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I don't like this case, even though it does look like what I ordered. Problems:
1) It doesn't have a neck strap or hooks where you could elect to attach a neck strap of your own. Its short loop on one side is apparently so you can attach it to the neck strap on the camera itsef but that's not a practical solution; the camera case hangs down over/under/right next to the camera itself in that case, so you can't get to the camera in order to hold it properly (unless you have a third hand to hold the case out of the way).
2) It's too stiff, so stiff that the top flap that covers the front of the camera is hard to hold up to get the TIGHTLY FITTING camera out of what is a slightly too small case. (the camera is just shy of sitting all the way on the bottom of the case.) It's too hard to get the camera out of this case.
3) While you'd expect tight-fitting leather to take up scant room, the materials used in stiffening the leather also take up room, so there's more stuff surrounding the camera than you can imagine from the picture. I wanted something really minimal for fitting the camera into a pocket book but this camera case takes up too much room to work that way.
4) With all the space taken up, you'd think there might be a tiny space somewhere to fit an extra battery. There isn't.
5) No way I could use the camera still inside this case, regardless of prexisting settings or only needing to hit the shooting button. The too-stiff camera flap won't stay up and out of the front of the camera where the lens is.
There might not be a case available for this Olympus XZ-1 that functions just as I'd like, but I'm going to return this one and hope for something better.
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I love this case. It is nice and stiff, which is what I wanted, because I wanted a case that would protect my XZ-1 from bumps when it's jostling around in my backpack. The leather is substantial and well stitched. The design is simple and elegant. It doesn't come with a strap, in case anyone is wondering (I think maybe the camera did come with a strap; I forget, because I never used it if it did). It has a nice magnetic connector at the bottom that snaps into place so you don't have to press it closed. The inside is lined with a soft lint-free fuzz. The case feels great in your hands. It adds some bulk to the camera of course, but this camera is hardly pocketable unless you have cargo pant pockets or something like that, and this case would fit just fine into those.You can shoot with the camera in the case in a pinch, but the case doesn't really feel designed for this. It blocks access to the main settings area (this could be a plus, preventing stray button presses) and to the screen. If your settings are OK you could shoot without taking it out, but normally I put the case away and shoot with only the camera in my hand.
I took off one star because if I were to design this case, there is one thing I would do to make it better. I would give it a bit more something to protect the camera from dust. This case has a fairly open design, with gaps at the sides of the top flap, and small openings in the bottom corners, so dust could come and go if you were foolish enough to expose your camera to dust. The inner lining will help in this respect somewhat, because it will trap most dust, but still it would be nice to see some cloth shrouding or lining that did something to close the gaps. However, that isn't really the main purpose of this case; the main purpose is to protect from bumps. And as such it does a great job.
UPDATE: It might protect from minor bumps, but I can report it does not protect the camera from getting SMASHED. I had my camera in my backpack and something happened that resulted in the camera getting smashed while it was in this case. I don't know when it happened. The backpack didn't get run over by a car or anything. It could have been placed on the wrong side of the pack under a heavy computer, or it might have fallen off the rear seat of the car when I had to brake hard, or something like that. The case did not help. The camera was completely ruined.. Lens smashed in, lens ring (ISO adjustment) unturnable, case smashed in on bottom and top, lens cap broken, tip of lens broken off and embedded into lens cap... fortunately I had a MACK warranty which covers abuse, even smashing, and they repaired the camera by replacing virtually every part (except the body)... They even replaced the sensor and the back screen, for some reason, although I didn't think the sensor could have been damaged, and the screen looked fine. Long story short, this case didn't help that much from a big bump.
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This wasn't a cheap bargain case, but I bit the bullet and bought it anyway. It is, as described, designed to fit the Olympus XZ-1. I tried an inexpensive generic digicam case but it wasn't a good fit for the camera. The XZ-1 has a removable lens cover that could be easily dislodged if the camera were carried unprotected in a bag or backpack. Buying this camera was such a splurge for me that I cringe at the thought of damaging the lens.This case appears to be well-made, and fits the camera nicely. As another reviewer pointed out, it won't keep dust out, but it protects against bumps and scratches. And keeps the lens cover in place. There's a snap-fastening fabric loop on one side of the case that can be attached to a camera strap, so that when the camera's pulled out of the case the case will just dangle. But I don't use it. I'm used to pulling a point-and-shoot camera totally out of a carry case when in use so that's no big deal for me with this camera and case.
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As of now, this case is clocking in at one-quarter of the price of the camera. For a while, Amazon was selling the same case for less than five dollars. And that one came bundled with a 4Gb card. In truth, that's all this case was ever worth.Buyer beware of the price, lack of features, and availability of better cases for less.
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