Helium Brings its Camera Grip Expertise to the Leica SL3 System
Helium Design Lab, the brainchild of photographers Hugh Brownstone and Ed Palisoc, is back with another precisely engineered, carefully designed camera grip, this time for the Leica SL3 series full-frame interchangeable lens cameras.
Brownstone is familiar to many members of the online photo community not only for his photography and workshops he hosts with his extremely talented photographer wife, Claudia, but also for his YouTube channel, Three Blind Men and an Elephant. His Helium Design Lab co-founder, Ed Palisoc, is an architect by trade but a passionate photographer. As Brownstone and Palisoc told PetaPixel in mid-2024 when discussing their first camera grip for the Leica Q3, they met at one of Brownstone’s workshops and became fast friends and, ultimately, business partners.
Since that first product, the photographers, who are perhaps as obsessed with making the perfect camera grip as they are capturing the best shots, have designed grips for the older Leica Q2, the Leica M11, and the Sigma BF. So why the SL3?
The goal with all of Helium’s grips is to build a better grip than what anyone else offers, improving usability, dependability, and versatility in the field. To achieve, the Brownstone and Palisoc extensively model and test prototypes to nail the perfect shape and match the camera’s aesthetic.
The HeSL3 is different, though, as the SL3 already has an ample, refined built-in grip. Unlike the Leica Q3 or M11, the SL3 is built as a versatile professional workhorse, and it has the traditional shape to match. So the HeSL3 is technically an “interface plate.” It still has many of the same features as Helium’s other products, though, including easy access to the battery and SD compartment without removing the grip, a secret AirTag compartment, an Arca-Swiss mount compatible bottom shape, Peak Design Capture Clip and Travel Tripod compatibility, and more.
Brownstone says that his own Leica SL3 camera started to “feel a little left out” after he and Palisoc launched their other grips, including for three of the SL3’s siblings. Although really, the veteran photographer says he had been traveling with the SL3 more often and thought it could use the Helium treatment, getting the AirTag slot, easier carrying, and an improved user experience.
While this new grip, which will form the foundation of an all-new modular system for Helium, is exciting in and of itself, the company is also celebrating another major milestone. Brownstone and Palisoc have been granted their first patent. In just a couple of short years, some of Helium’s ideas and innovations have already been cribbed by competitors, and now there’s a clear public record of ownership and creation.
“If you’re shooting with the SL3 System, or thinking about it, and if this level of care and thinking about the functionality, durability, aesthetics, and the kinetics of the relationship between you and your camera resonates with you, please hop over to heliumlab.design and preorder now,” Brownstone says.
The Helium HeSL3 Interface Plate for the Leica SL3 is available to preorder now for $320. It is made of fully CNC’d 6061-T6 aluminum and features black anodization to match the SL3’s color and style. After a 30-day preorder window closes, Helium Design Lab will start the final production process with its partners in the U.S. Helium expects shipping to start during the second week of June.
If the company doesn’t receive enough preorders to hit its $320 target price, all preorders will be 100 percent refunded. Helium Design Lab hasn’t missed one of its preorder targets yet, so there’s plenty of reason for optimism for the new SL3 plate.
Image credits: Helium Design Lab
