If You Must Have a Grip for Your New OM-3 Mirrorless Camera

Here's a mod that's working for me

Soon enough, we will have an abundance of grip options for the just-released OM System OM-3. The camera is receiving very positive reviews, but some potential buyers are put off by the lack of a front grip. If you fall into that category, I do have a temporary fix.

I noticed that the design of the digital OM-3 is similar to my analog Olympus OM-10 film camera. So I wondered, could I modify the grip for the OM-10 to work on the OM-3 as well?

The short answer is yes! The bottom hole for the securing screw didn’t match up perfectly. So I drilled a second hole and used a screw that would fit in the space.

Lo and behold! The modified grip isn’t perfect, but it’s very close, and it feels great on the OM-3.

The grip does cover the battery port, but I’m charging via USB-C cable anyway, so that isn’t an issue. Plus, it’s easy enough to loosen the screw if I do need to access the battery port.

Fortunately, the memory card slot is on the side of the OM-3, and there’s really no obstruction from the modified grip to dampen my enthusiasm.

If you’re interested in this mod, you can order a grip from Cameradactyl on Etsy. It’s $37.62 plus shipping.

The grip is quite comfortable on the camera. I’m leaving it on until something better comes along.

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