Grip for a Nikon F2

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presspass

filmshooter
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I've been looking for a grip for a Nikon F2 minus the motor drive, something like the Rapidgrip Tom A made for Leicas. Any suggestions? Thanks.
 
Huss said:
Where are you in Austria? I sometimes travel to Bregenz.
It'll be nice to see what you have carved out of an antler.
;):D
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I'm living in the east, about 550 Kilometers away from Bregenz.
But I wont do it "tomorrow" :)
"Carving" will be the rigt word, because I dont have a mill or lathe so I have to do it with drillstand, hacksaw and file. But it wont be impossible.
This will be a project for the future cause I dont really miss a grip on my F2. But it seems to be an interesting piece of accessorie to be made by hand.
 
Just got mine. It took about a week even though the ad said 3-4 weeks.
Love it, fits perfectly and really nicely made out of billet aluminium. 2 pieces - the vertical grip and the base, but fits together seamlessly. The edges are sharper than the camera body's edges, it would have been nicer if they were rounded a wee bit to match. But that's nit picking.
Only bummer is the attachment screw is not captured in the grip body, so don't drop it/lose it if you take the grip off. The grip only needs to come off to replace the batteries in the camera. All other camera functionality remains.
Camera handles much better, and better than my F3P (w/o the md-4)
IMG_2191 by desmolicious, on Flickr
IMG_2192 by desmolicious, on Flickr
IMG_2193 by desmolicious, on Flickr
 
Huss, I notice you have the raised soft release on your F2. Does that improve the shutter release? Did you have it before you got the grip?
 
Alpsman said:
I think I have to go into my little workshop . . .
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IMG_0469.jpg


;)
 
presspass said:
Huss, I notice you have the raised soft release on your F2. Does that improve the shutter release? Did you have it before you got the grip?
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I've used them for over 40 years and loved them. I go so used to the feeling of a concaved top that I used an AR-9 on my M4-P/6.

I like the wide shaft of the Nikon rather than the thin of the copies of the AR-1. I wish they would have made one in black.

B2 (;->
 
presspass said:
Huss, I notice you have the raised soft release on your F2. Does that improve the shutter release? Did you have it before you got the grip?
Click to expand...

I had it before I got the grip, and they are permanently attached to all my Fs and F2s. They really improve the release, making it much more precise.
 
You could have a go at making your own from a straight flash bracket. Don't have any other photos of this right now, but it's essentially a flash bracket with the flash shoe area cut off, then a 90 degree mending plate bolted to it and a wooden handle screwed into the plate. Wooden handle is currently a hastily whittled trowel handle which I'll want to replace at some point.

img_20170917_143634567.jpg
 
I'm thinking that this is a job for a 3D printer and some plans!

Is anyone out there good with 3D CAD drawing? I'm not, more due to time I think. I did a bit of work with paper and pencil some years back, but I've never moved to software.

We could have a library of "STUFF" that we could all use. Plans for Enlarger Negative Holders for different enlarges and sizes. Grips for different cameras (avoiding strap lugs that are placed differently), perhaps different grip sizes as some hands are larger and some not.

Come on, save the kitchen tables and trowels for their original purpose!

Thoughts?

B2 (;->
 
I used a 3D printer to make a handle for my Bessa II. I ended up not liking it as it was a bit too small, but never got around to iterating the design. SketchUp is free. There's a big learning curve but I am good at software and picked it up after fooling with it for a few weeks.

Lots of good potential there but you need good measurements and forethought on how it will work. It's not like wood where you can sand and chop and iterate all on the same piece (I've done a bit of woodworking, but mostly lathe work). There's also less structural support depending on how it's made and certainly not as nice of a finish. I am not real well versed on printing materials and finish options though.
 
presspass said:
Huss, I notice you have the raised soft release on your F2. Does that improve the shutter release? Did you have it before you got the grip?
Click to expand...
I prefer the softrelease only on the metering finder (DP-1), because the way for the finger between the dial & the releaseknob is not so "far".
Whem I'm using the eyelevelfinder or the waistlevelfinder I remove the softrelease.
 
An update: got two of the grips and two soft releases. They make the F2s much easier to handle and shoot. The only change was to put hockey stick tape on the grips for a more secure hold. I also put small sections of the same tape on the grip plate so it doesn't move around on the camera. Thanks for all the good advice.
 
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