Newly launched Nikon MC-N10 . handle could be the accessory you need, even if you didn’t know you needed it.
When I bought the Nikon Z9 over a year ago, it was largely a replacement for D850. Maybe I shouldn’t have said instead. The D850 is still the best DSLR I’ve ever owned. And parting with it is not a continuing desire as it is being reluctantly pulled by a Z9 camera into a new mirrorless direction, which is too good to refuse. For many years, the D850 was my go-to for still photography. I feel invincible with that thing in my hand. Anything I can dream of, I can create. Well, at least in the world of still photography. While the D850 has very effective video features, it is markedly limited in that area compared to more recent mirrorless technology. So I spent the big bucks and lined up to buy the Z9.
I expected the camera to be good. What I didn’t expect was that it would be this good. And after more than a year with it in my bag, the even more surprising revelation was not only that the video capabilities far exceeded my D850’s, which I expected, but objectively speaking, I just used Z9 as a video camera. much (if not more) than what I’ve used for stills.
Now, mainly, this is due to the kind of work that I do. With the ratio of filmmaking and photography slowly changing in recent years, I think it’s safe to say that my title has changed from a full-time motion photographer to a full-time director/cinematographer. still photography. I was a filmmaker before I was a stills photographer, so this change is hardly dramatic. Like a slight rotation on a very wide dial. But that means I need different things from my device now than when I first bought the D850 in 2017.
Along with new camera technologies are new accessories. And, contrary to what influencers may tell you, not every accessory is a must-have for every artist. There are tools that help me do my job that could be in your tool cabinet and dusted. And vice versa. There are products that excite me that are within the reach of the constant feedback loop we call the internet.
One such accessory is Nikon MC-N10 . Remote Grip. It was announced late last year without much fanfare. I think many Nikon still-life photographers viewed the device as some sort of oddball without a clear idea of how it would be used in the field. After all, in terms of shape, it essentially mimics the existing grip on the Z9. Why does one need two handles for the same camera? But for videographers, especially those who regularly spend a whole year strapping their devices to their shoulders, the MC-N10 is a pain in the ass.
If you’ve ever spent time with a shoulder-mounted camcorder, you’ve noticed a few things. One, you’ll want a decent shoulder pad as the rig can get heavy. And two, the ergonomics of raising the rig over your shoulder present certain challenges. Mainly, how do you reach the buttons?
Larger camcorder bodies solve this problem by often having a body that is longer than it is wide, opposite to the orientation of a still camera, and placing most of the main buttons on the left side of the body. Or, in some cases, on the right side if it’s a multi-person camera. The reason for placing all these function buttons on the side of the camera is that the operator can still change camera settings with his left hand without having to lower the camera off his shoulder.
On the other hand, still cameras are often wider than they are long, and logically, emphasis should be placed on placing all the main function buttons above and to the right, where they will be most effectively used for shooting. hand held still image at eye level. The mirrorless body is still essentially a body with additional video features, but the form factor is still optimized for stills. They probably have all the advanced file formats and codecs desired for moviemaking. But ergonomics often leaves much to be desired if video is your primary concern.
Simply put, it can be difficult to reach the buttons on a mirrorless camera in many video shooting situations, especially when your camera is shoulder-mounted, as this doesn’t just place the camera high on your shoulder. your camera but also place the buttons on the camera even higher and to the right out of sight. So how does the MC-N10 solve this problem? Simple. It moves those key function buttons to a place that’s easier to use. In the case of the shoulder mount, it replaces one of the front grips, allowing you to take full control of your camera without having to reach over your head.
Likewise, this tool will be of similar benefit to those shooting with gimbal or other devices where physical contact with the camera is unfavorable. Even still photographers who may have reasons not to want to touch their camera during an exposure, especially those who shoot long exposures and may choose to release the cable, can benefit from removing the cable. camera body from the action of pressing the shutter.
The device itself doesn’t need much description. Think of the Z9’s grip (or Z6II/Z7II) without the rest of the body. It connects to your setup via the standard Arri Rosette. Customizable buttons are like those on a camera body, allowing you to assign things like High-Resolution Zoom to the grip for quicker operation. For video recorders, click-free command dials provide smoother transitions when changing settings midway. Almost anything you can do with your camera grip, you can do with the MC-N10. Just from a much more comfortable body position.
The remote grip connects to the camera via a USB-C cable. This is my only minor thing with the setup. I wish there was a way to connect the controller via Bluetooth. While the Bluetooth connection may be less stable than the hard-wired solution, the amount of cables dangling from my video rig makes me have an innate desire for a cable-free society. As such, the simple logistics of designing this for mirrorless cameras leads to an inevitable mistake. The grip is designed for right-handed use. This makes sense because it mimics the layout on the camera body. But the USB-C connection on the Z9 is on the left side. This also makes sense, because you want the ports on the camera to face where you’ll be holding it with your hand when shooting stills. However, since the grip is on the right and the ports are on the left, it means that the cable, on demand, needs to run through the camera in some way to get to the other side. There’s really no other way to do it without affecting stills or forcing you to use the left hand grip. This is a trade-off between using a mirrorless camera system versus a more dedicated cinema body with ergonomics made with video-focused ports. So my cable obsession will just have to grin and bear with it.
The inevitable minor inadequacies aside, buying the MC-N10 is truly a no-brainer for me, as I doubt it will be for most video pros shooting with the Z system. Most high-end video systems include such accessories to help accommodate the various ways in which video devices are combined. It’s great to see Nikon just starting to build its system. With the Z9, they have a body that rivals any other on the market. Now, with accessories like MC-N10, they’re building more and more systems that support it. The camera itself is only half the battle. It takes a village of components to form an effective filmmaking system. And this handle is just one more step in the right direction.
