I’ve been using my Leica D-Lux 4 compact camera for about 5 months now. It’s a great tool and perfect for almost every situation. My recent trip to the Netherlands and Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nurbugring was made all the better by not having to lug a DSLR about. Was quite funny taking pictures in the pitlane at the Nurburgring with the boys and their bazooka telephoto lenses and me with this little thing.
The Leica is built into a very smooth metal body. This looks great, but using it one-handed is not that simple. The best way I have found is to hold it with the lens to your ear like a mobile phone, then turn it to face out and move your hand along the body until your middle finger is on the shutter release. This works OK, but your hand is not at its most stable; mine often shakes a little as the seldom-seen muscles are tensed. I knew there was a grip available to make one-handed easier, so I decided to give it a go.
The Leica grip is a screw-on piece that attaches to the bottom of the camera and gives that added chunk to hold on to on the right hand front. Another option is the Richard Franiec stick-on grip. I decided to try the Franiec part, as his Canon grips are well rated and at $30 it was cheap enough. I ordered from Lensmate in the USA, also picking up a hotshoe filler, a lens tube extension and a pricey Hoya HMC polarising filter. The lens tube comes with extension pieces to retain the standard Leica lens cap – which I like. The pieces all arrived today.
First job was to clean the camera body where the grip adhesive was going to sit. I used a drop of brandy on some kitchen paper. Then I peeled off the 3M backing paper, carefully lined the aluminium piece up and stuck it on, leaving it sit for a while for the adhesive to attain full strength. Then I cleaned the hotshoe and slid the billet aluminium filler piece in. It looks great.
Next was the lens tube. I unscrewed the trim around the lens to reveal the 46mm thread. After cleaning the lens with one of my favourite IBA wipes, I screwed the tube on. Pleasing to see that the etched Lensmate text lines up on top when it is fully home: a nice touch. Then I cleaned the filter and screwed that home. Finally, I clipped on the plastic pieces and reaffixed the Leica metal lens cap.
First impressions is that the camera is now the size of one of those HUGE living room candles that wives seem to like so much, but the pictures are better. The filter takes a lot of work away from the lens so the camera software can concentrate on doing the best job possible. This is the only way of attaching that filter so I guess it’s how it has to be. All I really care about here are the results. I’ll try to find a case that belt mounts – other wise it’s a jacket-pocket job. I’ve also ordered a wrist strap from Gordy’s for it, but that is not here yet.
The grip is useful: definitely makes it easier to use one-handed, though the jury is still out on the comfort it offers. I’ll use it on my trip to Italy later this week and report back later.
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Have you found a case for the camera that has room for the lens tube?