Opteka X-Grip Professional Camera/Camcorder Action Stabilizing Handle with Accessory Shoe for Flash, Mic, or Video Light (Black)

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!

I love this thing! Use it with a canon vixia hf s10 and I rarely ever take the camera off. Gives great additional weight to a light weight camcorder, and adds extra stability control. There's another model without the sidebars, and it appears that the top may be angled down a little more than this model (based off pictures). I bought this model because I didn't want the top curved down, and thought the side bars might add for an extra hand grip or stationary stability. Some ppl complain about the bars digging into their palm while trying to hold the camcorder. I can see how this may be a problem, but if you move the camcorder as far right as possible in one of the sliding pegs, the issue should be resolved. I personally have never found having the bar against my palm to be an issue. It never hurt, and again, made for more stable control as I felt I was holding the camcorder and part of the X-Grip. I have a heavy duty L bracket as an additional attachment to it; fits nicely between the base and the side bars.(NOTE* If you unscrew and open up the base of the X-Grip, there's a thick threaded washer inside which you screw the clamp screw in and attach the camcorder on. I had an additional one of these washers made and placed inside, so I could slide the L bracket between the base and the side bars. ...It's a really sweet setup. Now, not only do I have the strap grip on the right for my camcorder, but the hand grip of the L bracket on the left which I use to attach my light. With a hand in both of those positions and the back of the X-Grip pressed against your shoulder, you get ultimate stability.)[Extra Note* If you add an additional washer and it's a plastic model with a threaded metal interior (like mine is) you may have to sand down the excess metal lip so that its even with that of the plastic washer and fits nicely in your X-Grip]BEST FEATURE! Even with the addition of the extra threaded washer and L bracket; I screw my tripod cap to the base (the tripod cap is perfect distance between the two side bars) and it still attaches to the tripod! I literally never have to take my camcorder off this thing! So whether you want the extra stability for hand held shots, or maybe your tripod isn't the best and you want some extra bars to grip and move; this is the best piece of equipment you can purchase. No Set up and tear down. Attach your camera and keep it on.Great price, and the most useful attachment piece yet. I'll attach pictures soon, once I figure out how.