After the disaster with the previous Sony NEX-5N case that I purchased, I decided to go straight to the Sony branded case this time. I decided not to go with the leather case due to the price and instead went with this semi-soft padded case. This is a more traditional styled carrying case for the Sony NEX-5N and doesn’t require me to attach anything to the camera itself. The case itself is constructed of polyurethane and features a padded interior. The case is kept shut with the use of a fairly heavy duty zipper and includes a separate pouch that you can use to carry the optional flash unit and/or extra battery.
The Sony LCS-BBF is not a large case. It is big enough to only hold your NEX-5N with the 18-55mm kit lens or any smaller lens attached to your camera. With the camera inserted into the case, there is just enough room left to hold the optional pouch for your flash or extra batteries. It’s pretty snug. There is a specific way that Sony tell you to pack your camera and pouch as you can see from the above image and it requires you again to reverse the lens hood. However, if you play around with the positioning of the pouch and the way you place your camera into the bag, it is possible to hold both items in there and not have to reverse the lens hood. It’s also possible to hold the NEX-5N with the flash attached in the bag, although I don’t really advise doing that as I’m always worried about accidentally maybe snapping the flash backwards and breaking it.
As I said above, the LCS-BBF is padded. The padding is fairly thick and should be able to take some light bumps and drops. The main reason for the case however is for easy transport and to keep your NEX-5N protected from dirt, dust, and scratches. Obviously if you need something really heavy duty, I’d probably go with another case, but for everyday casual use, this case works great especially if you are only using the kit lens or something smaller.
Of note, if you are using a neck strap with the NEX-5N, it can be a bit of a pain trying to fit the camera and neck strap into the case, especially if you are also using the optional flash/battery pouch. For me, I ended up just not using the neck strap on my NEX-5N anymore and replacing it with a simple wrist strap that I had from an older Sony compact digital camera. This made it much simpler to get my camera in and out of the case. The included shoulder strap for the LCS-BBF is a bit flimsy and thin in my opinion. It’s very usable and I don’t think it would break, but I just didn’t like how narrow the straps were. I ended up replacing the strap with a much better Domke neck strap that I was originally using on the NEX-5N.
The Sony LCS-BBF is available in 4 different colors if you can find them. The most common color is the black one. Sony has the case listed for $29.99 although I got it cheaper on Amazon. I do recommend the case if you want something simple for your NEX-5N that is small and protective. It may not have a lot of extra room or pockets for additional accessories, but for a casual going out bag where you know you will not need to carry a charger or cables, it is a great case.
