The “7” is complete!

As I mentioned in my previous post before on one of pet peeves about the 7 is the grip of the camera.  It’s just a bit tad too small for my fatty fingers so I was looking around for a case until I saw someone posted this grip at a rangefinder forum.  I followed the link and it led me to this website by Jim.  By just looking at the pictures, I know its something that is well thought off and designed.  It even sports a dovetail like plate for Arca Swiss type lens release system. 

Anyway, to cut the story short.  I ordered 1, price is a bit steep but if it helps in making better pictures, then its a worthwhile investment.

It took more than 2 weeks to arrive but it was here today!  The initial impression was that it was  very well machined and the metal feels solid. Although it was CNC machined out of a block of aluminium.  There were no rough at all along the edges on the grip.  Everything was smooth which means Jim really took the time to have it finished off nicely.

I took out my 7 and tried the fitting and it is a snug fit.  The black colour may not match exactly but the fitting was just great.  I could easily access the battery cover and taking out the battery.  However, I do have some difficulty taking out the SD card with the additional height of the grip but its not that bad.  It’s already a bit tough without the grip so naturally it’s tougher but not a big deal for me as I rarely change cards.   The speaker for movie playback or camera “beeps” is working fine too as there is a hole just beneath the speaker.  I tried low lit handheld shots and this time I could easily and confidently shoot at 1/10 with the grip.  Previously it was not even possible to do it at 1/30.  And finally as a bonus, check out this photo below..

Yea!  Its a camera lens plate too.  No need to have additional lens plate and moreover, you can still attach non Arca Swiss plate below the grip as it has a standard tripod screw threads just below the dovetail plate.

Like the Thumbs up grip for Leica Digital and Fuji X series, the Jim Buchanan Palm grip totally changes the handling of my Nex 7.  Yes, you might want to wait for the cheaper China clone but I think this grip is just worth that $99USD.  Totally!