Last year, I convinced my friend Jackie to get a Nikon Zf with some savings she had. Part of it was because of my review, and she also loved how retro it looked and felt. But it was only this year that I saw her camera — oddly with a grip attached to it. This puzzled me in so many different ways. I typically never shoot with a grip on cameras and this comes from my background a Leica M shooter. But after holding her camera, I was shocked at how nice it felt and how extra retro the grip made hers look. She bought the NEEWER CA063 L-Shape Handle for Nikon Z f. And that was enough to make me want to buy it too.
For the insanely affordable price (currently only $13) I was amazed at the overall quality. It’s solid metal and attaches onto your camera pretty easily. This grip is an add on to the bottom plate which gives the camera a bit more height while also adding in the grip. Suddnely, my Nikon Zf not only looked a bit more retro, but it also felt heavier.
And honestly, that’s part of what I wanted. Before the camera came out, I honestly wanted it to be even heavier and bigger. With this new grip attached, it is. What’s more, it feels more solid, rugged and durable in my hands. It’s much more akin to my Nikon F2 that I own along with several other Nikon film SLRs that I own.
What’s wonderful about this grip is that it still gives you full access to the battery door and all the other compartments and controls you might need on the bottom. On the grip, there are also multiple attachment points if you want to use a tripod of some sort. Plus, you can attach a strap onto the side of the grip.
In so many different ways, this now feels like a brand new camera.
I remember recently that I used the Nikon Zf for a professional event shoot and found that I really wanted a grip after a while because I was holding my Profoto B10 in one hand and the Nikon camera in the other. While I managed, I think that using the grip would’ve been much nicer for work.
I totally believe that there are going to be times where I don’t want to use the grip. But for the moment, I really can’t get over how much of an upgrade it makes my Nikon Zf feel like.