I have occasionally mentioned my struggle to get a NEX-7 grip prototype made. Well, here it is and the word prototype has taken on a new meaning for me. Synonyms of prototype would be, one of several revisions, waiting, function is a moving target, waiting, and lastly dollars. Anyway, after all that time and dollars, I have the next iteration that hopefully will see a production run soon.
This is what I came up with:
The one piece machined aluminum grip weighs 80 grams, bringing the camera/grip combination to a total of 435 grams, or about the same weight and height of the X-Pro1, or 75% of the M9 weight and the same height. The grip also acts as a ballast in hand held operation allowing more stable slower shutter speeds. The NEX cameras are very thin and the tripod hole is not supported well, and could allow flexing on a tripod 1/4-20 stud. The grip provides additional contact area to the bottom of the camera for a more secure hold.
This prototype has a hollow grip extension, to allow access to the battery/SD door, without the need to unscrew the grip. It uses an Arca Swiss compatible dovetail positioned more forward to balance the front heavy camera lens combination. A 1/4-20 threaded hole allows tripod use when a Arca Swiss clamp is not available.
A cutout provides full downward tilt of the LCD. I\'ve tried to think of all the \"gotchas\" that could pop up in the design, and have solved most, I think.
Right away, there is a more secure feeling, holding the camera and I don\'t have to shift the position of my right palm when operating the controls with thumb and index finger.
Apr 13, 2012 at 08:07 PM
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