Thumbs Up for the X100: A product review

I've had my X100 for almost two weeks, and taken about 300 pictures with it. (Mostly junk, but that's not the camera's fault.) Overall, I like the camera, and I'm not going to rehash the comments that have been posted already, except for 2:

Number 1, I was annoyed that there's not a clear space or thumb pad on the back to allow you to hold the camera without nudging or pushing a button. It's just not easy to grip securely.

Number 2, When I looked over the first 250 pictures, I discovered that about 30% of them had unintended exposure compensation because I had nudged the compensation wheel without noticing. Really disappointing, because I like that wheel a lot as a design feature.

So, long story short, I ordered a "Thumbs Up" from Match Technical Services. It arrived, I installed it, and, for me, it transforms the handling of the camera. For those who have not seen it, it's a curved piece of metal that screws into the camera's hot shoe, and provides a place to hook your thumb on, much like the wind lever on a film camera.

It allows the user to firmly grip the camera without accidentally touching any of the controls. I'm pretty sure it allows me to hand-hold the camera at slower shutter speeds. For me, it makes the camera much more pleasant to use. And it eliminates the accidental compensation problem. It does not interfere with the "Command Control".

This is the CSEP-2 model, which is actually made for the Leica X1.

On the downside, it screws into the hot-shoe with an allen-type screw, and needs to be very tight to prevent wiggling. I suspect that it might be easy to damage the hot-shoe if you were ham-fisted with the allen wrench. And in the long run, I don't know what the additional stress of use might do to the hot shoe.

Also, it's pricey at about $140. It appears nicely made, and to me the improvement is well worth the money, but it's a lot for what it is.

Finally, I have no connection at all to Match Technical Services, except as a (so far) satisfied customer.