Review: Kamerakraft LM Grip

Introduction

kamerakraft lm10 grip leica m m10 handgriff france vincent bihler black aluminium walnut
Leica M10 with Kamerakraft LM10Grip V2.1 attached

Kamerakraft is a small (pretty much one person) company located in France offering grips for M-mount cameras, straps and a few additional accessories. We will be having a look at their LM10Grip V2.1 for the Leica M10 series here. 

Disclosure

I have actually known the owner of Kamerakraft for years, but without knowing that he is the owner of Kamerakraft. He knew that I have a Leica M10 though and one day asked me if he can send me his LM10Grip for me to have a look at and write about it, so here we are. 

The Grip

kamerakraft lm10 grip leica m m10 handgriff france vincent bihler black aluminium walnut
Kamerakraft LM10Grip V2.1

The grip is made from aluminium, for the handle part you can choose between wood an metal, the one you see on top obviously being the metal version. That part actually has a very interesting finish that gives more grip than you would expect.

kamerakraft lm10 grip leica m m10 handgriff france vincent bihler black aluminium walnut
Kamerakraft LM10Grip V2.1

At the bottom part that has direct contact to the camera some soft foam material has been used. The grip for the M film cameras also features two slots for storing LR44 batteries

kamerakraft lm10 grip leica m m10 handgriff france vincent bihler black aluminium walnut
battery door

If you read my review of the Leica M10 you may remember I am not a huge fan of having to remove the whole bottom plate to get access to battery and SD card. This grip fixes that entirely, as it comes with its own battery/SD card door. After having used this grip for a few weeks that is certainly something I got accustomed to.

kamerakraft lm10 grip leica m m10 handgriff france vincent bihler black aluminium walnut
RRS BM10-L | Kamerakraft LM10Grip V2.1 | original bottom plate

Among the M-mount users are many street photographers that may not care a great deal about tripods. I do and for the reviews alone I needed an arca plate for my M10. Back in the day the only option was the RRS BM10-L bottom plate but because of its ergonomics I really only used it when I knew I would be using a tripod.

The Kamerakraft grip also includes an arca profile and contrary to the RRS grip I didn’t mind just leaving it on the camera all the time – this is also because RRS grip’s finish does not match the camera as well.

Conclusion

kamerakraft lm10 grip leica m m10 handgriff france vincent bihler black aluminium walnut
Leica M10 with Kamerakraft LM10Grip V2.1 attached

Accessory grips for cameras are a totally subjective topic. What you prefer depends on the looks, the materials used, what size of lenses you prefer, if it fits well with your hands, its price and many other factors important to you, that might not even have crossed my mind yet. 

My personal experience is as follows:
I am a big fan of the battery door (a feature introduced in later M cameras by Leica themselves) and I also prefer the handling with bigger and heavier lenses, as it makes holding the camera more comfortable. The arca profile is well integrated and it never got in the way of handling the camera. Every accessory grip will have an influence on the looks of the camera, this is one of the more subtle options though – which I prefer.

Its price (starting at 299€) is by no means cheap, keep in mind this is also not a high volume product with a huge corporation behind it though, but the result of a passion project run by just one guy from France.

Have a look at the Kamerakraft Shop.

Further Reading

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My name is Bastian and I am your expert here when it comes to ultra wide angle lenses, super fast portrait lenses (ranging from a 50mm f/0.95 to a 200mm f/1.8) and I also have reviewed way too many 35mm lenses. Don't ask me anything about macro or wildlife shooting though.

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