If you've bought Sony's recent DSC-T1 5-megapixel camera (2.5" LCD/slim design) and haven't got a case for it yet, here's a low-cost alternative to consider. Sony's $49.xx leather case looks like a purse IMHO and their soft case costs $29.99 - plus both are very hard to find in stores (locally at least). While waiting (over a week and a half now) for an order from Sony to arrive and having almost dropped the camera out of a pocket on the pavement, I went hunting for a protective carry case that would fit the DSC-T1 and wasn't too bulky. (I wanted something nearly as compact as the camera.)
At a local Best Buy I spotted what looked like a good candidate - the Lowepro "Memory Card Wallet" model DMZ-C. It looked well padded yet fairly slim and with a minor modification (removing the center panel with scissors) it works well. And the price is right - just under $10. At first the 'fishnet' pouch was a very tight fit, but now it's relaxed a bit from use but still holds the camera firmly. The case also has a belt loop. Here's a few photos of the case:

Modified (middle panel removed) Lowepro Case w/DSC-T1

The inside left pockets above are shown holding a MemoryStick/Adapter and Battery.

Middle storage panel shown was removed using Scissors

Case in Hand (for scale)

The photos of case don't show the velcro secured belt loop on the back. After using this case for about two weeks, I'm not sure I'd buy the nearly $30 Sony soft case now. But there is one Sony case I wish they sold in the USA...

Sony DSC-T1 Case w/Tripod Mount:
The DSC-T1 has a very nice macro mode (for very close-up photos) but without a tripod mount it's not easy to hold steady for close-ups. In Japan Sony sells a neat DSC-T1 case with tripod mount but it's not sold in the USA to date. (Update: As of March 17th, 2004 the Tripod case ($29.99US) is now listed as an accessory on Sony's USA T1 product page.)

Related DSC-T1 Links and Thoughts:
When I first saw the DSC-T1 at Best Buy I wasn't really impressed with the LCD quality (and no viewfinder) or the photos that were on the camera (taken by customers apparently). They looked out of focus, poorly exposed, etc. (and I'm *far* from an expert photographer). However after seeing one at Crutchfield (a 'scratch and dent' categorized return in perfect shape with a huge discount off retail) and taking some pictures with it - I've been very pleased with the results. It's critical to have a steady hand with close-ups for instance but it's capable of taking some very impressive pictures for its size. It also has a movie mode with up to 640x480/30FPS options, but for 30FPS rates you have to use the "Pro" version of the Memorystick. Which brings up two things that I don't like:

• The DSC-T1 uses the new "Duo" (shorter) version of the MemoryStick. (w/camera purchase discount a 256MB "Pro" Duo stick was $103.xx at Crutchfield.)
  
  
• Both Photo Printers I had won't read "Pro" Memory Sticks, only the non-Pro versions (Canon I900D and even a Sony DPP-SV77 Dye-Sub printer w/LCD).

Even with the camera in the USB cradle, the I900D won't read from the camera. Thankfully my Kodak 6-in-1 USB cardreader does work with them and connecting the camera in the USB cradle to the Mac also works with the Pro memory stick installed.

DSC-T1 2.0 Firmware Update:
In case anyone else missed this (shows revised date of 2/23/2004), Sony has a 2.0 firmware update for the DSC-T1 digital camera. I just spotted this last night and the update fixed the problem where I could not print directly to printers like my Canon i900D. (The update adds 'Pictbridge' compatibility as an option in the USB mode setting) and also fixes a potential data corruption issue with USB transfers. Here's a clip from the Sony page:

"This utility will update the firmware of your DSC-T1 Cyber-shot camera and add PictBridge(tm) printer compatibility.

This firmware update also resolves the following issues for Silver colored DSC-T1 Cyber-shot cameras that fall into one of these serial number ranges:


• 1320001 - 1370300
• 1690001 - 1693300
  Issues resolved:
  
• If the memory stick media contains two or more folders, and you try to delete a picture during quick review, it may delete a different picture unintentionally or you are unable to delete the intended picture.
• When a picture is copied from the computer to the camera via USB2.0 Hi-Speed mode, the file may become corrupt.
• When a picture is copied from the computer to the camera via USB connection repeatedly, the file may become corrupt

I flashed my DSC-T1 (v1.0) to v2.0 and after selecting PictBridge as the USB mode it works now with the Canon i900D. Printing from the camera works fine now - before the i900D LCD gave an incompatible device error.

I'm far from qualified to post a full review of the DSC-T1, but here's a review of it from Steve's Digicams.