by Tim Issac

As a photographer and engineer, Tim Isaac has used photography to support his work in industrial design and quality control in the USA, Taiwan, Japan, and China for many years.  Working as a quality control engineer, Tim Isaac uses photography as a communication tool. The Leica M8 provided an opportunity for Tim to not only own a great camera but also to compliment its design with Thumbs Up, significantly improving its ergonomics.

Thumbs Up

Thumbs Up is an accessory thumb rest that enables you to hold your Leica M, Leica X1, Fuji X100 or Fuji X10 with improved balance, comfort, and security. You won't believe the difference that Thumbs Up makes! Your compositions will be more consistent, your photographs sharper; and the secure grip when holding your camera provides peace of mind. Thumbs Up users report being able to take hand-held shots at 1–2 stops slower shutter speeds.

Designed initially for the gripless Leica M8, it has proved to be so good that many film Leica M owners use it too. Now Thumbs Up has a new model specifically for the Fuji X100 and X10; the EP-5S

 
Thumbs Up fits the following cameras. Make sure you buy the correct Thumbs Up model:
 
Thumbs Up EP-1, CSEP-1, CSEP-4 –  Leica M9-P, M9, M8U, M8.2, M8, M7, M6, M6 TTL, MP, M4, M3 and M2
Thumbs Up CSEP-2 – Leica X1 
Thumbs Up EP-5S - Fuji X100 and X10

Thumbs Up slots into the hot shoe of your camera with a firm push – if you have never used your hot shoe, the fit may seem tight, but, rest assured, this is as intended. The CS ("cold shoe") models have an additional locking mechanism, to prevent the movement of accessories such as external viewfinders

Thumbs Up EP ("ergonomic profile") models 
The original Thumbs Up 1 and 3 grips have had glowing reviews – "We use our Leica's heavily for producing content for newspapers and magazines ... the results with the Thumbs Up are nothing short of spectacular" (Gus Maurizio)
 
There are five EP models: EP-1, CSEP-1, CSEP-2, CSEP-4 and EP-5S
 
Thumbs Up EP-1, like Thumbs Up 1 and 3, has no cold shoe, and is ideal for those who don't use external viewfinders or other shoe accessories often or who prefer a small, compact grip.
 
Thumbs Up CSEP-1 incorporates a cold shoe, for those who frequently use external viewfinders and the like. Thumbs Up CSEP-2 is similar to Thumbs Up CSEP-1 but is designed exclusively for the Leica X1 camera.
 
Thumbs Up CSEP-4 has two cold shoes, with the second shoe perfectly placed for an external viewfinder – unlike using the central cold shoe, moving your eye between the external viewfinder and the camera's is effortless, and the two views match perfectly.

Soft Releases

Match Technical soft releases complement the Thumbs Up grips perfectly. To reduce camera shake, some experts recommend gently squeezing the shutter release button. Unfortunately, the recessed design of many shutter releases makes squeezing off shots difficult. Match Technical soft releases screw into the shutter release button, thus raising it and overcoming the problem – allowing you to take hand-held shots at slower shutter speeds. These soft releases are made of solid brass, because it does not bind in threads and does not break easily – unlike some metals – eliminating the possibility of Match Technical's soft releases jamming or snapping off in the shutter button.