I recently purchased the Think Tank Photo Mirrorless Mover 20 camera bag to use with my Nikon 1 V1 system. Below is my review of the bag – including some ideas that I’d like to see in the next version! (I know, it just came out but everything can be improved, right?)
The most important aspect of a camera bag is build quality IMHO. The construction of the bag is excellent. Below is a comparison of the size of the Mirrorless Mover 20 to my most frequently used D300 bag, the Lowepro Event Messenger 250.
![ThinkTank-1.jpg ThinkTank-1.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/28/28668-a870c49de95c41894fcc1793f3ead6fb.jpg)
While we talking about quality, the strap is just “okay”. I realize at this price point and what is supposed to be a small footprint, that you don’t want the strap to overwhelm the bag. This strap is a little too basic for my taste and I will most likely use something different. At least the strap is detachable.
Below is my basic kit that I hope to put into this bag. It consists of:
![ThinkTank-2.jpg ThinkTank-2.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/28/28669-9a887e4239005ef8d225c1b42fa5940c.jpg)
Let’s load the bag. Below is how I would configure the bag for transportation and/or storage of my kit.
![ThinkTank-3.jpg ThinkTank-3.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/28/28670-b830d0c95c8240dc8bfab21360dae702.jpg)
Remember that kids game of “one of these things doesn’t fit”? There is nowhere for my tripod unless I lay it across the top and risk scratching the camera.
I wish the bag were one half to a full inch wider. As it is now, I had to slightly offset the lenses with shades attached to fit them into the bag. Below is a cropped image showing the snug fit.
![ThinkTank-4.jpg ThinkTank-4.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/28/28671-394008a715d152e911fba927572f6b9c.jpg)
I like the front pocket design. The rain hood takes up one of the sleeves. In order to not remove the rain hood, I stored the spare battery in the side pockets. My first real complaint is with the side pockets. They are pretty useless. If I were to revise the bag, I would put side zippered pockets similar to what is in front. My Tenba Messenger Daypack is a perfect example of useful zippered side pockets. On the Tenba I store my spare battery and filters in them.
![ThinkTank-5.jpg ThinkTank-5.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/28/28672-8f08aabc1dafbc6ac63acb2a22ab3b7e.jpg)
While you’re looking at the side pocket with the battery, you can observe a pass through belt pocket/loop on the right. I honestly can’t see anyone using this as a belt bag. Much more useful would have been a strap to fit over a roller board suitcase. The bag is wide enough and even a simple elastic design as shown below would be great. The ideal would be a design that zips at the bottom as a pass through or can be used for storing paper when zipped.
![ThinkTank-6.jpg ThinkTank-6.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/28/28673-d501aa9110fe80d7023be210d2569845.jpg)
Let’s get practical. How does the bag work in the field? I won’t carry the battery charger and would have the GPS installed on the V1. I would want to be able to easily take the V1 into and out of the bag. In order to facilitate that, I will stack the 6.7-13mm and 30-100mm on the side as shown. This is workable.
![ThinkTank-7.jpg ThinkTank-7.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/28/28674-5061fdd59c425be9f8cae59e54463174.jpg)
I’m encouraged to see Think Tank create a bag geared (bad pun intended) at the needs of mirrorless shooters. I think this bag is a great first start and will meet my immediate needs. As I pointed out above, there are areas for improvement. I’ll be watching to see if version 2 incorporates some or all of my recommendations – especially regarding the tripod. Until then, I’ll be using the Mirrorless Mover 20.
The most important aspect of a camera bag is build quality IMHO. The construction of the bag is excellent. Below is a comparison of the size of the Mirrorless Mover 20 to my most frequently used D300 bag, the Lowepro Event Messenger 250.
![ThinkTank-1.jpg ThinkTank-1.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/28/28668-a870c49de95c41894fcc1793f3ead6fb.jpg)
While we talking about quality, the strap is just “okay”. I realize at this price point and what is supposed to be a small footprint, that you don’t want the strap to overwhelm the bag. This strap is a little too basic for my taste and I will most likely use something different. At least the strap is detachable.
Below is my basic kit that I hope to put into this bag. It consists of:
- Nikon V1 with Fotodiox Pro grip and mounted Nikkor 18.5mm lens
- Nikkor 6.7-13mm and 30-110mm lenses
- SB-N5 Speedlight
- GP-N100 GPS
- ML-L3 Wireless Remote
- Extra EN-EL15 and wall charger
- Circular Polarizer and Neutral Density filters
- Tripod
![ThinkTank-2.jpg ThinkTank-2.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/28/28669-9a887e4239005ef8d225c1b42fa5940c.jpg)
Let’s load the bag. Below is how I would configure the bag for transportation and/or storage of my kit.
![ThinkTank-3.jpg ThinkTank-3.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/28/28670-b830d0c95c8240dc8bfab21360dae702.jpg)
Remember that kids game of “one of these things doesn’t fit”? There is nowhere for my tripod unless I lay it across the top and risk scratching the camera.
I wish the bag were one half to a full inch wider. As it is now, I had to slightly offset the lenses with shades attached to fit them into the bag. Below is a cropped image showing the snug fit.
![ThinkTank-4.jpg ThinkTank-4.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/28/28671-394008a715d152e911fba927572f6b9c.jpg)
I like the front pocket design. The rain hood takes up one of the sleeves. In order to not remove the rain hood, I stored the spare battery in the side pockets. My first real complaint is with the side pockets. They are pretty useless. If I were to revise the bag, I would put side zippered pockets similar to what is in front. My Tenba Messenger Daypack is a perfect example of useful zippered side pockets. On the Tenba I store my spare battery and filters in them.
![ThinkTank-5.jpg ThinkTank-5.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/28/28672-8f08aabc1dafbc6ac63acb2a22ab3b7e.jpg)
While you’re looking at the side pocket with the battery, you can observe a pass through belt pocket/loop on the right. I honestly can’t see anyone using this as a belt bag. Much more useful would have been a strap to fit over a roller board suitcase. The bag is wide enough and even a simple elastic design as shown below would be great. The ideal would be a design that zips at the bottom as a pass through or can be used for storing paper when zipped.
![ThinkTank-6.jpg ThinkTank-6.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/28/28673-d501aa9110fe80d7023be210d2569845.jpg)
Let’s get practical. How does the bag work in the field? I won’t carry the battery charger and would have the GPS installed on the V1. I would want to be able to easily take the V1 into and out of the bag. In order to facilitate that, I will stack the 6.7-13mm and 30-100mm on the side as shown. This is workable.
![ThinkTank-7.jpg ThinkTank-7.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/28/28674-5061fdd59c425be9f8cae59e54463174.jpg)
I’m encouraged to see Think Tank create a bag geared (bad pun intended) at the needs of mirrorless shooters. I think this bag is a great first start and will meet my immediate needs. As I pointed out above, there are areas for improvement. I’ll be watching to see if version 2 incorporates some or all of my recommendations – especially regarding the tripod. Until then, I’ll be using the Mirrorless Mover 20.
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