sllɐqǝʎǝʎzznɟ

Finally time to post some photos of my X-100 … all ‘dressed up’ and looking pretty. Yeah I know … I know … it ain’t a rangefinder but just a ‘Casio rangefinder’ (a friend calls it that) that tries to look like a retro camera. 😀 Let’s not go there.

Sorry if the colors of the case looks different in all the photos. Hahaha! I was in a rush to go fetch my boy from school and had only 5 minutes to snap some photos without much time to mess with the white balance stuffs. Anyway, the color of the case is pretty much like in this image above.

I decided on a leather half case from JnK after considering between theirs and the one from Luigi. I was drooling over the Luigi’s ‘natural aged brown’ case but somehow I felt that it seem to add bulk to the camera. Not sure if it is just my fuzzy eyeballs playing tricks on me though. Also I wanted a less ‘bright’ color for mine and thus the oil-wine leather half case from JnK was my pick. Here’s a quick ‘first look’ of the leather case … done specially for a friend in a X-100 forum who wanted to know how the case really looks like.

A matching oil-wine wrist strap and a ‘lens cap guard skin’ were the optionals I went for.

The first thing I noticed when I put on the half case was that the hard screen protector I was using seemed to make the back of the case a little ‘protruding’. That is because of the thickness of the hard protector (though only a couple of millimeters). I didn’t really like the little gap caused by it and so off it (the hard protector) went and I got a anti-glare thin protective film instead. Now everything looks ok.

Red arrow pointing where the leather strip will extend out a bit if the hard screen protector is used. It is no longer on the camera in this picture though.

This is after replacing the hard screen protector with a anti-glare one. Sorry about the fingerprints. I forgot to clean it before taking the photos. 😛

The cutout at the back and the recessed buttons (with the case on) gives a way better grip! Now I can forget about a ThumbsUp (which costs way too much anyway). 😀

With the LCD on … to show how much of the LCD is covered by the case. Actually … only a tiny bit of the LCD is blocked. Great!

As you can see (from above photo), due to the design (the top strip) … the buttons now are a little recessed and thus making access to the buttons/dials a little bit more challenging. Not too big a problem for me despite my fat fingers, but some might not like it this way.

So what do I think of it? I’m loving it. It fits nicely, gives a better grip when holding the camera, looks pretty and oh … did I mention it smells good too? 😀 Of course there other other alternatives out there but I prefer a hand-made one though it costs more and takes longer to produce. It took almost 2 weeks from the date of my order to completion of the case. Shipping is through EMS and that is really fast.

The case is attached to the camera via ‘ear snaps’ on both sides and thus there ain’t no tripod mount at the bottom. For those who wanna use the camera on a tripod with the case attached … that’s bad news. For me … ermm … I use a tripod once every couple of years … so that ain’t a problem at all.

The MF/AF switch on the side is covered. For those who want a cutout to access the switch, that is an optional (!!!) item when you order the case. Check out their eBay listing for the optional charge. I’m using the camera on full time AF … I’ll save the extra money.

The inside of the case … nice and comfy (my X-100 told me that!). 😀

This one took me a while to decide … the lens cap guard skin. I am always worried about losing the cap (I’m old and forgetful!) and after some thinking … I paid for this optional round piece of leather … attached to the lens cap with some 3M tape and a little strap to keep the cap dangling to the camera when not in use.

So that’s about all … my ‘first look (and smell)’ at the leather half case for the X-100 from JnK.

Here’s an interesting video from JnK …

Apart from the case, I ‘invested’ a bit more on a soft-release button ‘Dragon Boop’ from Match Technical. This item can be found in Singapore at Chiif Cameras. I also picked up a silver lady bug one but I somehow prefer the larger Dragon Boop when it comes to actual use. Those bugs ones are cute eh? Too bad I’m too old to try act cute with a colorful bug but I’m sure if you crave attention … they sure will attract questions! I bought 2 red bugs for 2 friends of mine too. 😀 It’s too early for X’mas but who cares? 😀 No … don’t try asking me for one! 😛

The gold dragon one that I think goes pretty well with the oil-wine case.

Lastly … copying from a thread in some X-100 forum about what bag/case do we keep our X-100 in … here is one that I am always lugging my X-100 around when I don’t feel like packing in some other analogue cameras with me. The camera fits nicely in there plus a SD card holder, a 49mm circular polarizer filter and a free 49mm white balance cap that someone gave me. 🙂

Now that I’ve reminded myself of bags … I do have a used small Domke F-5XB to give away. Nah … don’t wanna go through the hell of selling it on local forums … so it will be a ‘prize’ for the first to read this line. Hahahaha! I’ve removed the ‘DOMKE’ label from the front and it looks seasoned enough to not scream ‘camera bag!’. Why do I not want to use the bag anymore? Well … let’s just say I’ve got one too many bags. 😀 Anyone in Singapore wants it? Self collect please! 😀 Just drop me a message in the ‘Contact Me’ form. Ok?