Battery grip vs (2)extra batteries? ++++

[Clasoni]

Pros and cons? Is the battery grip too heavy or not a big difference?

+What is the best way to clean my lenses?

+Is a lens cap holder good or annoying ?

TIA!

 

[Juga]

I have a car battery wired to mine so you should be fine. To clean my lenses I just spray them off with a hose. Lens cap?

:lmao:

I have had my fun for the day. Sorry OP I couldn't resist.

 

[jowensphoto]

Re: battery grip, it depends on the shooter. Would you like for your camera to be a bit heavier/bigger? I use a t2i regularly and it's a decent sized camera, but the grip gives me something to hold on to (hence, "grip").

Google lens cleaning, plenty of youtube videos.

Lens cap holder? The sticky thing with a string on it? Annoying as hell!

 

[Dao]

I have Canon battery grip. But I have not use it for couple years because of the weight. It is simply because of my hands. (After using keyboard and mouse for so loooonnnnnggggg now) If weight is not an issue, I like the grip. You just need to try it and see if you like it or not.

As for the lens, I clean it with a lens paper and lens cleaning solution if needed.

The front element of this lens was cleaned with lens paper with lens cleaning solution. The liquid help remove the oily finger prints.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2530/4113289657_17e5345e3a_z.jpg?zz=1

 

[Big Mike]

Most people find that a battery grip improves their photos. The reason is that it gives them more/better gripping surface and thus they hold the camera steadier. This is especially true when you rotate the camera into vertical/portrait orientation because the grip gives you an extra set of buttons.

 

[Benco]

+Is a lens cap holder good or annoying ?

TIA!

Only you can answer that. I find them annoying, prefer to leave the lens cap in my pocket when I'm carrying and likely to use my camera.

 

[Clasoni]

I have a car battery wired to mine so you should be fine. To clean my lenses I just spray them off with a hose. Lens cap?

:lmao:

I have had my fun for the day. Sorry OP I couldn't resist.

Oh that's great!! That means I don't have to buy the fancy cleaning paper!

 

[Clasoni]

Re: battery grip, it depends on the shooter. Would you like for your camera to be a bit heavier/bigger? I use a t2i regularly and it's a decent sized camera, but the grip gives me something to hold on to (hence, "grip").

Google lens cleaning, plenty of youtube videos.

Lens cap holder? The sticky thing with a string on it? Annoying as hell!

I think I'll like it to be a bit heavier. What about the battery life for the 2 options?
And yes I imagined the lens cap holder being annoying....

 

[Clasoni]

I have Canon battery grip. But I have not use it for couple years because of the weight. It is simply because of my hands. (After using keyboard and mouse for so loooonnnnnggggg now) If weight is not an issue, I like the grip. You just need to try it and see if you like it or not.

As for the lens, I clean it with a lens paper and lens cleaning solution if needed.

The front element of this lens was cleaned with lens paper with lens cleaning solution. The liquid help remove the oily finger prints.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2530/4113289657_17e5345e3a_z.jpg?zz=1

Is there any preference in brand or kind for the lens paper and cleaning solution?

 

[Clasoni]

Most people find that a battery grip improves their photos. The reason is that it gives them more/better gripping surface and thus they hold the camera steadier. This is especially true when you rotate the camera into vertical/portrait orientation because the grip gives you an extra set of buttons.

What do you mean by an extra set of buttons?

 

[Benco]

Most people find that a battery grip improves their photos. The reason is that it gives them more/better gripping surface and thus they hold the camera steadier. This is especially true when you rotate the camera into vertical/portrait orientation because the grip gives you an extra set of buttons.

What do you mean by an extra set of buttons?

Battery grips have a duplicate set of controls on the bottom which allows you hold and operate the camera conventionally when shooting in portrait format.

 

[Clasoni]

Battery grips have a duplicate set of controls on the bottom which allows you hold and operate the camera conventionally when shooting in portrait format.

Oh ok I didn't know about this feature thanks.

 

[Benco]

No worries.

They vary from model to model, some offer just control dials and shutter, others offer almost a full duplicate of all the 'thumb' controls on the back of the camera. Check out the grip for the Sony A77 for instance...so many buttons!

 

[Dao]

Battery grips have a duplicate set of controls on the bottom which allows you hold and operate the camera conventionally when shooting in portrait format.

Oh ok I didn't know about this feature thanks.

I think that is the best feature on the grip which I like.

Another obvious feature is battery grip will make you a Pro instantly!! (base on the view of other people around you) As for the lens paper and solution, I bought it awhile back and they are Kodak brand. I do not think they make them anymore. However, Adorama/BH do sell this type of stuff. Also, I noticed the glasses/optical section in Walmart carry some Carl Zeiss lens paper or pre-moisted cloth that may also works.

 

[Overread19 7]

Battery grips are great things!

The vertical controls mean that your right hand can remain in a normal shooting position when you take portrait aspect shots, instead of having to bend it over the camera to keep your finger on the shutter and controls. This takes a lot of pain and strain out of shooting vertical shots and also means that you can hold your camera as steady vertical as you can horizontal. It's by far one of the biggest gains of a battery pack.

In addition you gain additional weight which helps shift the centre of gravity of the lens+ camera setup back toward your body a little more which helps a lot with stable balance when combined with a proper shooting posture.

The battery life of 2 combined batteries is also longer than each battery if used on its own, so you get a few more shots as well. Note that I always shoot so that I've one battery (at the very least) not in the camera. This means that if my camera battery dies I've got a fresh battery to change over to and a reminder to charge up the other one. So if you only have 2 batteries then even if you have a grip I'd keep one out (otherwise its very easy to leave both in the camera for a long while and then when it dies you've got nothing to fall back on).

Many grips also come with an AA holder that can take a series of AA batteries to power the camera, they don't last very long, but its a good option if you're left with nothing else (then again my AA holder tends to sit on the shelf most of the time so if my batteries did die chances are I wouldn't even have the holder with me unless I were backpacking and wouldn't be near any power sockets to recharge - even then I'd probably try and just get more regular camera batteries anyway).