Opteka X-GRIP Professional Camera / Camcorder Action Stabilizing Handle- Black

I bought this based on reviews and I must say I was horrified when mine was delivered. I would not trust my video camera to this flimsy piece of plastic. I cannot say anything good about this product I guess you get what you pay for.

I have added a video to demonstrate some of its shortcomings.

I bought the X-Grip for camcorder use. It was shipped fast and arrived in perfect condition. I appreciate the simple, uncluttered, straightforward design which was executed with quality materials. Attaching it to the camcorder is swift and easy, and the X-Grip can even be attached to a tripod or other mount when operating the camcorder. The heavy-duty accessory shoe can be detached. The grip of the unit is heavily padded and comfortable to use. Small built-in 'loops' at the top and bottom of the mount can be used to attach additional accessories via zip-ties or other field expedients. The X-Grip is constructed from very heavy duty plastic and is robust enough to withstand many years of service. I heartily recommend this unit to all active videographers who want bang for their bucks.

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I love this thing. It's much more than just a handle for low-angle skater shots. I use mine with a Canon Vixia HF-10, and I like that I can mount the camera forward, as you see in most of the product shots, or 90 degrees left so that the curved handle serves as more of a left-hand support for regular shooting... like a flash bracket that still photographers use. That's going to be my default setup. Since the camera mounting screw is in a little track that extends the length of the flat rubber area, the camera can be slid forward or backwards within the X-Grip before tightening. In my case, I slide it all the way forward, rotate it 90 degrees counter-clockwise, and the camera's video monitor has plenty of room to swing all the way out to the left without hitting the handle curve. The accessory bracket on top also rotates 360 degrees so the light/microphone can match the camera direction.

My only complaint is related to the mounting knob below. I'm thrilled that it also has a female thread for mounting to a tripod or other standard-thread item. But the X-Grip's feet, the little skid things that it sits on, get in the way of my tripod head a little. I use a Manfrotto 501 pro tripod head with the large quick-release plate. If that plate is mounted directly underneath the X-Grip, then I can't slide the plate/X-Grip combo onto the tripod head without some serious force too much to be practical. Fortunately, the solution was to disassemble the whole thing and add a single metal washer between the camera mount knob and the underside of the X-Grip, which caused the knob to hang just a fraction of an inch lower when the camera was fully tightened in place. This lowered the female tripod threads in relation to the skids just a bit, so that the "skids" were raised off of my tripod head just enough to be able to slide the release plate in place without much effort. Your mileage may vary with other tripods. If you try this, be careful not to use too thick a washer, since you're sacrificing the amount of threads that actually screw into your camera. This rig does not have the "two knob" type of camera mounting screw where you can set the screw depth with one knob and then tighten down with the other. On this, the depth you see is all you get. It's just right for my camera, but if your camera has an exceptionally shallow tripod-mounting hole, you may need to do the washer trick. Or if your rig is so heavy that you need more than 3/16"-1/4" or so of mounting thread to feel safe and secure, then the X-Grip may not be for you.

The rubber platform that the camera sits on is great. It's actually about 1/4" thick, and good rubber not just the cheesy little thin layer of neoprene left over from the mousepad factory. So if you need to crank down on the camera mounting knob, the camera settles into the rubber pretty securely.

About the strength of the handle: more than enough. It's not totally rigid plastic. It's got a slight flex, so a heavy accessory on top might bounce up and down ever so slightly. I have a Rode NTG-2 mic up there on a shock mount, and I have no concerns about the flex. In fact, I prefer it. The plastic seems strong enough to support a pretty hefty camera rig, and I'll gladly take the "flexy" plastic over the harder, more brittle plastic that is more likely to shatter if dropped.

That's it so far!

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Wow, after reading some of the negative reviews on here I was hesitant to order this for my new Vixia camera. I especially liked the video review from someone who obviously has no idea what to do with this item (or had some serious camera issues) Bottom line first I am extremely satisfied with my purchase and love the X-Grip!

First off, after unboxing my new camera and all of the gear that came with it, I just had to see if my camera would swivel loosely around on the X-Grip like the guy in the video review. Guess what? An eighth of a turn past snug on the mounting bolt and nothing short of a forceful twist of the camera would shake this thing loose. I flipped it,shook it, twisted it, and swung it around like a madman and my camera remained precisely where I had positioned it.

As for those who are complaining that the X-Grip cannot be attached to a tripod double check the backside of the camera mounting thumbscrew. If yours is like mine, it took a few minutes to notice but it is double threaded, meaning that your tripod shoe will attach here easily.

With a little ingenuity I set my X-Grip up to carry not only the camera, but 3-4 other accessories that have shoe mounts as well. Cameras are easy, everything is standard 1/4X20 thread! Most of my accessories (lights, microphone, etc) came with mounting bars and thumbscrews designed to attach to the camera's single, threaded hole in the bottom. Well, since this hole was occupied by the X-Grip, I simply mounted one of the bars to the top portion of the X-Grip with a 1/4X20 bolt and added 3 of the thumbscrew/shoe mounts to that plus the one included on the X-Grip. Now my X-Grip, if needed, can be a handheld or tripod mounted "all in one" studio.

The uses of the X-Grip are limited only by your imagination and ability to think outside of the box. This thing is crazy versatile and, despite being made of that evil "plastic" stuff, seems remarkably durable. Of course you could just mount your camera on it and use it like it was intended, but where's the fun in that? If you are a little more adventurous with your video camera than just holding it up by your face and shooting from one angle than get this thing you'll be glad you did. I sure was!

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I think this item is a cool little film making tool. I am an independent film maker and I am sure I will make good use of it at certain times. It is easy enough to mount the camera and remove it again quickly. The only thing I dislike is the fact that the microphone that fits into my hotshoe does not fit on the camera while mounted on the rig. Also, the build feels a little cheap. Other than that this is a great tool for the money.

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