Rob Trek Forum

I just received the following from Olympus Tech Support regarding the new grip material on the M1 Mark III:

“The grip on the E-M1 MkIII is a new formulation that is considered an improvement over the material used on the E-M1 MkII. The new material was designed to be more dense to prevent softening and stretching that would eventually lead to the material lifting and separating from the camera body.”

Thanks for sharing that. It makes sense. Softer material will loosen and stretch.

Depending upon what you want (and your craft skills) you can replace the leatherette material on camera bodies with something else.

When I was working as a cave expeditions photographer -- going down very wet and often muddy caverns -- grip was a problem. I replaced part of my OM-2's leatherette grip with neoprene. I used car upholstery glue to fix it to the camera. A less extreme option would be to simply replace a key part of the grip area with a more appropriate material for your needs. Simply remove with a scalpel and use as a template.

Another option is to paint part of the grip with coloured latex rubber. This also improves the grip.

I've often thought that re-upholstering an Olympus Pen with really beautiful leather would be a great way to highlight the beauty of this design icon.

Rick Bear