Got the email this morning announcing the new iPhone case by Diff is ready for pre-orders. Naturally, I click right through to the web site, because I've been impatiently WAITING for two whole weeks (which felt like forever). I just ordered my lenses yesterday, so I was ready to preorder the case this morning and begin impatiently waiting for it ship in March. My excitement began to diminish as soon as the web page loaded.

For reference, here's the case I fell in love with:

The things I liked about it? Two piece snap-on design that fully wrapped around the edges of the iPhone. Tripod mounts for both vertical and horizontal orientations. The ability to attach a carabiner, so I can clip it to things. The attached sun screen that could also be used in both vertical and horizontal orientations. The ability to use external lenses. Also, I rather liked the design and form factor. Had there been an iPhone 5 version the day I discovered this case, I would have ordered it on the spot without thinking twice.

This is the new PhoGo by Diff for the iPhone 5:

The ways in which it is different from the case I fell in love with? The top and bottom edges of the phone are exposed, and the case barely provides any front edge protection. The two tripod mounts are now one for horizontal use only. The ability to attach a carabiner is gone and is replaced with a D-ring doodad that screws into the tripod mount, necessitating its removal when wanting to use said tripod mount. The sun screen is now also a separate, unwieldy-looking piece (with a separate price tag) that must be carried separately and only offers shielding from the sun in the horizontal orientation. It does come in a variety of colors/patterns, and it still allows one to use external lenses without removing the case, but this is not the case I fell in love with.

All-in-all, I don't think I am excited enough to take them up on their 20% off preorder special. I'm not even sure I'm excited enough to want this case anymore. It's just not the same case at all, and I think the new case offers so little of the prior case's functionality I don't believe I'll be happy with it. So, I guess I'll be waiting to hear some reviews about the new version of the Diff Case and exploring other options.

Not that there are a lot of other options. The Diff Case for the iPhone 4/4s was the best photography-minded case on the market. Now it's just another clone of every other case attempting to market to iPhoneographers. Very disappointing.

Well, at least I can still be excited about my lenses arriving soon!