Richard Franiec says E-PL3 accessory grip also suitable for PEN Mini: Digital Photography Review

Don't gripe. Get a grip.

1 upvote

I bought one of Richard Franiec's grips for my S95. It was pretty expensive, but it really made a huge improvement in the handling of my S95. I absolutely love the grip, and can't imagine the S95 without it. It really feels like it belongs on the camera.

0 upvotes

Olympus should GET A GRIP on what they are offering to the consumer for their money. What would possess them to eliminate the grip on the PL3? I thought - finally a camera with an appropriately sized sensor for good image quality, a monitor that's tiltable (fully-articulated would have been even better), but they take away the grip. What are they thinking about? They are not alone, though, in offering too many products, with no one of them having all, or even enough of the elements that would go into making the ultimate ILC, even though the asking price is high enough to cover a fully-loaded unit. You have to decide what you're willing to give up, instead of just getting it all. I would have gone for the P3 - with a grip - but you give up the tiltable monitor. Tilt or grip? Grip or tilt? Give us a break!

0 upvotes

I "Got a Grip" on my S90 within hours of purchasing it. In fact one of the reasons I went with the S series Canon is because of the grip Richard makes. It makes the camera totally controllable with one hand. Without the grip, anything mission critical would require two hands to shoot. An ergonomic masterpiece!

1 upvote

Some revision :

I don't understand Olympus. Ain't she supposed to make cameras that users would like to use ?

Why is the E-PL3 without a hand grip ?
Why is the E-P3 without a tilt-able LCD screen ?

Some say this is due to the Marketing Dept decision.
But it doesn't make sense to have to buy a hand grip from a third party when Olympus should have it in the first place.

Olympus need to wake up but it doesn't matter to me anymore.

I bought a Sony Nex 5N instead because it has a good hand grip AND a LCD screen that tilts.

0 upvotes

I don't understand Olympus. Ain't she supposed to make cameras that users would like to use ?

Why is the E-PL3 without a hand grip ?
Why is the E-P2 without a tilt-able LCD screen ?

Some say this is due to the Marketing Dept decision.
Olympus need to wake up but it doesn't matter to me anymore.

I bought a Sony Nex 5N instead because it has a good hand grip AND a LCD screen that tilts.

0 upvotes

The franiec grip litterally saved my work with sigma dp2 and dp1, without it i had no stable hold and was constrained to use both hands, and even then the dp1 had slipped a few times :(before this grip was made)

Adding this can make an otherwise troublesome camera so much easier it would amount to 5 or 10 points on the dp review scale, and they are absolutely right to publish any such enhancements!

After all every camera or lens review functions as advertisement for the items, and panasonic have understood the point with their new designs;)

0 upvotes

I must say, I don't understand the current trend in designing cameras like bars of soap. Retro aesthetics seem to have won over ergonomics and practicality.

I have a Franiec grip on my Canon S90, and it makes a huge difference. Good work Richard!

2 upvotes

Get a Grip!

3 upvotes

All this discussion over a grip.

1 upvote

Thank you all for your comments.
Just to remove any possibility of misunderstanding, suspicions or accusations, I don't pay any Website, including DPReview for posting information about my product.
I merely supply the press release. If the publisher finds the provided information relevant and newsworthy it is up to them to publish it or not.
That's all I have to say.

Best regards

Richard

10 upvotes

Hi,

Any chance you'll come up with an improved grip for the G3?

I guess it should be more difficult to fit on a curved surface, but still doable and could improve the G3's ergonomics a lot!

0 upvotes

From reading over this thread, it seems to me that a great many people don't understand or don't trust public relations, p/r releases, the general public relations process and the relationships between those who seek publicity and those who can provided it. I'm a photographer. From time to time I issue press releases regarding an upcoming exhibit, a book being published, a project I've just completed, etc. I can assure you that the first persons to receive my releases are the people who already know of my work and who are most likely to publish the contents of the release. I may even have personal relationships with some of these people. To question or be suspicious of this process ... which has been working exactly this way for more years than I can count ... is simply an uninformed, naive response or, at worst, the reaction of a paranoid schizophrenic.

1 upvote

surely then the question should not be "why are they reporting this" it should be "why aren't they reporting that"
the answer is, giving dpreview the benefit of the doubt, because this is what happened to be of most interest to the editorial team today ...

Our new reports are generated by our members ...
I shoot nikon, voigtlander and fuji so i tend to report on nikon, voigtlander and fuji things ...
we have members who shoot canon one of which mentions all the canon news ... etc etc etc
I dont trust journalists any more than the next man ... so i set up a forum/ezine where anyone can post forum threads that can generate news items.
if you dont like it, do something about it!... join my forum if you like ... give a voice to all the people you think are missing out!
the time you waste(?) posting here, which will likely fall on deaf ears, could be spent posting something productive else where!
complaining about things, especially on the internet is imo an inefficient use of time!

2 upvotes

By definition this is "news." But the issue being discussed is- is it "news worthy". DPR is the biggest photo news site on the web and wields a large amount of power.

As already mentioned there are many new gadgets everyday entering the market. Why do the RF grips get continued coverage on such a high profile stage as DPR?

As I stated earlier he is friends with the DPR staff, which is fine. However I feel the coverage is unfair and/or careless use of the power DPR has. The are many companies that have to pay 1000's of dollars for this type of exposure. The title of this news release is " Richard Franiec says..." Is the good man issuing an edict?

This isn't negative , but discussing issues of professional journalism and news reporting.

0 upvotes

If you ever owned a camera like the Canon s90, the grip is big news. Canon really messed up on the ergonomics of the s90 and, thankfully, Richards grip made a HUGE difference. Some manufacturer's haven't gotten it: these slippery, small, viewfinderless cameras need a grip. Thankfully, Richards fills the gap. News of such a useful accessory shouldn't be limited to a particular forum thread.

5 upvotes

On the basis we can't possibly know about everything that happens in the industry, we cannot publish everything. We hunt around for news but won't see everything. Anybody, from individuals to large corporations can use our Feedback link to make us aware of an announcement - we then make an independent editorial decision whether we consider it newsworthy.

The considerations are essentially: 'Is it new?' and 'will our readers be interested in it?' In this case, both were true.

The thing that made me conclude it would be of interest is the positive feedback I've seen on the forums about the S90/95 grip. Furthermore, when we reported that an E-PL3 grip was being prepared, I saw discussion asking whether it would fit the E-PM1. At which point, for the ten minute's work it takes, it's worth reporting.

This is the first contact I've had with Mr Franiec, so personal relationships don't enter into it.

2 upvotes

The definition of news is 'new' information. this is new information, therefore it is news.
who cares for the why's, if its of interest then read it, if its not then why bother commenting?
Im only commenting now, as the comments on this website have got so negative that i actually wrote about them on my own forum!
im not going to respond to anyone who will no doubt attack me here, but really have people not got more interesting things to do with their time than moan at each other on the internet?
you can read more about this, including my appreciation of the irony in me even giving this this sort of thing the time of day here http://bit.ly/rrN0uz
a shameless plug im sure you will agree ;)

All the best to Richard Franiec and his products! if a bit of coverage on here helps him make a success of it should be encouraged not frowned upon... everyone deserves a break!

why not just think before you spout negative stuff on the internet... a bit of positivity costs nothing!

4 upvotes

Yes, I agree. Everytime I read personal comments in dpreview, after an item has been released, those comments are pretty negative. If someone doesn't like a product, then he or she should go on to something they do like, and stop leaving negative, inflammatory, or just downright uninformed comments here. It's becoming more than just a bore. If you don't like a small sensor on a certain camera, you don't like the lack of a humungous grip on another, or you don't like the position of a certain button, then fine, have your say, but don't go on and on about it. Make positive suggestions for sure, but stop the negativity in this forum. My goodness gracious me.

0 upvotes

On the other side of the coin, it appears to me that product research is expensive for companies now.

People making their thoughts available in a forum like this should be valuable to manufactures, R&D, product development and marketing teams.
Sure we al get sick of hearing the same gripe over and over again.

However if a manufacturer takes the time to read threads like this, then having different people post the same gripe over and over should be really valuable to them.

The big question of course is whether the manufacturers do read the forums....

And if not, then these threads/comments are useful to entrepreneurs like like Richard who can exploit the manufacturers not responding to suer wishes and create a product to fill the need.

We all win.

- People who want to ,get to complain.
- Manufacturers get free feedback.
- Entrepreneurs get leads.
- Meta complainers get to complain about complaints
- And normal people have a giggle and read the articles that interest them.

Comment edited 8 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

Well, these 3rd party grips just show how flawed the design of both E-PL3 and E-PM1 are.
They may look slick with their flat smooth bodies, but from a practicality point of view, this is just stupid.
Even these Richard Franiec grips are a little bit too small for my liking.
Sony seems to get it with the substantial grips on both NEX-5 and NEX-7.

1 upvote

Maybe the G3 / GH2 would be a petter choice if you wanted a large grip?

0 upvotes

No.
I ferwently dislike the 'DSLR humps' on Panasonics G and GH cameras.
And the grip on the G3 is more a rest for the tips of the fingers than a real grip.
Sony's NEX-7 is the best mirror-less design yet. Too bad that it is way out of my price range.

0 upvotes

Sigh....."flawed?" Perhaps for you, but for many others the cameras will do just fine. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Perhaps next time you could prefer your remarks with "IMO...."

2 upvotes

You are absolutely right. I should have tempered my post with an 'IMHO' or two.
However I stand by what I wrote. IMHO there is no other reason for the complete lack of a grip than to look "pretty".

0 upvotes

You forgot to add 'IMHO'. ;)

Re "Thirdly, you forget that there is a rubbery grip on the back of the camera that sits against your palm or thumb. Typically, such a small and light camera as these don't need anything more substantial.":
IMHO, they do need as soon as you install any lenses on 'em. Then they are no longer so small.

IMHO, without a real grip, you have to pinch harder with your fingers to hold on to the camera. Even with small lenses it gets tiresome in the long run.

0 upvotes

IMO...

I think we can (and should) safely assume, that anyone's post in these forums is their opinion only. Humble or not.

I think unless they preface their comment with "CSHDFGOOED"
(Canonical Statement Handed Down From God Or Other Equivalent Deity(s)) or other appropriate citation/reference/link, a post or statement should simply be taken as opinion.

The "TIGIS" (This Is Graven In Stone) disclaimer is not sufficient, as any old hack can engrave a stone - it really is just the graver's opinion, unless of course the engraver is Moses or Mohamed or other prophet accepted by a registered non tax paying church.

It is of course acceptable,perhaps even polite and socially desirable, maybe even a sign of good breeding, to preface any comment or post with IMO or even IMHO (if the poster truly is humble), however this preface is optional and is not cause for reprimand by the (self appointed) fact verification police.

But that's just my opinion.

0 upvotes

Remember DPR is an editorial website. It is not as unbiased as it appears. It is also a private company that it can report what it wants. DPR is more and more sleeping with big business, how do you think they get cameras pre release so early? They are part of a big sales machine.

Not that Franiec is big business, he is the extreme opposite. But nepotism can be great if you are the one benefiting. Obviously he is friends with some of the staff. This editorial reporting can be expected in any news agency. Hopefully DPR doesn't become to much like Rupert Murdoch as time passes!

1 upvote

It's ironic that someone so apparently worried about professional journalism is so happy to spout so much inaccurate, unsubstantiated hearsay.

I had my first contact with Mr Franiec when I wrote the original report on the PL3 grip and then saw discussion about whether it would fit on the PM1. That's why it got reported.

DPR is not 'sleeping with big business' - we are given access to cameras because we have a large readership. We have a large readership because we work hard to convey in-depth, accurate and editorially independent coverage (including criticism).

3 upvotes

Hi Mr Butler,

As you well know by your pay check every two weeks, DPR was bought by Amazon in 2007. Who is Amazon- the worlds biggest online seller. Why? to support their bottom line- profit. They didn't do it because you were nice guys. You may have some independence but push comes to shove, you are not in control any more.

0 upvotes

Does this guy pay DPReview to post about his products? I mean, there hundreds of camera accessory announced on a daily basis, from grips to cases to straps to, well, whatever. Why do these grips deserve so much attention?

1 upvote

I have one on my S90 and love it. This will make the EPL-3 and EPM-1 a whole lot more comfortable in the hand. It is useful news to me. Thank you DPR for letting those of us who are interested that it is available. I don't go into the Canon announcements and proclaim those pieces of news irrelevant, so I am disappointed but not surprised by some people's bad manners. You look at a headline and have a choice to read the article or not. If you have nothing nice to say, perhaps nothing need be said. ... IMHO.

4 upvotes

May be Richard pay dpreview to display the news.

1 upvote

Geeezzzz - no screw holes!!!! You're kiddin', right?

These grips are well known and Richard has made them for a whole slew of cameras over the past 5 - 6 years...and they work superbly. The grip makes a world of difference for camera balance and of course, your grip on the camera for better picture-taking.

The grips are attached via an adhesive backing that is quite tight and won't come off. Now granted, if you want it to come off, it will (like when selling the camera and you want to keep the grip).

These are superb accessories and he's stayed on top of it all by adjusting for different camera styles.

News or not, there are lots of folks who will jump at the opportunity of getting this grip.

8 upvotes

As with all products meant to be attached with adhesive backing, there is no doubt some risk of it attaching itself in the wrong position if not perfectly applied. Is there allowance for trial & error?

0 upvotes

these cameras dont have screw holes to fix the grips, how are they staying on??? makes no sense.

0 upvotes

It uses a high tech removable adhesive.

0 upvotes

Lol....nothing else to report I guess.

2 upvotes

Good grief - this is not news.

3 upvotes

You clicked on the story and posted anyway. It had at least SOME draw, right? :)

2 upvotes

yeah. it's called "boredom".

0 upvotes

Just wondering... do these grips come in colors other than black? I thinking of getting one for an Olympus E-PL3.

0 upvotes

@ Tom Davenport - This IS news, as it is exactly what I was looking for! Just because you don't care doesn't mean that a lot of others might not find this to be newsworthy. Thank God that DPReview doesn't pubish only things YOU are interested in, Tom!

0 upvotes


Richard Franiec creates add-on grip for Sigma DP1 and 2 Merrill Nov 14, 2012	Richard Franiec creates accessory grip for Sony RX100 Jul 19, 2012	Richard Franiec offers clip-on cable-release mount for Samsung NX200 Apr 16, 2012	Richard Franiec adds custom accessory grip for Nikon 1 V1 Feb 29, 2012

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Richard Franiec says E-PL3 accessory grip also suitable for PEN Mini

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