Helium Design Lab’s He11 Grip Is the Perfect Companion for Your Leica M11
Helium Design Lab is back with another camera handgrip, this time for the Leica M11. It looks every bit as good as the He3 for Leica Q3, the best camera grip PetaPixel has seen.
Photographer Hugh Brownstone and architect Ed Palisoc have poured their hearts and souls into their passion project, Helium Design Lab, and have thus far crafted grips for the Leica Q3, Leica Q2, and now the Leica M11.
Like the He3 and He2, the new He11 is constructed of fully CNC’d aluminum alloy and carefully designed to match Leica’s timeless style and engineering perfectly. The grips are machined in the United States and hand-assembled by Palisoc to exacting standards.
The He11 adds a front grip to the Leica M11, plus a modular thumb rest on the back that can be removed. The grip, like the He3, does not block access to the battery, SD card, or the hot shoe (Leica’s official M11 thumb rest blocks the shoe). The He11 accommodates Leica’s official Finger Loop, secretly stores an AirTag, is Arca-Swiss mount compatible out of the box, works with Peak Design’s popular accessories, works with Leica’s CL-style camera strap configurations, and has high-density EVA on contact surfaces to protect the M11’s finish.
The Helium He11, like the He3 and He2 before it, exudes Leica-like quality. Brownstone tells PetaPixel that he and Palisoc work very hard to do everything not just well but the right way and honor Leica’s impeccable engineering.
However, that doesn’t mean Leica cameras are perfect straight out of the box. Many photographers purchase add-on grips for their Leica Q and M-series cameras, giving them more to hold onto and achieve a superior shooting experience. Creating something that elevates that photographic experience is very challenging and requires a lot of modeling, prototyping, and exact machining.
While at first glance, the He11 looks a lot like the He3 that came before it, and in many ways, it is similar, there is quite a bit new happening beneath the surface. Unlike the Q3, which has a built-in lens, the M11 is an interchangeable M-mount rangefinder, meaning that the camera’s feel differs depending on a photographer’s lens of choice. The balance is different, and some lenses are pretty heavy, which changed how Brownstone and Palisoc approached the final shape of the He11.
They have also refined the internal design of the grip, ensuring it is thinner where it can be and more robust where it needs to be.
“We took everything we learned about chamfering with the He3 and applied it to the He11,” Brownstone tells PetaPixel. Chamfering is the machining process that smooths out sharp edges. While the He3 is smooth and rounded in the right places, the He11 is even smoother.
The He-series grips have a hidden AirTag compartment, ensuring photographers can keep track of their precious camera. Brownstone and Palisoc worked hard to ensure the AirTag’s “Find My” alert sound was much louder with the He11. This may sound (pun intended) simple, but it required a lot of internal design work. Increasing sound pressure is not a simple physics problem to solve.
They also redesigned the lug on the He11 where users can attach a Peak Design anchor. The redesigned lug supports the anchor without the need for an o-ring or one of those pesky triangle strap attachment accessories.
The M11’s battery compartment is also different. This must remain entirely accessible to the user even with the Helium grip attached, so this was another area of engineering focus.
As Brownstone explains, every design element has a ripple effect, even if it is small in a vacuum. Each tweak impacts something else on the grip, so the solution to any engineering problem can quickly evolve to include a series of resulting changes across the entire design.
Since launching the He3, Brownstone and Palisoc have learned a lot about engineering, design, and, to Brownstone’s surprise, community.
“We also learned about the power of Discord and community. We didn’t expect the response. Ed does so much, he’s the engineering god, he hand-assembles these things. But he also loves interacting with people and they’ve been terrific. We had all this going into the He11,” Brownstone says.
While Brownstone admits that “pride” is a complicated concept, he and Palisoc are proud of their work, not only in terms of the result but the way they work together.
“I think Ed would agree with me that the best thing of all is our partnership,” Brownstone explains. “We have something special, and we’re doing something special. Our partnership is really special.”
“Our objective is to be the best, and be absolutely worthy of Leica. We just wanted to make something better than we’ve ever seen because that we believe is needed. That other people appreciate what we’re doing gives me a warm feeling. I’m grateful,” Brownstone concludes.
The Helium He11 is available to order now for $560 directly from Helium Design Lab. There is also a Silver Edition with a clear anodized finish, which gives it a silver appearance. Even though the He11 just launched, only three of these are left at the time of reporting.
Alongside launching the He11, Helium Design Lab announced today that the third production run of the He3 has started, and photographers can order the He3 again.
Complete purchasing information and details for all Helium grips are available on the Helium Design Lab website.
Image credits: Helium Design Lab
