Hi Outwest,
The mid shift conversion I do brings the shifter out at the inspection cover and all the mods are internal to the box. The box needs to be completely stripped and I usually beef things up internally at the same time.
Here's where the shift comes out on one of my boxes
The shifter I use is a billet unit and very high quality and makes for a very slick positive shift. I've done a fair few now.
The shifter in your first pic is the standard Commodore remote shift. They are horrible and introduce a lot of play into the shift mechanism.
The 2nd pic is a factory Chev Camaro shifter. Better than the standard Holden one but they are pressed steel so flex is an issue and are made to wider tolerances than a billet shifter so also have certain amount of play.
Think on it this way.. Every additional linkage adds play at the shift lever. The longer the path from shifter to selector forks and the less rigid the materials used then the spongier the shift will feel due to components flexing.
With my shift, the path is a short as possible, materials are rigid and everything is machined to tight tolerances. One of the other thinks I do internal to the box is swap the aluminum 3-4 shift for for the steel 3-4 shift fork used in the viper box. This piece is known to flex and every little helps.
If you like the location of the Camaro shifter then I would suggest buying a billet shifter from the US rather than a factory one. There are several manufacturers making them. Personally I like the quality of the B&M units.
Cheers