Match Technical Thumbs Up EP 12-T mini review

[goatsby]

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I picked up the Match Technical Thumbs Up EP-12T for my Leica T and wanted to share my thoughts and experiences for those interested.

 

First let me say that I am a huge Thumbs Up fan and have used many variations over the years on my digital Leica's (M’s and X’s) and have found them a necessary part of proper handling. Once I bought a T and noticed that they released the EP-12-T Thumbs Up, it was just a matter of time before it made it's way onto my camera.

 

Through the magic of the internet, popped over to the Leica Store Miami website, ordered the EP-12T and had it in my grubby hands a few short days later. Once home, put it on the T and noted that the fit and finish was nothing short of the normal Match Technical fare; first class. It looks great on the T, and fits like factory equipment (or better in some cases). Swung my thumb to the back to get the grip and that’s where things were different….

 

This Thumbs Up was created so as to not block any of the T’s functions, namely the touch screen or two control dials. This is obviously a must, but I found that the thumb rest was a little short of being comfortable. My thumb was stretched too far from the normal position to reach the grip, but once I adjusted my grip it was a little better. Once I got used to holding the camera like this it was good, but found that as my thumb stretched across the back it covered up the menu bar and the top right hand corner of the screen. My first thought was that this grip would be a perfect fit with the Visoflex, but that is certainly not the case since it is flush-mounted.

 

Though the thumb stretch and screen blockage were not ideal, the benefit of improved handling outweighed the negatives, but the main reason this Thumbs Up and I did not get along was because it dug painfully into my side when I wore the camera across my shoulder and then also in the around the neck position. I never noticed this with any previous Thumbs Up, but it was painfully obvious with this iteration.

 

So, I gave the EP-12T a week on the camera to see if I got used to it, but we never got on well enough for me to justify keeping it. Although I returned the EP-12T to LSM, I still find myself reaching for it on the camera as it did provide greater stability and an easier grab out of the bag. Other users may not have the same issues, and I would still recommend the Thumbs Up EP-12T if you are okay with potentially dealing the above issues.

 

AG

[MichaelU]

Thanks for sharing this.

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[Carbon111]

I appreciate the review! I was kind of wondering about this.

 

I use the Thumbs-Up on my M240 and absolutely love it but my T has such a positive grip that I wondered if one of these would really help at all...when I saw a photo of one, it looked like it would pull my thumb into a very odd position. Going to give it a pass.