Viva Luigi!!! My D-LUX 4 case! **TONS OF PICS!!!**

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So my Luigi case is here....and boy was it worth it! First of all....Luigi is an absolute pleasure to deal with. Not only that, he produced my case in amazing time...and it arrived to my door her in the U.S. in less than 2 weeks from the time I ordered it.

For those of you who think that a case like this is overpriced...you could not be more wrong. The craftsmanship involved in this case has to be seen to be believed. And the smell...oooohhh my!

FWIW, one of my other hobbies is watches...and there are some aftermarket watch strap makers who charge MORE for a watch strap, than Luigi charges for this case. Considering that there is probably 10 times the amount of leather and 10 times the amount of work in a Luigi...I'd say that the Luigi case is a steal!

Back to the case...I will let the pictures speak for themselves. I chose the Rally leather and asked Luigi to use black stitching and to do the edge coat in black as well. I love the accent of black with the darker, more rustic looking Rally leather. I could not be more happy with my choice.

I am also glad to have added the accessory pouch that Luigi did to match. It holds an extra batter and SD card perfectly! And thanks to Luigi for talking me into the neck strap. This thing is amazingly soft and looks great. And the manner in which Luigi made it removable is pure genius! Not to mention that the accessory pouch fits on to it perfectly.

All in all...you can't do better than this IMHO. Enjoy the pics!

RIDE

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drool!
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Best,

Grey in NC
-C Lux 1, D Lux 4, Nikon D80 w/ assorted bits

mullman said:

drool!
--
Best,

Grey in NC
-C Lux 1, D Lux 4, Nikon D80 w/ assorted bits

Click to expand...

no kidding.

Yes,
I have dealt with Luigi, and his stuff is first class. A truly Italian artisan.

Cadder

Thats a GOOD lookin case....

so much better than putting a poor fitting Panny Lx3 case on !

Enjoy !

Great looking pix Ride.

Tell us about the feel of the case and grip when using the controls, composing and shooting.

By the way, how easy (difficult) is it to take the camera in and out of the case?

Does the narrow dividing strap on the back interfere with the controls and LCD? Do you think that strip is necessary?

The tripod screw appears to protrude slightly. Does the protrusion prevent the camera from standing stably?

How, if at all, are you going to protect the exposed parts of the camera?

I understand that your case is a Luigi prototype... Is there any change you would suggest?

What was the total cost you paid to get this little beauty?

Thanks,

John

Ride said:

--
So my Luigi case is here....and boy was it worth it! First of
all....Luigi is an absolute pleasure to deal with. Not only that, he
produced my case in amazing time...and it arrived to my door her in
the U.S. in less than 2 weeks from the time I ordered it.

For those of you who think that a case like this is overpriced...you
could not be more wrong. The craftsmanship involved in this case has
to be seen to be believed. And the smell...oooohhh my!

FWIW, one of my other hobbies is watches...and there are some
aftermarket watch strap makers who charge MORE for a watch strap,
than Luigi charges for this case. Considering that there is probably
10 times the amount of leather and 10 times the amount of work in a
Luigi...I'd say that the Luigi case is a steal!

Back to the case...I will let the pictures speak for themselves. I
chose the Rally leather and asked Luigi to use black stitching and to
do the edge coat in black as well. I love the accent of black with
the darker, more rustic looking Rally leather. I could not be more
happy with my choice.

I am also glad to have added the accessory pouch that Luigi did to
match. It holds an extra batter and SD card perfectly! And thanks
to Luigi for talking me into the neck strap. This thing is amazingly
soft and looks great. And the manner in which Luigi made it
removable is pure genius! Not to mention that the accessory pouch
fits on to it perfectly.

All in all...you can't do better than this IMHO. Enjoy the pics!

RIDE

Click to expand...

Very nice looking stuff. How much did all that cost you (including shipping)?
And how long did it take for delivery once ordered.

I would one made in red leather with black stitching for my V-Lux 1. Does Mr. Luigi make it?

Kind regards.

Thanks John and others for your comments.

Let me answer your questions:

Q: Tell us about the feel of the case and grip when using the controls, composing and shooting.

A: The case feels great and shooting with the grip is superb! The case makes shooting much more easy for me and I love how it all feels in my hand.

Q: By the way, how easy (difficult) is it to take the camera in and out of the case?

A: The case fits quite snug...and it takes a bit of effort to remove the camera. BUT...that is likely by design and as the case breaks in, I imagine that this process will become easier while the fit still remaining snug. Also keep in mind...that the tripod screw eliminates any chance of the camera ever coming out by mistake.

Q: Does the narrow dividing strap on the back interfere with the controls and LCD? Do you think that strip is necessary?

A: As for the strip interfering....I say only slightly, but certainly more than no case at all. Some may find it a slight bother...but for me it's not enough to be obtrusive. The protection the case provides is certainly a worthy trade off.

I also asked Luigi why he added this divider strip on the D-LUX 4 case and here is what he said:

"The strap strand that remains on the upper rear side is already tiny, and I preferred to (say) interrupt his length leaving the tiny vertical strip, too. But, upon request I can eliminate it, with still acceptably good results.

What I gather from that is that the strip provides some additional structural rigidity to the case. I decided to have Luigi leave it. Since he is the expert, I felt that his experience meant that he was steering me in the right direction.

Q: The tripod screw appears to protrude slightly. Does the protrusion prevent the camera from standing stably?

A: Actually the tripod screw once screwed into the camera...does not protrude in the slightest. Hence, it does not effect the camera from standing on it's own. The pics you may be referring to are the ones in which the camera is out of the case. Either way...the screw is totally flush and out of the way. Again..VERY well designed Luigi!

Q: How, if at all, are you going to protect the exposed parts of the camera?

A: Not sure just yet. I am also not sure if I will be using the neck strap all the time or not. With the neck strap on...I am not sure how it will fit into another case. Either way...I actually like how the case protects the camera enough to keep it safe, but it also allows me the ability to shoot quickly if need be. But I may keep my eyes peeled for a case similar to the mini Crumpler case I used before. I may also give some time to the neck strap before switching over to my wrist strap for a bit.

Q: I understand that your case is a Luigi prototype... Is there any change you would suggest?

A: I believe that this is the final product now. The initial one on his site was a proto as he did not have the D-LUX 4 yet. I think that this is his final production piece now. As for improvements...I can not think of any other than someone making the choice to eliminate that divider strip on the back between the screen and controls. But as stated before...I decided to go with the master's recommendation.

Q: What was the total cost you paid to get this little beauty?

A: The case was $260 and the additional pouch and expedited shipping brought my grand total to $325. VERY well worth it IMHO...in fact, it's a steal given the amount of workmanship that went into it.

Someone also asked how long it took...and as I mentioned in my original post, it took almost exactly 14 days from the time I paid, until the day it showed up on my front porch. Simply incredible!

I will try to give more impressions of the case as I use it!

Cheers,

RIDE

I would like to order one of these but after going to Luigi's site, eBay would be way more easy. I would like one but getting the price and getting it converted to $$$ and asking for a longer neck strap is not near as easy. I guess I will email Luigi today.

--
Greg Gebhardt in
Jacksonville, Florida

Greg Gebhardt said:

I would like to order one of these but after going to Luigi's site,
eBay would be way more easy. I would like one but getting the price
and getting it converted to $$$ and asking for a longer neck strap is
not near as easy. I guess I will email Luigi today.

--
Greg Gebhardt in
Jacksonville, Florida

Click to expand...

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Greg,

It's actually really easy to deal with Luigi...certainly no harder than using eBay. Add in your ability to communicate exactly what you want...and it's a no brainer.

And the money conversion is simple as pie as well. http://www.xe.com is your friend.

Then again, if you just want a basic case...nothing extra or special required...I am sure that eBay would be great.

RIDE

I'm glad you got your case. It looks great. Strangely, I have emailed Luigi twice in the last 2 weeks asking to purchase a case and have received no response. What email address did you use?
--
Tom R

treusse said:

I'm glad you got your case. It looks great. Strangely, I have emailed
Luigi twice in the last 2 weeks asking to purchase a case and have
received no response. What email address did you use?
--
Tom R

Click to expand...

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Hey Tom,

Not sure why you did not get a response from Luigi. I know that he is super busy, so I'd suggest trying him again. I use the email from his website: Luigi Crescenzi - [email protected]

Good luck!

RIDE

Viva indeed!

That hand-crafted case is a work of art . . .

Congrats.

--
Vaya con Dios.

imo
(c) fastglass

I love the look and fit of this case, but I was wondering.....

Why doesnt it have a flap that comes over the front and covers the front and the lens...Like the Lumix case.....

I do not like the fit of the lumix case...but I do like the design...

--Beautiful case !

Did you purposefully mimic the optional Leica handhold on the case for a
better grip or does Luigi make the case for both the Leica and Panny LX3?

Par70 said:

I love the look and fit of this case, but I was wondering.....

Why doesnt it have a flap that comes over the front and covers the
front and the lens...Like the Lumix case.....

Click to expand...

I'm sure Luigi would make one of these if requested. I have a full eveready case that Luigi made for my LX2.

Par70 said:

I do not like the fit of the lumix case...but I do like the design...

Click to expand...

I like the design too, but I've never actually held one. What don't you like about the fit?

--

• markE

http://www.pbase.com/marke

'Good street/wildlife photography is a controlled accident,
a vision of preparation and surrender materialized.'

markE said:

I like the design too, but I've never actually held one. What don't
you like about the fit?

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• markE

Click to expand...

I'm sure it fits the Lx3, but it doesn't really fit the Leica well.......

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1038&message=30034385

Par70 said:

I'm sure it fits the Lx3, but it doesn't really fit the Leica
well.......

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1038&message=30034385

Click to expand...

Oh yes, I understand. I think someone (in that thread?) mentioned the idea of filling in the void within the case (where the LX3's grip sits) with something else. Personally, I would try to fabricate a piece, probably something like Luigi would do, that would be semi-permanent. One thing I like about that case is the finished edges. I think they're rolled over, where as Luigi uses some other method.

I also notice how this case doesn't come up as high near the camera top. I'm curious how the back of the case looks and how the camera is secured in the case.
--

• markE

http://www.pbase.com/marke

'Good street/wildlife photography is a controlled accident,
a vision of preparation and surrender materialized.'

Par70 said:

I love the look and fit of this case, but I was wondering.....

Why doesnt it have a flap that comes over the front and covers the
front and the lens...Like the Lumix case.....

I do not like the fit of the lumix case...but I do like the design...

Click to expand...

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Actually Luigi can do the full version...but I did not opt for it. It just seemed like a bit too much. But it does look amazing, and can easily be done.

RIDE

springerfever said:

--Beautiful case !

Did you purposefully mimic the optional Leica handhold on the case for a
better grip or does Luigi make the case for both the Leica and Panny
LX3?

Click to expand...

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Yes...Luigi has been making this design for other Leicas for a while now. You can opt for a version with no grip...but Luigi's design is so well executed that it is a must have. He does make an LX3 case...and it will fit the OEM grip perfectly as well.

And as I have said before...the Leica handgrip will set you back close to $100. Apply that against the cost of the case...and the Luigi is a bargain.

RIDE