One situation where the grip comes in extremely handy is if you're carrying in your hand all day. The shape of the Leica is such that you'll end up with cramp - believe me. With a grip and Gordy's wrist strap you are all set for hours though.
You've brought up an interesting point. If one doesn't use a neckstrap, and instead a wrist strap, the camera is often kept in the hand for longer periods. Then a grip makes sense. But I don't use a wrist strap.
Roger and I recently "duked" it out on this very same issue (in a civilized manner , of course
😀 ), and our
dialog made me realize something about how a grip can make you change the way you not only
hold the camera while you shoot, but also how your finger is positioned
while you shoot.
Since that exchange with Roger, I've taken the grip off my MP, and do you know what? I prefer the camera
without the grip! (thanks, Roger). You see, even though the camera feels more secure in my hand when I'm
holding it with a grip, it's more important to me how my camera works while I'm actually
shooting it. The grip doesn't seem to make
much of a change in my finger position, at least nothing that I find is obviously hurting my shooting technique. But it was enough to get me thinking about it and enough to make me try again without it.
If anything, it might make a difference in slow shutter speeds, by how my finger pad now presses on the shutter button, rather than the finger tip coming down on it from a more vertical position.
