X-E3 & additional hand grip for larger lenses?

FTOG wrote:

Alex SP wrote:

If I add a meike or a fuji hand grip, how much will it improve the handling of the camera and a lens? Has any of you used such a combo, how comfortable is it? Will it be ok, or should I look into buying a camera with a better grip (X-S10, X-T3/4)?

Hey Alex, happy to chime in. I use two X-E3 bodies and still have an X-E2 I used before. I've had the original Fuji grip for the X-E2 and use a Meike grip for one X-E3, while the other X-E3 usually uses a generic Chinese L Bracket, which also has a grip.

It's all subjective, but in my opinion, I don't think you'll need to look at the larger camera bodies except for something like a 8-16, 50-150. 100-400 or 200/2.0.

I find that I tend to keep the Fuji/Meike grip on the camera most of the time, even with my lighter lenses. Primarily this is so I don't have to constantly take them on and off when using them with a tripod (Arca Swiss compatible, centers tripod mount). That said, the additional grip provides some extra comfort even with smaller lenses - especially if you might have larger hands. The bottom of the grip is also a scratch/ding protection to the bottom of the camera.

Also, I guess 16-55 is out of the question for X-E3? Weighting twice as much as the camera itself should probably feel really uncomfortable even with an additional grip.

My heaviest lens, not considering adapted lenses, is a Kamlan 50/1.1 Mk II, which weighs 600gr. That's heavier than a 56/1.2 or 90/2.0 and just 55g shy of the 16-55/2.8. With a grip I find the Kamlan works pretty well with the X-E3. Mind you, it's a shorter lens than some others, so a longer lens length (also with extended zoom) can shift more weight forwards. But generally speaking I find that with one hand under the lens and one on the add'l grip, the weight is easily handled.

When looking at grips, I would wholeheartedly recommend the Meike grip. Build quality is on par with Fuji and the textured grip is just as comfortable. L-brackets and generic grips with bare metal grips can be an option for tripod use, but are less comfortable and more slippery when used as a handheld grip. Generic Chinese grips with bare metal grips also tend to feature a modular base plate they exchange for a camera model, but the grip itself doesn't tend to fit as well as the dedicated Fuji/Meike grip. I really recommend a textured grip for handheld shooting.

If you have large hands or want the largest possible grip, I saw that Metro Case make an X-E3 grip that looks deeper than the Fuji/Meike grips. I have no personal experience with the grip, however.

Thank you for your opinion! Great recommendations and this Metro Case one is a good back up plan if a Meike grip ends up being too small (and it probably won't).

As with anything, your mileage may vary, and there likely will be others here that prefer larger bodies even with 400-600gr lenses.