Photography News Issue 62

Photography News | Issue 62 | photographynews.co.uk

First tests

Imaging kit First tests We get our hands on the latest kit and share our first impressions – so you know whether or not to add it to your wish list

Reviews by Will Cheung, AdamDuckworth and Kingsley Singleton

Manfrotto ProLight Reloader Tough-55 HighLid £290

The ProLight Reloader Tough-55 HighLid is a rolling hard case ideal for travel and location use. It’s a decent size, with internal dimensions of 26x17x50cm, and testing it on an architectural job, I managed to fit a good amount of gear in. Two Nikon bodies, a 16- 35mm f/4, 20mm f/1.8 and 24-70mm f/2.8, a flash, an external hard drive, spare batteries, and some other small accessories. The depth of the HighLid version is greater than the LowLid version by 3cm, and that was welcome. The inner is easy to modify, and the bag helpfully comes with some layout ideas for photo, video and drone set-ups. The internal dividers are a good thickness, and attach securely with Velcro. However, there’s nothing holding the inner itself into the case and no inner cover for it, which can be useful in wet and dusty conditions. Of course the inner can be removed entirely and the case used for non- photo gear if required. The main thing I missed was some internal pockets for accessories like cables and memory cards, or maybe a dedicated sleeve for a laptop. Youcanalso carrya tripod, or lighting stands etc., using an accessory strap. This mounts on the lid, and has a padded nylon foot and a clip at the top. It did the job fine. As you’d expect from a hard case, the Tough-55 HighLid is by no means light on its own, so while its claims of being carry-on friendly certainly hold water, adding weighty kit to the case’s own 4.6kg is going to make it heavy. Size-wise it fits well within the likes of easyJet BA and Virgin’s latest regulations, and so long as your carrier doesn’t have a weight limit, you’ll literally be good to go. Many now specify that you must be able to lift your bag into an overhead locker yourself, but some do still specify a weight, so it’s worth checking. Moving the case is easy and it has two decent handles, one rubberised one by the locks, and another grooved plastic one on the top. The rubber handle locks into two positions and isn’t at all ‘floppy’. It’s the same story with the lid, which locks open to prevent it accidentally closing. The top handle pulls out when you want to use the case as a roller, and there’s enough tension in it to change the height. At its longest it was perfectly comfortable for a taller user like me. Releasing the handle is a bit fiddly as you need to bend back its retaining clip to release it, and quite a lot of force is required. You also need to bend over to do it as unlike most roller suitcases, there’s no release button

Specs

Price

£290 External dimensions 35x22.5x55cm Internal dimensions 26x17x50cm Weight 4.6kg Contact manfrotto.co.uk

Images Excellent protection and ample storage space on offer from this Manfrotto case.

in the handle. In motion, the wheels moved freely, though I only did a few hundred metres of rolling. The locks are big and strong, bordering on stiff to open, but that gives a great feeling of security. They also feature a trigger-style inner lock so they won’t open accidentally, and there are four locking points for padlocks, two of which are reinforced. Around the lid there’s a rubber gasket to repel water and dust. Overall, the case proved very rugged. It took plenty of punishment, including my 14 stones, jumping up and down on it, without even hinting at buckling. KS

Verdict

An excellent case: large, well built, practical, adaptable, and with a level of sturdiness bordering on the military – some may find the locks and roller handle too stiff for comfortable use. It is a little on the pricey side compared to some, but there’s no doubting the quality here.

Pros Spacious, very tough Cons Price