Lowepro
Lowepro is a manufacturer of carrying systems for electronic products, especially cameras and related equipment such as lenses . This includes photo bags as well as backpacks . The company, which describes itself as the world market leader in its segment , was based in Sebastopol, California, until 2017 . The German headquarters of Lowepro was in Meerbusch .
In 2017, the company was bought by the British company Vitec for 10.3 million US dollars and the headquarters moved to the address of the headquarters of the Manfrotto brand in Cassola , Italy , which is also part of Vitec . Since then, the German headquarters have been in Cologne .
The company was founded in 1967 by Greg Lowe. He is also the founder of the sister company Lowe Alpine , a manufacturer of outdoor backpacks that operates independently from Lowepro. In its history, Lowepro has produced a number of innovations. These include camera bags padded with soft foam , an all-weather cover for backpacks, overlapping zippers, what the company claims is the world's first waterproof photo backpack and the first waterproof photo backpack with a hydration system. Before the takeover by Vitec, the company had been part of the Luxembourg DayMen group since 2002 .
Development milestones
- 1967: First backpack with an inner frame
- 1968: First camera bag padded with foam
- 1977: First camera bags with plastic buckles
- 1985: First ergonomically shaped shoulder straps
- 1992: First weatherproof cover
- 1999: First carrying case especially for digital cameras and first combination case for camera and notebook
- 2002: First waterproof camera backpack
- 2005: First camera bag with hydration system
Individual evidence
- ↑ lowepro-deutschland.de: About us
- ↑ Vitec Group: Manfrotto's parent company buys Lowepro . In: VIDEOAKTIV . October 2, 2017 ( videoaktiv.de [accessed November 11, 2018]).
- ↑ lowepro-deutschland.de: history
- ↑ Vitec acquires JOBY and Lowepro in multi-million pound deal - Amateur Photographer . In: Amateur Photographer . September 26, 2017 ( amateurphotographer.co.uk [accessed November 11, 2018]).