Thumb grip for X-T1

[oldfashioned1536]

The most common thumb rest is the one by lensmate available for $70 on amazon.com. I understand that its a solid crafted metal piece, but I think $70 is a little high. Does anyone have a recommendation of an alternative thumb rest they have tried thats not overpriced?

[Trenton Talbot]

Too much leverage on a hot shoe. I strongly advise not to use any thumb rests with an X-T1. However, if you absolutely have to, Lensmate is a way to go.

[milandro]

I like buying nice things, even if they are not, strictly speaking very useful and sometimes even if they are expensive ( leather camera bag,leather strap, lolumina soft shutter release........) but I too find the lensmate very expensive ( I don’t know about being overpriced, maybe the superior forging technique used by their silversmiths who have to be compensated for so kindly producing this object of some people’s desire  in lieu of placing their efforts in producing expensive jewelry...  ) and personally, I don’t feel the need for my thumb to rest ( despite it being affected in two parts by arthritis) more than it already does on the more than adequate rubber rib which the designers of my X-T1 so kindly provided, at no extra cost ( Oh well! Unless that is, the rubber thumbrest,  what made my camera almost €1200 when I bought it! I can’t help thinking that if it were built by the lensmate people the Fujifilm would cost way more that it does, been built by lesser people who no doubt are no goldsmiths? ).

 

 

Besides, as noted by a number of other people here and elsewhere, the thumbrest creates an excellent possibility to have a more than destructive incident with the thumbrest being caught into something and quite literally ripping off the hot shoe of your, until then, beautiful and expensive camera.

 

Apparently all the other thumbrests available for pennies from China ( 50 pieces for $100, shipped ) are not long enough and definitely inferiorly made in some Chinese sweatshop.

 

Yet, a friend of mine in a shop said that he would have been able to give me a very good discount on a lensmate since the shop’s mark up was “ substantial ‘ on products like these.

[Scot Hampton]

I have the lensmate thumbrest and highly recommend it. Also, never had any issues with the hotshoe since using the thumbrest; no extra wear & tear, hot shoe is still like it was the day the camera came out of the box...and that's after 6+ months of using the thumbrest in the field; i.e. long hikes holding my XT1 with only a blackrapid wrist strap and the thumbrest. It's solid and fits snugly. No probs whatsover. 

[milandro]

and more importantly, a relaxed and well rested thumb is worth it  

 

[darknj]

If you are unsure if you would like one and don't really feel like busting 70$ for one, Mamazon usually has some cheaper alternative that would give you an idea of its feel and maybe tilts the decision in one direction or the other.

[milandro]

cheaper alternatives are all around us ( ali baba and express are full of them)  but they are all too short  and don’t have the right shape for use on the X-T1, you end up with something like this... hardly comfortable!

 

 

Look at how tense the thumb is!

 

 

[x-tc]

Although I have a Lensmate thumbgrip on my X-E1, I felt the thumbgrip already built into the X-T1 was good enough.  YMMV.  If you do decide you really need one, stick with Lensmate or Match Technical.  

 

 

 

On the other hand, if you are looking for an inexpensive hot shoe removal tool,  the cheap Chinese versions on eBay and Amazon are your best bet for quick and simple extraction. /s

 

Review this thread on this forum to show you what I am talking about:

http://www.fuji-x-forum.com/topic/205-be-careful-with-thumb-grips/?hl=thumbgrip

[oldfashioned1536]

Thanks for the advice guys!

 

I had been a canon DSLR user for the longest time and only very recently bought my X-T1. Coming from a DSLR, I find the X-T1 with my 18-135mm lens a little front heavy and was hence looking at the thumb rest. I think I'm going to give myself some time to get used to the camera before deciding to get the thumb rest.

[x-tc]

I assume you already have the optional metal hand grip? If not start there first. It helped with my 55-200

[oldfashioned1536]

I assume you already have the optional metal hand grip? If not start there first. It helped with my 55-200

 

 

I haven't purchased any grip yet. Is that something I should look into?

[kmleffler]

I bought and use the Lensmate thumb grip and would highly recommend it.  I find that the X-T1 thumb grip does not give me enough support when a longer and heavier zoom lens is attached.  I agree that the thumb grip is expensive, but I find it worth the price.

[x-tc]

I haven't purchased any grip yet. Is that something I should look into?

If you are coming from a DSLR like myself, then likely yes.   Fuji makes a MHG for almost every X-Series interchangeable lens model they sell and they manage get an extra $100 out of me every time I buy a Fuji Body. @#$!$#!%!#$.

 

  I think they do it on purpose just to squeeze more money out of us after the initial sale. They make their bodies really small to compete with other  "mirrorless" cameras and make it look much smaller than DSLRs. However, there are at least three issues with this:

1. The grip is too shallow if using larger lens.

2. The tripod screw on the body is not aligned with the lens axis. <--- this is why I think they do it on purpose. There is no reason to misaligned the tripod screw on the body.

3. The camera will not sit flat on the table with larger lens which have large front elements.

 

All these things are solved by their optional metal hand grips. There is a 4th potential gotcha for X-T1 that the hand grip fixes. Although not intentional.  The rubber grippy material is known to separate from the camera. The hand grip helps to keep it down and avoid this issue.

 

There are three different Fuji hand grip models for the X-T1:

MHG-XT SMALL - This isn't really a hand grip, its just the Arca-Swiss compatible bottom plate. It resolves problems, 2 and 3. 

MHG-XT - This is the regular sized hand grip with integrated Arca-Swiss compatible bottom plate. It resolves all 4 problems.

MHG-XT LARGE - This is an oversized grip with integrated Arca-Swiss compatible bottom plate. It resolves all 4 issues.

 

It would be best to try out both sizes at a local store with your lens and/or attach any other heavy lens you are considering purchasing in the future.  The regular sized one was fine for me.  

 

I'm not happy about dishing out extra money after they sale (especially when I think Fuji intentionally set up this kind of problems) , but it made a world of difference for me and other people. Darn you Fuji!! 

 

The optional extra long eye cup is another one. I mean, really Fuji. You couldn't just make it the stock eye cup. Its no Hoodman, but its definitely better than what comes on the XT-1.   

 

Shutup and take my money.. Errr...    At least they provide you with hoods for most of their lens unlike some other manufacturers. 

 

Check out the photo in following post, which shows the X-T1 with the optional normal MHG-XT hand grip compared to some of my other cameras including a FF DSLR. It should give you a sense of how much it added over stock.  You can also see how much the stock thumb grip sticks out the back on the X-T1, compared to the DSLR and the optional eyecup vs a Hoodman on the DSLR.

http://www.fuji-x-forum.com/topic/394-big-hands/?p=4252

 

good photo compared stock thumb grip to lens mate thumbgrip.. also good view of what the stock hand grip looks like for comparison to my photo above.

http://www.lensmateonline.com/store/media/extraImages/XT1/xt1_thumbrest_03.jpg

[ychen]

Lensmate thumbrest is great and it actually takes some load of the front fingers as they need a less tight grip.

The position of the thumbrest makes for a slightly higher position for the hand holding the camera and that also allow the little finger to rest on the front grip as well.

 

Quality is also top notch and the silicon rest areas are very helpful.

 

http://www.lensmateonline.com/store/fujifilm_x-t1_thumbrest.php

 

I'm Highly satisfied with it.

[darknj]

[...]

You can also see how much the stock thumb grip sticks out the back on the X-T1, compared to the DSLR and the optional eyecup vs a Hoodman on the DSLR.

http://www.fuji-x-forum.com/topic/394-big-hands/?p=4252

[...]

 

My good sir, please allow me to tip my hat in your direction, it's not often to see any Nikon 1 part of a person's gear.

 

Side question for the optional grip on your X-T1, would you think it is thicker than if you have the 27mm lens on or would you say it's about the same size ?

 

I have been mulling around the idea of the optional grip since I do have the bulkier 18-135 lens on body 85% of the time.

[x-tc]

darknj,

 

My XF 27 sticks out about 5mm beyond the MHG-XT (normal size). Might be a different story with the MHG-XT large.

 

The N1 primarily gets used for outdoor sports. Best tool I have for that. Different horses for different courses. There is no perfect camera for everything. ;-)

[darknj]

darknj,

 

My XF 27 sticks out about 5mm beyond the MHG-XT (normal size). Might be a different story with the MHG-XT large.

 

The N1 primarily gets used for outdoor sports. Best tool I have for that. Different horses for different courses. There is no perfect camera for everything. ;-)

 

Thank you for your reply, that helps me greatly with my decision!

 

And I agree with you, that's the reason I still have my Nikon 1 system with almost all the current lenses.

[JackParrish]

The lensmate thumb grip is excellent and I use it all the time. 

 

Contrary to the previous comment, I cannot detect ANY negative leverage on the hot shoe. I guess if I did studio work most of the time and I was continually worried about it then I might be more careful, but that piece is solid and doesn't seem to have any adverse positioning with the hot shoe. I can't speak for other brands, but for the lensmate, I would use it without any concern. 

[romi.gilles]

the Lensmate is reasonably cheap when compared to Match Technical's Thumbs Up offerings. if they made one for the X-T1, it would be well over $100 USD.

 

what i like about the custom-designed ones is that they're designed in a way that much of the stress is usually alleviated away from the hot shoe. the cheap knock-offs on eBay/Amazon put all the stress on the hot shoe.

 

(Sent from another Galaxy)

[milandro]

I have a friend who owns an international company involved in the trade of airplane parts, compared to some airplane parts, the cost of a lensmate is peanuts but let’s be serious, airplane parts are entrusted with human lives!

 

Different territory!

[slphotographies]

does anyone have both the optional hand grip and the thumb grip? i have the hand grip and was wondering if adding the lensmate thumb grip would help, given that more of your hand is wrapped around the hand grip. thanks in advance.

[Jimgallaher]

+1 on the lensmate, it's a great addition to the XT1 only negatives are you can't see the metering mode symbol, it partially blocks the back thumbwheel and it's only available in black, it looks good on my graphite xt1 though. But positives, makes the camera feel more balanced, it also helps accidental rotation of the exposure compensation dial, for me this is a major one,it's a pet peev of mine.

As for the hand grip, I bought one for my xpro1 and tbh I never used, I found the Gariz half case on the xt1 gives a much better grip, plus there's a bit of protection for the camera and it looks good.

[johnnyyflyy]

i have an mhgxt for sale if anyone is interested

[gordonrussell76]

In response to the post saying that Fuji are just gouging us for more money for the Hand Grip

 

I don't think so. I had one on my Fuji X-E2 (and thumbgrip) and I now have on my X-T1 and its a wonderful addition and I much prefer having it as an option rather than it being there built in.

 

When I travel I have it on as I tend to use the 18-135 and 55-200 a lot and they are big lens and it makes a huge difference.

 

However if I am going out in the evening and want a smaller camera, I can take grip off sling the 27mm on there and its back to being a very small discrete camera. Something you can't do with a GH4 or an EM1

 

Note on X-T1 the grip changes your hand position move is lower and this means that the built in thumb rest is more than adequate in my opionion negating the need for a lensmate.

I think on the X-T10 though it would probably still be a very welcome addition.

 

G

G

[milandro]

The lensmate ( not Fuji) Thumb grip is very expensive, I don’t think that that is disputable. Wether TOO expensive is a matter of personal choice.

 

As for the camera grip. There are many aftermarket alternatives. To each his own.