Review: IDS Foldable thumb rest for Leica M

As a long-time Leica owner, I confess to something of a fetish when it comes to add-on Leica-related products that actually perform a necessary function. And the IDS Foldable Thumb Grip certainly falls into that category. In the case of this flash-shoe-mounted thumb grip, it performs an important function better than most: it allows the photographer who cut his teeth on film cameras, especially Leica Ms, to stabilise the camera in a right-handed grip, fingers around the curved right side of the camera (as seen from the rear) and thumb pushing laterally against the faux wind-on lever.  

A regular thumb grip feels nowhere near as secure. And, as the website says, using this product prevents the pommel of a regular Thumbs Up (or clone) from poking into the belly of the photographer when the camera rests there on its strap between shots. This may not be of too much concern with an M camera, but have you tried the Leica thumb grip for the SL range? Now there’s a pain in the belly if ever there were one. 

I already own two thumb rests that function this way: they are made by Hobby Japan and are the spitting image of the wind-on lever of my M2. They are beautiful, expensive, and difficult to find.  They have the added advantage of disguising your M10 or M11 as a film camera, so that one does not frighten the public.  “Oh, what a nice old camera you have there; is it an antique?”

The IDS Foldable Thumb Grip

This new thumb grip is all business. It is very sturdily made, smooth to operate, and effective. From my perspective, it is what I need on my M10s and M11, and its price point is basically competitive with the current MatchTechnical Thumbs Up and significantly cheaper than Leica’s own offering. 

And about that M10-D.  When it came out, there was a noisy group online that disparaged the faux wind-on as an affectation, or worse.  For myself, that winder made eminent sense for the reasons spelled out above.  If only, however, Leica had made that winder a switch to perform some useful pre-exposure function when engaged, the result might have been near perfection in my book. An M11-D anyone? Sadly, the new M11-D will not even continue the lever.

This new thumb rest is made of stainless steel, so it is unlikely to fail.  There is a black model made from treated brass, also with a stainless part to maintain strength.  Neither of them exactly matches the silver chrome or black finish on the latest Leicas, but they are close enough not to draw undue attention.  Best of all, they work as advertised!

The downsides of this new thumb rest are those of all thumb rests: no entirely appropriate place to add on an external viewfinder when needed, and especially to use a Visoflex which requires an electrical connection. But that’s about all I can think of.

A view from the founder

Henry Tse, the owner of IDS, tells me that IDS (Initial Design Studio) was established in June 2022, with its focus on producing camera-related accessories. The first product was a grip for the Leica M10 series, which started as a personal project, as Tse could not find a product on the market that fully satisfied him. Now, however, the company produces accessories for pretty much all Leica M / Q / SL series products, with products for Hasselblad and Fujifilm medium format cameras in the offing. 

Says Henry Tse: “As an entrepreneur with no capital for investment and understanding these difficulties, I decided to establish IDSworks as a single brand for myself.  I designed the IDSworks Store as a small platform to provide opportunities for like-minded local craftsman to showcase their work and the fruits of their labour, while earning their fair share in the global market. For example, our hand-carved grip pad was made by a local craftsman. 

“When the Leica M10-D was introduced with its “film advance” lever as a thumb grip, we thought this was a brilliant idea. We thought that many Leica users coming from the analogue era would want something akin to this on their normal digital M cameras.

“We actually started development on something similar, which required replacing the shutter button cap and making some modifications. But after careful consideration, we decided to drop that idea, as we were not sure whether it would void the warranty from Leica. While we were thinking of other possible solutions, we came across “Uncle Handle” via a friend in a local Leica group.  Some of you, through eBay, may be familiar with Uncle Handle, an experienced watchmaker of 30 years experience, and a local craftsman here in China.  

Uncle Handle

“Uncle Handle had been a Leica camera enthusiast for 14 years. It turns out that he had similar thoughts about a well-designed thumb grip as well. Coming from a design background, I thought his ideas of utilising the space between the shutter speed dial and shutter button was brilliant and also visually balanced.

“After he understood our mission, we reached a partnership agreement to bring this product to market globally via our platform, and IDSworks became the sole global dealer. These thumb grips are totally handmade and there is therefore a longer production time, yet it’s worth it. The final products that are sold globally now are actually the sixth generation, with many improvements before this final version. They include:

• Fine-tuning the resistance
• The open angle
• Revised mechanical design
• Upgrading the mini ball bearings
• Assembly method improvements
• Making this product available for all Leica M and Q series

“With those artists / craftsmen that choose to work with us, we do not believe in achieving the lowest price by cutting down material costs, product quality, or simplifying design to achieve a lower production cost. Instead, we respect good design, continuous innovation, and fine workmanship, and we believe these qualities should be the key to brand recognition and a positive word-of-mouth reputation in this niche market.

Careful progress

“To be honest, we have a lot more interesting ideas about products, but we are such a small team, we have to proceed slowly and carefully. This process is however really enjoyable as we are meeting new friends with similar interest globally.”

Currently, IDSworks thumb grips are available for: Leica M10 / M11 / M240 / M9 / M8 / Q3 / Q2.  They are hand-assembled in China, and after that work, which takes a week, shipping is quite rapid.  IDS also has several other products on its website.  Look at their great-sounding modular grips, for various Leicas.

Read more from Ed Schwartzreich

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