Get A Grip Week - Day Five - The Good, The Bad, And The Unusual

Here's three grips - one which we sell, one which we don't sell, and one which no-one even makes...yet.

Grip One - The Nikon MB-D16 is the dedicated grip for the Nikon D750. In case that makes you scratch your heads, there is also an MB-D17 for the Nikon D500 and an MB-D12 for the Nikon D800, D810, D810A and D800E. Nikon have made a lot of these add-on packs for their high-end enthusiast and pro camera. They're all about the same idea - just get the right number.

The grip is big, but not too heavy. it has controls for vertical shooting, space for a second EN-EL15 rechargeable batterie, and can also take an accessory tray to use up standard AA cells. For the nervous types one of these trays is good insurance against forgeting to charge your batteries overnight. Instead, you can forget to buy AA batteries - your camera still won't run but for a different reason...

I can attest to the convenience and utility of Nikon grips if you are doing a lot of wedding or portrait work. The easier position for your right hand means that you can shoot longer and with better control than arching your wrist over for hours. Definitely a must-buy if you're working.

Grip Two  - the internet iShoot casting. This fits onto a Fujifilm X-100 body - and you can get similar castings for other brands. It's an eBay purchase made just on speculation.

There's no leatherette covering to the grip handle and it is not as secure a grab for me as the dedicated Fujifilm. I find my fingers still curl over the top of it rather than securely enfolding it, but at least it is a sort of a grip.

Where it succeeds is the incorporation of Arca-Swiss rails on the bottom and the left side. The bottom one is self explanatory, but the side one is very useful for studio stand mounting on a three-way head - you needn't tilt the head 90º to go for a magazine orientation. It means that if you need both horizontal and vertical versions you can just slide the camera out of the A-S block and slide it in on the other rail. Saves a great deal of time and imaginative language. If the camera was dedicated to the studio I would unbolt the grip portion and chuck it away.

 

I also make use of that side rail to mount an old Metz flash on an A-S quick release plate for a big old flash/handle setup. If you use an external battery pack and a Metz hammerhead you can get extremely quick recycling time. 

The downside of the casting is the weight - it is more than the others - and the slippery nature of the finish.

Grip Three - The Left-Handed Olympus Flabbergaster.

I wonder if Japan has the same percentage of left-handed people as the rest of the world...apparently about 10-12%. If it does, do they find using cameras designed for right-handed people a pain? 

Of course they can adapt...they have to when they are shooting matchlock muskets at each other or they would get flash burns all the time. And some are ambidextrous anyway. But wouldn't it be nice to make a digital camera just for the lefties and soak up ALL of their business? The population of Japan is 127, 000, 000 people so 10% is 1, 270, 000 and if you sold a camera and an accessory to half of them you could buy an awful lot of saki and octopus balls...

Righto. Most cameras are right handed - except for ancient Alpas and Exaktas - and most cannot be mechanically or electronically adapted to operate left-handed. But the ones that have a firing control in the base of the camera - one that takes a switch command from an accessory grip - like the Olympus OM-D E-M5 series...

Well, you just design a lefthanded grip that screws into the bottom of the camera, ring up the advertising department, and start making room in the basement for the sacks of money. It is a no-brainer when you are just providing an electric signal with a switch.

C'mon Olympus. Make us proud.

Just When You Thought It Was Safe...

Welcome to Ernest's World - the repair workshop at Camera Electronic. You will be amazed. You will be astounded. Try not to touch anything...

In particular, try not to touch the "Sony" charger that he has opened for repair on the workbench. We say "Sony" because that is what the white label on the top says, but there is no way in the world that this has ever been a Sony product.

Oh, it looks like it from the outside - there are the guide rails and the pins that accept a standard Sony lithium-ion battery, but when Ernest opened the casing the circuit board told a different story.

Look at the components - 1970's style resistors and capacitors. Look at the assembly of the parts on the board. They fit where they touch and they touch in very few places.

Look at the screw that holds the device together. If you think it looks like something that would normally secure an MDF cabinet, you could very well be right...

Ernest is not a man given to harsh judgements, but his verdict on this was "fire hazard".

Did this come from a reputable Sony dealer? I am betting it did not. It has the look and feel of eBay or a discount electrical shop. Someone was intrigued by the low price for it and either decided to sell it or buy it - when what they should have done is run out the door to avoid it.

Well, not for Camera Electronic. Our Sony IS Sony, and Sony are good. They stand by their equipment and by us...so if you are tempted to get that free shipping bargain from somewhere that need not be named, remember that you could well be getting the electrical surprise of your life.