Meike MK-X1EM Metal Bracket Hand Grip for Sony A9 A7MIII a7RIII a7RII a7II a7SII Camera

Works perfectly, makes the camera way more comfortable to hold so it lives on the camera as a nearly permanent addition. There is no reason to ever complain about a Sony being too small to grip given this is available. No big deal about no battery door- you can charge the battery in camera and when you do need to battery swap, a coin or key or whatever and 10 seconds removes it. The only time I don't use this is when I use the Sony vertical dual battery grip, which is big and heavy and rarely used (but sometimes just the right tool for the job - 4 hours of shooting ballet performance with camera in vertical position at least half the time - life/shoulder saver for that!). Really like the built in arc-type plate too. Had to route out a hole in the bottom to clear the locking pin on the tripod receiver plate, but that was easy enough. Now always have a plate attached for quick use of tripod. (But doesn't work with my Manfrotto tripod, that only accepts a square (4 sided) arc-type plate (but there is a place to attach that plate to the bottom, so again, no big deal). Overall, I love it and would replace it the next day if I lost it.

I purchased this from Amazon and it arrived a day prior to a trip to tour the mansions in Newport, RI. I carried a newly acquired Sony A7iii with this Meike grip attached. At first I wasn't sure of the be benefit, but the more I shoot the more I felt the benefit and how seamlessly this group extension helped to stabilize the A7iii with a fairly heavy 16-35mm lens. Not as comfortable for vertical, portrait orientation shots as a full battery grip, but nowhere as large or bulky either.As for those with concerns about removing the grip for battery changes, that would depend upon the battery your camera takes. With the new Z100 battery in my A7iiii shot over 300 frames and came home with 57% left. If I was planning on using older Sony full frame bodies with the "F" style batteries I'd reconsider taking it into the field.In all, the Meike grip can make a world of difference in shooting comfort. Highly recommended!

So the main reason I looked at this product was to add a helpful grip portion to my right hand pinky to help with holding the camera (Sony A7III).Pros: It does do a pretty good job of that (adding more grip). Also, the plate that attaches to the camera is am arca swiss compatible plate, with some skeletonized looking holes so that you can put your peak design anchor links through. I'm able to put my anchor links through so that my peak design strap is able to balance out the camera so that the lens points downward and out of the way.Cons: The actual grippy material where your pinky rests is not as comfortable or cushy as the main competitor to this, the Lennon LB3 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BC8MZVZ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1.Initially I bought the Lennon and the right hand/pinky portion is amazing. Much more cushioned, soft rubbery material. This one has a plastic texturized feel. The other downside of this grip is that there's no way to access the battery compartment other than loosening and moving the plate out of the way. The Lennon LB3 has a little button on the bottom that releases the portion of the grip covering the battery so that you can access the battery without having to unscrew or loosen it. The other con, which is minor, is that the arca swiss portion of the plate has a coating on it that scratches VERY easily. I put the camera on my tripod ONCE, and already I see some scratches on the plate. The Lennon metal plate looks shiny/more durable, so it won't scratch as easily.However, between the Lennon LB3 and the Meike, I ended up returning the Lennon and keeping the Meike because of the stupid huge plate on the LB3. It's actually so big that it's bigger than the entire bottom portion of my A7III. The corners of the plate are sharp and hard. So much so that when I hold the camera with my left hand on the lens barrel and right hand on the grip the plate digs into my palm and sort of defeats the whole purpose of better ergonomics.Since the plate on the Meike is much smaller, the left hand rests on the corner of the actual camera when holding a lens, which is more rounded and not as painful.For some people this doesn't seem to be an issue. If it's not, I would recommend the Lennon over this Meike for the better pinky grip, the ability to access the battery door, and less easily scratched tripod plate.

I love using this on my A7III. Makes the camera generally more comfortable to hold on handed, especially in a vertical orientation. Solidly built, good finish that generally blends in well with the camera. Some people complain about having to remove it to get to the battery—that can be an issue if you need to swap out batteries real quick. But personally, I don’t mind. I just carry the tool with me to untighten the bottom, swivel it away, take out the battery (or put the battery back in), and put it back into the place. I haven’t had to completely remove it to do that. Sure, it’s not ideal, but I feel the ergonomic benefit outweighs that inconvenience. Not everyone will think the same, so be aware of that.

Once you install this and shoot for a while you'll have a hard time using your Sony mirrorless without it. It makes the biggest difference when you have a larger lens attached, but even with something smaller it feels great in your hand. I highly recommend this for your camera. A huge thanks to Chris Turner Photography on YouTube for his review.For those who are worried about this covering the battery door I wanted to make a comment. If you simply loosen this grip (a coin works perfectly) and spin it 90 degrees you can access the battery for a quick swap. Spin the grip back and tighten and you're good to go. You don't need to take it completely off of the camera.