From everything I have looked at, this seems to be the best all round camera for me... but I hate that rosewood handgrip. Partly it's aesthetics (looks like something Fred Flintstone made) and partly it takes up unnecessary space. I fly a lot, so space & weight are critical.
As far as I can see, it's held on with a couple of allen key bolts and serves no real purpose, so should be easy to remove.
So: have any users permanently removed the handle?