Friday, June 14, 2013

A Badly Designed Camera Case

Disappointingly for a company that makes excellent cameras, Panasonic/LUMIX refuses to equip them with decent cases. I kept my FZ28 temporarily in a padded Panasonic Video-Camera case in which the FZ28 somehow fitted but sideways.

I knew about this LUMIX case but could only find it online. I kept waiting to come across it and try to see how it fits my camera before buying - and I should had stuck with that plan. Because I could not resist when I found it for under $10, I am now stuck with yet another case of limited use.

The case is designed for the older FZ8 camera which is obviously shorter in length - because the FZ28 will simply not fit. Placing it lens-cap first leaves the viewfinder sticking out at the top. This was entirely my fault. Neither the seller nor Amazon misrepresented the item: the product description clearly states that it is designed for the FZ8. I hoped it would fit the later model but take my word for it, it does not.

Nevertheless, the reason I am rating this case badly is because it is badly designed. It sports a belt clip (good) which is secured by only a ...Velcro patch (bad). It has a double bottom to keep an extra battery and a pocket for an extra Memory Card (good), which remains open on top and will not fit any card-holder case (bad). It has a shoulder strap (good) which is thin and attaches on very flimsy nylon loops (bad). And it does not close completely!

Even if I had the FZ8 and the two halves did meet when closed, the zipper (for some unfathomable reason) stops halfway(!). The very top of the case remains essentially open to the elements and although it sports some kind of rubber lips, it is obviously not watertight.
Remind me again why one would want to carry his camera in a case? Right...the elements...

My father has an old MAMIYA/Sekor which came with an attached case (it actually screws on at the bottom).
When exactly did that stop being a good idea?

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