Contents
The Nikon Zf is a great camera, with a beautiful retro aesthetic, satisfying manual controls, excellent image quality, and a wide array of modern features packed into the body. However, one area where the Zf is a bit lacking is in the camera’s ergonomics. One downside to emulating the brick-shaped cameras of the 70s and 80s is that they are shaped like, well, bricks. As such, there isn’t much to hold onto with the bare Zf, with just a slight bump on the right side to grasp. If you carry your Zf with a wrist strap like I do, you may find your thumb and hand cramping a bit after shooting for a while, especially with heavier lenses.
I was going to do this breakdown as part of my Nikon Zf review, which is in-progress and coming….sometime. However, as I now have experience with all four of the major grip options for the Nikon Zf, I thought I’d break it out into its own detailed article.
I’m looking at what are the four major accessory grips on the market as of February 2024. There are a few other options out there as well, such as leather half-cases that have integrated grips, but I’m focusing on those that just add the grip and a plate to the bottom of the camera. These are the Smallrig L-Shaped Handle, the Neewer L-Shape Handle, the ‘sold under many names including iWood’ carved wood handle grip, and Nikon’s own official Zf-GR1 accessory grip.
All four grips have an Arca-Swiss style dovetail integrated into the bottom plate for easy tripod use, and all four have cutouts around the bottom door to access the battery and SD cards. All four therefore also create some degree of difficulty in removing those SD cards. Each grip attaches to the base of the camera via a single screw that goes into the tripod socket, and all but one has a little flip up ring to allow you to secure that screw just using your fingers.
Let’s dive into each of the grips, and then I’ll let you know my thoughts in comparison to each other. It goes without saying that discussions on comfort and such are quite personal, as everyone’s hands are different sizes and you may hold your camera differently than I do. What works for me may very well not work for you.
Smallrig L-Shape Handle for Nikon Zf
First up is the Smallrig “L-Shape Handle for Nikon Zf.” This grip is being marketed as the sort of de-facto standard grip for the Nikon Zf here in the United States and Europe, as Nikon and Smallrig have a close relationship for this product, with some Nikon Zf bundles even being offered with the Smallrig grip.
The Smallrig grip’s baseplate is made of high quality anodized aluminum with Smallrig’s usual high-end finish. The plate slightly overlaps the base of the camera and has a tacky rubber pad that sits between the baseplate and the camera body. The Smallrig grip is the second lightest of the four here, weighing in at just 96g. The Arca-Swiss dovetail on the Smallrig grip extends along the rear of the camera for its entire length until the battery compartment bumpout, while the front edge of the dovetail is shorter and centered, rendering portions of the dovetail somewhat unusable, though this area is still sufficient to allow for some positioning of the camera in a tripod head clamp.
The handle itself is made of a very grippy textured silicone rubber with extends substantially from the front of the camera and wraps around to cover the right side of the camera. The rubber used is simultaneously very comfortable and a little unpleasant, as it’s just not the texture and feel I’m used to when holding a camera. While the initial comfort when picking up the camera is excellent, when carrying the camera over time the extreme tackiness of the grip rubber can actually wear a bit on your skin. The additional friction of the grip material also somewhat hinders operation of the front dial.
Aesthetically, the Smallrig has nothing exciting going on. It’s just a plain hunk of rubber at the edge of the camera. The Smallrig grip costs a reasonable $38, but is sometimes on sale for even less. Overall a very solid entry with a few downsides.
Neewer CA063 L-Shape Handle for Nikon Zf
The Neewer grip is the most affordable on this list, at just $26 on Amazon, and is constructed of anodized aluminum. The bottom plate is of good quality, but the finish on the anodizing isn’t quite as high quality as that of the Smallrig or Nikon grips. The Neewer grip also has a small rubber pad on the baseplate between the grip and the bottom of the camera. The Neewer grip is the second heaviest grip of the four, at 103g. The Arca-Swiss style dovetail runs the entire length of the grip once you get past the battery compartment, allowing for excellent flexibility when positioning the camera on your tripod head.
The handle itself has some design flare, with a molded plastic texture set into the aluminum that visually matches the camera very well. It also has a metal edge with a bright red stripe, to give your Zf a bit more of that Nikon F3 look. The front grip is a little smaller than that of the Smallrig or Wood grips, and has an angled top that increases initial comfort when handling or shooting the camera.
The grip wraps around the right side of the camera, much like the Smallrig grip. The smooth top of the Neewer ensures there are minimal issues turning the front dial, though the height makes it a little tighter to operate than with the bare camera.
On the negative side, the materials used on the Neewer grip are rather slick, and so you end up squeezing your hand a bit tighter when using the Neewer than with some of the other grips in this roundup, which increases fatigue when using the grip for long shoots. Overall, a good grip, especially given the low price point.
Sculpted Wood Hand Grip
This grip doesn’t seem to have a real brand name. These are sold on eBay by several different sellers, and the iWood store sells the same grips, though at double the price as what you can get them for on eBay. Others have purchased both the iWood and eBay sold grips and found them to be identical.
This grip can be had in two different shapes: a plain wood block with angled top, or the ‘sculpted’ grip, which has two indentations for fingers. It’s also available in four different wood finishes for your preference. Mine is the sculpted grip in the ebony finish. The grip sells for around $69 on eBay, or $128 through the iWood store.
The baseplate of the wood grip is again made of anodized aluminum, though it appears to be a softer alloy than the others, and has a lower quality finish. Mine is still in good condition, but I do have one small mark where the finish has been nicked. The wood grip is the lightest of the four grips at just 82g. The Arca-Swiss dovetail is by far the smallest on this grip, with about two inches available dead-center, and that’s it. As such, it’s harder to use this grip on a tripod when shooting vertical, as sometimes the camera can interfere with the legs of the tripod when dropped 90 degrees over. This is also the only grip that does not have an integrated thumb screw to attach it, but rather relies on only a screwdriver or coin to turn the screw of the baseplate into the camera.
One thing I haven’t mentioned yet is that all of the grips have an angled corner at the bottom right rear of the grip to help prevent the grip from digging into the heel of your hand. The angle on the Smallrig and Neewer grips is quite smooth and comfortable, while the angle on the wood grip is a bit sharper, and so this does tend to dig into your palm a bit.
The handle itself is made of polished wood, and it both looks and feels fantastic. Handling, however, is a bit of a mixed bag. When carrying the camera around in a non-shooting position, the grip is extremely comfortable. The finger indents provide excellent purchase and the grip is sized very well. However, in the shooting position, it’s not particularly comfortable, as the height of the grip forces your fingers to push up against the strap eyelet more than with the other three grips. Overall, I really like this grip for it’s aesthetics and materials, but it’s not one I’d reach for if I were going to be relying on the Arca-Swiss plate for regular tripod use.
Nikon Zf-GR1
Yes, Nikon does indeed make a first-party accessory grip for the Zf, however it is only (as of this writing) available for sale in the Asian market, leaving the rest of the world to rely on third-party grips. The Zf-GR1 can be had through Japanese sellers on eBay if you’re willing to pay a bit of a premium, but avoid those that are asking outrageous markups. I obtained mine for $144, while ignoring the listings for $170 or even as crazy as $285.
The Zf-GR1 is constructed entirely of metal, save for the rubber pad at the baseplate/camera interface, and the leatherette installed around the grip. The Nikon is the heaviest of the four grips at 122g. The anodized baseplate is thicker than the other grips, which I thought I would dislike, but it actually provides a couple of advantages. One large benefit to the thicker baseplate is that the camera can still mount to a tripod head while using the FTZ version 1 adapter with F-mount glass, while none of the others can do so.
The baseplate thins out around the battery compartment to reduce the impact on removing the card and battery, and this area is roughly the same thickness as the Neewer and Smallrig plates. The Arca-Swiss dovetail runs the entire length of the baseplate outside of the battery compartment, but because the dovetail extends below the area reserved for the battery door, there is actually even more room to attach the camera to a tripod head than with any of the other grips.
The Zf-GR1 takes a very novel approach when compared to the others, as this isn’t just a front accessory grip, but one that wraps around the camera and adds a small thumb rest to the rear of the camera as well. The front grip is smaller than any of the others, with a decidedly retro aesthetic that beautifully matches the design of the camera. The leatherette that is used on the grip is the exact same pattern and material as on the camera body, which helps it blend in very well.
While the front grip is smaller than the others and the rear thumb rest only small and subtle, the design is such that the Zf-GR1 is very comfortable in the hand. The slightly shorter handle allows your fingers to fall naturally over the top, much like the grip on the Fujifilm X-T1, and there is zero interference with the front command dial. The front portion doesn’t actually sit flush with the camera, but this isn’t a problem, and actually gives you a bit more to hold on to with your fingertips, as does the ridge in the metal at the edge of the grip. The portion that wraps around the back also is continuous to the bottom of the baseplate, so that small bump out that is present on all the other grips is completely missing here, making it the most comfortable grip for the rear of your hand as well. However, I do think those with really big hands or those who hold their camera a bit differently than I do may find the Nikon grip more cramped than the others.
I was a little surprised how much I enjoyed the feel of the Zf-GR1, and as you’ll see below, it is the most well-balanced of all the options.
Rankings and Comparisons
So having used all the grips, what do I think? Well, unfortunately, there isn’t one grip that stands out as the best to me in every area, and so which one you should get depends somewhat on what your priorities are. It’s also worth noting that none of the grips are truly bad in any of these areas. Below are my personal rankings based on six criteria.
Comfort (Shooting) | Comfort (Carrying) | Aesthetics | Dovetail | Build Quality | Price |
1. Nikon | 1. Wood | 1. Wood | 1. Nikon | 1. Nikon | 1. Neewer |
2. Smallrig | 2. Smallrig | 2. Nikon | 2. Neewer | 2. Smallrig | 2. Smallrig |
3. Neewer | 3. Nikon | 3. Neewer | 3. Smallrig | 3. Neewer | 3. Wood |
4. Wood | 4. Neewer | 4. Smallrig | 4. Wood | 4. Wood | 4. Nikon |
Looking at the above, you can see that there isn’t one grip that dominates everything…however there is one that is good at everything, except for price. Let’s go a little deeper into each category.
Comfort (Shooting)
Why two comfort categories? Well, because the grip shape impacts how you hold it in your hand, and naturally your hand shifts a bit when you are actively shooting compared to when you are simply walking around with the camera resting on your fingertips. The shooting comfort category encompasses feel when composing and shooting, and the comfort of operating the controls.
When it comes to shooting comfort, it’s very close between all of the top three. The Smallrig’s soft and ample grip is very comfy when you pick it up and shoot, and its angled bevel on the heel of your hand is well machined. The Neewer grip is also quite comfortable when you first pick up the camera to shoot, but fatigue is higher due to the slick nature of the finish. The Nikon Zf-GR1 falls naturally to my hand as well, and feels very nice on the fingers as well as at the rear of the camera.
This is probably the closest battle for the top spot, but I’ll give just the slight edge to the Nikon here, mainly because while the Smallrig is actually more comfortable to hold the camera, the difficulty in turning the front dial negates some of that in the act of shooting, while the Nikon grip poses zero interference here. Also, there are times (higher humidity for instance) where the Smallrig’s rubber can be just a bit too sticky.
The Wood grip is the least comfortable of the four when actively shooting, despite its wonderful material feel. It’s not terrible in this situation, but the height and thickness at the top tend to force my hand into a position where it is uncomfortably pressed into the strap lug, and the bevel at the heel of your hand is also the worst of the four.
Comfort (Carrying)
I carry my mirrorless cameras with a wrist strap, and with the strap lug positioning on the Zf, I slide the strap between my index and middle fingers when shooting and carrying. When walking around, I tend to have my middle, ring and pinky fingers supporting the weight of the camera on the grip, while my thumb holds the back.
Here, the top is the from Wood grip. The sculpted contours on the wood grip provide excellent purchase for my fingertips while walking around with the camera, and the good feel of the wood shines in this scenario. The Smallrig grip is not too far behind, but the rounded shape makes it not quite as good for staying on the fingertips, and the very high friction of the rubber can actually be a little irritating on my skin after long walks. The Nikon grip also has a good feel on my fingertips while carrying the camera, and the small thumb rest lets me walk around with a much lighter squeeze than on some of the other options. However, the smaller area to hold may cause some minor discomfort when carrying the camera for a long time.
The Neewer is the clear last place finisher here. The front grip doesn’t have any real lip to catch on your fingers and the slicker texture requires a firmer hold on the camera, which can lead to fatigue when out shooting for a while.
Aesthetics
This one is, of course, entirely subjective, and many of you may disagree with my rankings here. To my eyes, this is a clear win for the wood grip. The excellent lines, beautiful finish, and classic feel just make the camera look amazing with the wood grip mounted.
My second favorite in this category is Nikon’s Zf-GR1, which, while subtle, blends into the camera extremely well with the perfectly matching leatherette and simple lines. It doesn’t look tacked on, and feels like part of the camera.
The Neewer grip looks good too, with a simple and elegant design, but also with the addition of the bold red F3 style stripe. If you have nostalgia for the F3, this may be your favorite look, but I tend to prefer the more understated options.
Finally, the Smallrig brings up the rear here. It’s a plain black rubber blob that sits at the edge of the camera. Functional, but boring.
Dovetail
If you never use your Nikon Zf on a tripod, or if you don’t use a tripod head with an Arca-Swiss style quick release (which you should, but that’s a different topic for another day), you may not care about this portion. But for anyone who is going to use the camera for tripod work as well as handheld work, the addition of a built-in Arca-Swiss style dovetail is a very nice feature to have.
In this category, the Nikon and the Neewer take the top spots, with a dovetail that runs the entire length of the grip, save for the area around the battery compartment. The Nikon’s is a little better for tripod use due to its extended depth, as it doesn’t have a hard stop at the battery compartment like the Neewer, and it can be used while adapting an F-mount lens using the FTZ version 1 adapter.
The Smallrig grip is also quite good here, but the dovetail on the front stops before you get to the end of the camera, which allows for less flexibility in camera position on the head. Finally, the Wood grip’s dovetail is the worst of the four, with just the central part of the baseplate containing a dovetail, which severely limits positioning flexibility.
Build Quality
First things first: all four grips are actually constructed quite well, and I would have no qualms whatsoever about using any of them for daily use with regards to construction. All are tightly assembled and feel nicely made.
The best constructed grip is from Nikon. The Zf-GR1 is made of solid metal, and the anodized finish is excellent. The leatherette is top-notch, and even the securing screw feels the best, with very tight tolerances and smooth operation, with a high quality checkered rubber pad at the grip/camera interface.
Next best is probably the Smallrig, with a very nicely finished aluminum baseplate with smooth high quality anodizing. The Neewer grip is also very well built, with the main grip portion being made of strong durable metal, and a thin profile with secure attachment, though the lower quality plastic leatherette and slightly lower quality anodizing drop it a touch behind the Smallrig.
The Wood grip comes last, though it’s still a well built grip. The Wood portion itself is outstandingly made, with a lovely finish and great feel, but you can tell that the aluminum used for the baseplate is softer and lower-grade than that used in the Nikon and Smallrig grips. It also flops around a bit during attachment, until the nub that prevents twisting finally seats. It also includes a cheap slotted screw for attachment rather than one with an integrated thumb grip.
Price
The only objective category: The Neewer and Smallrig are both very affordable, at $26 and $38 respectively. Looking at the rankings, this puts the Smallrig pretty high in the value category as well. The Wood grip is fairly pricey at $69 (or $128 if you opt to buy it from iWood), and it ranks low on several of the subjective lists too – but man does it look good, and while it isn’t as comfortable as the Smallrig or Nikon grip, it does a good enough job there that the aesthetics may win out for you.
The Nikon, at least outside of Japan, is by far the most expensive, at around $145 through eBay…but it also ticks the most boxes with regards to build, operations and handling. Is it worth the money? Only you can answer that. I do think it’s the worst value of the bunch, and I don’t think the premium price for NA users really gives you that much more in the way of operation or comfort.
Conclusion
If you average my rankings of the four grips, the Nikon comes out on top with an average ranking of 2, while the Smallrig finishes second at 2.5, the Neewer third with an average ranking of 2.67, while the Wood grip comes in last with an average ranking of 2.83.
I think for most people, the Smallrig is going to be the one to get, as it’s well constructed, affordable, and comfortable to hold. While it is the most boring looking of the grips, it does what it is supposed to without breaking the bank. While the Wood grip ranked last in my rankings, it’s probably my second favorite overall, due to its good carrying comfort and outstanding aesthetics. My personal favorite, though, is the Nikon Zf-GR1. Sleek, comfortable to shoot with and carry, well built and versatile. I feel it’s the best balance in comfort, features and looks, though you are going to pay quite a bit for it. I just have to wonder why Nikon is only releasing this in Japan.
Whichever grip you choose, I think it is worth investing in a hand grip for the Nikon Zf – they all greatly improve ergonomics and make shooting with this great camera even better.
Great write up. Thanks for doing the comparison.
I had high hopes for the ZF-GR1 grip when I ordered it, but the gap between the body and the lip of the front grip is really uncomfortable (I assume mine isn’t the only one with it as nobody seems to call attention to it). The back thumb rest piece also is nice but doesn’t protrude out enough to be effective for anything other than the small pancake/muffin-sized Z lenses.
I thought the metal and texture of the ZF-GR1 would be good but I almost prefer the slightly sticky rubber on the Smallrig grip. I ultimately found the ZF-GR1 a bit disappointing for the price (15,000 Yen) and had hoped an official grip from Nikon would be a bit better thought out (though the build quality other than the gap is great).
Maybe the Shoten Kobo grip or a future 3d printed one will merge the Smallrig grip with a more substantial thumb rest in the back.
Thanks for the comment. It is interesting how subjective all of this is. Yes, the gap is there on the Nikon grip but I found it just helps give my fingers purchase. My hand sort of flows naturally on to that grip and it feels very nice to me. I actually was thinking how well thought out it was, with the contours leading to a natural hand position, the shape giving a fairly secure grip while remaining small and true to the camera design. The dovetail extension allowing for use of the FTZ, etc.
But of course everyone’s hands are different, and everyone’s preferences are different.
If there was a proper little thumb bump on the ZF, you wouldn’t even need a bigger grip on the front. Look at the Nikon FE2 and F3 etc, they worked because you could hook your thumb on the film advance lever. Hence why digital cameras like this need a thumb bump built into the body. Look at Fujifilm cameras, they build this into every single one of their models.
We need a small grip with a very thin base plate, a thin properly molded enhancement to the front and a rear thumb grip like the GR-1 but that protrudes a bit more to actually give you a thumb rest. Hopefully someone makes this.
In terms of design aesthetics and weight, I feel like adding a big bulky grip kind of ruins the feel of this camera.
I’m going to go with a leather case with no front grip and an adhesive thumb bump on the back and see if it works.
I managed to get a copy of the Nikon Gr-1 via friend visiting Japan. I felt looking at the design and knowing it was made by Nikon it was surely going to be the best match for the Zf and my needs.
I wasn’t fully contented however and ordered a (slightly different design to yours) wooden grip. Still not perfect. Then seeing as the price for the Smallrig was so small, I thought what the hell, this camera deserves another shot. Long story short, I like the Smallrig in your hand the most.
The Nikon is best made, but seems too tall and heavy, without offering the optimum grip. The wooden is pretty, medium quality, but still a bit slippery. The Smallrig whilst a bit of a plain Jane, is the lowest in height, lightweight, and offers the most comfortable grip.
Interestingly, I’m now trying the camera naked, but with a wooden stick on thumb rest from ebay, and am happier even still. Not good for telephoto’s, but with the Nikon 40mm f2 (or other small lenses), the thumbrest is the best!
One of the nice things about the Smallrig grip is a small little slot in the base that is perfect for attaching a Peak Design connector. I can connect my Peak Design wrist strap to the bottom of the Smallrig grip rather than the eyelet. So I can use a wrist strap without it getting in the way of my fingers and hand.
Nikonrumors are the biggest cancer in promoting ZF grip. Now the Nikonrumors have the nerve to repost and comment on the handle~ZF without a handle is the most beautiful. Then you can add the controller yourself. Having the controller was ZF’s biggest failure. too ugly.
Is this comparing which one is uglier?
I’d go with the Neewer until the Nikon is available in Europe. I just don’t find the Smallrig to be aesthetically pleasing, which is much the point of the Zf camera, and I don’t like the wood look.
Jordan, very helpful and well explained review. Have you, or any readers, tried any of the accessory thumb rests that clip into the flash mount, in order to have more grip on the backside of the camera, along with one of these grips on the front? I’ve used these thumb rests on some of my past Fujis and found them helpful.
Such a helpful review, thank you. I am still very torn, even more so due to the fact that I still haven’t bought a Zf (which I guarantee will happen). The plan is to more or less never use it with a long lens; a Voigtlander 50 is likely to live on it most of the time. Maybe I’ll be a gripless Z f owner!