Awards
Fastpack 250
Moving around town — or between cities — with a growing load of gadgets is getting to be a hassle. For easier travels, take a page from photographers, who neatly load all their lenses and cameras into the cool Lowepro Fastpack 250. Its cubbyholes and side pockets make neat resting places for your devices and batteries, and the inner sanctum has enough room for laptop screens up to 15.4 in. (Those with larger laptops can opt for the 350 model.) Another nice benefit of the Fastpack: it comfortably fits underneath an airline seat or in the overhead.
Best Photo Bag Award 2009
Classified AW Series
The Lowepro Classified AW series is a new breed of camera bags, created with the unique requirements of the photojournalist in mind, inside and out. Classified AW shoulder bags conceal photographers’ gear (and their mission) with a discreet and slim profile, contoured to be comfortable, move easily with the body and help navigate a busy street or a crowded subway knowing the photo equipment is safe.
CompuPrimus AW
The CompuPrimus AW dual-compartment camera backpack is made of rugged, 100-percent post-consumer recycled Cyclepet, a material with high water and abrasion resistance. The bag's ergonomic eight-point adjustable harness system distributes weight evenly, while allowing air flow to the wearer. The lower compartment has adjustable padded dividers for pro-size camera gear. The upper compartment includes organization pockets and space for additional accessories. There's also an outside hatch pocket and a removable notebook sleeve. The CompuPrimus AW comes with an all-weather-cover, hideaway tripod mount, side access panel and memory card pockets.
Stealth Reporter D200AW
It may have been designed for photojournalists, but the Lowepro Stealth Reporter D200AW is the ideal camera bag for anyone who wants to protect their gear and not be weighed down by a heavy, overbuilt bag. Many bags are overbuilt in terms of the materials and padding used in their construction. The Stealth line takes a decidedly more minimalist approach without sacrificing protection. High-density, closed-cell foam internal padding keeps your camera, lenses and accessories safe, while the outer shell is made of durable ballistic nylon.
In their 3rd Annual Readers’ Poll, Studio Photography gives Lowepro bags top honors for products photographers can’t live without.
Primus AW, Vertex 300 AW,
Lowepro Neoprene Camera Strap
Primus AW
Lowepro is celebrating its 40th birthday with this bag, a weatherproof backpack that as far as we know is the first ever manufactured partially (51 percent) from post-consumer recycled material. Ten percent of the bag's sales will be donated to Polar Bears International, which is working to conserve threatened bear populations. Though eco-friendly, the Primus lives up to Lowepro's high standards of performance and design innovation. Its eight-point adjustment system lets you customize the fit to your individual frame, while a smart reverse-opening system lessens the need to remove the bag and put it strap-side down to get to your gear.
Lowepro Vertex 300 AW
This big, rugged bag can accommodate lots of big gear, including both a 17-inch laptop and a 400mm f/2.8 supertele. That space and weatherproof construction make it a good choice for hardcore sports and adventure photographers, and photojournalists too. The new Vertex even features silent zippers, for times when even the slightest noise might spook a skittish wildlife subject, set off an avalanche, or annoy a VIP on the podium.
Neoprene Camera Strap
Made of rubbery Neoprene, this strap is lightweight but tough. It has grippy nibs, quick-release clips, and O-rings that transfer weight to shoulder straps.
"Quite possibly, the best photo backpack I've ever used."
Deniel Lezano, Editor
"...It's clear from the moment you unpack it that it's been made for serious use, the exterior feels hard-wearing and the plethora of zips (sealed to prevent water getting inside) are an indication of the number of compartments it conceals.
The main section is very spacious and deep, with over a dozen compartments separated by adjustable, padded walls. This means there is plenty of room for you to be able to fit in a couple of cameras, up to six lenses and still have space for a flashgun and other accessories.
And that's just the start. On the inner side of the front compartment are five small pockets to hold smaller accessories like filters, batteries, lens clothes etc. The main area of this front section is padded out to hold a laptop computer, which is good news, as it means you don't have to access the main camera gear area as with some other models." Digital SLR Photography - June, 2007
Best Camera Accessory
Winner: Lowepro Slingshot AW
"The days when we carried more than 20 pounds of camera gear in a camera bag thrown over our shoulder are long over. We take it easy on our bodies without sacrificing accessibility by using the Lowepro SlingShot 200 AW We like the bag because it's designed to easily rotate to the front so you can get to your equipment fast." --
Outdoor Photographer, November 2006
"Photojournalists who can't afford to miss a shot often shun backpacks because it takes too much time to get to the gear inside. This ingenious Lowepro model lets you have it both ways. You carry it on your back with a comfortable sling-style strap, but when you need to get inside you simply swing it around to the front, which turns the bag sideways. The zippered lid to its main compartment now faces up and flips out, letting you access its contents as if you were using a shoulder bag. The compartment is big enough to hold a D-SLR with midsize zoom, three to four lenses, and accessories. There's also a memory card pouch, organizer pockets, and a separate all-weather cover." -- American Photo, July 2006
"Perhaps the most comfortable way to carry your notebook, the Lowepro Tropolis 1250 totes your 15.4-inch laptop, files, and accessories. Frequent travelers and students will no longer suffer back pain as this backpack evenly distributes weight across the shoulders. Other features include a tuck-away beverage pocket, a removable accessory pouch, and a removable cable pouch to store your cords and adapters." -- LAPTOP Magazine, May 2006
"The Professional Photographer magazine Hot1 Awards represent a must-have list of this year's hottest, most sought-after new products. Selected by a panel of working professional photographers, the awards are chosen based on innovation, overall quality and value for price. In its seventh year, the Professional Photographer Hot1 Awards are one of the biggest product competitions in the industry, representing 60 categories of gear from a couple hundred different companies." -- PPA Magazine, January 2006
"Its over-the-shoulder design and accessibility make the Lowepro SlingShot 200 AW the ideal camera bag. To us, it means a safe camera without an excessive amount of zippers, clamps and Velcro interfering with our photography. The bag also features pockets for cables, a card pouch, a microfiber cloth to shield the LCD screen and the patented Lowepro all-weather cover. The bag measures about 9x7x17 inches." -- PCPhoto Magazine, December 2005