Handgrip M

["O.J. Anshus" <otto@cs.uit.no>]

Being slightly critical to some of the mechanical design descisions made
by Leica on the M6 and its lenses, I am happy to say that I have found
an accessory I can find few, if any, problems with. I have had the
opportunity to spend a little time with the new Leica M handgrip. All in
all I must say this is an accessory I can not be without anymore. 

It is well made, but perhaps it could have been somewhat stronger in the
handgrip itself. As it is now, it will flex a tiny bit with a heavy
lens. Time will tell if the flexing will leave scratches. But more
important are:

	-When using gloves, the handgrip makes the handling of the camera much
more positive.

	-The grip is very easy to attach and detach. I have started bringing
the handgrip along, mounting it when needed, and removing it when the
basic body works best.  

	-The handgrip moves the tripod socket to the middle of the camera.
Actually, it works great to just leave the handgrip on the tripod, and
then mount the camera to the _handgrip_ when a tripod is called for.
This works very well because it is easier and faster to mount the camera
to the handgrip than it is to mount it directly to the tripod (I don't
like to use a rapid mount/unmount adapter on the body).

	-As an added benefit the handgrip protects the base plate of the
camera.

But I don't want Leica to make a new M body with an integrated handgrip.

Otto