Received the black versions of the SmallRig L-grip and thumb grip today and they are already on my X-E5 that I got just last Friday. I’m pretty pleased with the fit of each. Unlike the SmallRig grip for the X-T5 they have done a better job of tapering (or thinning) the silicon grip on the side where it fits the camera. Also their thumb grip in my opinion is comfortable to use. I don’t think there will be a need to experiment with others like I did on the X-T5. Now just need to put on the rear LCD screen protector and it’s ready for use. Hope it works out well and there will be no LCD issues that I know some have had already. Wish me luck.
This isnt really an accessory question, but there's a lot of X-E5 owners here ...about to pull the trigger on one, those of you with black, does it show fingerprints easily? Havent decided on Black or silver. thanls for your input!
gdanmitchell wrote:
In my view, a lot of the add-ons that folks get are less than useful and they are a combination of the excitement of purchasing a new thing and falling for the new camera accessories stuff that dealers use to make a few extra bucks on the sale.
But if you want to spend the money on such things, it is your money. No harm done.
a man w/ his new camera is a woman w/ her new purse. both have to accessorize. ;-)
thedwp wrote:
This isnt really an accessory question, but there's a lot of X-E5 owners here ...about to pull the trigger on one, those of you with black, does it show fingerprints easily? Havent decided on Black or silver. thanls for your input!
Not at all... The black finish is very nice and stealthy, super easy to wipe down and clean as well.
To experiment I just took delivery of the SmallRig black half case and Haoge thumb grip for the X-E5. I say it’s an experiment since I already have the SmallRig Arca-Swiss base plate / grip and SmallRig thumb grip. Why did I buy them? The Haoge Thumb Grip is shorter and may or may not have a better feel. The half case is a try to protect the black finish from scratches in the bag and when out an about.
The grip bump built into the half case actually feels pretty good and may be a good alternative if you don’t need an Arca-Swiss plate to mount on a tripod. Admit, while I use Arca Swiss grips on other cameras like the X-T5, I’m less likely to mount my X-E5 on a tripod. We will see how it goes.
swldstn wrote:
To experiment I just took delivery of the SmallRig black half case and Haoge thumb grip for the X-E5. I say it’s an experiment since I already have the SmallRig Arca-Swiss base plate / grip and SmallRig thumb grip. Why did I buy them? The Haoge Thumb Grip is shorter and may or may not have a better feel. The half case is a try to protect the black finish from scratches in the bag and when out an about.
The grip bump built into the half case actually feels pretty good and may be a good alternative if you don’t need an Arca-Swiss plate to mount on a tripod. Admit, while I use Arca Swiss grips on other cameras like the X-T5, I’m less likely to mount my X-E5 on a tripod. We will see how it goes....Show more →
I was waiting for Haoge to release a thumb grip, ended up getting the smallrig one, and it's is fine.
I ordered a half case from MUZIRI KINOKOO but still waiting on it.
Thumb grip is actually fine but I'm still curious about the Haoge one, looks like they do free delivery to UK.
How do you like it over the smallrig thumb grip?
I'm wondering with the half grip if a shorter one will be better when used with a half case too as the grip might change.
Yogifi wrote:
I was waiting for Haoge to release a thumb grip, ended up getting the smallrig one, and it's is fine.
I ordered a half case from MUZIRI KINOKOO but still waiting on it.
Thumb grip is actually fine but I'm still curious about the Haoge one, looks like they do free delivery to UK.
How do you like it over the smallrig thumb grip?
I'm wondering with the half grip if a shorter one will be better when used with a half case too as the grip might change.
From my very short amount of testing I think both thumb grips, Haoge and SmallRig are work fine with the half case. Unfortunately I think which you like better will be personal preference.
I’m a complete degenerate when it comes to buying accessories for a new camera… I do it to myself every time. The same holds true with the X-E5, nevermind the filters and lenshoods I’ve bought for my new Fuji lenses…
I’ve been using the SmallRig hand and thumb grips and I’d say they’re both okay, but not good enough to have stopped me from seeking out better options.
The hand grip itself is decent… the material on the actual grip has just the right amount of stickiness… but the base of the grip looks cheap, which I know is a stupid complaint, but between the SmallRig logo, and the loophole/cutout, I think the grip takes away from the clean lines of the X-E5. The grip’s base is also wider than the camera body, resulting in an annoying overlap. Oh… and the finger grip portion looks like it wasn’t designed specifically for the X-E5, as it doesn’t extent all the way down to be flush with the base… there is a small gap and if you look closely, you can see a bit of a stamping mark that should have been covered up by the grip.
The Thumb Grip is okay… it successfully avoids blocking access to the X-E5’s buttons and wheels, but SmallRig didn’t attempt to integrate the grip with the chamfered back lip of the X-E5’s body, which is a shame, as it would have allowed for a nice solid contact point along the camera body. The fit out-of-the-box isn’t perfect either between the grip and the hotshoe… I had to bend the two outside prongs of the thumb. grip upwards to get a tighter fit… before doing so, the grip would slide ever-so-slightly out of the hotshoe whenever I applied pressure with my thumb while holding the camera. The small rubber piece meant to protect the camera body from contact with the grip is also not quite thick enough, so I ended up having to bend the grip a bit, so that the rubber part became flush with the camera body.
So, sucker that I am, I’ve got more new accessories in transit for the X-E5…
-Haoge’s new Thumb Grip
-Haoge’s new Hand Grip
-A half-case from Akara Labs
And I keep eyeballing the IDS hand grip that they recently released. And I will almost certainly buy the JJC thumb grip when they get around to releasing one.
I’m hoping Squarehood will come through with a more custom and better-integrated thumb grip… they’ve made some nice ones in the past for other cameras I’ve owned.
Raptor_Fan76 wrote:
So, sucker that I am, I’ve got more new accessories in transit for the X-E5…
-Haoge’s new Thumb Grip
-Haoge’s new Hand Grip
-A half-case from Akara Labs
And I keep eyeballing the IDS hand grip that they recently released. And I will almost certainly buy the JJC thumb grip when they get around to releasing one.
I’m hoping Squarehood will come through with a more custom and better-integrated thumb grip… they’ve made some nice ones in the past for other cameras I’ve owned.
So I found the Haoge grip for the X -E5 on Amazon discounted for Prime Days and since I found that to be the best one of three I got for my X-T5 I felt compelled to try their X-E5 version. Already have their thumb grip which is nice but I can’t decide if it better or worse than the SmallRig. Still sorting that out.
I guess I’m a sucker too but not familiar with the IDS hand grip. Can you provide a link to it?
swldstn wrote:
So I found the Haoge grip for the X -E5 on Amazon discounted for Prime Days and since I found that to be the best one of three I got for my X-T5 I felt compelled to try their X-E5 version. Already have their thumb grip which is nice but I can’t decide if it better or worse than the SmallRig. Still sorting that out.
I guess I’m a sucker too but not familiar with the IDS hand grip. Can you provide a link to it?
The hand grip is a nice step up design-wise from the SmallRig… the baseplate lines up perfectly with the body of the camera. The finger grip is good… not quite as ergonomic as the SmallRig, but smaller and actually follows all the way down to the bottom of the baseplate.
The major negative to be aware of is that the attachment to the camera is via a screw and Allen key, which for me is a negative, as I have a set of smaller lenses that I remove the grip when using.
The thumb grip is a bust for me the curvature of the thumb rest is shallow and not quite enough to feel confident that your thumb would ever slip off. It has no texture as well.
The biggest negative, though, is that it is slightly loose when slotted into the hotshoe…you can wobble it a tiny bit up and down. Big fail, unfortunately.
Side note… I love the lenshood I picked up for the Xf 35 f2. Looks great, I think.
The thumb grip is a bust for me the curvature of the thumb rest is shallow and not quite enough to feel confident that your thumb would ever slip off. It has no texture as well.
The biggest negative, though, is that it is slightly loose when slotted into the hotshoe…you can wobble it a tiny bit up and down. Big fail, unfortunately.
Yep, my Haoge thumb grip arrived today, skip this completely. Same exact issue, zero texture and low angle, feels like my thumb can slip off easily and mine also wiggles up and down while thumb is on it.
Feel like complaining to them to be honest. That it wiggles is ridiculous.
Their one for the A7cii is rock solid and even though it's not textured, never felt like my thumb could slip off it.
Smallgrip one for the X-E5 is much better, even if the button presses are little harder with it.
On leather half cases, my one from MUZIRI KINOKOO arrived and it's fine, fits fine, feels fine.
But it's not like the gariz one for the x100vi, which is a step above in terms of quality of the leather, build of the components --- but not fit, the Muziri fits the x-e5 better than gariz fit the x100vi.
- Little tough to slip off on Kinokoo as it grips the camera on the right side really snug.
- Need a coin to unscrew because the indent on the screw latch isn't deep enough to lift it out, and it's stiff.
- Not much in terms of metal where the screw presses against the case before going into the camera.
- The screw comes off and isn't secured into the case.
But it works fine.
Gariz don't make one for the x-e5 last I checked and smallrig love to put their logo everywhere.
To be honest I'm leaning towards just using the x-e5 without a case. If I had it round my neck I'd keep it on but I rarely carry it like that. With the xf35mmf1.4, which is what I mainly use with it, don't really feel like I need it.
Screen protector + smallrig thumbrest, and the little 2-finger leather strap I put together, I'm good with that.
...about to pull the trigger on one, those of you with black, does it show fingerprints easily? Havent decided on Black or silver. thanls for your input! 
