Pro Moviemaker Winter 2019

BUYERS’ GUIDE

2. THINK TANKAIRPORT SECURITYV3.0 £379/$419.75 thinktankphoto.com snapperstuff.com

There are grab handles on all sides, 80mmwheels with

Think Tank makes the widest range of soft-shell roller bags of any manufacturer, with eight different versions in its Airport range. One of our favourites is the Airport Security V3.0, thanks to the extra safety it offers. There is a TSA- approved combination lock to secure the main compartment, and inside the pouch for the top handle is a high-strength coated steel cable and combination lock to secure the 17in laptop compartment and to quickly fasten the bag to an immovable object. It’s a very quick and easy way of deterring sneak thieves when on-location or in a train station or airport. The bag also has a unique serial number that can be registered, so if the bag is ever found, it can be returned to its owner. Like the Tamrac, the Think Tank bag claims it fits two pro DSLR bodies and up to six lenses. And the padded interior can be reconfigured to fit different cameras and lenses. There are clear pockets in the lid, too.

precision-sealed bearings and a tripod-mount pocket on the side. Again, this isn’t big enough for full-size video tripods. The front of the bag has a large, very stretchy pocket, so you can stuff a huge amount of kit in there. To keep the bag working for a long time, Think Tank offers user- replaceable parts such as wheels and wheel housings, the retractable handle, front feet and kick plates. You can even buy a pack of custom- coloured wheels, handle wrap and zipper pulls to pimp your bag!

3. CAMRADE TRAVELMATE 360 £206/$266 camrade.com

at the IBC show in September and goes on sale soon. One of the key factors that makes it different is that it has four wheels instead of the usual two. That makes it far easier to move around in tight spots and takes the strain when it’s being pushed over long distances. However, fitting four wheels instead of two does eat into the internal space you have in the bag. We quickly took out some internal dividers and easily fitted in a Sony FS5 camera fitted with a sizeable Sony E PZ 18-110mm f/4 G OSS cine lens, as well as a Sony A7R II in a camera cage and some lenses. The bag is well made and has lots of internal pockets in the lid, with one very interesting and unique item– an LED light. It takes small batteries and is ideal to help you see inside the bag when it’s dark. There are straps tomake sure the lid stays upright, too. The bag also has three roomy outside pockets, but no way of fastening a tripod.

When it comes tomaking bags for working filmmakers, few companies have the experience of Camrade. The French firmhas beenmaking all sorts of bags for professional cinematographers since 1998 and offers everything from tailored camera covers and camera wetsuits tomonitor and tripod bags, plus bags for sound recordists andmuchmore. With the advent of smaller cameras like mirrorless and DSLRs making a big impact in filmmaking, Camrade has reacted by introducing new bags to suit. One of these is the brand-new Travelmate 360, which was unveiled

“If you pack a soft roller case well, you can squeeze in all your everyday travel essentials”

93

WINTER 2019 PRO MOVIEMAKER

Powered by