Battery grip more useful for portrait, landscape, general or sports, action, wildlfe

[astroNikon]

A sports shooter would take better advantage for the increased FPS.

Am I missing something here? I have a battery grip. It only houses batteries and a couple of buttons. No FPS gains at all. Is this different with Nikon or something?

Some of the older models it helped with FPS. Nikon d700, d300 and such. No gain with my d7000, d600, d750 unfortunately.

 

[zombiesniper]

Interesting.
That would lead me to believe that the older batteries at the time were unable to keep up with the power demands of the camera. Which very well could have been since batteries have come a long way.

 

[astroNikon]

Interesting.
That would lead me to believe that the older batteries at the time were unable to keep up with the power demands of the camera. Which very well could have been since batteries have come a long way.

Apparently,
from
D700 8 fps without grip (it works!): Nikon FX SLR (DF, D1-D5, D600-D800) Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

The reason the battery grip is needed is not a firmware issue. In order to operate the camera faster (and still have metering and autofocus work) requires a higher current draw then the internal EN-EL3a battery can deliver. 8 AA batteries or an EN-EL4A battery can handle the higher current demands of 8 FPS operation.

 

[cgw]

Personally, I wouldn't bother going with an OEM battery grip as they are GROSSLY overpriced!!

I have a 3rd party Meike battery grip for the D800, which I bought in 2013. It was about 1/10th the price of the Nikon version and having seen the OEM, I cannot find any difference between the two in terms of build quality or performance. Never had a problem with it and saved myself a boat-load of money into the bargain. I have an OEM one on my D90 but it was cheap so I bought it. The grips generally give an FPS increase, which is another reason to purchase one.

I do both portraiture and wildlife photography and it comes in very handy, whenever I switch the camera to portrait orientation. I also find that it is useful for wildlife photography in landscape orientation. I can control AF points, aperture, shutter and focus without raising my hand/arm to the normal shooting position. This means I can remain better concealed from birds and animals, making them less likely to flee. I observed this a couple of days ago, when shooting from a wooden hide at a local reserve. It could be a few minutes between bird arrivals to eat from the feeders and I would remove my hand from the camera during that time. When replacing my hand, even slowly, the birds seemed to notice the movement and definitely became more wary. I then opted to control the camera from below and the birds were certainly more comfortable.

Guessing there's a bit of reverse snobbery here but the differences between off-brand Nikon grips and OEMs aren't subtle. OEMs are metal--probably the biggest single difference-which makes them rigid. Knock-offs are all plastic, save for a bit around the tripod mount. Several I've seen never seem to mount securely without some kind of shim between the grip and the body. The locking thumb wheel usually rattles on the knock-offs--a consideration for video. Thumb wheels on the command dials never seem as secure and the shutter button action can be notchy on the after-market versions. Paint can wear off the buttons quickly. The flip-lock on the battery tray is fragile and tends to snap off. Yup, they're cheaper and that's why. OEMs do show up second hand and are worth watching for.

The degree of ergonomic improvement is really a matter of personal preference. They do the most good on smaller bodies but can improve the handling of bigger bodies, especially for shooters with large hands. The shift from landscape to portrait orientation becomes seamless with a bit practice.

 

[Advanced Photo]

You have to get battery grips that specifically fit your model of camera.

• MB-D10 is for D700, D300 & D300s
  
• MB-D11 is for D7000
  
• MB-D12 is for D810, D810A, D800E & D800
• MB-D14 is for D600 & D610
  
• MB-D15 is for D7100 & D7200
  
• MB-D16 is for D750
  
• MB-D17 is for D500

You know what I just noticed? Nikon skipped MB-D13...makes me wonder if they are reserving that for a D810 replacement? You never know.

13 is bad luck and often skipped on purpose, especially by cultures that place a lot of stock in either superstition or tradition. A lot of buildings skip the 13th floor, etc.
As for grips, I always use a grip on every camera and it is suited to every type of photography IMO.

 

[nerwin]

You have to get battery grips that specifically fit your model of camera.

• MB-D10 is for D700, D300 & D300s
  
• MB-D11 is for D7000
  
• MB-D12 is for D810, D810A, D800E & D800
• MB-D14 is for D600 & D610
  
• MB-D15 is for D7100 & D7200
  
• MB-D16 is for D750
  
• MB-D17 is for D500

You know what I just noticed? Nikon skipped MB-D13...makes me wonder if they are reserving that for a D810 replacement? You never know.

13 is bad luck and often skipped on purpose, especially by cultures that place a lot of stock in either superstition or tradition. A lot of buildings skip the 13th floor, etc.
As for grips, I always use a grip on every camera and it is suited to every type of photography IMO.

Interesting.

Number 13 is, well, just a number to me. Lol

 

[Advanced Photo]

You have to get battery grips that specifically fit your model of camera.

• MB-D10 is for D700, D300 & D300s
  
• MB-D11 is for D7000
  
• MB-D12 is for D810, D810A, D800E & D800
• MB-D14 is for D600 & D610
  
• MB-D15 is for D7100 & D7200
  
• MB-D16 is for D750
  
• MB-D17 is for D500

You know what I just noticed? Nikon skipped MB-D13...makes me wonder if they are reserving that for a D810 replacement? You never know.

13 is bad luck and often skipped on purpose, especially by cultures that place a lot of stock in either superstition or tradition. A lot of buildings skip the 13th floor, etc.
As for grips, I always use a grip on every camera and it is suited to every type of photography IMO.

Interesting.

Number 13 is, well, just a number to me. Lol

Maybe you are not A traditionalist. Or superstitious.

 

[robbins.photo]

A sports shooter would take better advantage for the increased FPS.

Am I missing something here? I have a battery grip. It only houses batteries and a couple of buttons. No FPS gains at all. Is this different with Nikon or something?

Some Nikon models can get a benefit to FPS by using a battery grip. In some models such as the D800 or D810 it requires that you use AA batteries and shoot in crop mode I believe. So really it's kind of a gimmick more than anything else.

Most Nikons, like my D600, the only advantage you get to a battery grip is more battery power, and a few extra buttons if you want to shoot sideways.

 

[Advanced Photo]

My grips all offer a longer battery life, not higher voltages (parallel circuit)but do give the benefit of vertical shutter release and focusing.

 

[nerwin]

You have to get battery grips that specifically fit your model of camera.

• MB-D10 is for D700, D300 & D300s
  
• MB-D11 is for D7000
  
• MB-D12 is for D810, D810A, D800E & D800
• MB-D14 is for D600 & D610
  
• MB-D15 is for D7100 & D7200
  
• MB-D16 is for D750
  
• MB-D17 is for D500

You know what I just noticed? Nikon skipped MB-D13...makes me wonder if they are reserving that for a D810 replacement? You never know.

13 is bad luck and often skipped on purpose, especially by cultures that place a lot of stock in either superstition or tradition. A lot of buildings skip the 13th floor, etc.
As for grips, I always use a grip on every camera and it is suited to every type of photography IMO.

Interesting.

Number 13 is, well, just a number to me. Lol

Maybe you are not A traditionalist. Or superstitious.

Nope, that I am not. Haha.

 

[mauiarcher]

Well, I did end up purchasing the mb-d17 for my d500. I am confident I made the right choice vs d750 grip. Shooting my daughters soccer this weekend was much easier in the portrait orientation and allows for quick transitions.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[Advanced Photo]

They are great to have and I have never taken one off once it was installed. I can't see any reason to not have one if you can afford it.

 

[adamhiram]

I recently upgraded to a D500 with the OEM battery grip, and so far I'm not a big fan.

• It sounds like most of the benefit is with extended battery life, however this doesn't offer much benefit to me as a casual shooter. I’m just as happy keeping a spare battery in my pocket or camera bag. The ability to use the larger EL-18a battery from the D5 sounds good, except it requires a different charger, which is one more thing to buy and carry. The ability to use AA batteries sounds like it could be useful, but I don't have many other accessories that use them. My speed light and wireless triggers are still on the same AA batteries I put in them a year ago.
• Grip needs to be removed to get to the primary battery in the body to charge it
• Bigger and heavier - the body doesn't fit in any of my camera bags without first removing the grip
• For vertical shots, the grip feels awkward to me with a tripod plate or Blackrapid style strap attached

Perhaps I need to force myself to use it for a while to get used to it, but so far the pros don't seem to outweigh the cons for me.

 

[astroNikon]

I recently upgraded to a D500 with the OEM battery grip, and so far I'm not a big fan.

• It sounds like most of the benefit is with extended battery life, however this doesn't offer much benefit to me as a casual shooter. I’m just as happy keeping a spare battery in my pocket or camera bag. The ability to use the larger EL-18a battery from the D5 sounds good, except it requires a different charger, which is one more thing to buy and carry. The ability to use AA batteries sounds like it could be useful, but I don't have many other accessories that use them. My speed light and wireless triggers are still on the same AA batteries I put in them a year ago.
• Grip needs to be removed to get to the primary battery in the body to charge it
• Bigger and heavier - the body doesn't fit in any of my camera bags without first removing the grip
• For vertical shots, the grip feels awkward to me with a tripod plate or Blackrapid style strap attached

Perhaps I need to force myself to use it for a while to get used to it, but so far the pros don't seem to outweigh the cons for me.

What did you upgrade from ?
I know for me, using a D600/D750 (also d7x00) the D500 is right there in size with or without grip.

But compared to a D5500 the D500 is just monstrous in size and weight. It is also defined as a high FPS Action camera.

Yes the most annoying thing with Nikon cameras and the battery grip is the main battery is still in the body, and the 2nd one is in the Grip. You can configure the camera to use the Grip battery FIRST, then the body battery Second.
This way I always recharge the grip battery and the body battery is an emergency continuous backup an doesn't need to be recharged often. OR only put a single battery in the grip.

By comparison, the D5x00 series you can buy 3rd party grips where you put 2 batteries in the grip as, since the camera doesn't directly support a grip, requires the body battery to be replaced with a connector from the grip.

With the strap, I also find other straps interfere with my hand. i use the OEM strap but both ends are connected to the left side, thus nothing on the right side to interfere with my right hand.

 

[adamhiram]

What did you upgrade from ?
I know for me, using a D600/D750 (also d7x00) the D500 is right there in size with or without grip.

That's exactly it - I upgraded from a D5100, so the D500 was already significantly larger and heavier than I was used to.