Buy MegaGear "Ever Ready" Protective Black Leather Camera Case, Bag

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $49.99
Sale Price: $29.99
Today's Bonus: 40% Off

Considering how few cases are (as of today's date) designed for the 3N, I'd go so far to say this is a must-have--especially at this price. It's a perfect fit with the 16-50mm lens, and is a true ever-ready case (unsnap the side snaps to instantly flip the top case off).

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CONSTRUCTION:

*outer material: made out of PU (artificial leather), but I personally don't think it looks cheap or cheesy; in black, it is inconspicuous. I've seen similar cases made of a crappy vinyl, so this is certainly a step up. I haven't seen any real leather cases for the 3N anyway.

*inside material: lined with a soft, plush velvety fabric. some parts of the case (i.e. near the lens) are slightly padded to provide extra protection.

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DESIGN:

The case is made of TWO piece:

1. a bottom part that screws securely into the 3N's tripod mount (and serves as a tripod mount of its own), and

2. a top part (covers the lens, top, screen, etc) that snaps into the bottom part. The two parts are attached by 4 snaps (one on either side of the camera, two on the bottom near the tripod mount).

HOW 'EVER-READY' WORKS: Unsnap the side snaps and the top case hangs loosely from the bottom snaps (thereby allowing you to quickly take pictures). Infinitely better than fumbling around and removing your camera from a generic case, or worse--going case-less.

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UNFORTUNATELY: This case doesn't play nice with accessories.

*filters: in order to use a quality 49mm UV filter I had lying around, I attached a 40.5-49mm step up ring, and then added the 49mm filter. On top of the filter, I have a snap-on cover. Albeit very thin, that's still 2 extra threads and a cover. with that extra thickness, the top case doesn't fit flush with the camera anymore. if you add one 40.5mm filter, you'd *probably* be ok.

*tripod:

1. if you have anything attached to the tripod mount, the top case will NOT swing down entirely. you better entirely remove the top case before putting any tripod/monopods on the camera (since removing the bottom snaps would be impossible if you have anything already attached...)

2. trying to unscrew anything from the case's tripod mount will most likely end up simply unscrewing the case from the camera instead. it's awkward/difficult trying to remove anything snugly attached to the case's built-in tripod mount.*

SD card, battery: a no-brainer, but the bottom piece completely obscures the SD and battery compartments. IN order to change the battery or SD card, you'll have to completely unscrew the case off. not really an issue for me, but good to keep in mind.

Swivel LCD: The 3N's LCD screen swivels to 90 degrees; trying to pry open the screen to rotate is a bit of an extra hassle. Again, the extra second it takes to open isn't really an issue for me, but I figured I'd point it out anyway.

*By FAR the most annoying setback is the fact that it is difficult to unscrew anything from the tripod mount, without entirely unscrewing the case from the camera. Every time I use my monopod with the bottom case attached, I have to unscrew my camera first, and THEN unscrew the monopod.

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OVERALL: If you don't plan on using a monopod/tripod and are just walking around shooting free-hand, this case is PERFECT; it adds the protection of a full case, but allows you to take photos in less than 5 seconds (just unsnap the side snaps to free the lens from the case). HOWEVER, if you plan on using a monopod, or a couple filters, it'll be more of a pain than it's worth keeping on. Regardless, in my opinion this case is a must-have for the 3N.

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This is a great case for the Nex-3N with the 16-50mm lens, especially considering the price compared to the Sony version. Build quality is good (only had for a week, so I don't know how it holds up), and the fit is pretty close, protecting the camera well without being too bulky. The look is nice, and a little better than I expected based on the pictures for the product. Overall, I'm satisfied with this product and glad I chose this case over a few of the other ones out there. I probably won't shoot much with the larger lens/screen part of the case on because it's a little awkward, but it's easy to access and shoot quickly in a pinch.

Best Deals for MegaGear "Ever Ready" Protective Black Leather Camera Case, Bag

I was looking for a case for this camera because I plan on mainly using the kit lens with it and using it as a walk around camera. I have an old Minolta SRT-101 with a leather case that looked similar, I wanted this case because it completely covers the body and it appears to be leather.

Pros:

Complete coverage of the body

Solid feel to the case

Cons:

Top snaps open from back to front, meaning you need to completely unsnap the front in order to use the camera.

With bottom attached by the tripod mount you cannot access the SD card slot. So in order to charge the battery or remove SD card the bottom needs to be unscrewed and removed.

All in all I am satisfied, fits the camera nicely, protects the camera 100% from scuffs and feels quality.

Honest reviews on MegaGear "Ever Ready" Protective Black Leather Camera Case, Bag

Overall it's a well put together case, but it is specifically for the NEX-3N, not any of the other NEX-3 variants. I have an original NEX-3 and the case is about a quarter inch too narrow and has the mounting stud in a different place, so I had to return it.