The Key Grip made by Portkeys and Clutch from RVLVR Labs are both great additions to a camera rig like the Z Cam E2-F6 which I use myself.
Both attach and reposition with rosette attachments, have good looking wooden finishes and allow you to control a number of camera parameters right at the tip of your fingers.
They do both have pros and cons, of course, and that’s what I wanted to touch on in this video.
Basically, what it comes down to is what type of user you are.
If you have the Tilta Nucleus N/M follow focus systems, the Portkeys Key Grip can provide power and control them with a very smooth feeling dial on the front. The Key Grip can also integrate nicely with the Portkeys BM5 monitor, for camera control with either the touch screen or the grip at the same time (the mess of wires you’ll end up with, though, is a given in that type of situation).
The Clutch is simple, compact and refined with a very pristine build quality and reliability. Plus, you don’t need any batteries like you do with the Key Grip. It’s more comfortable (for me), smaller and lighter.
The downsides of the Key Grip are (as mentioned) the need for batteries, a handful (no pun intended) of clumsy design flaws and QC issues, plus weird bugs with otherwise awesome features like menu control changing your shutter speed when the menu is closed. No locking function built in and a less comfortable design, plus materials that generally don’t feel quite as nice in the hand add to that… and for someone like me who doesn’t use the Tilta follow focus, the front dial is then totally useless since it’s not re-programmable.
The downsides of the Clutch are that you need a computer/usb connection to reprogram the buttons, you can’t navigate the menu with the grip (at least not yet) and I felt like the record button on the Key Grip left me with more confidence when starting and stopping recording.
There are a few more small points throughout that I mention in the video, but with similar price points the decision seems pretty clear cut for me.
If you use the Tilta, get the Key Grip. If not, get the Clutch. The Key Grip does also come with a few more extras like a nice hand strap and a rosette mount for your camera cage, but it is also $50 more expensive.
Hopefully this video can help guide your choice if you’re considering one of these, check them both out with the links below if you’re curious.
RVLVR Clutch: https://store.rvlvrlabs.com/product/clutch-camera-remote-handle
Portkeys Key Grip: https://www.portkeys.store/products/handel
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