Kamerakraft Nikon Zf Thumb Grip Review

This is going to be the shortest review I have ever written I think – mostly because it’s of the small, inert bit of brass that is the Kamerakraft Nikon Zf Thumb Grip.

My initial interest in the Nikon Z system was through a desire to return to Nikon camera handling. I’ve always liked how modern Nikon cameras handle. My first SLR was an F60, and since then I’ve had countless Nikon’s with great handling, the D3 and F100 being particular highlights for me. When the Z series cameras first came out, I knew they would feel great in the hand, and they did too!

I recently had a Nikon Df. I did like it, but I didn’t keep it. I sold it to buy the Zf. There were loads of reasons for this, but one of them was that I wasn’t massively enamoured by the handling. Actually it didn’t bother me much in use, but it still wasn’t ideal.

Of course, the Zf isn’t based on the rest of the Z series with their big modern Nikon camera grips. Like the Df, but to an even greater degree, it’s more based on the older style Nikons such as the FM and the like. My desire to have a camera with dials on it and a more traditional style overrode the original interest I had in the Z system for the big comfortable grips.

The Zf does handle better than the Df for sure. But it’s nothing even close to as nice to hold as even my old Sony A7iii, never mind the likes of the Z6 etc. It wasn’t bugging me that much. I am more happy with the rest of the specs and features of the Zf overall. As I will get to in a review – if I ever get round to writing one – it really is a stunning camera! But yeah, the out of the box handling leaves a little be desired.

Kamerakraft Nikon Zf Thumb Grip to the rescue.

The Kamerakraft Nikon Zf Thumb Grip is a tiny bit of brass with a bit of double sided sticky tape on it. It sticks to the camera between the AE-L/AF-L button and the rear thumb dial in exactly the correct position to allow your right thumb to support some of the weight of the camera. It is incredibly effective at increasing the handling of the camera to the point that it almost makes you wonder why Nikon didn’t include it on the camera themselves.

There are a few answers to that, the first is likely that they wanted to keep the camera looking as much like an old school Nikon as possible. The second – being really picky about the grip – is that it does very, very slightly inhibit the use of the rear dial. And to an even lesser degree the exposure compensation dial too. With that said, both dials are still totally useable, and I don’t use the rear dial anyway.

And, most importantly, as I have said the hold-ability of the camera is massively improved. In fact, its improved way more than really such a tiny bit of metal has any right to work for such a purpose. What I think is particularly interesting about it is that it doesn’t follow the usual pattern of grips like this that slot into the hot shoe. Had it followed that pattern – were it even possible to design to do so – it would have been a lot bigger and probably uglier.

The elegance here is in the tiny design that blends perfectly into the camera, barely impairs usability, and – as if I need to say it again – dramatically increases how well the camera handles.

Well done Vincent, you totally nailed the design here!!

Share this post: