Customer Reviews

Camera Armor Protective Case for Nikon D3 (Black)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The flexible skin stretches over the Nikon D3 while giving access to all areas of the camera. Obscured buttons are labelled which could be handy (I heard other camera armor models don't have this). Also included is an LCD protector, which clips on to the lip below the screen at the back, 'lens armor' which is intended to protect your lens from side impacts, a lens cap lanyard which connects to the lens armor and finally a tripod extender screw.

The good:

- The main armor skin should help avoid minor scrapes of the D3 body and potentially lessen impacts. It doesn't greatly increase the bulk of an already bulky machine but those with small hand-spans may notice a significant difference.

- The lens cap lanyard is something that really should be built into most lenses. I've lost plenty of caps or dropped them and got them dusty, so this is quite handy.

- That D3 label on the front of the camera? Hidden and the body to my mind doesn't look quite as pretty. (Some might consider this to be a negative but I think the more generic a camera looks, the less of a target it will be).

The not so good:

- The lens armor only really fits one of my 4 main lenses and it stops me from reverse-attaching the sunshade for storage.

- The tripod extender tends to tighten on to my tripod plate rather than to the camera. Not such a big problem is you have the right tools to tighten it properly on to the body (E.g. An adjustable spanner).

- The armor skin gets slightly in the way of the on/off dial and some of the dials may take a little longer to access, requiring more pressure to be exerted to get through the skin.

On the whole, anything that can significantly protect an investment such as a D3 is a no-brainer and the camera armor seems to fit the bill. It is well thought out and very reasonably-priced - I'm impressed by the product. However, if you already find holding a D3 a bit of a stretch for your hand, then maybe this product isn't for you as it will exacerbate the problem. Also, some people might not like the slick rubberised feel of the skin, preferring the solid grip of the naked body - I think I'll get used to it.

A word of advice - if you do buy it, consider sitting on a bed or sofa when fitting it over your D3 body and especially over your lens. It would be a sad irony if you ended up dropping and breaking a lens on the hard floor installing something that is intended to prevent exactly that kind of damage!

--- UPDATE ---

Just a quick update a month later - I notice a lot of folk mentioning the dust and lint problem. I haven't seen this yet but that might have something to do with living in a place with high humidity (North Taiwan) and not having a moulting pet (also my camera is either out and about, in a clean backpack or stored away in a dry safe).

One good further positive I've noticed with the camera armor is that it works well with a 'sling' strap where the camera when not in use dangles from the hip. The camera slips and bounces around a lot less on jeans with the armor on than without due to it's rubberised non-slip surface. Also, I'm quite accustomed now to changes in the feel and button access due to the armor.

The most important thing about this is that it fits well and provides very good access to the buttons and dials. There is a solid LCD cover, which is nice. There is also a separate lens protector, but I gave up using that because it was far too bulky. The lens cover also prevents me from using a smaller hip style bag - you can't fit the lens cover into the bag opening. Also, the lens cover prevents your ability to store the sun hood backwards on the lens. Finally, it is a minor pain in the rear to keep putting the lens protector on each different lens. In the end, I just gave up on the lens cover.

The product itself is a fairly sticky rubber that is great for keeping a solid grip on this massive camera. However, that same gripiness also attracts a ton of dirt - even just random lint from sitting in a camera bag.

The largest positive is that it covers up the brandand model information. The last thing you really want is someone knowing you have a big fancy camera - it makes you too much of a target - especially when traveling to other countries.

This will not do much if you drop your camera, but it is invaluable for protecting against bumps and bangs if you have several bodies hanging around your neck.

I would probaly give 3 1/2 stars if I could, but this more of a three star product than it is a four star product - hence, my three star rating.

$25 is a small price to pay to protect your expensive D3 from dings and scratches. The armor adds approximately 7.5 oz of weight to your camera and provides a non-slip grip. It comes with an "optical grade LCD shield" that goes over the screen, which is just a fancy way of saying "clear plastic square piece". The lens armor has a lanyard with an adhesive M-shaped anchor on the end of it to stick onto your lens cap. This is a great idea because I'm sure you've lost a lens cap or two over the years (I know I have), but I wish the anchor surface area were just a tad larger and the string better made. It seems to be just a nylon string looped through and knotted at one end.

The rubber is thickest at the bottom, as you might expect, measuring a quarter of an inch in thickness. It comes with a tripod socket extender because the thick base makes the camera's socket inaccessible otherwise.

As others have noted, this product picks up dust like nobody's business. I accidentally dropped it on the floor while trying to get it out of the box and it came back up covered with specks of dust and lint. The matte texture makes it difficult to wipe off without a wet tissue or cloth. A very good rubber suit, if it weren't for the dust attraction problem.

I often say I don't know what on earth Apple was thinking when it make the back of their iphones and ipod touches super shiny. The instant you touch them they leave oily finger prints and they collect dust from everywhere. Covers are almost mandatory.

Like the ipod, this case does everything it is suppose to - it is a great rubber armored case. It is not difficult to put on, and it has a great snug fit. I suppose to thoroughly review it I should drop the camera a few times and see if it protects it, but...um....no. If I accidentally drop my camera I will report back on how well it worked though. :)

The thing is a dust magnet though, and that isn't easy to clean off of a rubber surface. Just be ready for your camera to look like its had a rough go at things, and you are all set. It is a worthwhile investment to protect your camera investment.

Nikon D3's are not cheap cameras, so the concept of the body armor is a good one. It does fit nicely on the camera, and the grip (for me at least) is improved slightly as well. The main thing I do not like is that it attracts dirt and pet hair as if it was electrostatically charged by the devil himself. If you're out trying to capture shots on a slightly windy day, expect every speck of dirt and dust that comes flying by to cling to your camera armor. The D3 is built like a tank as it is, and in my experience the body of the camera has never attracted dust or dirt, so for me I will probably only use the armor occasionally. However, considering the thousands of dollars you've probably spent on a camera of this caliber, is it worth it to fork out another fifty bucks for some extra protection? I would say yes.

This rubber housing has cut outs for the shutter and selectors on top, but it has buttons that push the screen buttons, replicating them.

While true that the rubber housing improves your grip on the D3, it is also a dirt trap. Somehow dirt finds it way in between the housing and the camera.

The lens protector might not be so bad if you only used one lens, but switching it from one lens to another is a pain, and with the lens protector on, the camera does not fit easily into lens down camera bags.

I cannot recommend this product unless you really have a problem holding onto your D3.

I've used the Nikon D1, D2, and now D3 series cameras and despite the top-of-the-line rugged build quality of these digital cameras I'm always looking for ways to protect my investment. Usually that just means buying expensive camera bags, but when I had the chance to try the "Camera Armor" for the D3 I decided to give it a full field test.

First, the Camera Armor fits very snug to the body of the D3 and provides an excellent grip/feel in your hands. It really does feel like your D3 is wrapped in a sleeve of bulletproof rubber. The armor features cut out sections for the buttons and dials on the camera as well as "wrapped" buttons for pressing controls on the back of the D3X.

One nice thing I like about the Camera Armor is that it covers all the Nikon branding on the camera so people don't come up to me and ask me questions about my camera nearly as much. I think they see the black camera without ant words on it and don't feel comfortable asking about it since they can't say something like, "Is that the new Nikon D3X?" I enjoy not being bothered as much while I'm shooting.

Unfortunately, there are two problems that I encountered while using the Camera Armor. First, some of the rubber areas around the control wheels foul up the movement of the wheels making it difficult to change shutter speed and aperture from time to time. Additionally, some of the buttons on the back of the camera become more difficult to press.

The second and perhaps more annoying problem is that the rubber material seems to "attract" dirt and dust almost like a static electricity magnet. I feel like my D3X got dirtier using the Armor than it did when it was uncovered. This is also troublesome when changing lenses since I don't like the idea of extra dirt/dust around the lens mount while I'm changing lenses.

Bottom line, the Nikon D3 series cameras are very well built and rugged on their own. I can see the value of a product like this if your camera isn't rugged and weather sealed, but on the Nikon D3X it might very well be more trouble than it's worth.

I got this because I have a friend that is accident prone and a bit of a clutz. He's had his D3 for only a few months and has already managed to scratch it up a good bit. Since I put this on for him he's not had any issues.

I've used the camera with the cover on it and it's a bit bulky and with it but a little getting used to it and you on track. I actually like the feel of the camera with the nice soft rubber casing. Make it seem a little more comfortable in my big hands and easier to hold.

It leave plenty of room around the mounting area for lenses so switching lenses isn't an issue and if anything I find it easire to hold the camera with the cover on. Battery door access is a little funny but nothing I and my friend haven't gotten used to.

No one likes a scratched up camera and this is a great item to prevent that. Also it can help your resale value stay higher because you wont have any scratches or marks. When it comes time for you to upgrade it's just one extra thing to help you sell you older body at a higher value to the next person so they can enjoy it just as much as you have.

This is a nice, useful camera case, albeit with a few drawbacks. According to the package, the case "offers rugged protection for your Nikon D3," and it does live up to this claim. Its silicone body armor "improves grip and does not impede access to grips and control ports." Its lens armor "fits most lenses." I found all of the above to be true. If you don't mind the sheer bulk of the item, then it's a decent addition to protect your Nikon.

As other reviewers have mentioned, the case attracts dust. Not sure whether it's the color (black) or material (rubbery), or both, but it does get dusty fast. But although I'm not about to crash test the case and camera together, I have confidence that the protection for the latter is more than adequate. Comes with a lifetime warrantry.

This camera case is made of silicone body armor which gives a good grip while holding the camera and also access the camera buttons and ports easily. Camera goes inside very well and has a LCD shield which protects the camera from scratches. It has a neat instruction booklet which helps to install the camera armor case with the camera. It will definitely protect the camera in rough conditions. Camera looks huge with the camera armor case. Just we need a little practice using the camera controls with the armor otherwise it gives very good protection for the camera.