More of a Stylish Case than a Protective One

As usual, Canon sells a stylish black leather case for suitable for certain series of their digital cameras. The PSC-55 is compatible with the Digital ELPH (or IXUS outside of the US). As per Canon's website, the PSC-55 fits their SD430, SD450, SD500, SD550, SD600, SD630, and SD700 IS cameras as well as the much older and venerable S1xx, S2xx, S3xx, and S4xx ELPH cameras.

In keeping with Canon prior case designs, the PSC-55 is a jet black soft leather case with a velcro closure. The only adornments are the stitched leather belt loop and the metallic rectangular plate embossed with the Canon logo at the front of the case opening. Even though the design is fairly plain looking and non-flashy, it gives off a distinguished look almost upscale look.

The quality of the leather seems to be high as it is soft to the touch. The front and back of the case have some rigidity to help protect the LCD from some impact... but not much. The inside of the case has a thin layer of plush material to prevent any scratches to your digital ELPH as you slide it into or out of the case. There is a large eyelet opening which might annoy some people depending on which ELPH you match this case with. It is much too big for the SD series ELPH cameras but matches perfectly with the large eyelet loops from the ELPH S series cameras. The case will protect from a few minor bumps and prevents accidental scratching of the camera in your pocket or attached to your belt.

If my 3 year old PSC-50 case is any indication, the velcro closure should last for years without problems (the PSC-50 case for my ELPH SD410 is going strong... and this case has seen a S110, S200, S230, S400, and a S410. And yes I did own all of those digital ELPHs at one point in time!).

As for the fit, the SD700 IS was a pretty snug fit but not tight so the camera could slide easily in and out of the case. My older S410 was a slightly tighter fit but still easy to slide in and out. The SD500 was a similar fit to the SD700. With the smaller SD600 and SD630, I could imagine that their might be a little space for stuff a naked SD card into the gaps. You should note that the case does leave small parts of the camera exposed around the opening flap. Water can easily get into the case especially in a medium to heavy downpour. You should be fine in small showers and light rain.

With such a snug fit for most of the ELPH series, the PSC-55 doesn't have room for any accessories of any type. No extra battery and no extra SD cards can be stuffed into the case with your camera. If you were looking for a case that can accomodate a few accessories, this isn't the case for you. With a snug fit, the case adds minimal bulk or size to the camera.

Conclusion

This is a stylish case that will not clash with most people's sense of fashion. The case itself will protect the camera in your pocket or attached to your belt but it will not protect from a major drop or similarly hard impact. I would avoid throwing it into a bag with other hard objects as the case is not very rigid on the front and back. The case is not weatherproof although it will likely tough out light rain and showers and it does not completely encase the camera. Some of the smaller ELPH cameras may feel a little loose inside this case since it was designated for a wide range of digital ELPH camera models by Canon. For an average price of $11-12 online, the case does a decent job while looking good.