I really enjoy taking photos with Panasonic Lumix GF1 and I think it deserves a case that gives good protection, fits nicely, and blends well with its body color (in my case, it is white). So after one full day of browsing the entire web, my head was so packed with so many unclosed browser tabs, and even until now I haven’t decided which case should I get for my GF1! Not as simple as I had thought, turns out that there are so many options ranging from half-case, full case, skin guard, etc. You can start searching from search engines (obviously), but here’s what I recommend: stop googling and open eBay! Or if you do enjoy googling that much, pay special attention to links that point directly to Forum Discussion, e.g. photographer’s community & Micro 4/3 forums. That should help.

Yeah, that should help you waste tons of time (like I did) and going back & forth in Google Translate (as many of these resources are Japanese & Korean website). So finally I decided to compile a huge list of Panasonic Lumix GF1’s accessories, hope it helps especially for newcomers that might have been confused as well :-)

If you think these list are not covering much, then please…feel free to share them in comments! I am always open for interesting stuff around GF1. In the meantime, hopefully i can cover other types of accessories too, but as for now let’s focus on the most important part after purchasing your GF1, which is the camera protection.

“What options do I have before buying camera cases/skin guard/bags for my Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1?” Well, after reading this you’ll have at least 18 choices. Let’s take a look.

PART I – CAMERA CASES

1. Lumix GF1 Original Half-Case & Full-Case for Both Pancake & 14-45mm Lens

PRICE: For both, vary from USD$154 – USD$200 (+shipping) | MODEL: Half-Case (DMW-CGB1) & Full-Case (DMW-CGL1 / DMW-CGL2) | COLOR AVAILABILITY: Black, Beige

The original cases from manufacturer should be your first consideration. In Indonesia, the half-case is available at JPC Kemang for IDR 595.000,- while the full case will cost around IDR 650.000,- This is actually a pretty good deal to me, but the only thing that hesitate me is the color. Too bad they only have BLACK stock available. The cheapest i’ve discovered around the web is CAD$39.99 for half-case and CAD$59.99 for full case (not really sure either, how come the Canadians got so lucky?)

Anyway in eBay, prices range vary between USD $59 – USD $84 for the HALF-case and USD $79 – USD $99.50 for the FULL-case. That makes total $154-$200 for both of two cases! And I do think somehow it’s overpriced because in Indonesia i could get both for only IDR 1.050.000… That equals USD $116.5 (More reference on currency converter). Weird huh?

2. The Cheapest & The Most Common Lumix GF1 (Imitation) Leather Case

Yes these cases are everywhere! Try this query search on eBay and you’ll find cases like this in prices vary between $17-$34 (the cheapest model of all)

It doesn’t look bad at all, actually. If you’re in a tight budget who needs something that fits right into your camera & you don’t really care if it’s full case or half case, then i think this is it.

Anyway, the second one, the most common model that is said to be “Ever-ready Full Case for GF1” still varies between $23, $56, and the most expensive ones around $122 (wtf, hard to distinct each of them since the pics looked very similar, although this one has “Genuine Leather” written on it). Anyone have experience with these two types? From one single look I must say that the first (cheaper) one looks “prettier” than the ever-ready type. This one just seems.. too.. big & bulky to me, even the red & white version! Hmm, I don’t know.. Maybe it feels good in hand?

3. Ciesta Leather Case for Panasonic GF1

PRICE: USD $119.9 (Free Shipping Worldwide) | COLOR AVAILABILITY: Black, White, Dark Brown, Brown, Deep Red | SHIPPED FROM: Korea

Have I told you that my baby GF1 is white? Well this is the reason I hand-picked this case and put it on top of the others :-) I’ve always wondered how would a white GF1 look like when matched with a white casing too. Would it look weird? too plain? Or maybe should I go with contrast color (anything besides white) for its casing, like red, black, etc? But at a glance, I think Ciesta did a wonderful job! I like this one, but I’m still looking for comparison of other gorgeous casing below $100. As for mix & match, in my opinion this would be the best composition if you have a white GF1:

• White body + Deep Red casing (or maybe pink!),
• White body + Dark Brown/Chocolate, and
• White body + Beige casing (just like the original DMW-CGB1)

4. JnK Handwork Leathers – Half Case for Panasonic GF1

PRICE: USD $165 (Free Shipping Worldwide) | MODEL: Type A & Type B (eBay links) | COLOR AVAILABILITY: Oil Brown, Oil Wine, Red, Black, Brown, Wine Brown, Natural Beige, Olive Green, Dakota Black, Dakota Choco, Dakota Tan, Dakota Mint | SHIPPED FROM: Korea

Yes, this is by far the one that has the broadest color options! Very creative. JnK handworks are buzzing as “HOT ITEMS” everywhere, especially in forums. And I also heard that it got pretty good reviews. So if you’re looking for half-case with unique colors & premium leather, and you have the budget (this is important ), I’d definitely say go for it!

5. Aki Asahi Leather Snap Case for GF1

MODEL & PRICE: Hand dyed case (USD $98) and Color Leather case (USD $88) | COLOR AVAILABILITY: Dark Tan / Light Tan, Flat Black, Black Crinkle, Flat Camel, Light Camel, Navy Blue Crinkle, Light Blue | SHIPPED FROM: Japan

Go to their website, it’s all there. It says, “Shipping & Handling fee is $3 US (Three US dollars) for One delivery/One order, via Registered Airmail (Priority mail) to anywhere in the world.” And another info about the colors, fun thing that you could actually choose stitch color form White, Black, Red, Yellow, Green, Dark Brown! This is truly one high candidate for me since the price is more friendly than the previous option :-)

6. Hakuba Strap + Leather Camera Case Set for GF1

PRICE: ¥5,103 – ¥6,200 (Rakuten) or US $82.99 (eBay) | COLOR AVAILABILITY: White, Brown, Red, Black, Pink Tone, Purple Tone | SHIPPED FROM: Japan

Another great option here, with a lower price! Found this one in Rakuten. In case you haven’t know, Rakuten is no.1 marketplace in Japan with thousands of participating shops (exactly Japan’s eBay). It also says that international shipping fees will be charged by each store on an individual base and then the buyer will be informed by e-mail, so i’m not really sure yet how much will it cost for a shipping to Indonesia. I’ll go back to this site later.

7. Capdase Genuine Leather Case for GF1 Prime Lens & Zoom Lens

PRICE: $65.65 – $72.51 (eBay) | MODEL: For Prime Lens, for Zoom Lens | COLOR AVAILABILITY: Black | SHIPPED FROM: Hongkong

Strangely, this case is oftenly not mentioned as “Capdase” in eBay, but instead they just named it “Real Leather Case for Panasonic GF1″, or “Genuine Leather Case for Panasonic GF1 Prime Lens”. And usually it’s more expensive too. But overall, actually I am looking for this type of case! Half case, check. Top lens cover in a lens-shaped (circle), check. But why only produce such thing in black? Beige version must be looking really good instead, hehe.

8. Clay Smith Leather Half-Case for GF1

PRICE: ¥13,980 – ¥14,800 tax incl. (around US$168!) | COLOR AVAILABILITY: Pink, Black, Brown, Beige, Chocolate | SHIPPED FROM: Japan (Rakuten)

Now, now.. even though I am so tempted seeing this White vs Pink (THEY MATCH PERFECT! don’t they?) images, but let’s move on. For me the price is a bit off the hook. Same level with the JnK handworks. I really think for a case over $100 they should at least create its Top Lens Cover as well…. :-(

9. Grab shot GF1 Enbosureza Case

PRICE: ¥12,600 ~ USD $144 ~ IDR 1,290,000 | COLOR AVAILABILITY: Hand-dyed Pink (with Emboss) | SHIPPED FROM: Japan

10. GF1 Leather Half-Case ChiifCameras

PRICE: SGD $88 ~ USD $64.5! | COLOR AVAILABILITY: Olive, Dark Brown, Black | SHIPPED FROM: Singapore

I am actually interested on this one. Looks like it has decent build quality, with fine-looking leather, and it’s not as expensive as the other. One thing that makes me curious is the back view, they never displayed it! And maybe it is cheaper because no straps in the bundle. Well, not a big problem for me. Panasonic’s original strap is also good for your neck. Hmm..perhaps i should email the store directly just to find the answer of the back view?

PART II – SKIN GUARD

11. Gariz Skin Guard for Lumix GF1

PRICE: 27,000 won (KRW/South Korea Won) ~ USD $22.785 ~ IDR 205,000 | COLOR AVAILABILITY: As seen orderly from the 1st row : Carbon Gold, Flora Gold, Flora Silver, Carbon Silver | SHIPPED FROM: Korea

What do you think? Pretty awesome right! Seeing this one is really different than the others.. A unique & cheaper way to “pimp your GF1″! :-) But you have to make sure you also own a full-case too, because this won’t 100% protect your lovely girlfriend (GF, i think that’s what GF stands for. GF~GirlFriend, hahaa) from any shock/scratch damage.

12. SGP Skin Guard for Lumix GF1

PRICE: $15.99 | PATTERN: White (only in eBay?), Deep Black, Carbon | SHIPPED FROM: Korea, Hongkong, Singapore

PART III – CAMERA BAGS

13. Gariz Leather Shoulder Bag (Small) for EP1 GF1

PRICE: US$ 125.99 | MODEL: CB-LZS | COLOR AVAILABILITY: Brown | SHIPPED FROM: Korea

THIS ONE ACTUALLY LOOKS GOOD! Sleek, exclusive leatherette, and if you think you’ll need a bigger one, they have it too! Check this out:

14. Gariz Leather Shoulder Bag (Medium) for EP1 GF1

PRICE: US $209.99 (Free Shipping) | MODEL: CB-LZM | COLOR AVAILABILITY: Brown | SHIPPED FROM: Korea

15. ACME MADE Camera Bags

MODEL & PRICE: The Lunch Bag (IDR 368.000) and Stella Bag (IDR 385.000) | COLOR AVAILABILITY: Black, White, Brown, Deep Red | SHIPPED FROM:

16. BUILT Soft Shell Camera Case Large

PRICE: US$30.00 | COLOR AVAILABILITY: Pink, Polkadot | SHIPPED FROM: Also available in Takashimaya B1 Singapore

17. GF1 Suono Case

PRICE: ¥4,950 | COLOR AVAILABILITY: Lots of choices of colors & patterns | SHIPPED FROM: Japan

Hmm.. sorry to say but i think this one is too ‘ordinary’. Looks like its thin material gives no protection at all (just saying..)

18. GF1 Lumix Hard Case (Special Roads)

PRICE: ¥34,650 (+1,650 shipping!) ~ IDR 3,586,000 (+IDR 170,000 shipping) | COLOR AVAILABILITY: Light Brown with Floral Emboss Pattern | SHIPPED FROM: Japan

So i guess this is the last one my list, and also, the most expensive of all! Are you kidding me $300++ for a camera case that won’t even fit more than 1 lens? Better go pre-order your Xbox 360^® 4GB Console with Kinect Sensor + Kinect Adventures, $299 a bundle! :-)

[Disclaimer: All prices are subject to July 2010's googling, it is NOT occasionally updated. If you have anything to add/correct/share, please give your thoughts in comment section below.]