Battery grip for D7000?

[Nikanon]

Looking for a good battery grip for my D7000. Either 3rd party or Nikon brand. Any good suggestions?

 

[SCraig]

Nikon MB-D11

 

[Nikanon]

Nikon MB-D11

There is a local craigslist ad for a MB-D11 for $150 box and everything.

 

[SCraig]

There is a local craigslist ad for a MB-D11 for $150 box and everything.

Good price. New they are about $214.

There are a lot of 3rd party grips available but I've heard good and bad about them. I've had zero problems with my MB-D11 and given the choice between it and a 3rd party I'd go with the Nikon every time.

 

[Helitech]

Don't gamble and go with nikon... After seeing zeikos and others up close, nothing can touch nikon for build quality... It's even more evident when you get into command wheel feel and button feel...

 

[Patriot]

The Nikon MB-D11 is the only way to go.

 

[Patrice]

Where are all the guys who have had third party brand 'x' for a week and a half and have had absolutely no problems? Don't they alwaays popup about this far into these threads?

Anyway, Nikon brands products are the preferred choice of many. Lot's of 3rd party choices as well but the folks who own them will say "almost as good" or "nearly fits as well", but few will say "Much better than Nikon".

 

[Awiserbud]

normally i would say Nikon all the way, I went the cheaper route and bought a Mieke, less than half the price and mines still going strong over a year and over 10,000 shots later. the only issue i would say is the lettering on the buttons is just starting to fade off.
Ok i got lucky, I have obviously heard of 3rd party grips failing very early on, so my advise would be buy Nikon. but you might get lucky and end up with a good 3rd party one that does what its supposed to.

 

[greybeard]

3rd party is hit or miss, MB-D11 is a sure thing. I love mine. You pay once and enjoy for a long long time.

 

[gregtallica]

For much more than $100 cheaper, I tried this one out:

Vello BG-N4 Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 BG-N4 B&H Photo Video

Currently, it's being returned to BH for an exchange due to the SS wheel not adjusting. It adjusted once, but then stopped, reconnected a few times, never helped.

Anyway, I have it set up for an exchange. Ap wheel and everything else worked well. Fit was also tight, it didn't wobble at all. For so much less, I much prefer this one. When my photos start bringing in money, if I need it, I'll save for the real deal at that time. Until then, this more than gets the job done.

 

[Awiserbud]

The only concern i perhaps should have had when buying a 3rd party grip was the electronics, Thankfully mine wasn't a problem, but what if the electronics are a little suspect as a lot of chinese electronics usually are....It may have potentially damaged the camera itself. I haven't heard of problems like this, but the more i think about it the more i realise how lucky i was. I am reasonably sure my warranty would have been void too.

 

[gregtallica]

If you're referring to mine, I did not see any issues. I've heard of people having the same issue, and the solution for them (their words, not mine) was "unplugging and plugging it back in 10 times or so..." I haven't seen any issues with it, and doubt I will.

Chinese electronics maybe, I don't think there really would be enough power coming from it to do any damage. I haven't dared try with 6 AA batteries, it does have a holder for those, but I don't see myself using that unless I'm in a bind where I really need to use the camera and don't have a regular battery.

 

[SCraig]

For much more than $100 cheaper, I tried this one out:

Vello BG-N4 Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 BG-N4 B&H Photo Video

Currently, it's being returned to BH for an exchange due to the SS wheel not adjusting. It adjusted once, but then stopped, reconnected a few times, never helped.

Anyway, I have it set up for an exchange. Ap wheel and everything else worked well. Fit was also tight, it didn't wobble at all. For so much less, I much prefer this one. When my photos start bringing in money, if I need it, I'll save for the real deal at that time. Until then, this more than gets the job done.

Do you not see the contradiction in stating that "this more than gets the job done" and also stating "Currently, it's being returned to BH for an exchange due to the SS wheel not adjusting. It adjusted once, but then stopped"? You used it once and it broke yet it's still something you'd recommend. If I bought something, used it once and it broke, I wouldn't recommend it for anything other than a paperweight.

This is the thing I keep hearing about 3rd party grips. They work a few minutes and quit. Unplug them and plug them back in 10 times (yes, I have heard that several times as well). They are "Almost" as good as Nikon. It seems to me that for every one person that has had good luck with them there are several more that haven't.

The only concern i perhaps should have had when buying a 3rd party grip was the electronics, Thankfully mine wasn't a problem, but what if the electronics are a little suspect as a lot of chinese electronics usually are....It may have potentially damaged the camera itself. I haven't heard of problems like this, but the more i think about it the more i realise how lucky i was. I am reasonably sure my warranty would have been void too.

You can absolutely take that to the bank! If a 3rd party grip had done something to the electronics you can rest assured that Nikon would never repair it under warranty. That's one of the risks you take to save a few bucks. Personally I'm just not willing to do that.

The MB-D8 on my D90 has been flawless for 3+ years and the MB-D11 on my D7000 for a year. I'm willing to pay for quality, that's why I bought a Nikon body in the first place. If I just wanted to save money I'd have gotten a Chinese knockoff DSLR as well.

 

[12sndsgood]

Believe my 3rd party grip is from gt max. have had it for over a year now without any issues what so ever. works perfectly. have had it off and on the camera a few dozen times without issues. think i spent $40 on it.

 

[gregtallica]

Do you not see the contradiction in stating that "this more than gets the job done" and also stating "Currently, it's being returned to BH for an exchange due to the SS wheel not adjusting. It adjusted once, but then stopped"? You used it once and it broke yet it's still something you'd recommend. If I bought something, used it once and it broke, I wouldn't recommend it for anything other than a paperweight.

This is the thing I keep hearing about 3rd party grips. They work a few minutes and quit. Unplug them and plug them back in 10 times (yes, I have heard that several times as well). They are "Almost" as good as Nikon. It seems to me that for every one person that has had good luck with them there are several more that haven't.

hahaha, yeah, I do see the hilarity in that statement.

I guess what I mean was it outweighed my expectations that, while I think I got one single bad unit, it's a great grip for the cost. Having worked customer service for a big music gear company, we saw little instances like that all the time where you sometimes get one bad one from the batch. Exchange it and you get a good one. Without having the new one in my posession, I'm pretty confident it should work. So the price for getting one bad one that I expect to be fixed, way better to me than spending over $200 on Nikon's name brand. I would benefit over putting that money toward glass. I'm sure a lot of us could, which is why I say go for the cheaper version, fully knowing it would be cheaper, and save the money - unless you are a pro needing the full touring rig.

If someone doesn't have the money, I would recommend a practice amp for their bedroom use, it may not sound as nice as a $2,000 hand wired custom amp, and it may not have the same build - but if you're not a touring musician making your money on gigs and don't have the cash to spare - you probably don't need it.