Suggestions for a New Phone Case for iNaturalist Photography

Nature Talk
1

I use my phone for making iNaturalist observations, which is often tiny invertebrates at the edges of bodies of water. I’ve gotten a new phone, and my old phone case no longer fits it. I would like some suggestions on which models of phone cases would be the best fit for my iNaturalist activities.

iPhone model: Apple iPhone 17e.

Macro Camera Clip-On: Xenvo Lens Kit

  • I don’t think I need much drop resistance.

    • Most of my photos lately are macro photography, so the distance between the phone and the subject is roughly 4 centimeters or less (1.5 inches or less). At this distance, I think even a basic phone case would be plenty of protection, even for very hard surfaces. When the phone is significantly above that height, which would be rare and not held for long, it would be roughly 1.6 meters above the ground, at most. (This would be for photographing birds overhead – they’re not my focus, but who can resist at least trying to photograph a large bird passing by?)

  • I don’t think I need much water resistance; however, resistance to muddy or somewhat polluted/bacteria-filled water would be useful.

    • The iPhone 17e is said to be built to withstand a maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes (Source), which should be plenty for my purposes.

    • While I avoid touching or getting close to obviously polluted water (industrial effluent, etc.) local slow-flowing streams or stormwater retention/detention ponds or ditches might be somewhat unsanitary.

  • Heat resistance would be useful. (This is probably the most useful feature.)

    • My past phone could get really hot, even to the point of lagging or freezing up, during prolonged (>45 minute) use of iNaturalist in hot conditions (say, 97 F outside). (I do tend to photograph in the shade in hot conditions, but it still gets hot eventually.) Even if I get a heat-resistant pouch, I would still need some sort of case for protection from the occasional drop.

  • I don’t need freeze resistance.

    • Freezing temperatures (32 degrees) are rare; temperatures below that are even rarer, and since that’s usually overnight, I don’t expect to be outside then, anyway.

  • I would need a case slim enough my macro lens can still snap onto the phone.

I considered this model, but there’s not much data about it, and one customer said it seemed flimsy.

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