GX7 aftermarket grips?

I love my GX7, except for one thing...the grip.

I have tried a thumb grip, but that feels awkward.

Using full-frame legacy glass feels even worse as they are typically heavier.

Have looked high and low for an aftermarket grip, but can't find one.  Love to find something like this (this one is for an XE-1):

The lack of any accessores such as a grip for the GX7 sort of illustrates the difference between true enthusiast/pro camera companies (Fuji & Olympus) and consumer electronics companies (Panasonic).

chasfox wrote:

The lack of any accessores such as a grip for the GX7 sort of illustrates the difference between true enthusiast/pro camera companies (Fuji & Olympus) and consumer electronics companies (Panasonic).

Utter fanboy drivel.

"The lack of any accessories such as a grip" simply illustrates that Panasonic have decided not to produce an add-on grip.

chasfox wrote:

The lack of any accessores such as a grip for the GX7 sort of illustrates the difference between true enthusiast/pro camera companies (Fuji & Olympus) and consumer electronics companies (Panasonic).

How does it? The poster is actually asking about 3rd party grips here, nothing to do with the manufacturer. Though it is true Panasonic doesn't make an add-on grip for the GX7 this is also true of Olympus and the E-P5 for example.

Panasonic does make other accessories, including a leather case which gives the camera a chunkier grip, and that may suit the O/P better.

I got so desperate I designed my own.It looks simple to but did take a lot of care and time to get it just right for my needs. I wanted to be able to grip the gx7 with a heavy long lens without accidentally activating the function buttons every time I picked it up!

After cutting out a cardboard template, I then traced the shape onto a small piece of allumium plate Approx. 2mm thick. Bending it to fit snug took the longest time and then it was attached to the camera with double sided tape. Unfortunately the tape had a white foam core, it would have looked so much neater if I had black. But the main point is, it totally transformed the camera for serious use.

I had considered trying to offer it commercially - and with black tape, - but it is so time consuming to make that it would end up costing far to much. But here is the design for anyone to copy who wishes....

GX7 with Ally grip.

The white double sided tape - which is now very dirty - looks a bit nasty after 12 months use !

chasfox wrote:

The lack of any accessores such as a grip for the GX7 sort of illustrates the difference between true enthusiast/pro camera companies (Fuji & Olympus) and consumer electronics companies (Panasonic).

Oh please. That "electronics companies can't possibly make a real camera" thing is just utter nonsense and pure BS.

The vast majority of today's cameras are electronic devices, NOT the precision mechanical devices of yore. Lenses haven't changed much, except that the majority of today's lenses are electronic devices as well.

Today, companies partner and/or collaborate with other companies to bring products to market. Sony, Konica/Minolta and Zeiss. Panasonic and Leica. Panasonic and Fuji collaborate on sensor technology.

The GX7 doesn't really need a grip, though I would like to see the grip a bit beefier. The ergonomics are quite good out of the box, unlike Olympus offerings, aside from the EM1. I've only tried a few Fulis and they seemed better ergonomically. As with any camera, it takes a little time to find the best way to hold it, especially with smaller cameras like the GX7.

wsalopek wrote:

I love my GX7, except for one thing...the grip.

I have tried a thumb grip, but that feels awkward.

Try the longer, Fotodiox Type B thumb grip.

Using full-frame legacy glass feels even worse as they are typically heavier.

I use a LOT of manual and adapted manual lenses of various sizes and weights and have no trouble at all.

How are you holding the camera?

I curl my little finger under the body and rest it in the palm of my hand and the camera sits on it. Ring and middle fingers grab the grip. The strap goes between thumb and index fingers. Of course, the Left hand supports the lens.

This works using the EVF or LCD. When shooting from the hip, I can easily shift a bit and use my thumb to trigger the shutter, too

Adrian Harris wrote:

I got so desperate I designed my own…

Very nice! I like DIY stuff!

Well...if that is true, it still wouldn't explain why no one else has made a grip.  It's just weird/disappointing.

Sure seems like some manufacturer would be filling the need for beefier grips on smaller cameras.

For what it's worth, my opinion on some grips...

I was not happy with the E-M10 grip, even with the add-on $50 grip from Olympus...still wasn't beefy enough, and had an odd shape.

I have found the GH3/4, Nex-6 / A6000, and A7, to have the best built-in grips of the mirrorless cameras.  The A7-II looks even better, but I haven't had a chance to hold one of those.

For aftermarket grips, the Fuji XE-1/2 with the above pictured iShoot grip feels GREAT.  They even make one for the XT-1 (which some would say has a decent built-in grip) which feels even better.

It's great to have the option of leaving the grip off when a person wants the camera smaller/lighter, and then putting it on for really comfortable shooting, esp with some of the heavy glass options.

Thanks...

It took me at least two days to adjust to holding the GX7 rather than thinking about adapting the camera to meet me.  The GX7 now fits me like a glove and it's my G6 that feels a bit cumbersome despite being perfect when it was my main camera.  Humans evolve and adapt.  Not everything feels right out of the box.  Why anybody would want to add a grip to the GX7 is beyond me.  In fact I think grips are unnecessary for a lot of the cameras on the market, except for those people who want everything to feel the same and aren't prepared to give it a little bit of time.

Trevor, you are right...

The grip of a camera very frequently does feel a bit better as time goes on. In my case, I have owned the GX7 for several months, so this was not a judgement "right out of the box"...even after these several months, the GX7 grip still feels lacking.

Why would someone want to change the grip? Well certainly with the heavier glass (the longer MFT zooms, the 2.8 lenses, and the bigger legacy glass), a bigger grip, IMHO, feels much better when that kind of weight is hanging off the front of the camera.

And even in as much as the shooter will adapt to some extent, it's also true that a human hand is a human hand, and certain grips WILL feel better, depending on the person.

Glad you are happy with the GX7 grip. More power to you.

Trevor Carpenter wrote:

It took me at least two days to adjust to holding the GX7 rather than thinking about adapting the camera to meet me. The GX7 now fits me like a glove and it's my G6 that feels a bit cumbersome despite being perfect when it was my main camera. Humans evolve and adapt. Not everything feels right out of the box. Why anybody would want to add a grip to the GX7 is beyond me. In fact I think grips are unnecessary for a lot of the cameras on the market, except for those people who want everything to feel the same and aren't prepared to give it a little bit of time.

Hi Trevor - I just got fed up with missing shots due to the palm of my hand catching the gx7 function buttons.

However I didn't want a huge grip, just a thin skin to keep my hand off the rear buttons. Hence the DIY job I posted earlier in this thread (with images). The camera is no larger, yet it improved my hit rate from 10% up to about 95%.

How about a leather half-case? The GX7's shape really doesn't look suitable for an add-on grip. I wonder if Panasonic will ever take a page from Olympus who design their accessory lines very carefully. Even the YAGH for the GH4 could have been better designed.

jeffharris wrote:

chasfox wrote:

The lack of any accessores such as a grip for the GX7 sort of illustrates the difference between true enthusiast/pro camera companies (Fuji & Olympus) and consumer electronics companies (Panasonic).

Oh please. That "electronics companies can't possibly make a real camera" thing is just utter nonsense and pure BS.

Jeff,

Your point is valid...most any electronics company can make a competent camera.

But for many serious photographers, it's the aftermarket support, the extra accessories, that are very important. Photographers buy into an "ecosystem" for a given camera system...the lenses...the flashes...and all the rest of it.

I find it surprising that Panasonic does not offer a grip (after all, grips are pretty basic). It really is like they are saying they are a "lesser" camera company than Olympus, Fuji, etc, or, they think their customer base are less serious photographers. In not offering a grip, they seem less "invested" in the GX7 and the possible needs of their photographer-customers.

A "real" camera company (whatever that is), makes all sorts of support and accessories available to the photographer (even considering they might lose money on this or that accessory), knowing that the more serious a photographer is, the more they will be comfortable buying into a COMPLETE camera ecosystem, even if they might not use 80% of that support and accessories...it's just good to know it's there, and that they won't have to abandom their entire system based on some missing support or accessories.

So in that way, in not offering a grip (yes, I know I am making a big deal out of this, perhaps wrongly), they show themselves less committed, and therefore less of a CAMERA company, and more of an ELECTRONICS company.

I'm not saying this is necc good or bad, it just means that certain photographers will choose another company...it's a good thing we all have lots of choices.

Still, for those of us who really like Panasonic cameras, it's sad to see a camera not fully supported...I mean, again, grips are pretty basic...and many folks, as we all know, choose a camera based in very large part, on how the camera feels...it's ergonomics

I wonder how many sales could be saved, if when a person picks up the GX7, and doesn't like the small grip, and is ready to walk away or buy the better-gripped A6000 or whatever, would have bought the camera anyway knowing there was a larger accessory grip available if need be?

"Camera" companies understand this.

On a final note, with battery endurance in a given camera always an issue to some extent, I'm surprised that grips aren't frequently almost TOO big, to accommodate bigger batteries. Seems to be a win/win of a bigger grip...better handling, and longer battery life.

If you prefer the ergonomics of the GH series, then that is what to buy.  The GX7 is a rangefinder-type camera body.  It works for some of us, perhaps not for others.  Considering all the capabilities of the GX7, I cannot seem to link it to a toaster, vacuum cleaner or tv.  If you know anything about the M4/3 Panasonics, you know that the G! with 14-45 lens were the first micro four thirds body and lens produced.  If you want something 'beefy' to hang on to, get the Gariz half case and your dreams will come true.

jeffharris wrote:

How are you holding the camera?

Jeff,

Never meant to say the camera is un-holdable, just that a bigger grip would, for me, be a better grip.

LMNCT wrote:

If you prefer the ergonomics of the GH series, then that is what to buy. The GX7 is a rangefinder-type camera body. It works for some of us, perhaps not for others.

LMNCT,

Yep...I hear you...but then the thing about a GH series, as nice as they are, is that's a great big body just to contain the smaller MFT-sized sensor.

It's like, if I am going to grab a body that big, then I might as well be grabbing an APS-C camera, or even a full frame...heck, the FF A7 is smaller than the GH4, (not counting lenses of course).

Now I know what I am saying might sound counter-intuitive, not wanting the GH4 because of it's body size, but at the same time wanting that bigger grip.

But that's where an accessory, removable grip is so perfect...put the grip on to have a virtual GH4 experience, and then take it off to have a much more compact, MFT experience.

Anyway, to each his own.