My
N95 has been residing inside the ultra high-quality leather case made by Noreve of beautiful Saint Tropez, France.
I started out very much disliking the style of a case which employed a big flap on the front, and well... after a few days I quickly came around. I really baby my
N95- to the point that NOTHING else has seen the inside of my left hand pocket of my pants since the arrival of the
N95 several months ago- not until now. It sure is nice having a little more pocket space- the Noreve case can be optionally mounted on a belt clip, and can easily be removed one handed- though the clip itself can be quite uncomfortable due to an odd choice of design.
The materials in which the case are constructed with are clearly of the highest standard. The unit I have, the "Sandy Vintage", is covered in very nice distressed looking high quality light brown leather. The inside of the newly revised product is lined with black leather, stamped with the company name throughout. The flap included room for two memory cards, which I've yet to use. It's nice that they've included them- it's just not for me and my spare 2GB cards... while I'm sure it's more than safe, I'll just never feel safe employing such a memory stick storage option.
The whole design is very classy. The stitching is strong, and the materials are beautiful. The proper cutouts allow for easy and quick access to all of the
N95's functions.
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The only two complaints I have about this device is that the flap must be held back somewhat awkwardly with the fingers when taking a shot- though can be done fairly easily.
The belt clip- as I mentioned before- can be quite uncomfortable. A strange choice in design leaves two rather sharp corners to jab you in the side when sitting if you don't wear the device all the way to your side. I plan on shaving these points off with a grinder in a couple of days, I'll post pictures of how it looks. The case can be used without the clip as well, and the mounting point can be removed to streamline the case a bit.
You may have heard problems regarding the first design of this case resulting in wear on the backplate of the
N95- this problem has been solved by the inclusion of the leather lining inside the product- which up the classy appeal of the device even further. Those whose
N95's had been damaged by the case have apparently been refunded the purchase price of the case, and a revised product was dispatched to them earlier this week as they became available for shipping. Nice to see a company stand by their product these days- that really goes a long way.
The case itself grips the
N95 quite soundly, I have no fear of it falling out- the slider certainly works in both directions easily, and despite the tight hold it has on the
N95, it is quite easy to remove the device quickly and effortlessly.
That's about it. I really wasn't going into the situation thinking I'd be using the case that much since I really don't like flaps on cases, but it's such a high quality product, it looks so great and makes the
N95 look good- I'm finding it to be quite a keeper. If you're as concerned as I am about preserving the condition of your
N95, it's a really good option. I welcome the extra pocket storage! Even if you think you might not fancy a big ol' flap on your case, you might want to give this product some consideration- if you're in the market for one of these cases, you can't do any better than the Noreve leather case.
Price: 45.99 Euros
Norêve, Advanced Design Cases for Personal Technologies
A few more pictures to follow....