Lowepro Classified Sling 180AW Photo Sling Bag

I bought this to replace an old and tatty standard, top-loading camera bag. I wanted to carry a Nikon D200 with Nikon 18-200 Zoom lens, Epson Photo viewer, Canon Ixus compact camera and relevant spare batteries / chargers CF cards etc. I don't generally use the bag when out on a shoot, although the sling function works well in that regard. As I didn't want a large bag, I first tried the Lowepro Classified 140 AW, but found this too small (see separate review).The bag will also (easily) accomodate my Sony Reader in the slim 'laptop' pocket. Alternatively, this pocket will take a Dell 12" laptop or (as a very tight fit) a Dell E4310 (13" slim laptop), but not with the extended battery. This pocket is very useful and would easily takemost Netbooks.The bag is very well made, well padded smart looking and discreet. It is easy to carry (through airports and onto planes) and has several compartments / pockets for all the bits and pieces, whilst leaving the main camera pocket very readily accessible. The D200 fits in comfortably, with the zoom lens attached.See other review for more detail. Highly recommended.

I returned this item because it would not hold my equipment. Replaced it with the 220 model, which is fine. I think I reviewed the replacement earlier. Both bags are well constructed, as you would expect from this manufacturer, but considerably bigger (bulkier) than the Billingham bags that I have been using for years.Lowepro Classified Sling 180AW Photo Sling Bag

I've been pretty pleased with this bag. I keep my Nikon D300 plus several lenses (none of them massive) and a small camcorder.It allows easy and quick access to my camera, and keeps it all safe.

I bought this bag after some extensive research and after buying and returning a number of other bags. For me it is the perfect size you can fit your camera body with large zoom lens attached 2 additional lenses and a flashgun with plenty of room left for accessories and also a small laptop or ipad. The bag is exceptionally well made and looks good if I had to find a negative it would be the single strap sling I am not a massive fan of sling style bags for this much equipment as it will inevitably be quite heavy when full and then you have a lot of weight on one shoulder I would prefer a standard backpack with 2 straps but the pro's far out weigh this one con.

I was looking for a quick access bag that wasn't too large and would take my 5D MKII, 24-105L and 100-400L. The Lowepro Classified Sling 180 AW does the job perfectly and still leaves more room for other lens, flash gun etc., I also looked at the Lowepro Slingshot range and considered the 202AW, but that was too small for the 100-400L and the 302AW which would take the 100-400L, but the bag is physically much larger. What they have done with the 180 AW Classified is made the bag squarer and given pretty much all the room in the bag to camera equipment and not created a fairly large separate top compartment as per the 202AW & 302AW to keep food, additional clothing etc.,The bag also allows for Lowepro's range of Slip Lock attachments, such as the Lowepro water bottle carrier and has a basic built in tripod carrier which is fine for a small lightweight travel tripod or monopod.The only downside for me is that the bag does start to become uncomfortable after carrying it for a while, but I guess that is the nature of these 'Sling' type bags with all the weight on one shoulder. You have to accept this compromise if you want the quick access it offers.

I like this bag its a good bag. It's a new model in the Lowepro line up and this is the first sling bag which you can get a reasonable amount of kit in. It's good for everyday use not too big or bulky easy to get in or out of. I am a professional freelance photographer and I got quite a few camera bags. I wanted one I could walk around all day with on days out and this works well, its not one I am going to go to weddings with and realistically I'm not looking at taking massive amounts of kit with me. But it's good and it's just about right size.I looked at the bigger brother of this the sling 220 aw but for me the real problem was although you can get more in it I felt it was a bit to bulky. It might not sound a great deal a couple of inches wider, a couple of inches taller and an inch deeper but the reality is the bigger one is more like carrying a suitcase on your back rather than a neat rucksack and that can be a real problem when it comes to a day out where you walk into a few shops. Believe the word of experience that extra space gets filled, making it heavier and you can end up leaving it in the car just when you need it most. That said the bigger ones does allow two full size bodies with 70-200 f2.8 IS lens attached so if your a real paparazzi I can see it being ideal.Lowepro have a well deserved name for quality and the reason they are so popular is they done a lot to get it right, build and design is very good.It's easy to get a camera in and out without having to put the bag down and I don't feel there is much chance of dropping anything out of it. Lowepro have done a good job with the dividers so theres lots of options. I'd be very surprised if you dropped it off the table if anything was damaged. If your clever its not hard to get a a 5d mark 2 with 24-70 f2.8, 70-200 f2.8 IS a 580 flash and a 16-35 f2.8 in. with a bit of move around a 50mm f1.4 and a 1.4x convertor will fit but not much more in the main compartment.Inside the side compartment is a nice memory card holder and long thin pocket for batteries remote release. The top is a good space for a wallet phone couple of pens Ipod that sort of thing.The stow away straps and tripod holder make the bag look very smart.The single strap works better than I thought it would making it not uncomfortable to wear for hour on end. So much better than the same weight on a shoulder bag.There is a notebook pocket on the outside of the bag, I don't think it should have called it a notebook pocket as it is rubbish for laptops, you can't fit even a smallish laptop in. I don't know and can't even imagine any photographer buying a laptop that small. Its a great pocket for filters, small reflectors, my 80-20 flash bounce but useless for a laptop. If you really need the laptop then perhaps you be better going for the 220.The one thing that really is missing from this bag is a small mess pocket on the outside for a small bottle of water. It's such a basic thing if you go walking for a day you want a drink, no one want to put fluid inside a camera bag and risk spilling it but a mess pocket on the outside come on Lowepro.I should mention Lowpro's sliplock system google it. On the strap there is loop of fabric about an inch wide and you can clip extra pouches so you can put an extra flash or lens or the likes on it. On other Lowpro bags they can be found on the front and sides and you can really expand your bag using them. I think it would have been a great idea if Lowepro had put a few on the front of this bag with a mess pocket. That way if you wanted a bottle of water and an extra lens you could just clip it on.