the bright green padded compartments can be configured in a seemingly infinite number of ways to accommodate a variety of gear.  You can even completely empty the inside of dividers and make it one large, open bag, if desired. There are also two large mesh compartments inside the flap and front compartment of the bag, one secured by a zipper and the other with a Velcro strap. There are also a couple of loops on the outside  on either side to perhaps secure a small tripod.

Overall, the bag looks cool, is quite light, and well padded. It will fit a reasonable amount of equipment.  It is fashionable and kind of fun to configure.  It is not everyone’s answer to the “everything-bag”, but is not intended to be.  I personally cannot think of a more comfortable way to tote my gear around for an afternoon of shooting.

The Crumpler 8 Million Dollar home can be found for $170.00 on Amazon.com.

Interested in seeing more of Crumpler’s products… here is a link to All of Crumpler’s products on Amazon.

Product Review Scorecard

Crumpler Website: http://www.crumplerbags.com

Features

The new Think Tank Airport TakeOff is a new roller bag…no wait..its a backpack bag…no, it has wheels and and handle so it’s a roller…noooo…it has straps so its a backpack…ok, so maybe Think Tank Photo should have named this the FrankenBag or maybe the Schizophrenic. Regardless of the name, the Airport TakeOff is both a roller bag and a back pack. As we all know, usually when you try to make a hybrid of something, you end up with something that doesn’t do anything well. Knowing the folks at Think Tank Photo, our bet is that they managed to pull it off.

Designed to comply with international airline carry-on requirements, the Airport TakeOff accommodates pro-sized photography gear, including two pro or regular size DSLR bodies with or without lenses attached.  Its features include:

• Holds up to a 300mm f/2.8 and other assorted lenses
• Quickly deployable and concealable backpack straps
• Front cable and lock to secure laptops
• Lockable zipper sliders
• Transports tripods or monopods easily
• Adjustable sternum straps for tailored usage
• Holds Think Tank’s Artificial Intelligence 15 protective laptop case

Specifications

• Internal Dimensions:  13”W x 18.4”H x 5.25-6.75”D (33 x 47 x 13 cm)
• External Dimensions: 14”W x 21”h x 8”D (35.5 x 53 x 22 cm)
• Weight: 8.6 – 10.3 (3.9 – 4.7 kg) depending on accessories used

Setup

Like most Think Tank Photo bags, the insides have a virtually unlimited amount of flexibility and come with tons of pieces to allow you to create almost any configuration you would want. Included are same layouts for Nikon and Canon equipment or you can customize it to suite your needs.

For traveling, I want my bodies to be in the bag like their example, but going to a local wedding or engagement shoot I will have my primary body and lens outside the bag as I am always ready to get a shot right when I arrive or as I am leaving an event.

Regardless of how you want your setup to be, odds are you can manage to get there with the AirPort TakeOff.

Usage

At first glance, it appears that the TakeOff is a little smaller than the Airport International 2.0 although they are really both designed for international carry-on sizes. The main differences from the front is that the take-off has a very expandable front pocket with a latch while the Airport International 2.0 has a pocket but once you have any gear inside, the outside pocket is useless for anything fatter than a manila folder. Because of this, I have kept my reflectors in a bag outside of the Airport International 2.0. With the Airport TakeOff, I can fit two large reflectors in the pocket and still get my 14” laptop into it. Both bags allow me to strap my tripod to the outside securely and both roll easily while fully loaded with gear.

From the side you can see how the reflectors make the outside pocket bulge out in the front and I am a little bummed that the zipper lock from the Airport International 2.0 is missing from the Airport TakeOff. While there is a lock in a pocket under the front flap that can be used to lock the zipper, the cable isn’t long enough to lock the bag to something like you can with the Airport International 2.0. The ability to lock the bag securely and to lock it to a table or other immovable object is a a real win for the Airport International 2.0.

As a backpack, the TakeOff feels pretty balanced and the shoulder pads are comfortable and easily adjustable for different size people.

As for packing my gear into the TakeOff, I was surprised that I could actually fit everything into it very easily and although my 70-300mm won’t stand up in it, it still fit nicely and also made for a nice spot to put my Cable Management 10 on top of it. This is a typical wedding configuration with 4 lenses in the bag, a backup camera body, Lensbaby Composer, two flashes, video camera, light meter, filters, diffusers, grids, snoot, bounce card, cleaning cloths, Rocket Blower, Wolverine ESP backup system, SensorPen SensorLoupe, Canon CP-E4 Battery pack, roll of Gaffers tape, Pixel Pocket Rocket, as well as a stash of batteries, WhiBal card, cable releases, and a bottle of sunscreen. On the outside pocket I can fit my laptop, two large reflectors, and a tripod.

Results

Quality of a Think Tank bag is second to none, the zippers are the best quality, the seams and material are top-notch. Every single feature, pocket, corner, strap, D-Ring, and component has been chosen to provide a photographer with a camera bag that is going to hold up to the rigors of every day use. These are not cheap overseas bags. These bags are professional quality, so they do not come at cheap, eBay prices. With an MSRP of $299, even with discounted street prices, the Airport TakeOff is still going to be a fairly pricey investment but if you want a professional quality camera bag that is going to last years of hard-core daily use and help keep your gear is top shape, then its hard to go wrong with a bag from Think Tank Photo such as the AirPort TakeOff.

Score Card

Think Tank Photo Website: http://thinktankphoto.com

One lucky listener will will a Shapeshifter backpack by going to http://thinktankphoto.com/shapeshifter and finding out the name of the other photographer who has done a review of the Shapeshifter. Send your answers along with your name, phone number, and address to podcast@cameradojo.com. Only one entry person. All entries must be received by midnight on November 30th 2008. The winner will be drawn on December 1st.

Show Hosts

Kerry Garrison (http://kerrygarrison.com)

This podcast is also available on iTunes.