The X100VI, like so many other smaller cameras, is basically a rectangular box with a lens. And that’s not great for ergonomics.
That’s created an opportunity for aftermarket accessories to help with that. I’ve seen two main approaches. One is to create a bulkier grip for your right-hand fingers to wrap around, something more similar to a DSLR.
The other is a smaller, lighter solution that adds a simple hook that your right thumb can leverage again. It’s basically where the film advance lever would be on a film camera.
It’s the latter design that I’m focusing on here.
There are several on the market. They all seem to be fundamentally the same kind of design, with some adding a little more curvature on the hook than others. But they all take advantage of the hot shoe as a mounting point.
The one I’m using here is by SmallRig. They’re available in silver and black and sold at Amazon and B&H Photo.
Material: Aluminum Alloy (Matches camera finish)
Mount: Hot Shoe (Friction fit / Silicone pad)
Pros: Improves one-handed grip, protects Exposure Dial
Cons: Blocks hot shoe, obscures Rear Dial & AEL/AFL button
Best For: Shooters who don’t use back-button focus
After using it for a while on my X100VI, I’ve decided to stop using it. But it’s not a slam dunk, and a lot of the reason I stopped is distinctive to how I’ve set my X100VI up. But there are pros and cons to it, so I think it’s worth spelling them out.
Pros
- It does help with the ergonomics of using the camera. It provides a more secure point of leverage. I use it in combination with wrist strap, but I like the feel of having that extra grip.
- Simple. It just slots into the camera’s hot shoe. There’s nothing to screw in or lock. A small rubber pad on the bottom holds the attachment security in the hot shoe with simple friction.
- It reduces the risk of accidentally bumping the exposure compensation dial. One of my pet peeves with the X100VI is that there’s no lock on the exposure compensation dial. I often found that I’ve accidentally bumped it when I’ve take the camera out of a pocket or bag. It’s a minor annoyance but a real one. The thumb grip acts a bit like a guard on it. It won’t completely solve the problem, but it does reduce accidental turning.
Cons
- It prevents using the hot shoe for actual hot shoe things. You know, like a flash. Now, I don’t tend to use a flash with my X100VI, so that’s not really an issue for me. But if you do use a flash on the hot shoe, this will be a nonstarter.
- While it does a pretty good job of keeping access to the buttons accessible, if you’re using those buttons a lot, it might be an issue. This affects mainly the DRIVE/DELETE button, the AEL/AFL button, and the thumb wheel. I discuss this more below.
- It can catch on things when taking in or out of pockets or bags.
- It puts extra load on the hot shoe. This is speculative, since I haven’t actually had a problem with it, but I’m suspicious that adding the extra mechanic load on the hot shoe might create the opportunity for damage to it.
Why I’m not using it anymore
After using it for a while, I’ve decided to stop. And it’s not really due to any flaw in the accessory itself; it’s more to do with how I use the X100VI.
I’ve set my X100VI to use the AEL/AFL button for back-button focus. And I use the thumb wheel for exposure compensation. So I’m using those on basically every shot. (You can even see in these photos where the silver paint is wearing off the button from use).
The thumb grip does maintain access to all of these buttons and dials. But it also makes it just that little bit harder to find them using only tactile feel. It gets in the way just enough that I find it detrimental.
I also tend to put my camera in and out of pockets and bags quite a lot, and I found that it was often catching. Again, not a big issue, but just enough for me to find it a nuisance.
So none of this is a fault of the accessory. The camera wasn’t designed with his feature natively, and the accessory companies have done their best to work with what they’ve been given. And they’ve done it well. I don’t have suggestions on how they could make changes to do it any better.
Rather, it’s simply a case of user preference. I like some things about the thumb grip, but there’s just enough minor annoyance to tip the balance for me to a decision not to use it.
Find them at
They’re available in silver and black and sold at Amazon and B&H Photo.
Explore the Fujifilm X100VI
Here’s a tool I created to help identify which buttons and dials are where — and what they’re called, because every brand has their own dialect and jargon.
