Comments on: Think Tank Photo Skins

By: David

David — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 01:08:51 +0000

Andrew – I know folks that do all kinds of crazy things, including ditching their front and rear caps. But honestly, it wouldn’t take much to get a piece of grit in there and scratch the back element. I agree, they’re a pain, but I’d be pretty reluctant to stop using them.

By: Andrew Collings

Andrew Collings — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 00:50:28 +0000

Hi David
I just picked up the Shape Shifter and the Skin Set, partly based on your great reviews. Thank you for taking the time to explain the products and your use of them. Think Tank really have their act together. I did have a question. I shoot weddings and some urban documentary stuff. Nothing especially dirty or crazy. My question is whether under those circumstances its possible to put away the rear lens caps and use the skin pouches to protect the rear element? Those caps get in the way but I have always used them with my other bags. In the promo video, Doug Murdoch demos the system without rear caps. What’s your opinion?

By: Mike Lao

Mike Lao — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 02:28:12 +0000

hey david, timely review!

I saw these skins in bangkok just this weekend and was thinking of getting them but I wasn’t able to see the double-wide skin.

The only problem I have is I want something to hold my 40D with battery grip and a 17-40 lens and the skins aren’t the right solution for this. I wanted to get a slim bag that can hold my camera but not bulky enough for me to just travel around with it.

I was able to see several Think Tank photo products there and I was very impressed with the quality. I might just end up getting the digital holster 40/50 though and it’s a bit cheaper if I order it from the US.

Thanks again for the detailed review!

By: devan

devan — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 18:35:29 +0000

I like. I like! very much so!!!!

By: david

david — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:54:38 +0000

No, Alex, I’ll be using this in conjunction with the holsters. I will generally use a Steroid Speed Belt with two Digital Holsters – a 40 and a 50 – supported by the Pixel Racing Harness. But I will likely add one or two of these – probably the Skin 50 and the Skin Strobe – for daily use.

The others I will use when shooting in more specific environments. Also, I will be using these often as I pack and travel to international assignments, they’re excellent for packing all my little bits of kit. It’s also likely I’ll bring a spare pro belt so my producer can use this system to carry some of the gear – like spare lenses, strobes, pocket wizards.

Like everything, which problem you are trying to solve determines if these are the right solution. I’ve come to the heartbreaking conclusion that there is no single right bag or system for my gear, and resigned myself to using different solutions for different situations, and having no more space in my closets once they’re filled with bags.

So, yeah, you have the gist of it – I travel with one bag (right now the Airport Addicted), I work out of another set-up altogether (the belt/harness and holsters/pouches. But even then I often have the Airport Addicted in the truck with strobes, lenses, wireless triggers, tripod, etc. I don’t travel light on most commercial assignments!

By: Alex Saunders

Alex Saunders — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:43:34 +0000

So David, will you be using this in the field instead of the padded holsters?

I’m assuming that this is designed for people who pack their gear in one bag and work with it in another – is that the general gist?