Sony LCJRXA Camera Case for RX100 Digital Camera - Black

I managed to try this case out with an RX100 before the release at a Sony product event.

I loved the feel of quality and it looked amazing, another thing I liked was a screw that goes through the bottom of the case into the cameras tripod receptacle, this ensured the camera was completely solid and would not fall out of the case, the screw also has a tripod receptacle at the bottom so you could still mount it on top of a tripod.

The top part of the case is held together by some poppers which is easily taken off if you wish to remove it, though you can keep it on and just flip it over so it's out of the way.

As for the strap, once again amazing quality.

The only reason why it had received four stars rather than five was purely based on the current price, Sony have it available at an eye-watering price and whilst I will be purchasing this case for my RX100 due to the fact it provides a perfect fit and is of great quality, I will be grinding my teeth whilst doing so.

Though as mentioned before, it is very high quality, so if you want one that is perfect for the RX100, then you will need to fork out that extra cash to get your hands on this premium case.

Update Oct 2012

After a few months of regular use the press studs at the bottom of the case to open it up have become unbelievably stiff! Its got to the point of being a real stuggle to open the case and a devil to press the stud back to close it. I had to press so hard and with so much force it caused the camera to switch on!

There's 2 studs and therefore 2 ways of opening the camera. The first stud is unusable so I've switched to the 2nd stud. Once that becomes unusable I'll have to throw the case away!

I can't see any issues with the studs - no dirt or anything else that may cause problems. Not too sure why its gone like this and perhaps its just me and my case.

Anyway knocked it down to 3 stars for this!.

------------------------- Original Review ------------------------------------------

As you'd expect this case fits the Sony RX100 perfectly.

Its lightweight and very easy to use.

I compared it to the Lowepro Santiago 20 Pouch for Camera - Black which was the one I purchased originally with the camera.

Sony case vs LowPro Santiago 20 Pouch:

Weight:

Nothing in it - virtually identical weight

Size

Again almost nothing in it - virtually identical dimensions. The Sony case is a fraction smaller - but not by anything that makes a difference in the real world.

Ease of use:

Sony is a little easier to use. Flip open the front via button underneath and away you go.

LowePro - unzip and take out camera - and away you go! The only downside is you have to hold the case - with the Sony case it just flips down but stays on the camera - so one less thing to hold.

Rather sad I know but I timed how long it took to go from the case on the desk to being open and the camera ready to switch on.
Did this a good 7 or 8 times with each.
Sony takes around 6 or so seconds to get open and in a position to switch the camera on.
LowePro Santiago 20 Pouch - around 8 or 9 seconds - sometimes a bit more fumbling getting the camera out.

So not a massive difference but the Sony case is a little quicker and easier to go from closed to camera ready for on.

Price:

LowePro around £10 on Amazon.
Sony around £60!!!!

Looks:

Santiago 20 Pouch looks fine to me but I would say the Sony case is the better looking of the two. Looks more like a camera case.

Protection:

Short of putting my camera in the cases and throwing it against a wall its hard to test this. My feeling is the LowePro case would provide a little more protection as it fully seals the camera in a semi rigid case. The Sony case mostly seals the camera - with some gaps and has some limited padding. If protection from harsh environments is important the LowePro case would win. LowePro case more likely to protect from rain too - though its not waterproof so only protection from a brief light shower.

Having said that probably easier to drop the camera while getting it out the LowePro case. I keep the strap on the camera and make sure I have firm hold of the strap before removing the RX100 from the LowePro case.

Overall.

The Sony case is very nice - less protection but still sufficient for most situations. Slightly easier to use and nicer looking - but very, very expensive compared to the LowePro case.

I'll keep this short. The case is ok, but the tripod mount design should never have made it to production. I have had to use a pair of suppliers on several occasions to remove the tripod, as the mount spins freely within the camera housing - unless it is also screwed into the camera. If you tighten it in to the camera in order to be able to release the tripod, then you run the risk of not being able to unscrew the mount by hand thereby losing access to your camera memory and battery bays.

All of the above have happened to me on numerous occasions within the first week of ownership.