G1 grips

[karnezis]

Hi everyone. Has anyone used either of the two following grips?

1. http://www1.neweb.ne.jp/wa/u-no/u-noe.html
2. http://www.nikonlinks.com/PhotoEquip/_forms/g1-grip.htm

Grip 1 is from Japan. Are they importing them yet? It's aluminum with a choice of several kinds of wood in the grip. Seems odd for a sleek metal camera. I'm more interested in the rubber for functional and cosmetic reasons. Oddly, the site says that they abolished the anti-skid function of the rubber. Doesn't that defeat the purpose to an extent?

Grip 2 has a black anodized aluminum base and a black (carbon fiber?) grip. Seems very smooth (and slippery compared to the rubber grip #1?), but obviously better than the stock G1.

Any comments would be helpful. Please comment on ergonomics and whether the camera gets scratched.

Thanks,
Tony

[Don Ellis]

The first one says they're not accepting orders from foreign countries yet.

The second one looks good but is US$60 and they don't give enough information, either in pictures or description, to make me comfortable about buying one sight unseen.

And here's another grip just to make your choice more difficult (or easier). It's from Lensmate, US$40, available December 1st, and is backed by Susan and her crew. It has a neck strap loop on either side, which you'll have to decide if you like or don't. #2 above doesn't.

http://www.lensmateonline.com/G1start.html

Once you get there, click on the picture to get a 3-D view.

[gandini]

Don Ellis wrote:
The first one says they're not accepting orders from foreign countries yet.

The second one looks good but is US$60 and they don't give enough information, either in pictures or description, to make me comfortable about buying one sight unseen.

And here's another grip just to make your choice more difficult (or easier). It's from Lensmate, US$40, available December 1st, and is backed by Susan and her crew. It has a neck strap loop on either side, which you'll have to decide if you like or don't. #2 above doesn't.

http://www.lensmateonline.com/G1start.html

Once you get there, click on the picture to get a 3-D view.


I saw the photos of the lensmate, and immediately fabricated a neck-strap grip for myself. I had originally made one with no strap. You can see photos of it on my site:

http://129.24.208.200/personal/Photography/Main%20pages/The_Grip.htm

I haven't put up photos of the new strap-grip yet, but it's pretty cool, and a lot like the Lensmate grip. I like the look of it though and $40 is a good deal.

cheers,

[mcaldwell]

I'd appreciate some education about this. I have been looking for a frame that would have a large handle sticking out that I could grip all around, and a stand to hold a flash unit up high. But the ones I see referenced here do not support a flash unit and the grip part is right up against the camera body, so what is the benefit of this compared to just holding the camera??

[gandini]

mcaldwell wrote:
I'd appreciate some education about this. I have been looking for a frame that would have a large handle sticking out that I could grip all around, and a stand to hold a flash unit up high. But the ones I see referenced here do not support a flash unit and the grip part is right up against the camera body, so what is the benefit of this compared to just holding the camera??


I can't respond to the flash unit support need, but a look at any pro-level 35mm camera suggests that the grip (standard, and perhaps vertical as well) basically extends the camera body to allow a more ergonomic grasp of the camera. I know that my grip makes the G1 seem a lot "larger" and much more like my T-90, or any other 35mm-with-grip camera.
Some people, including myself, found the G1 too small, and heavy, to hold ergonomically. My grip is a one-hand wonder for me.

cheers,

[vandevyver]

Mike,

have a look at the Metz flashes.
This is probably what you are looking for : a handle sticking out, the camera mounted on the base using the tripod hole, and a flash up high above the camera.

Metz productline is called mecablitz : www.metz.de
(yes it is German quality)

Luc

[mcaldwell]

Thanks Luc; they do look good. I don't see just the grip for sale, only in conjunction with a flash unit. How can I tell if I will get all of the G1 flash features available using their unit vs a Canon flash?

[vandevyver]

My Metz Mecablitsz is rather old (> 5 years),
and although it measures the returned light,
I have to set the G1 to 1/60.

I have no idea if newer flashes allows you to use all G1 functions.

Anybody tried this??

[gbjune]

karnezis wrote:
2. http://www.nikonlinks.com/PhotoEquip/_forms/g1-grip.htm

Grip 2 has a black anodized aluminum base and a black (carbon fiber?) grip. Seems very smooth (and slippery compared to the rubber grip #1?), but obviously better than the stock G1.


I got this one and I am very happy with it. The only downside I see is that you have to remove the grip to change batteries, which does not happen too often.

It makes the camera much more hand-holdable.

But it's not cheap...

[jrobbins]

Mike Caldwell:

It sounds to me as though you're talking about a flash bracket. Take a look at Stroboframe or do a web search for "flash bracket" and see if this is what you might be thinking of.

In response to another comment/question, I have a Metz 40AF for Canon EOS that works great with the G1. It is not E-TTL, but once I figured out a little about shooting with a flash, I have access to all the features.

I guess I would recommend the 420EX though, it is a closer "fit" for the G1.