After crossing over into micro 4/3rd territory last year, I needed a bag to better accommodate my growing lens collection, or rather allow me to take a good selection of lenses with me when I want/need more than the bare minimum. While researching I was surprised to see that there are hardly any bags out there that are designed for MFT or compact system cameras. Most bags are too high and 'swallow' the small camera and lenses apart from the fact that they are then bulky to take along, with a lot of dead, wasted space.
So I was excited to find the Think Tank Mover 20, designed for mirrorless cameras, and here are my comments in no particular order:
PROs:
Size: A very compact yet spacious bag. The dimensions, especially height-wise, are perfect for probably most if not all mirrorless cameras.
Weight: Light-weight and not too heavy even fully loaded.
Materials: This seems to be a very well-made bag. The seams all look good, the magnetic flap is strong enough to hold even when the zipper underneath is unzipped and one carries the bag by its handle. On occasion I had it happen that it didn't hold, but that was usually when I loaded the bag to the max. The rings and swiveling carabiners are metal, and the strap looks well-made as well (Please see Cons for a few other observations).
Sufficient compartments to store a lot of stuff: The main compartment has two dividers, and one of those double-functions as an open pocket for a phone or small accessory. There is an external zippered pocket that runs the width of the bag and is half-covered by the magnetic flap. This pocket has two open interior stash pockets (which are nicely finished, by the way). One of those stash pocekts contains the bag's rain cover and is attached by a loop. There is also a see-through semi-open pocket on the inside of the lid which closes in the center with Velcro. And finally there are two open exterior stash pockets on each side of the bag, one of which has some stretch to it to accommodate somewhat larger items and the other is a bit gusseted.
CONs (quite minor to me but mentioning these points for completeness anyway)
Dividers: The dividers are rather thin and not as well padded as in a lot of other brand bags. I assume it was a trade-off to keep the dimensions of the bag as compact as possible, and that's fine by me.
The strap: While it features metal hardware (as mentioned above) and looks generally well made, I find it rather narrow and it has absolutely no padding of any kind it is just a plain strap. I might use one of the straps from my other bags because frankly, this is not the most comfortable strap. However, since it is detachable, it is not a big issue.
I also would have liked to see another zippered compartment on the back of the bag instead of the option to pull through a belt (or the strap) to make this a sort of waist pack. I for one find that fully loaded, this bag would be rather uncomfortable worn at the waist.
On a strictly personal note, I want to add that I am not fond of the 90% of black or grey camera bags out there. I would love to see this bag in a fun, modern color but alas, it is black and grey... :-(
7/18: Someone remarked on my review (see under comments) and stated that leaving the bag unzipped, the magnetic flap does not work for him when he lifts the bag by the handle (bag containing camera with kit lens), and that it falls open every time, endangering his equipment. While it works a lot better on my bag, it is definitely not 100 % secure. So to be safe, it's best to not lift the bag up by the handle at all when it is only closed with the magnets and not zipped shut. The manufacturer should probably rethink this approach altogether...
EQUIPMENT I can fit into this bag (also see 2 pictures I uploaded):
Main compartment:
Olympus PEN E-P3 with 14-42mm kit lens attached
M.Zuiko 40-150 mm zoom lens
M.Zuiko 45mm f1.8 lens
Olympus Macro Converter
Note: With all those lenses in there, the divider that would normally provide space for a phone is almost too squeezed to use it for anything, so I leave it empty.
Lid Pocket:
Several spare lens caps or ca. 2 small filter bags (Note: My B+W plastic filter boxes do not fit the Velcro cannot be closed anymore if I try to put those in there). This is also a great space for 2-3 spare batteries or small cables, etc.
Large Zippered Exterior Pocket:
Small(!)camera manual
Spare battery or small cable.
Has the rain cover stored in one of the stash pockets.
Exterior Side Pockets:
I leave these empty as they cannot be zippered or Velcro'd shut but they could accommodate small items such as spare lens caps and the like.
SUMMARY:
The bag is well designed and thought-out where it counts. The shortcomings are all minor and rather insignificant. I for one am very pleased with this bag and recommend it 100%.
NOTE, 7/17/2013: Turns out that as of 7/15 Amazon has done away with the customer-submitted image feature. My uploaded images were therefore deleted. Sorry about that. I don't agree with Amazon who told me that this feature was not used enough by their customers and that's why they stopped offering it but there is nothing I can do about it.
8/12: Confusion! My images are back not sure whether Amazon has decided to bring back the Customer Image feature or what's up with that. In any case they are up again and should they disappear in the future, you'll know what's likely happened. This will be my last comment on this issue now :-)
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This is my third try to find a case that fits only what I need, and is not too big.
Fits my OM-D with standard zoom lens, plus a Olympus 75-300mm, plus 1 more small lens.
My search is over, this is perfect.
Well built, and light.
Best Deals for Think Tank Mirrorless Mover 20 Bag for Medium Size Mirrorless Body
My Mirrorless Mover 20 arrived today. I've always been a Lowepro guy until the end. I will continue to be a Lowepro guy. I also must say that I can't testify to the quality and design of any other thinkTank bag, but the Mirrorless Mover 20 is well designed and well crafted. I think it's not a perfect bag, and how many of us ever do really find the "Perfect bag of bags?" But, thinkTank made a good bag. It's perfectly suited for my V2, lenses and accessories. I'm sure that I probably could've found a Lowepro bag that is comparable. One thing that I really appreciate about thinkTank, is that they use metal hardware, instead of plastic, which many of their competitors use. They also have a great magnet closure, which allows for quick access to your gear. You don't have to zip everything up, to secure your gear. I'm extremely content with my Mirrorless Mover 20.
Honest reviews on Think Tank Mirrorless Mover 20 Bag for Medium Size Mirrorless Body
This is a great [small] bag for M4/3 gear. I dont like to carry a big photo bag, and this one is small, but carries most of the necessary gear. I have a Olympus OMDEM5 with three lens: Panasonic 12-35 2.8, Panasonic 14-140 3.5, and Oly 45 1.8. They all fit [including their lens hoods and the small Oly flash], and I still have room for extra batteries, SD cards, a mimi tripod and some lens cleaning stuff.The end pockets are pretty much useless, but everything else works well and is of high quality. The bag is "maxed out" with the stuff noted, so don't expect to add much more-you "might" be able to get a pancake lens in there somewhere, but that will be about it....... all-in-all, a fine travel bag!
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Think Tank Mirrorless Mover 20 Bag for Medium Size Mirrorless Body
Pretty much like everything about this bag with two exceptions. First, I think the dividers are a bit too thin. I know this is a small bag so interior space needs to be maximized, but the dividers do not provide as much cushion as I would have liked. Second, the strap isn't very comfortable and although it seems to be of high quality, the rotating metal clips squeak a lot. I think adding a little lube will help with the sound, but I hope I don't have to reapply it often.
This next portion doesn't factor into my rating, but I thought it might be helpful. The bag is nice and small but I wish that it was just slightly bigger. I fit the following into the bag: Nikon V2, 32mm f/1.2, 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 VR, 18.5mm f/1.8, SB-N7 speed light, small lens pen and small micro fiber towel, extra SD card, nikon wireless remote, and 2 extra AAA batteries (for speed light). That's quite amazing that I can fit all this into this tiny bag but I still wish it was slighter deeper (from front to back) and included a padded pocket similar to the next size up TTMM30. I like to walk around cities for a full day and having a pocket for a book or my kindle would have been perfect for lunch time. The 30 is a bit too big and I don't really like the way the top opens, so that's why I ended up choosing the TTMM20.
