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I purchased the Tamrac Evolution 8 in regards to a year ago and I have to say it’s the most utile backpack I’ve ever owned. I call it my Batpack, because it holds my camera, laptop and all my little trinkets with quick access… and it’s black.
DESIGN
As the name implies, the Tamrac Evolution 8 is an evolution in the design of photo bags. There has arrived a frequent new genre of backpack: the sling/side access bag. There are in a literal sense hundreds of variations of photo bags, and most of them fall into frequent genres, but from my experience something started happening a few years ago in the bag world: sling bags became their own form. I don’t know if this was the basi bag to get started it all, but I’m sure the Lowepro Slingshot was the sling bag heard round the world, because of it is tremendous popularity. Since then I’ve noticed other manufacturers pick up this idea in respective forms. In essence a sling bag is a backpack that you may slide to the side and get access to your stuff/camera without taking the bag off. Brilliant! I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted a bag that could carry more than toploader or satchel, but carry it on my back rather of putting all that weight on one shoulder. The huge three all have forms of sling packs and sling backpacks: Lowepro Fastpack, Kata 3n1 & 123, and the Tamrac Evolution 8 5788.
A quick glimpse at the good and the bad before we dive in:
GOOD
- Side access to camera compartment – means not requiring to take off the bag to pull out your camera.
- Top compartment holds miscellaneous items or accessories
- Can remove the camera dividers and use the bag as a regular backpack
- Hold everything I need to keep on my person on a trip – laptop, camera, lenses, electronics, documents, snacks.
BAD
- The top compartment is beauteous little – can’t hold a water bottle or big book.
- Only DSLRs without battery grips.
- If you want to take a long lens, you’re gonna have to mount it on your camera.
- No water bottle holder
FEATURES
The Tamrac Evolution 8 holds a 15 inch laptop (I have genuinely squeezed in one of the new 17 inch macbook masters also), a DSLR without grip, 2-4 lenses, a flash, respective accessaries in flaps and compartments, it has a rain cover, tripod hook, and may be carried as a sling bag or backpack.
The “three ways to access” your gear is where this bag is interesting. You may put your DSLR in one of the side compartments and sling it up and get access to it without taking off the pack. Also, as I do, you may put a second camera of littler size (like a Holga film camera) on the other side and sling that up to get access to it. This is a huge vantage as equated to the Lowepro Fastpack or Kata which only has one side access. You also have access to the gear from the top flap, which is a little little for my tastes, but it does the job.
The Three-Way Harness scheme is mutual to this and the Kata bags-it allows you to set it up as a backpack with two straps, or a sling bag with a strap over the right or left side. (Depending on which side you want to get at.) Personally I never use this feature as it’s easy sufficient to just slip off one of the straps and sling the bag up to get access. Another boon to that method is you may get at either side of the bag rather of being fixed to one or the other. But you have the option. The Kata does an interesting thing with an X system, whereby both straps cross over you’re chest. I haven’t tried it out, but am fascinated to look into it.
There are two pockets on either side above the camera compartment entry panels that may hold accessories. One holds the rain cover by default, and I keep my Flip-type HD video camera in the other. The flaps on either entry panel holds respective accessaries like flash cards and fliters. Though I’ve found them to spit out my stuff if I don’t pack it carefully. The top compartment I use to hold my flashlight, laptop power supply, Leatherman, batteries in the outer flap (not actually the best use), pills, protein bars, pretty much anything that is less than 8×8 inches I will throw in there… it gets messy in spite of the mesh holder.
The shoulder straps, while thin, are comfortable and there is a waist strap, which is utterly necessary on any backpack. Half of the weight, if not more, will have to rest on your hips. And the sternum strap is likewise a requirement for me, as I am a 6 foot man with moderately wide shoulders.
The bag is available in Black or Brown/Tan.
CONCLUSION
This bag is unquestionably a compromise. If you’re a professional photographer looking for a emplacement bag this is not it. It genuinely sucks at that. I’m telling you from experience it just doesn’t hold sufficient of the type of gear you need and you can’t get at it speedily enough. Though one caveat is that it’s outstanding for street photography, exceptionally if it’s raining. This bag is for daily, multipurpose use. If you’re looking for a travel bag, something to hold your laptop and camera and fit int he overhead bin, you might have just found your One Bag to rule them all. This bag works for me because I only use a DSLR without a battery grip, I don’t own any big lenses (e.g. 70-200 f/4L), and I have a 15 inch laptop. It’s a little light on how much stuff you may put in it, but to me thats a good thing because I’m always attempting to travel lighter. After a year with this bag I may say that I’m unquestionably satisfied. However, I will be looking for another bag to carry more instrumentation for my photography shoots and if I end up getting a camera with a battery grip, I will unquestionably look into the Kata 3N1 or 123.
Lowepro Flipside 200 Backpack Black
The compact, lightweight design of the Flipside 200 backpack lets you carry your digital SLR without worry. The distinguishable back compartment entry gives you safe, easy access to camera gear when you’re setting up plus extra security when you’re on the move. Outer storage panels keep digital accessaries and personal items close at hand.
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Manufacturer Description:
The compact, lightweight design of the Flipside 200 backpack lets you carry your digital SLR without worry. The distinguishable back compartment entry gives you safe, easy access to camera gear when you’re setting up plus extra security when you’re on the move. Outer storage panels keep digital accessaries and personal items close at hand.
Hardware Capacity:
1 DSLR with 80-200mm f/2.8 lens attached plus 1-3 further and added lenses or flash units, 1 tripod, multiple cables, memory cards, manuals and other digital accessories.
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Flipside 200 Highlights:
1. Back Entry Compartment
Provides easy access to instrumentation as well as extra security when pack is being worn
2. Outer Storage Panels
Centralizes digital accessaries and personal gear for handy access
3. Hideaway Tripod Holder
Carries a compact tripod or monopod when you need it and without apparent effort concealed when you don’t
4. Removable Accessory Pouch
Allows you to take cables, chargers, manuals and other key accessaries with you when you need them or effortlessly left behind when you don’t
5. Detachable Waist Belt and Adjustable Sternum Strap
Helps to stabilize pack, disseminate weight evenly and assure carrying ease when you need it
6. Mesh Side Pocket
Keeps a water bottle or other personal items readily accessible
7. SlipLock Accessory Loops
Expand carrying capability by way of SlipLock compatible pouches
8. Tough, Water Resistant Outer Fabric
Protects versus moisture and abrasion
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Lowepro Flipside 200 Backpack Black Image
Lowepro Flipside 200 Backpack Black Picture
Lowepro Flipside 200 Backpack Black Pic
Lowepro Flipside 200 Backpack Black Picture
Most helpful client reviews
52 of 53 humans found the following review helpful.
 my sentiment on this bag,,
By Damien R. Furtman
Lowepro has taken an industry by storm with their bags. This bag is the 3rd Lowepro bag I’ve owned over the last 4 years (All upgrades).
50 of 58 humans found the following review helpful.
 Very nice backpack with a fatal flaw
By Fofifa
Your needs/requirements may be different, but since this bag was chosen for my needs – what kind of bag was I looking for?
1)Small, light, and comfortable to carry on long hikes. I don’t need to carry a lot of gear.
2)Reasonably quick access to the camera.
3)Something that doesn’t scream “camera bag”. Security from theft – high priority.
4)Decent quality.
Pros:
1)It is little and light and comfortable to carry on long hikes. It’s a backpack with well padded straps.
2)Access to the camera is reasonably quick – shrug off the straps and swing to the front, flip it so the back is exposed (it is kept to your body by the waist belt), unzip the back flap and access your camera – works reasonably fast.
3)It doesn’t look like a camera bag, plus I picked red (usually camera bags are black or gray). The fact that you may only open it from the back flap (against your back) means it cannot be opened surreptitiously (for example by a thief on a crowded subway).
4)Good quality. Ergonomic handle and loop to pick up by. Bottle mesh, sufficient pockets for the basics. Nice monopod/small tripod keeping solution.
Cons:
1)It is perhaps a touch *too* small. I may fit my Nikon D300 DSLR with mounted Nikkor 18-200VR lens and hood, and perhaps a couple of little primes, or alternatively: D300 + 18-200 lens and perchance squeeze in a 2.8 zoom (but it would be tough) and no primes. I’m rather minimalist, so it doesn’t bother me, but if you need more gear, you may want to consider the next model up – the Flipside 300.
2)While the “flipping” of the backpack works quickly and well, the zippers are not optimally placed – there’s always some struggle to zip open and zip close.
3)The BIGGEST FLAW: internal dividers are a design disaster. Basically, you have one configuration, with minimal capacity to reconfigure. You may adjust the size of the spaces, but the overall layout is perfectly inflexible. It forces your camera to sit in a very awkward (to me) way – with the body at the top, and the lens at the bottom, and due to the divider design you can not reverse this to the more natural (to me) way which would be body on bottom, lens up. When I grab a camera, I want to grab it by the body and be ready to shoot – unfortunately, here I have to grab it and turn it around with my other hand and then only position it correctly: braindead design. Not to mention, you end with the body of the camera pressing on the lens when you carry this on your back. I ended up removing most of the dividers and merely putting the camera with the bottom down and lens up – but this means I can not take any more lenses due to lack of dividers (yeah, design disaster). This is such a big flaw that I considered returning the bag. In the end I decisive to keep it for just the D300 + 18-200 VR lens combo, and I’ll have to buy another bag if I want to carry an further and added lens. Pity, because I like everything else with regards to it (see the pros!).
See all 86 client reviews…
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