Aftermarket grip for Em5 mkiii

[cdecurtis]

Are there aftermarket grips for the Em5 mk iii?

 

[GBarrington]

The usual 3rd party manufacturers seem slow off the mark. I wonder if the problems in China are the cause. I should think the $160 (US) price of the Olympus version would be a strong incentive to produce something cheaper.

That Cambuddy sounds interesting.

 

[piggsy]

I really liked my JB one for the E-P5, and the website says they make one for the E-M5iii -

https://www.jbcameradesigns.com/camera-grips/olympus-camera-models-handcrafted-wood-grips

 

[Michael Meissner]

It is a 1/2 case, and not a grip per se, but I recently bought the:

• MegaGear Ever Ready Genuine Leather Camera Half Case Compatible with Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

And I'm happy with it. Unfortunately when the Amazon seller originally shipped the black 1/2 case instead of the brown that I ordered. I like the brown case very much better than the black case. Fortunately, I was able to return it and get the brown 1/2 case.

Gariz also made a 1/2 leather case when I was looking around, but the cost is much higher. Now, I can't find it in either Amazon or Ebay. I had a Gariz case for one of my other cameras, and after a year or two, the bottom metal pad came off. While it didn't affect the usability of the case (since there is a plastic base under the metal base), it did make me pause in ordering a case from them for my E-m5 mark III.

I did just search on ebay, and it looks the usual makers of fake leather cases have started production of the cheap 1/2 cases for the E-m5 mark III. A few weeks ago, I didn't see any.

I really liked my JB one for the E-P5, and the website says they make one for the E-M5iii

Nice find.

 

[Sleepy Capybara]

You just want the grip and no dovetail plate to go on a tripod head? Or you okay with L bracket kinda accesory? I am a big fan of L brackets built into grip. If I had EM5 mk 3, I will look into this -


https://shop.stcoptics.com/product/fogrip-em5mk3/

I particularly like the Red, blue combo on a silver body. And also Brown/Orange! (But too expensive, new)
Biggest draw of course is the unique folding grip which I feel is a great idea for such smaller bodies where you pinkie just dangles while holding camera.

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*STC is mostly famous for their novel filters that go in front of the sensor and other optics.

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[Serhan]

I was looking for one yesterday also after putting 100-400mm on EM5 III. I found the STC one also linked above, but it costs (with shipping) as much as Olympus one ... It is good to know the JB one.

I was also looking at Fotodiox site, but they don't have one yet for EM5 III... I emailed and asked. They said they will not be making one. It is bad since Fotodiox price is usually more reasonable, eg Fotodiox Sigma FP grip ($48) with a nice wood design:
https://fotodioxpro.com/products/grp-sm-fp-dlx

Also JJC has one for Panasonic GX9 ($40) similar to STC one, but not for Olympus:
https://www.amazon.com/JJC-Bracket-...ords=panasonic+gx9+grip&qid=1587053684&sr=8-4

 

[RAH]

It is a 1/2 case, and not a grip per se, but I recently bought the:

• MegaGear Ever Ready Genuine Leather Camera Half Case Compatible with Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

And I'm happy with it. Unfortunately when the Amazon seller originally shipped the black 1/2 case instead of the brown that I ordered. I like the brown case very much better than the black case. Fortunately, I was able to return it and get the brown 1/2 case.

I assume that the case connects to the camera using the tripod socket on the camera, right? I am wondering what, if any, concerns there are about having something constantly attached to the camera's tripod socket.

I'm referring to the reports of the camera's tripod socket and the bottom plate breaking when attached to connectors like straps that hold the camera using that socket and having a lot of torque on the socket.

I suppose this case doesn't cause as much strain as a strap where the camera is suspended from it and swings around, and I could actually think that this case might HELP the camera's socket to withstand a lot of strain, but I'm not sure. Any thoughts?

Also, how much does it weigh?

 

[Holoholo55]

You just want the grip and no dovetail plate to go on a tripod head? Or you okay with L bracket kinda accesory? I am a big fan of L brackets built into grip. If I had EM5 mk 3, I will look into this -


https://shop.stcoptics.com/product/fogrip-em5mk3/

I particularly like the Red, blue combo on a silver body. And also Brown/Orange! (But too expensive, new)
Biggest draw of course is the unique folding grip which I feel is a great idea for such smaller bodies where you pinkie just dangles while holding camera.

View attachment 815019

*STC is mostly famous for their novel filters that go in front of the sensor and other optics.

View attachment 815013
View attachment 815015

I've been looking at the STC one too, and it looks like an outstanding design. However, shipping cost added to bracket cost makes it a little bit pricey, although still cheaper than the Olympus bracket, which lacks Arca-Swiss rails, L vertical extension, and space to open the battery door. The RRS bracket is cheaper than the STC one with shipping, but lacks an accessory grip, which is a big reason for the bracket in the first place. :-O

BTW, someone was commenting that if your Arca-Swiss rail has a big ledge on the edge of the flange, it may not work on the Peak Design Travel Tripod. The STC looks like the edge is pretty thick. You don't want a knife-edge digging into your hand anyway, but the PD ballhead apparently needs a thin edge to fit. Something to keep in mind.

 

[Michael Meissner]

I assume that the case connects to the camera using the tripod socket on the camera, right? I am wondering what, if any, concerns there are about having something constantly attached to the camera's tripod socket.

Yes, it uses the tripod socket to attach the case. But there is no weight put on the screw, other than the case itself. It would be similar to keeping the camera on a tripod. There is no strap attachment on the case, I use the normal neck strap (or at times, use the Peak Design hand strap that only attaches to the neck strap eyelets, and not to the bottom screw.

I'm referring to the reports of the camera's tripod socket and the bottom plate breaking when attached to connectors like straps that hold the camera using that socket and having a lot of torque on the socket.

I suppose this case doesn't cause as much strain as a strap where the camera is suspended from it and swings around, and I could actually think that this case might HELP the camera's socket to withstand a lot of strain, but I'm not sure. Any thoughts?

Since the case has an opening for the battery, I don't have to take off the case to change the battery (like you would if you had the Olympus grip). Because I'm not tightening the screw and releasing it over and over again, it should not cause any problems.

But I did get a 5 year diamond warranty (including drops and spills) when I bought the camera, so if it does break, I can send it in.

Also, how much does it weigh?

I don't know, it is fairly light. Maybe a few ounces.

 

[cdecurtis]

Thank you for all of the responses. I am not seeing the cost/utility advantage of these over the Olympus choice. Frustrating. But the FoGrip is a nice looking product.

 

[Serhan]

I check time to time and found the first grip with L bracket in ebay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/174281662325

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[RAH]

That looks pretty nice! I recently bought the 3-legged Thing Ellie Short bracket for it for about the same price. It doesn't function as a grip, so this looks somewhat nicer.

 

[Holoholo55]

I check time to time and found the first grip with L bracket in ebay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/174281662325
View attachment 823112

Interesting, though I’m a little leery about ordering from China. Had a bad experience with a seller.

If anyone orders this from eBay, could you please give us a review of the grip and the seller?

Amazon carries other Haoge products, so we can hope they'll carry this one eventually.

 

[Holoholo55]

Hey, I found another 3rd party grip/L-plate for the EM5 III. This one is very interesting. Incorporates some features of the RRS models, including a magnetic slot for the Allen wrench and an extendable L-plate. How well will it work? Dunno, gotta try it, I guess.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-Olympu...ket-QR-Plate-Base-with-Handle-Grip/3928048942

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[RAH]

Hey, I found another 3rd party grip/L-plate for the EM5 III. This one is very interesting. Incorporates some features of the RRS models, including a magnetic slot for the Allen wrench and an extendable L-plate. How well will it work? Dunno, gotta try it, I guess.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-Olympu...ket-QR-Plate-Base-with-Handle-Grip/3928048942

That link doesn't work now. When I search Ebay for "Fittest LB-EM5", all I get is hits for E-M5II (not III). Maybe it's been temproarily taken down? The picture clearly shows "III"

 

[Holoholo55]

That link doesn't work now. When I search Ebay for "Fittest LB-EM5", all I get is hits for E-M5II (not III). Maybe it's been temproarily taken down? The picture clearly shows "III"

I can still find it. It's also here. https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-Olympu...t-QR-Plate-Base-with-Handle-Grip/392804894246

I just did a search for "grip for Olympus EM5 III," which also brings up the Haoge model. Still mulling over which one. The engineering of the L-plate and its joint on the Fittest is getting my attention.

 

[RAH]

Thanks - that link works. The version III seems considerably more expensive (approx $45 vs $25) than the ones for the II. Maybe they'll come down in price after a while.

 

[Michael Meissner]

Hey, I found another 3rd party grip/L-plate for the EM5 III. This one is very interesting. Incorporates some features of the RRS models, including a magnetic slot for the Allen wrench and an extendable L-plate. How well will it work? Dunno, gotta try it, I guess.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-Olympu...ket-QR-Plate-Base-with-Handle-Grip/3928048942

That link doesn't exist for me, but this one looks like the same grip:

• https://www.ebay.com/itm/Quick-Rele...p-for-Olympus-OM-D-E-M5-Mark-III/293586099665

 

[Holoholo55]

My friend ordered the "Fittest" grip/L-plate. It won't come in until July. I think I'll check his out first before deciding. It looks to me like Haoge is more robust, but nothing like feeling it in the hand.

 

[Holoholo55]

BTW, this thread I encountered elsewhere on the site points out why using a grip/L-plate on the 5.3 might be a really good idea. It's given me more impetus to get one.
https://www.mu-43.com/threads/e-m5-mark-iii-and-40-150-2-8.108083/post-1382053