In this post, I’ll unbox and review the Russian-made GoPro leather case by New Woodman. I also include a few shooting tips at the end of the post.
Update January 26, 2020: The New Woodman company appears to have gone out of business. I can’t find their products anywhere and their site has been down for many months.
If you’re still looking for a leather GoPro case, you might consider this one by Telesin. It comes in Black for the Hero8, and in both black and brown for the Hero5, 6 and 7.
I should mention that case by Telesin is much less expensive than the case that was made by New Woodman.
Okay now on to the full review.
This is a small leather camera case that makes it possible to wear your GoPro around your neck or over your shoulder.
Here’s a video that shows the case being made.
Table of Contents
Video of the New Woodmen GoPro Leather Case
Watch on YouTube via New Woodman
About the GoPro Leather Case by New Woodman
- Material: Leather (0.8mm thick) handcrafted
- Stitching: Güterman thread
- Price: USD$72 (+$8 worldwide delivery)
- Leather cases to fit: 6 versions to fit the following models: GoPro Hero5 Black, Hero4 Black, Hero4 Black with LCD bacpac, Hero4 Silver, Hero3, Hero3 with LCD bacpac.
- Removable lens ships with Hero3 and Hero4 models.
- Colors: Black and brown
- See the full selection at newwoodman.com (site has gone offline, November 2019)
Now let’s get into the unboxing.
New Woodman GoPro Leather Case Unboxing
The leather camera case shipped from the city of Perm, Russia and came very well packaged. It was inside a large bubble envelope, rolled up in layers of bubble wrap, and neatly tucked in a custom wooden box.
The GoPro leather case and leather shoulder strap were in separate compartments inside the wooden box. The presentation made me feel like I was getting a quality product.
The shoulder strap attaches to the GoPro camera case with little metal buckles. They were easy to put together.
My GoPro Hero5 Black fit easily inside the case. The two snaps on the bottom of the case are easy to open/close, and feel sturdy.
What I Like About This GoPro Leather Case
It seems like there is no end to GoPro mounting options. But up till now, I haven’t been able to carry and use it like a “normal” camera.
My Hero5 Black takes great quality stills and the wide angle lens is awesome for landscapes. So the normality of this little case is big for me.
7 Things I Love About This GoPro Leather Case
Here are some things I love about it:
- I love leather. A little black GoPro leather case for my Hero5 Black is a wonderful addition to my other mounts and accessories.
- The case and camera are really light. It’s hardly noticeable (as far as weight goes) hanging around my neck.
- The normal factor. I’m used to having a DSLR around my neck. This case makes the GoPro feel more “normal” when compared to walking around with it on the end of an extend pole (which is what I was doing).
- It’s convenient and comfortable. With the camera hanging around my neck in it’s little leather case my hands are free, but the camera is right there, easy to grab and get the shot. It’s light and tiny.
- The leather shoulder strap is adjustable. It’s a good length and can be worn around the neck, over the shoulder, or across the body. Although it may be difficult for a larger person (or because of bulky clothing) to wear it across the body. When I asked my husband to try (he’s 6’3″) it wasn’t big enough.
- It’s is a quality product. This GoPro leather case is handmade. It’s embossed and has an artisan look and feel.
- It seems very durable. Leather lasts and just looks better with age.
What Isn’t Perfect About This Leather GoPro Case
There’s always room for improvement right? Here are some of my thoughts.
Access to the touch screen. The window is a little too small, the leather gets in the way when I want to review photos and video clips. But it’s pretty easy to flip up and access the full screen.- Access to the battery, micro SD and USB-C port. While the camera is in it’s case you can’t access anything. So you can’t change the battery, or plug it into a battery bank. But again, this isn’t like other mounts, it’s super easy to open and access whatever you need. And it’s not like I’m going to shoot an extended timelapse with it, it’s basically meant to be used as a point and shoot, or for short video clips. Read about how to make your GoPro battery last longer.
- No mounting options. It would be nice to be able to mount the camera to a tripod while inside the case. If the case were a little bigger it could house the camera inside its skeleton housing. The snaps could be on the top and there could be a small hole at the bottom where a universal tripod mount could stick out. As is the camera has to be removed from the case, put in another case, and then mounted again. I’ll be using the case as-is, but this adjustment would make it more convenient.
- A longer strap. A longer shoulder strap for larger people would be great. It’s more secure to wear a camera across your body, and it doesn’t hang in your face when you bend over.
My Overall Impression (+ 4 Shooting Tips)
I really like this GoPro leather case. It’s small, convenient to use, and well made. It’s my new go-to GoPro accessory.
4 Tips for Shooing with the GoPro Leather Case
Here are a couple of easy tips for shooting with the GoPro leather case.
Enable one button control on your GoPro. That will help you save on battery and make it easy to get the shot or video clip you want. Short press the shutter to power up and start shooting video, long press to power up and start shooting pictures.- Set your camera to photo time lapse mode. It can be tricky to get crisp images while hand holding a GoPro. With your camera set to timelapse you’ll get a number of shots of the same scene. Try to stand as still as you can. Some will be blurry due to camera shake when you press the shutter, but others will be crisp. I set mine to take a shot every 2 seconds and I let it take at least three shots of each scene.
- Use two hands – two index fingers and two thumbs. That sounds weird, but it works. It will help with stability (reducing camera shake) and with keeping your other six fingers from photo bombing your shot. Just remember to keep those other fingers tucked behind the case, like a fist.
- Squat. Squatting down and resting your elbows on your knees can help you get a steady crisp shot. It also a great way to get a different perspective.
You can order this case in brown as well. New Woodman makes some other leather products, check out their site for details.
Read more GoPro shooting tips.
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Dena Haines is a co-founder and blogger on ClickLikeThis. We cover action cameras and outdoor photography with a focus on GoPro cameras. She also blogs about travel at Storyteller.Travel and is partner at Storyteller Media, a publishing company she started with her husband, Bryan.
