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Got my PhaseOne V-Grip yesterday

K

Kirmo

New member
Just to info if someone else has been waiting,
The V-Grip finally in my hands.

I saw several boxes at my dealers shop.

Still waiting for the tilt/shift lenses.

Kirmo
Finland
 
kdphotography

kdphotography

Well-known member
Tease.

What are your impressions of the V-grip? Attachment to a tripod in both landscape in portrait orientations? Work well with the Cube? :D

ken
 
ddanois

ddanois

Member
Received mine as well. It's worth it to just not have to deal with AA batteries anymore. Oh, and the ability to do firmware upgrades on the body without having to send it out is really sweet.

Completed the 1.1.4 body upgrade last night without a hitch. Solve my LS lens lockup issue straightaway.
 
D

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
ddanois said:
Received mine as well. It's worth it to just not have to deal with AA batteries anymore. Oh, and the ability to do firmware upgrades on the body without having to send it out is really sweet.

Completed the 1.1.4 body upgrade last night without a hitch. Solve my LS lens lockup issue straightaway.
Click to expand...
Fantastic news Derek! I know that was bugging you!!!

Everyone can rejoice that body firmware updates no longer need to be done in New York and can now be done via the vertical grip (your own, a friends, or your dealers). When we do our 2011 road show across the country we'll of course have a vertical grip to provide firmware updates to anyone who doesn't have a vertical grip.

Doug Peterson (e-mail Me)
__________________

Head of Technical Services, Capture Integration
Phase One Partner of the Year
Leaf, Leica, Cambo, Arca Swiss, Canon, Apple, Profoto, Broncolor, Eizo & More

National: 877.217.9870 *| *Cell: 740.707.2183
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Buy Capture One 6 at 10% off
 
Bill Caulfeild-Browne

Bill Caulfeild-Browne

Well-known member
Kirmo said:
Just to info if someone else has been waiting,
The V-Grip finally in my hands.

I saw several boxes at my dealers shop.

Still waiting for the tilt/shift lenses.

Kirmo
Finland
Click to expand...
Hi Kirmo, good to hear from you! I got my V Grip today and installed the latest DF firmware. I'm a bit puzzled by the "extra" plate provided - I presume that is only mounted when the V Grip is not attached.

Best,
Bill
 
yaya

yaya

Active member
Bill Caulfeild-Browne said:
Hi Kirmo, good to hear from you! I got my V Grip today and installed the latest DF firmware. I'm a bit puzzled by the "extra" plate provided - I presume that is only mounted when the V Grip is not attached.

Best,
Bill
Click to expand...
You can use the "L" bracket with or without the V-Grip and the 2nd plate can be used on the grip itself for horizontal position if you have a Arca-type tripod head

Yair
 
Guy Mancuso

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Have to say i was not pleased with the width of the V-grip as it was not very comfortable in my hands.
 
B

Bob Davis

Guest
Doug, I'm wondering how the camera fits in the roller case with the V-Grip attached? Do you have to push extra extra hard on the lid to get it shut?

Bob
 
Wayne Fox

Wayne Fox

Workshop Member
Guy Mancuso said:
Have to say i was not pleased with the width of the V-grip as it was not very comfortable in my hands.
Click to expand...
feel the same way. Torn between being able to use the same battery and the added size. Just don't think it's worth it at this point. I took it off and put the regular L bracket back on.
 
GrahamWelland

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
I just got a V-Grip to try today. Has anyone run into any issues with running the firmware update for the camera body with it?

I've tried connecting mine to two different Macs but the FW updater doesn't see the body on either. I've tried setting the battery setting to service & normal, that didn't help either. I hit refresh ofter each change and I still don't see the camera.

I used the same FW updater (downloaded today) to connect via firewire to my P40+ and that updated to 5.18 FW just fine.

Anyone else run in to this? I'm sure it's something really stupid but the instructions seem not very detailed and I've followed them to the letter (plus I'd like to think that I'm more than a little computer/tech savvy).

Btw, I tried the same process on a Windows 7 laptop too with the same result. Both windows and OS X see the device but the FW Updater doesn't seem to want to read it :banghead:
 
Last edited:
GrahamWelland

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
To answer my own question ... the grip can get locked up. I had to remove the battery to reset it and everything worked after that.
 
G

goesbang

Member
Guy Mancuso said:
Have to say i was not pleased with the width of the V-grip as it was not very comfortable in my hands.
Click to expand...
I tend to agree with you Guy. I love the functionality gains - the built in ProAir trigger, the firmware upgrade connectivity etc, but I have ergonomic gripes that frankly, should have been worked out with prototype testing prior to release.

Firstly, the flat base should be wider so the camera can stand up on its own with more than the 80mm lens. All very sexy looking with the base curving up both front and back of the tripod screw, but at this end of the price/user scale, functionality first please.

Second, the bottom front corner on the left hand side should have been radiused. In its current shape, it sticks uncomfortably into my left palm, near the base of my thumb.

Thirdly, am I the only one who finds the contact with the index finger adjustment wheel inadequate? It either doesn't stick up enough or the hollow around it needs to be deeper/wider. I have pretty small hands and still have trouble. I imagine some of my larger fisted cousins would hate it more. I dread to think what it's going to be like with gloves on.....

And yes, it is impossible to close the trolley case with the grip on, but to be fair, that case became part of the family before V-grips Mummy and Daddy even met......

I give this device a pass mark, not the 5 stars I am used to giving Phase One products.

Come on guys - Vgrip Mark2 required.
:thumbdown:
 
GrahamWelland

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
I tried the grip briefly but I confess that I wasn't impressed with the build quality or some of the ergonomics.

I found the fit of the grip to the body felt a bit flimsy, rather similar to the feel of the older Nikon grips compared to the lasted MB-D10 - ie. they flex as opposed to feeling like a rock solid part of the camera.

The ergonomics of the vertical dial and the tiny shutter release didn't work for me either. From the grip perspective, I've got pretty large hands and they were dwarfed by the depth of the grip - someone who modelled this obviously had HUGE hands or long fingers! A more integrated arca plate for the base when shooting in landscape would be useful since adding a plate there messes up the feel of the grip when using it in portrait mode.

I did like the feel of being able to shoot in portrait mode much more comfortably. In that respect it did work well compared to the naked 645DF. Obviously the utility of the USB for firmware upgrades is useful (it locked up on me at first until I did a battery out reset), but not useful enough for me to make the investment unfortunately. If I were using ProFoto lights then the wireless Air functionality could make it a no-brainer but alas for my needs it wasn't worth it.
 
G

goesbang

Member
Graham, you do not have to use Profoto lights to take advantage of the integrated Air system. You can use any brand of lights, but you will have to use a Profoto Air RECEIVER on your lights. These units are price competitive with Pocket Wizards.
I also understand that the new Hensel gear will have receivers integrated.
For me, not having my pocket wizard antenna threathen to poke my eye out is a breath of fresh air.
Cheers,
 
GrahamWelland

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Good point - still not compelling for me but I certainly can see how important and big advantage this would be for others.
 
A

adamduckworth

New member
Have the V-grip, now strangely drawn to buying an Arca head so I can use the lovely L-plate it came with.

I'm in UK so Arca is easily available, RRS isn't.

Currently use a Gitzo GH3780QR and love it, except for the creep when it's fastened to the bottom of my 645DF (and also Nikon D3X). So proper plates seem attractive.

So... which Arca head? (Not the Cube as I need to work faster than that). Z1 or the big ball Z1G or Z2? Any experience anyone?

Also, if I want to use the DF with the V-grip and mount it horizontally on a tripod, I presume I need to buy a separate new plate?

And not MF, of course, but any recommendations for a plate for D3X?

Thanks!
 
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