No access to recording controls without completely opening
By Mike
Rated 2 out of 5
Date: 2023-03-10
Given that this comes with a shoulder strap and a belt clip, I'd assumed that it could actually, ya know, be used with a shoulder strap and a belt clip.
Perhaps that's my mistake.
The sides of this case are made up of a non-removable piece of fabric, secured by 2 sets of non-removeable parallel zippers (1 set on each side) that meet in the bottom middle.
The middle of that piece of fabric is one long zipper track 2 zippers, used to open a flap that can access the playback controls and the headphone controls.
I (wrongly) assumed that since it covers the area for the recording controls, has a zipper, and since the F3 is, ya know, a field recorder, I could use it to unzip a slot through which I could access the recording control/hold switch.
Nope.
Because, for whatever reason, they decided to sew that track shut on the inside, starting right below the switch. So the track goes all the way up, but the zipper stops at the seam.
So, while you have super convenient access to the playback controls, accessing the recording switch requires completely opening that entire side of the case.
Because, you know, on a field recorder, it's the playback controls that you care most about having convenient access to.
But, somehow, it manages to get worse.
You see the pictures where the use hook/loop fasteners to stick the side flap cleanly to the bottom? That's done by way of two fasteners on one bottom corner that adhere to a fastener on the top of the flap.
That's right. One bottom corner. And guess which side that corner is on.
The flap covering the playback controls (you know, the things you could access already because they didn't sew the access window shut in the first place) can be cleanly adhered to the bottom.
The fasteners for the recording control side flap are on the inside of the playback control side flap.
That means that to secure the recording control side flap cleanly to the bottom, instead of leaving it dangling, you need to either open both flaps and secure them both to the bottom or unzip the recording side flap just the right amount (no more, no less), bend it the other way (creating an unsightly loop), and stick it on the fasteners that are clearly meant for the flap from the other side.
I'm honestly not sure which is better. Meanwhile, they've given you no less than 2 ways to cleanly access the playback controls.
I initially gave this 3 stars, but as I thought more about it, I decided it's not worth that many.
This a $90 case for a field recorder.
Ideally, they wouldn't be sewing over any of the zipper tracks, but, if they're going to, the priority on a field recorder should be the recording controls. Especially when the playback controls already have a fastener for their side flap to adhere cleanly to the bottom.
Similarly, who would it have hurt to put fasteners on both bottom corners so the flaps could be stuck there independently?
Heck, I'd have even accepted a removeable bottom/side portion so I could take it off and flip it around.
Something.
I'd expect, and even tolerate, these kind of I've clearly never used this product in my life, but I'm going to design an accessory for it design flaws in $20, $30, maybe even $40 cases. But $90?! Come on.
And overemphasis of playback controls compared to recording controls isn't even the only problem, just the worst one.
Other decisions that are completely unacceptable in a $90 case:
-There are no instructions;. At all. If you can't figure out on on your own how to put the F3 in it (good luck), your only option is a single YouTube video from Orca themselves. The video caps out at 720p, is poorly lit, never zooms in or switches to overhead shots, and features an individual who doesn't seem to realize that the camera doesn't zoom in or switch to overhead shots.
At one point, he shows you how to secure the F3 to the case with hook/loop fasteners on the posts of the F3, but it's angled in a way that you can clearly see what he's doing, especially since it's black on black with poor lighting and fairly low resolution.
To me, it looked like he was unhooking and securing them to the inside. It wasn't until I spent a minute or 2 trying to do the same that I found that it was actually the 2 tabs secured to the back that I should've been using.
If I hadn't seen that video in the first place, I wouldn't have even known where to begin.
Again, I'd expect and tolerate that in a $20/$30 case, but not a $90 one. Like with everything else, there's absolutely no excuse.
-It bows forward when on the strap.
The loops the strap clips to are near the center, rather than the edge, which means, physics wise, it's going to bow, rather than lay flush.
It's not my preference, it's going to make operation a little more difficult, but it was shown in the picture of the man wearing it, so I was prepared for it.
However, what makes it mind-boggling is that it didn't need to be that way.
Upon getting it in hand, I found (as mentioned earlier) there's a hook/loop fastener that's used to secure the flaps to the bottom.
And those fasteners clearly started as folded over loops that were sewn shut.
If they hadn't sewn them shut, they could've been used as the connection point for the strap, which would've prevented bowing by virtue of them being on the very top and very far sides.
If the flaps are closed, you could use the plastic connecter on the zippers that secure the flaps to the same effect, but that carries the little problem I mentioned earlier of loosing access to the recording/hold switch. But, hey, you could still use the playback controls in that configuration (because we all know that's the crucial control panel of a field recorder).
It's these types of things where they have so many opportunities but just keep building bad decision upon bad decision that demonstrate the complete lack of care one expects from a $20-$30 case, but has no place in a $90 one.
-The composition of the case & accessories leaves a lot to be desired.
I know the $90 I paid for this case wasn't for R&D or product testing, or every other issue I mentioned wouldn't exist.
So it would be really nice to at least be able to say At least it was for materials.
But, once again, when given the opportunity to help me justify this thing's existence at a $90 price point, they choose not to.
Everything other than the zippers, zipper tracks, and the 4 posts is either fabric or plastic.
There is no additional bracing beyond those 4 posts. Everything else is extremely flexible.
I don't even know if there's any plastic under the hook/look fasteners on the back plate, but it bends really easily.
There's absolutely nothing besides fabric connecting the 4 metal posts--not even a sturdy plastic. If you apply even a little pressure to any part of this case that isn't on one of the posts, it flexes really easily.
The claim that there's a Rigid aluminum internal frame for maximum protection is, at best, misleading, and, at worst, an outright lie. I certainly wouldn't consider 4 parallel corner posts to be a frame.
I'd be extremely surprised if that so-called frame offered any protection at all, let alone maximum protection.
Would it really have been that expensive, especially at this price point, to run perpendicular posts as well & create something that actually can be honestly described as a frame?
Or added metal bracing to the removeable backplate?
Or even made the belt & shoulder strap clips metal?
Something to make it feel like some care and thought went into this $90 case.
SOMETHING that makes it feel like I didn't buy a $30 case designed by someone who's clearly never used an F3 in their own case (or even care enough to hand it someone who does use an F3 if they can't be bothered, despite feeling a need to design a case for it) & merely expected their brand name & prior work to excuse this absolute disgrace of a $90 wrong turn after wrong turn after wrong turn product.
There are a bunch of things they could've done here. From design to manufacture, the sky was the limit. And, at every single turn, they couldn't be bothered. Even something as simple as an instruction manual telling you how to attach it to the F3 was too much effort for them.
All around, this was a bare minimum effort at a much higher than bare minimum price.
