My impressions of this grip with X-T2

Just want to share my experience with this grip when mounted on X-T2. If some of you are contemplating buying this grip this can help your decision. First I was really not sure if I needed one but with long lenses I thought it could help balance better and finally at a sale price they have going on now I decided to give it a try. Here are my observations based on my using this grip with X-T2 and XF100-400mm

1. Before the grip 100-400 seemed very shaky especially when you hold it up at the sky lets say trying to shoot a moon or so. Its really very very hard to balance it on X-T2 alone. However IS on this lens is so superb that even with lots of shake it still captures sharp images. What I noticed is after the grip, its not that I gain a lot of stability. I do gain some stability but I don't think it still balances enough so that lens is really steady and calm. I say this as I compared this with my Canon 100-400 II and that lens with my FF bodies is super steady and balanced. But yes overall having grip is certainly more useful than shooting with 100-400 and XT2 alone.

2. Most significant improvement I noticed was in overall performance in AF. With this grip XT2 is a significantly different AF machine. The AF is very very snappy. As it is XT2 AF is quite good but with this grip, I seem to get performance of the order of high end snappy AF on my FF DSLR bodies. This alone is totally worth buying the grip for! For e.g. without the grip XT2 can struggle at times if you are trying to focus in between busy backgrounds and subject in between trees, branches and bird etc. But with the grip its dead on and extremely quick to lock onto subject. It does not have any difficulty in distinguishing busy backgrounds and specific subjects in between even while zooming in and out. This is extremely useful when shooting birds in between busy bushes, branches etc.

3. Grip's weight & bulk is practically nothing significant at all. What I mean is, I was sort of worried that if I add the grip it will add the bulk and weight. But I was pleasantly surprised to see the form factor of it. Its nice and comfy just right size, not too big not too small.

4. Build quality is really really nice !!! Controls are well thought out except the shutter release in vertical mode... this one I would have appreciated being located on the corner than being on the top. This is because when you wrap your palm around it vertically, your finger naturally lands on the corner and not on the top section where they have the shutter release

5. The EVF shows all the battery levels including one in camera and two in grip. This is a small thing but so very handy! Again well thought out interface by Fuji!!

6. Grip charges two batteries inside it first. Practically with the grip on you can shoot all day without having to worry to carry batteries as long as you have two in grip and one in camera. When traveling just carry micro usb cable to charge XT2 so that battery in XT2 charges separately in addition to adapter given with grip. This way you can charge all the three batteries (including two in grip separately by connecting adapter to the grip with grip disconnected from body) at once before you start your shooting next day.

7. Grip provides convenient slot to keep the rubber sealing from under X-T2 inside the grip. However it does not provide a way to keep the "cap" that you need to remove from contacts (on the grip) that then control X-T2. When you remove this grip you would need to put rubber sealing back on XT2 contacts and this cap back on contacts on the grip. So if you are not careful you could loose the cap. I wish they had provided convenient way to store this little cap just like they have provided a slot to store rubber sealing inside the grip.

Overall very satisfied with this grip. Totally useful accessory for X-T2. At present this grip is being offered for only $100 more with X-T2 bodies. That is absolutely a steal price for it! I bought mine for $226 from B&H!