X-E3 & additional hand grip for larger lenses?

Hey everyone, a Fuji newcomer here.

I recently got an X-E3 with a 18-55 kit. I thought about getting a compact lens like 27mm or 35mm 2.0 and use it as my everyday combo but after some time with the camera my idea of lenses I need changed somehow, switching from 'compact at all costs' to some other, larger options.

Even with a 18-55 kit lens the weight balance is a bit tricky. I'm interested in 10-24mm and some lenses I might add later are 56mm f1.2 and maybe 33mm 1.4. All of them are comparable to 18-55 in terms of size and weight, although some are just a bit larger or heavier. 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)?

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.

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.

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

The Gariz half leather case works best for me to get a good grip and the camera is

well protected.

And to my eyes it looks much better than any of the additional hand grips.

Alex SP wrote:

Hey everyone, a Fuji newcomer here.

I recently got an X-E3 with a 18-55 kit. I thought about getting a compact lens like 27mm or 35mm 2.0 and use it as my everyday combo but after some time with the camera my idea of lenses I need changed somehow, switching from 'compact at all costs' to some other, larger options.

Even with a 18-55 kit lens the weight balance is a bit tricky. I'm interested in 10-24mm and some lenses I might add later are 56mm f1.2 and maybe 33mm 1.4. All of them are comparable to 18-55 in terms of size and weight, although some are just a bit larger or heavier. 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)?

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.

Hi, as FTOG rightly says, very subjective. With that in mind, here is my experience.

I had a XE3, now have the XE4. On both I tend to use a leather half case, which I found improves grip and handling. I also had a Meike non battery grip and I also now have one on my XT4. I had tried both JJC and SmallRig ones, but found the Meike ones to be far more comfortable having slightly more rounded edges and better machined. I note that Meike Global has a XE3 one on sale at $34 so worth trying and if you don't like it resale it and I doubt you'll lose much.

I use the XE4 with a 18-55 as a general one solution kit when out with the family and find it a very good set up for that purpose (as I did when I had the XE3). With a leather half case the handling in my opinion is fine and it would also be so with a small Meike grip.

Regarding the XT4, I have a 16-55/f2.8 almost permanently on it and again with the small Meike grip the handling is fine.  Is the use of the 16-55 on an XE body out of the question? Not in my view, but I'll be in the minority here. For carrying on a strap, may be (I would not walk around with that combo gangling on a strap), but in use not so if one cups the lens with the left hand, which supports the weight of the combo.

Good luck with your choice.

I use my X-E3 with the 80mm and the 55-200.  This isn't me BTW.

DocetLector wrote:

The Gariz half leather case works best for me to get a good grip and the camera is

well protected.

And to my eyes it looks much better than any of the additional hand grips.

I have both the Gariz half case and the Fujifilm grip for my XE4. Right now the Gariz has been on the camera the longest and I enjoy it the most, but they both have their strengths.

I’m still working on my travel kit and not sure what set of lenses I’ll wind up with, but I’ll probably keep both.

I have no experience with the X-E models, but I had an X-Pro 1 and replaced that with an X-Pro 2 last year. Even if the X-Pro's are a bit bigger and have a bit more pronounced grips than the X-E's, I bought additional grips for both and almost never took the off, not even with featherweight lenses like the 27mm.

I find an added grip makes the camera more comfortable to handle and more stable to use. Of course these benefits weigh in extra when using larger lenses, but even with small lenses the added grip just makes the camera feel more natural in your hands.

I use handgrips on all my Fujis, they greatly improve the handling on any of them, but especially the smaller ones, I don’t have an X-E3, but the 16-55 (or even the 50-140) works fine on my similarity sized X-T20 (though the big zooms are obviously better on the X-T2. The gripped X-T20 is great with any of the fast primes or smaller zooms

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.

jhorse wrote:

Alex SP wrote:

Hey everyone, a Fuji newcomer here.

I recently got an X-E3 with a 18-55 kit. I thought about getting a compact lens like 27mm or 35mm 2.0 and use it as my everyday combo but after some time with the camera my idea of lenses I need changed somehow, switching from 'compact at all costs' to some other, larger options.

Even with a 18-55 kit lens the weight balance is a bit tricky. I'm interested in 10-24mm and some lenses I might add later are 56mm f1.2 and maybe 33mm 1.4. All of them are comparable to 18-55 in terms of size and weight, although some are just a bit larger or heavier. 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)?

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.

Hi, as FTOG rightly says, very subjective. With that in mind, here is my experience.

I had a XE3, now have the XE4. On both I tend to use a leather half case, which I found improves grip and handling. I also had a Meike non battery grip and I also now have one on my XT4. I had tried both JJC and SmallRig ones, but found the Meike ones to be far more comfortable having slightly more rounded edges and better machined. I note that Meike Global has a XE3 one on sale at $34 so worth trying and if you don't like it resale it and I doubt you'll lose much.

Great tip, thanks! Unfortunately, on Meike Global the grip is out of stock with no approximate date of arrival. Will probably have to order it on Amazon but it's a bit pricier there if including delivery fee for my region. As for leather half cases, they just don't click for me visually. Although they probably protect the camera very well!

I use the XE4 with a 18-55 as a general one solution kit when out with the family and find it a very good set up for that purpose (as I did when I had the XE3). With a leather half case the handling in my opinion is fine and it would also be so with a small Meike grip.

Regarding the XT4, I have a 16-55/f2.8 almost permanently on it and again with the small Meike grip the handling is fine. Is the use of the 16-55 on an XE body out of the question? Not in my view, but I'll be in the minority here. For carrying on a strap, may be (I would not walk around with that combo gangling on a strap), but in use not so if one cups the lens with the left hand, which supports the weight of the combo.

Good luck with your choice.

Thank you!

Ringwraith69 wrote:

I have no experience with the X-E models, but I had an X-Pro 1 and replaced that with an X-Pro 2 last year. Even if the X-Pro's are a bit bigger and have a bit more pronounced grips than the X-E's, I bought additional grips for both and almost never took the off, not even with featherweight lenses like the 27mm.

I find an added grip makes the camera more comfortable to handle and more stable to use. Of course these benefits weigh in extra when using larger lenses, but even with small lenses the added grip just makes the camera feel more natural in your hands.

Thank you!

Erik Baumgartner wrote:

I use handgrips on all my Fujis, they greatly improve the handling on any of them, but especially the smaller ones, I don’t have an X-E3, but the 16-55 (or even the 50-140) works fine on my similarity sized X-T20 (though the big zooms are obviously better on the X-T2. The gripped X-T20 is great with any of the fast primes or smaller zooms

Thank you! Judging by the photo that combo looks manageable! Is it a standard Fuji/Meike grip?

SteakTree wrote:

I have an X-E3, and my original intentions were similar to yours. It came with the 18-55mm kit lens, which was fine.

Over the past year I have modified my camera, shooting style, technique, and lens line up.

I've owned the XF27mm, which is super portable and light. However, it was missing aperture control and was still a touch dark at 2.8mm. It is still a great and fun lens to use, but I also have a KamLan 28mm F1.4 which focuses much closer, has better contrast and colour especially when stopped down a bit, and even though it is a bit heavier and longer, the ergonomic control was better. I even like the Kamlan's clickless aperture as on manual lenses I use the aperture control more, especially for fine control over image quality and exposure.

First of all, thank you for the detailed answer. I actually never heard about Kamlan lenses before this thread! This lens looks really interesting!

I also have the KamLan 50mm F1.1 II, which is a hefty, solid fella. But as a previous poster pointed out, it isn't too long and maintains its center of mass close to the body.

After using it on some shoots I noticed my hands tiring. I've now fixed this with a WEPOTO Wood Grip for the X-E3 which is well worth it. It allows for better stability and easier portrait shots.

This actually looks very nice! Isn't it a little bit slippery though?

The other important mod was getting the hot shoe grip, This works out perfect for the X-E3. For strap I'm using a paracord.

A minority of people on the web says that these hot shoe grips loosen the hot shoe metal parts (sorry, not sure how to call it even in my native language ). One person even claims that such a grip broke these metal parts, although I find it hard to believe. In your experience, is there any reason to be worried about this?

I now also have XF16-80 and last week added the XF70-300 - which is incredible.

Even though the 70-300 is heavier than 16-80, I prefer its balance on my X-E3. As you are stabilizing it with you left hand, and a bit more forward on its focus ring, it is very stable. The extra body weight also helps here as well. The 16-80 is also quite a large diameter, which may factor more so than weight when it comes to preferences.

Nice, knowing that it's manageable even with such big lenses is reassuring.

A friend of mine who is a Sony full-frame shooter picked up my X-E3 with the 70-300 on and remarked on how light it was! I imagine it is compared to an A7-series with G-master lens. So comparatively it is still a light system, that has the ability to be a featherweight depending on lens and setup.

Huh! That's why I chose APS-C over FF. My friend will probably switch to Canon FF mirrorless soon, can't wait to show him the glorious compactness of APS-C lenses

Alex SP wrote:

Hey everyone, a Fuji newcomer here.

I recently got an X-E3 with a 18-55 kit. I thought about getting a compact lens like 27mm or 35mm 2.0 and use it as my everyday combo but after some time with the camera my idea of lenses I need changed somehow, switching from 'compact at all costs' to some other, larger options.

Even with a 18-55 kit lens the weight balance is a bit tricky. I'm interested in 10-24mm and some lenses I might add later are 56mm f1.2 and maybe 33mm 1.4. All of them are comparable to 18-55 in terms of size and weight, although some are just a bit larger or heavier. 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)?

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.

I had the X-E3 and often used to use it with the XF 18-55mm and the Fuji metal handgrip. Brilliant walk around pairing, particularly when combined with a good wrist strap.

Like all Fuji's grips, the X-E3 grip is machined to a very high quality with a precisely fitting screw, but it perhaps isn't the prettiest grip on the market. Nevertheless, I found the vertical handgrip quite effective for its size, improving both the handling and providing a good recess to "hook" the camera when carrying it one-handed, down by my side.

I don't recall using my X-E3 with the XF 16-55mm, but I suspect it would be quite doable with a handgrip, even if they're not the most obvious combo.

notchy wrote:

Alex SP wrote:

Hey everyone, a Fuji newcomer here.

I recently got an X-E3 with a 18-55 kit. I thought about getting a compact lens like 27mm or 35mm 2.0 and use it as my everyday combo but after some time with the camera my idea of lenses I need changed somehow, switching from 'compact at all costs' to some other, larger options.

Even with a 18-55 kit lens the weight balance is a bit tricky. I'm interested in 10-24mm and some lenses I might add later are 56mm f1.2 and maybe 33mm 1.4. All of them are comparable to 18-55 in terms of size and weight, although some are just a bit larger or heavier. 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)?

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.

I had the X-E3 and often used to use it with the XF 18-55mm and the Fuji metal handgrip. Brilliant walk around pairing, particularly when combined with a good wrist strap.

Like all Fuji's grips, the X-E3 grip is machined to a very high quality with a precisely fitting screw, but it perhaps isn't the prettiest grip on the market. Nevertheless, I found the vertical handgrip quite effective for its size, improving both the handling and providing a good recess to "hook" the camera when carrying it one-handed, down by my side.

I don't recall using my X-E3 with the XF 16-55mm, but I suspect it would be quite doable with a handgrip, even if they're not the most obvious combo.

Great, thank you! I prefer to carry the camera in the hand, too, but carrying X-E3 this way without a grip was awful 

Alex SP wrote:

Erik Baumgartner wrote:

I use handgrips on all my Fujis, they greatly improve the handling on any of them, but especially the smaller ones, I don’t have an X-E3, but the 16-55 (or even the 50-140) works fine on my similarity sized X-T20 (though the big zooms are obviously better on the X-T2. The gripped X-T20 is great with any of the fast primes or smaller zooms

Thank you! Judging by the photo that combo looks manageable! Is it a standard Fuji/Meike grip?

I have Meikes on all my cameras (X-T2, X-T20, X100V), highly recommended, good bang for the buck.

Alex SP wrote:

Hey everyone, a Fuji newcomer here.

Welcome!

I recently got an X-E3 with a 18-55 kit. I thought about getting a compact lens like 27mm or 35mm 2.0 and use it as my everyday combo but after some time with the camera my idea of lenses I need changed somehow, switching from 'compact at all costs' to some other, larger options.

Even with a 18-55 kit lens the weight balance is a bit tricky. I'm interested in 10-24mm and some lenses I might add later are 56mm f1.2 and maybe 33mm 1.4. All of them are comparable to 18-55 in terms of size and weight, although some are just a bit larger or heavier. 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)?

I have a grip for my X-E2s and one for my X-E3.  They do aid in handling with larger lensed attached.

The nice thing about the grip is you can use it when needed, then remove it for those "compact at all costs" moments, such as when I'm traveling and want the smallest kit possible.

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.

I can't speak of the 16-55, but I've hung a Canon 70-200 f2.8 on the front of my X-E3!  I often use my 55-200 on the X-E3 and have no problem with it even without the grip. My favorite travel kit is the 18-55 and 55-200 with my X-E3. Sometimes I'll add my 16mm f1.4, but I really should get the 16mm f2 for travel.

Erik Baumgartner wrote:

Alex SP wrote:

Erik Baumgartner wrote:

I use handgrips on all my Fujis, they greatly improve the handling on any of them, but especially the smaller ones, I don’t have an X-E3, but the 16-55 (or even the 50-140) works fine on my similarity sized X-T20 (though the big zooms are obviously better on the X-T2. The gripped X-T20 is great with any of the fast primes or smaller zooms

Thank you! Judging by the photo that combo looks manageable! Is it a standard Fuji/Meike grip?

I have Meikes on all my cameras (X-T2, X-T20, X100V), highly recommended, good bang for the buck.

Thank you