Gariz Half Case For Nikon Df

I've really been seeing the benefit of l-brackets and half cases lately.  I originally got my first half case for the Olympus PEN-F, reviewed on this site previously.    Then, after getting the Nikon Z6, I needed a little more vertical grip and bottom protection so snagged a Smallrig l-bracket for it.  Review of that setup can be found here on this site soon.

I did try a half case, the Kinokoo brand from Amazon for the Z6 but it fell short of expectations.  A full review of that can be found here on this site, coming soon.

I saw the reviews and sample images of the Gariz, but wasn't sure if the $114 retail cost was going to be worth it.   The PEN-F case for $14 was an incredible value and the Smallrig l-bracket was $70 and the Kinokoo was $20.

I did a little hunting around the web and found that the Gariz half case for the Nikon Df was available used from Adorama.  Total cost, shipped was $50.

I noticed that there was some brassing of the bottom plate on the Df, so I wanted to get something to protect it.  I did not have a grip issue on the Df, so that was not a major consideration.
   
How will the Gariz half case fair?  Is it worth the $114 price tag at full retail?

First Impression/Unboxing

Being used, the Gariz did not come in the original packaging that I;very heard described elsewhere.  Adorama did package the half case in 2 layers of bubble wrap and shrink wrapped plastic.

Removing it from the packaging, the leather on the it looked in perfect condition as does the interior felt like material.  The only sign of use was some small scratches and imperfections on the bottom aluminum plate.

The build quality seemed top notch upon first inspection.

Installation

This is a very simple operation.  Just line up the tripod mount hole at the bottom of the camera with the half case and screw in.  No special tools needed because the connecting bolt has a connected handle for tightening it down.  Just in front of the connecting bolt is another 3/8" screw hole for connecting to a tripod or other such accessories.

Feel In Hand

The fit and finish are just great.  The case slides on and is snug around all connects points.

The feel of the case is solid and natural in the hand.

The issue I had with the Kinokoo case on the Nikon Z6 was the grip area.  It protruded out too much.  Made holding the camera feel weird.  The Gariz case does nothing have that issue on the Df.  It enhances the feel of the camera and that is a welcome thing.

The bottom is similar to the Minico half case for the Olympus PEN-F.  There is a door at the bottom that allows access to the battery compartment and SD card.

It is a little more difficult to extract the memory card, but not the battery.

Final Thoughts

I definitely appreciate the protection and feel that the Gariz half case provides.  If we look at the question posed from the beginning, which was "is the case worth $114USD?"  Well, this is one of the best half cases I've come across.  I'm not sure that you could find a better one for the Df.  I didn't really want an l-bracket for it.

I think the MSRP is probably double what I would want to pay new.  $75 seems more right to me.
I'm glad I found this half case at the used price I did.   If a half case is what you want, I can highly recommend this one.  I'll leave it up to you to decide if the price is worth it to you.

Minico Half Case For Olympus PEN-F

Way, way back a few years ago I had the great fortune of being able to meet up with one of the members of a forum I frequent.  Paul from mu-43.com was looking to buy my Olympus EM1.2 and since he was going to be in town we decided to meet and proceed with the sale.

While there, he showed me his Olympus PEN-F and I noticed that he had a half case on his.  We both own the silver and black PEN-F variant.   The topic came up about how the silver finish appears to be a little less durable than the all black and that Paul just got an inexpensive half case to protect the bottom plate of his camera.

From what Isaw, it seemed well made and fit the camera well.  So, I decided to investigate getting a half case of my own.

Scouring Amazon, I found the Minico Half Case for PEN-F.  $13.99USD.
     
How does the Minico half case fair?

First Impression/Unboxing

Taking it out of the packaging, you get the half case and the tripod screw for attaching it to the camera.  An added bonus is that it also comes with a leather-like wrist strap to attach to the neck strap lugs on the camera.  I've never used the wrist strap from this set.

I opted for the dark brown.  I probably would have gotten the black if they had one....but the dark brown is close enough.

The bottom is rigid and covers the entire bottom of the camera.  It has a small door with a metal button clasp to allow access to the battery compartment.

The ports side comes up just a bit but does not obscure the doors of the PEN-F.

On the grip side, the the leather comes up about half way up the grip and wraps around.

There is also an additional tripod socket hole built into the screw that attaches the half case to the camera.

Installation

This is a very simple operation.  Just like up the tripod mount hole at the bottom of the camera with the half case and screw in the supplied bolt.

Feel In Hand

The fit and finish are just fine, especially for only spending $14 on it.

This is my first half case on a digital camera and I was not sure how I was going to like it.  I did like it, with extended use.    My biggest concern would be with the grip section.  It sits reasonable flat, but up enough to enhance the grip on the camera.  I'd still not trust it enough to hold it with one hand with a bigger lens and no wrist strap...but it does enhance and not detract.

The big thing that I wanted it for was protection of the bottom of the camera and it does that without sacrificing handling or access to the battery and memory card compartment.

Final Thoughts

Sometimes you need to spend a decent amount of money to get quality.  In this instance, the $14 was more than sufficient to do what I wanted it to.  Since my goal was really just to protect the camera bottom plate.  If you are looking for something to enhance the handling of add a grip to the front of the camera, then I recommend looking for some other grip attachment or case that has a more pronounced grip section.

However, I will give this case a thumbs up for its intended purpose.