Think Tank Shape Shifter, Photographic Backpack

2019-10-27T08:08:20

Got compliments from others on this bag, but I hate the way it fails to open fully. Also there is no way to haul it through an airport other than struggle to get it up on yours back. Can’t use it in crowds like aboard the airplane just before getting off because it bashes those nearby. Hate lugging the full weight with no roller wheels. Internally it met my needs and handled my computer and all computer and photo accessories well. So I traded it in on a bag with rollers.

ALTON M.

2016-03-27T15:08:45

GREAT case. Only gave it 4 stars because of the price.

JIM V.

2012-09-23T21:00:00

There is no doubt this backpack is very well made and thought of. I, like everyone else, could write on and on about the good things. I do have a couple of small complaints that actually made me send it back. First, I needed it as a backpack that would double as a travel pack (for use in public/private transport) and day pack (arrive at place and start shooting while carrying it around). And honestly, despite its collapsing capabilities, it is just too big for that. I really wish there was a smaller version. Say, for a 13-inch laptop. Second, the neoprene holders inside are limiting. If they had some dividers, or a way to change the configuration a bit, then it really would be great. But they resemble bags where you have to dump your stuff in, leaving awkard space or things bumping into eachother. For example, I use several smaller Canon L primes (50mm, 35mm, 85mm) and I do not use hoods. Hence, I could place a couple of these in one pocket, but I had to find a way to keep them from banging into each other. Also, I do not use grips for my 5DMkII nor my 7D, hence there was this odd wasted space in the section where the camera bodies go. Otherwise, no doubt the idea of it collapsing and the way it is made make it an amazing product - but only if you use the setup specified. Unfortunately, not versatile.

James R.

2012-04-15T21:00:00

Great bag for taking your gear with you. Hard to access equipment quickly. Be careful, you can fit too much in the bag.

Richard H.

2012-03-25T21:00:00

Recently I was very skeptical of this bag until I received it. This bag has a nice construction and I recently traveled to the grand camen with it carrying canon gear, 5d mark ii gripped, 17-40, 24-70, 70-200 2.8 is ii, 100-400, 50 1.4, 2 430 ex ii, ste2, iPad, and a lot of misc accessories. This bag has so many pockets to store all your accessories

THOMAS C.

2012-02-14T19:00:00

I own several Think Tank bags, and aside from being the best photographic bags that money can buy, not one bag does everything. Persoanlly, I do not like to work out of backpacks, and use them mainly to transport gear....particularly if I'm shooting landscape/in the woods, which is my main use for this. I am amazed at how much gear I can stuff in this thing. I can put my Nikon D3s, 70-200mm VR (original), 24 F1.4G, 85mm F1.4G, TC-17e-II and 50mm F1.8G with some creative packing in the main part. Also to note, I can fit three Nikon SB900 flashes and a few SC28/29 sync cords too....or PocketWizards. And then the other usual stuff; spare batteries, memory cards, polarizer/neutral density filters, lens pen, microfiber cloths, etc. etc. It has a laptop compartment, but I use that more for carrying a Lumiquest LTp softbox instead of a laptop. When the bag dosen't have camera gear in it, it compresses down pretty flat. Don't do what I did and make the mistake of trying to zip it up to compact it with camera gear in it, as it's easy to get the zipper stuck in the material, and then it's a pain to get unstuck. This isn't the kind of back you want to use if you're constantly changing lenses or needing access to your gear, but if you need a bag to transport a small to medium setup, it's awesome. The gear also sits close to your back and doesn't pull on your back like all the other photopacks do. A little pricey, but with Think Tank, you get what you pay for.

DANA J.

2011-10-16T21:00:00

The greatest thing about it is that it is so small! No one would dare say I'm carrying a full pro Nikon kit inside (14-24, 24-70, 70-200 + 50/1.4 + 2x SB-700) and it also has room for my Gitzo if needed. The only downside to it is that I can never find the extra-battery, charger, USB cables and the cable-release for my D700. I would like to have smaller compartments to carry those items. The bag is huge and room is not a problem, but maybe more dividers/smaller compartments would be helpful and would allow for better fitting of cables/chargers/batteries.

Luiz

2011-09-03T21:00:00

I really like this backpack - it shows up with me about 90% of the time. For me, it's a perfect lightweight/strobist-ish pack. It swallows up two pro-sized bodies, 2-3 lenses and 3-4 flashes with remotes easily, along with my 15" Macbook Pro. Looks great as well. The interior pockets can be frustrating though since it's basically one configuration only (the one from the factory), and I often jam an additional flash or two loosely in the bag. Everything fits fine, but just not as organized as it could be. It doesn't carry anything in a ready to shoot configuration, but I never need that, so it doesn't bother me. What I love most about this bag is the flexibility in carrying a little or a lot. Since it's really soft sided - the packs down very nicely if you only have 1 body and 2 lenses. Even when fully loaded, I can slip the MBP out and the bag still fits in the overhead of regional jets, which was one the biggest reasons I selected the bag.

Ken L.

2010-07-05T21:00:00

Used this backpack on a recent trip to Alaska, two flights up and two back, plus on and off various tour buses and the McKinley Denali train. Worked impeccably. This bag takes an unbelievable amount of equipment (my Nikon D300s, and three big zoom lenses, 70-200 f2.8, 17-35 f2.8, and 35-70 f2.8), an SB800 flash, a TC-14 converter, MacBook Pro 15 inch plus AC cable, many rechargers, three extra camera batteries, Visible Dust items, flash cards, lens cleaning "pencils", spare eyeglasses, a book to read on the plane, and some other small items. Full pack fit in all airplane overheads and in all bus overheads (tight fit on some bus overheads). You need to take the pack off your back to access the camera items. Computer could be removed while carrying the pack, but it would be smarter to take the pack off. Would use the Think Tank Airport Addiction if I was carrying my Nikon 200-400 zoom.

CHRISTOPHER M.

2010-06-10T21:00:00

Everythings are good. But only no padding on the bottom of the bag....

kf1212lo

2010-04-01T21:00:00

Bought this bag in anticipation for travel far and wide. Tried it on a trip to NY. I carried the following: Nikon D300, lenses: (50mm/1.8, 17-55mm/2.8, 85mm/1.4, 80-200mm/2.8), two SB-800s, light meter, batteries, camera chargers, light modifiers, two pocket wizard IIs, macbook, etc. The bag is light when its empty. With all of that gear it was heavy but easily manageable when worn as a backpack. worth every penny. . .

Mark L.

2010-02-13T19:00:00

Used the bag to travel internationally. Had no problems storing the bag in the overhead compartment or under the seat. Sturdy construction, lots of pockets. I was a little skeptical of the neoprene pockets at first but they stored and protected my equipment well. The contents of my bag: 17 inch macbook pro, d300 body, 50 1.8, 17-55 2.8, 85 1.4, sb900, sigma 150 macro, sekonic lightmeter, powercord, school textbook, money and travel documents, small flashllight, keys, guidebook. Bag was quite heavy when filled but felt compact and strong. Overall, very happy with my puchase.

RTMd

2009-09-13T21:00:00

I have recently used this bag for travelling. I had the following gear loaded in the shapeshifter: - Sony A900 DSLR - Sony 24-70 2.8 Zeiss Lens - Sony 70-200G 2.8 Telephoto - Sony 70-400G 4-5.6 Telephoto - Minolta 50mm 1.7 prime - Sony HVL-58AM Flash - 13.3" Macbook - Nintendo DS (in case I got bored) - All connecting cables, memory cards and power plugs, including chargers Although it was rather heavy, considering most of the weight came from the equipment itself, it wasn't very difficult in managing through the airport. It fit underneath the airplane seat and I flew by TSA security without any problems. If you are looking for a case that can carry all this, is airport secure, and can compress down to just hold the macbook when needed, then this is the case for you.

ANTHONY R.

2009-05-26T21:00:00

Highly recommended Pros: Can't say enough (see product documentation, everything they say is true) - The neoprene collapsable pockets are so much better than fixed/velcro dividers. - Collapses small when you are using the camera. Looks smaller than many 'normal' backpacks Who is it for: -Someone who, when working, carries most of their equipment and doesn't need the bag to assist frequent lens changes. My usage: I've worn it for 10 hr days on vacation hiking. Comfortably fit on international travel: D700 w/50mm attached, D200 body, 14-24, 24-70, 70-200, and 2xSB-900 ; basically as shown in marketing pictures. The cameras are a little difficult to slide in and out of pocket with a lens attached (and it won't work with a bigger lens) really it is designed for body-only storage of camera. Not for: Someone who wants to keep a big lens on the camera, in the bag. The pockets don't really facilitate this, there is no huge pocket - would be relatively contrary to the design idea. However, in a bind you can either: a) put the camera w/lens in the bag between the pockets, down the center, and it won't move too much. b) Or if you aren't carrying a computer, the computer pocket fits a D700 w/70-200 easily - it just won't rest as nicely on your back. Compared to: I started with Domke F-2. Great bag, but could not carry the eqpt described above. 70-200/2.8 doesn't fit a Domke F-2 vertically (get the J-2, I believe it is 2" taller), once you lay it down the whole design of the bag is screwed up. Domke needs to redesign for a DSLR + zooms kit vs. an SLR w/many smaller primes kit. Then a Crumpler brazillion dollar home. It fits all the equipment, but it more difficult to load the bag and access everything, spent hours fiddling with velcro. With the kit above, the Crumpler is just too heavy to be carried for long periods, just walking thru the airport was painful, ended up leaving the Crumpler in my hotel room and going out without a bag. A backpack required for that amount of weight. Then once you take some of the eqpt out, the Crumpler doesn't get smaller -> you've got a small suitcase on your hip. Tips: - Black Rapid strap worked fine underneath the back pack straps - Buy a carabiner and clip it to the bag. You can use it to hang the bag from the strong top loop onto fences, benches and other things to avoid putting the bag on the ground. You can also use it to clip a camera strap to the shoulder strap when you are worried about camera slipping off shoulder. Warning: There is no padding on the bottom of the bag. Generally the neoprene pockets keep the bottomost lenses a bit off the bottom of the bag, but with a 70-200 jammed deep into the vertical lens pocket, I could here it tapping if I set the bag down too heavily. You are making a mistake if you drop this bag down to the ground after a long day hike.

Justin M.