p.1 #1 · Z fc - No perfect grip (featuring Z fc GR-1)
The Z fc has all of the ergonomics of a bar of soap, in that it is mostly square and kind of slippery. My first Z fc a few years back came packed with the Small Rig grip. It worked well enough, but it was bulkier than it needed to be and made the camera mostly the same size as the Z6/7. This was the reason that I sold it after a few months.
Fast forward a few years and now I've got another Z fc. It is an imperfect example, and also the least expensive mostly-working example that I've seen. I rolled the dice and ordered the official Nikon Z fc GR-1 grip on eBay as I like the idea of a rear thumb-bump and it is the most compact option for a grip. I'm not into the camera for much, so don't mind spending a bit on the grip if it makes the experience better.
I'll start by saying that I would much rather have had a black body. The Nikon GR-1 grip would have looked lovely on there. I think Stone Grey leather on silver body is perhaps my least favorite combo, but the price was right so here were are. After attaching the GR-1, my problems were two-fold. The first is that it looks a bit dumb with an all black accessory and a camera with almost no black on the front. The second is that Nikon has somehow made the grip even more slippery than the camera itself. I don't know how, this is idiotic. Why wouldn't they use the same rubbery leatherette stuff that they use on all of their non-retro bodies? I put some black gaff tape over the touch points as a test and it helped immediately.
Then my poor impulse control kicked in. I took the grip apart and removed the black finish from the edge of the base plate with a wire wheel. I have some grey gaff tape, so I applied that to the two grip surfaces. It isn't quite the same as the camera, but good enough for my spring break vacation beater camera. With the gaff tape surface, the grip suddenly is functional.
Before
NIKON Z 8NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S lens50mmf/5.61/50s500 ISO-0.3 EV
After
NIKON Z 8NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S lens50mmf/5.61/50s500 ISO-0.3 EV
NIKON Z 8NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S lens50mmf/5.61/50s500 ISO-0.3 EV
NIKON Z 8NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S lens50mmf/5.61/125s500 ISO-0.3 EV
NIKON Z 8NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S lens50mmf/5.61/125s500 ISO-0.3 EV
