Clivem2 wrote:
I’ve ordered the new Neewer. Without having seen one in flesh, it looks like the only way to scratch the body would be if the camera was loose in the grip. It should be possible to stick black pvc insulation tape on the inside of grip if scratching really is a concern.
My Neewer has arrived. I too can’t see how someone could scratch their body with it as there’s a fair bit of soft protection in the inside of the grip. As it wraps around the body I suppose a hamfisted fitting might just do it.
The new thumb rest is a very significant assistance. The grip is more slippery than the Smallrig. I’m not sure which I will prefer, time will tell…60/40 it’ll be the very high quality Neewer.
Clivem2 wrote:
My Neewer has arrived. I too can see how someone could scratch their body with it as there’s a fair bit of soft protection in the inside of the grip. As it wraps around the body I suppose a hamfisted fitting might just do it.
The new thumb rest is a very significant assistance. The grip is more slippery than the Smallrig. I’m not sure which I will prefer, time will tell…60/40 it’ll be the very quality Neewer.
Not sure I am understanding you correctly, but if someone were to try to "pop" the Neewer on the camera, I Imagine some scratching might take place. The grip is precisely fit to the camera and has nice protection. The grip must be slid up from the bottom slowly, gently and evenly to bring it's base to the camera base, and then fastened. It is very well designed.The grip is a little smooth, but with the thumb grip it is very easy to hold. The battery access is the best I have seen. The finger ergonomics for me work great. I will be likely using this with FTZ mounted or heavier, longer lenses.
That said, I have been using the Black Iborrys which is beautifully made and works very well for me though a little smooth on the finger grip. I purchased the Black as the Retro Coffee I wanted was unavailable at the time and I have used it since. While waiting for the Neewer to arrive, the Iborrys Retro Coffee came available on Amazon. I ordered it immediately and it arrived 2 days later. The retro leather is the perfect grip texture for me so I have a new favorite. It's nice to have choices.
mjgphotoz wrote:
Not sure I am understanding you correctly, but if someone were to try to "pop" the Neewer on the camera, I Imagine some scratching might take place. The grip is precisely fit to the camera and has nice protection. The grip must be slid up from the bottom slowly, gently and evenly to bring it's base to the camera base, and then fastened. It is very well designed.The grip is a little smooth, but with the thumb grip it is very easy to hold. The battery access is the best I have seen. The finger ergonomics for me work great. I will be likely using this with FTZ mounted or heavier, longer lenses.
That said, I have been using the Black Iborrys which is beautifully made and works very well for me though a little smooth on the finger grip. I purchased the Black as the Retro Coffee I wanted was unavailable at the time and I have used it since. While waiting for the Neewer to arrive, the Iborrys Retro Coffee came available on Amazon. I ordered it immediately and it arrived 2 days later. The retro leather is the perfect grip texture for me so I have a new favorite. It's nice to have choices.
Mary...Show more →
There was a typo in my post, now corrected. “I too can see how someone could scratch” should have started as ”I too can’t”.
Certainly there’s an adjustment when switching from the Smallrig (which was bundled with the camera in Europe), instead of only squeezing the grip the Neewer requires the user to rely more on the thumb rest and less on squeezing the front of the grip.
I just received the neweer Neweer grip. The thumb grip is surely better than the Nikon one, but I am not convinced yet. Thankfully the ‘leather’ can easily be peeled off, and I will replace it with some high quality stuff I have on hand. I hate the tacky red stripe and slippery front panel on the Neweer, so I cover that area with some nice leathery stuff too.
I do like the slot for a strap on the bottom the Neweer, it’s something sadly lacking on the Nikon grip.
Done, using the same leatherette that Nikon uses (or used to use) on cameras. No longer slippery, and that horrible red stripe has gone.
But the grip at the front is too high. Seems that only the Nikon grip is low enough at the front to be able offer unimpeded access to the front control dial.
snoogly wrote:
Done, using the same leatherette that Nikon uses (or used to use) on cameras. No longer slippery, and that horrible red stripe has gone.
But the grip at the front is too high. Seems that only the Nikon grip is low enough at the front to be able offer unimpeded access to the front control dial.
Nice, is it hard to replace that material?
Can you show some pics?
phinix wrote:
So how many of you got this new Neewer CA073 grip and think its better than Smallgrip?
Got both and think the smallrig is more comfortable. Neewer isn’t bad but adds width that I don’t really want and pushes my hand to grip in a way I find uncomfortable (it causes my middle ring and pinky to pinch harder because the grip part is less wide, despite being deeper).
Things like this feel so personal though, so obviously ymmv.
I bought the standard black Iborrys and found it way too slick for me. Was curious how that retro leather would fare.
While the black felt well-made, I’m not sure it felt $120 worth.
mjgphotoz wrote:
Not sure I am understanding you correctly, but if someone were to try to "pop" the Neewer on the camera, I Imagine some scratching might take place. The grip is precisely fit to the camera and has nice protection. The grip must be slid up from the bottom slowly, gently and evenly to bring it's base to the camera base, and then fastened. It is very well designed.The grip is a little smooth, but with the thumb grip it is very easy to hold. The battery access is the best I have seen. The finger ergonomics for me work great. I will be likely using this with FTZ mounted or heavier, longer lenses.
That said, I have been using the Black Iborrys which is beautifully made and works very well for me though a little smooth on the finger grip. I purchased the Black as the Retro Coffee I wanted was unavailable at the time and I have used it since. While waiting for the Neewer to arrive, the Iborrys Retro Coffee came available on Amazon. I ordered it immediately and it arrived 2 days later. The retro leather is the perfect grip texture for me so I have a new favorite. It's nice to have choices.
Scott, for me, the Retro is just that, a very retro feel like an old leather case made from rough out leather that has been tanned, buffed and stained. I do not find it slick at all. It is my preferred grip and I really enjoy using it, not to mention I like it's appearance as an "aged, unobtrusive" camera. I only use the Neewer gen 1 when/if using a longer, heavier lens. I am really loving using the Zf as a walk around, manual focus, carry at all times back up, and I use the Z8 or D500 for the larger lenses, action, etc. It usually has a Voigtlander attached or one of the smaller Z SE or Nikon MF lenses.
I have tried and do have all grips except for the Nikon model, for what it is worth. YMMV
Mary
BTW, the workmanship, packaging and attention to details by Iborrys is outstanding on both units I received.
phinix wrote:
So how many of you got this new Neewer CA073 grip and think it’s better than Smallgrip?
I feel if I wanted to carry the camera in one had, hanging from my right hand then I’d prefer the Smallrig. Using the Neewer…hanging the Zf around my neck via a soft, wide strap I really like the Neewer when taking photos. I don't even think about the grip when using it, it just feels so natural and the slickness I notice at home isn’t remotely an issue in actual use.
I tried the black once more and realized what I don’t like about it is that my middle finger is half on/half off where the small rig fully catches it. Other than that, it’s very nice.
mjgphotoz wrote:
Scott, for me, the Retro is just that, a very retro feel like an old leather case made from rough out leather that has been tanned, buffed and stained. I do not find it slick at all. It is my preferred grip and I really enjoy using it, not to mention I like it's appearance as an "aged, unobtrusive" camera. I only use the Neewer gen 1 when/if using a longer, heavier lens. I am really loving using the Zf as a walk around, manual focus, carry at all times back up, and I use the Z8 or D500 for the larger lenses, action, etc. It usually has a Voigtlander attached or one of the smaller Z SE or Nikon MF lenses.
I have tried and do have all grips except for the Nikon model, for what it is worth. YMMV
Mary
BTW, the workmanship, packaging and attention to details by Iborrys is outstanding on both units I received. ...Show more →
RoamingScott wrote:
I tried the black once more and realized what I don’t like about it is that my middle finger is half on/half off where the small rig fully catches it. Other than that, it’s very nice.
Scott, that is probably your answer right there. The fit and ergonomics between the Black and Retro are the same with the tactile feel of the material being the only difference I could detect. It is so very personal to individual preference and when you find what feels just right for you, you know it and keep it.
I have never had a Zf in my hands but (imho) the Nikon grip looks the best because it doesn't change the classic look of the Zf as much as the other grips do. A big part of the appeal of the Zf is the throw back appearance. It makes no sense to me to throw a big ugly grip on it that makes it look like a modern camera.
It's not about what looks the best, it's about what makes the camera actually usable for any given person. I'm not sure I've heard of a single person who didn't put a grip on theirs.
I could get away with no grip if I ONLY used the 40 or 28, but outside of that it’s basically require IMO.
Also doesn’t really affect the look of the camera if it’s in your hand/plenty of people use grips on leicas and other cameras that are lacking/who cares/etc 😂
RoamingScott wrote:
It's not about what looks the best, it's about what makes the camera actually usable for any given person. I'm not sure I've heard of a single person who didn't put a grip on theirs.
RoamingScott wrote:
It's not about what looks the best, it's about what makes the camera actually usable for any given person. I'm not sure I've heard of a single person who didn't put a grip on theirs.
*raises hand*
I much prefer the Zf with no grip at all. I tried the Small Rig and the Nikon, and I thought that both just made it less comfortable.
Well, the Neewer CA079 is...meh. The thumb catch is great...but the material of it feels unnecessarily slick. The leatherette is a total disappointment.
I saw someone here comment they had replaced the leather on the Neewer with Nikon leatherette. I'd love to try that and see if it makes this the happy medium grip. As it stands, the stock texture is too smooth/slick for me and I'd choose the SmallRig over it.
If I could just find something that had the same grip texture as my Z9, that would be amazing. Grippy without being sticky.
