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

[curtyoungblood]

Check out a Lens Pen for cleaning. I picked one up recently and am very glad I did.

 

[KmH]

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

Yes.
I prefer Tiffen lens tissues and Nikon lens cleaning solution.
Cleaning solution should not be needed very often. Instead a 'huff' of breath is usually all that is needed.
A good natural bristle bush and a hand blower are also needed.
Tiffen Lens Cleaning Paper Tissue Pack Of 50 Sheets
Giottos AA1900 Rocket Air Blaster Large - Black
Giottos CL1310 Retractable 2-Position Goat Hair Brush

1. Blow dust/debris off the lens with the blower.
2. Gently brush the remaining fine dust/debris off the lens. Be sure to brush the lens filter threads.
That's usually all that needs to be done.
3. If necessary, huff your breath onto the lens to slightly moisten any remaining crud.
4. Gently wipe with a somewhat added up lens tissue. Discard the tissue. If a second wipe is needed use a fresh tissue.
5. Only use lens cleaner solution to remove greasy/oily debris like finger prints. Never spray lens cleaner directly on the lens because any excess could wind up inside the lens. Instead dampen onto a lens tissue with the solution.

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.

Some 3rd party battery grips do not have vertical controls.

As it is, to me a battery grip lacks those controls, but a vertical grip has them.

 

[frommrstomommy]

I've been debating in my head whether or not to get one myself and I think I am going to go ahead and do so. I'm used to the little D3000 and I'm a wimp.. so I have a feeling this new D600 will be HEAVY feeling to me and I'll need the grip to feel more in control if that makes sense.. even though I don't think its that much heavier.

As for the lens cap on a string bit... that thing drove me UP the wall!! lol And the stupid sticky never stayed sticky and constantly fell off.. what a mess that was. I'm having a crafty friend make me a padded strap cover and I'm hoping she can include a little pocket for the lens cap on it.

 

[Benco]

Check out a Lens Pen for cleaning. I picked one up recently and am very glad I did.

+1

They are good aren't they.

 

[jake337]

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....

I haven't been shooting much digital lately but with the grip on my D90 I have not charged the batteries since the beginning of March.

 

[jake337]

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.

In my honest opinion this is the best feature of a grip. They also help balance out your camera with larger lenses mounted.

Is there a used camera store in your area? Go there and hold a D4, D3, D3s, D3x, D2, etc. I see you shot canon so you could hold a canon pro body instead. I think there is a reason flagship DSLR cameras come with an integrated grip.

 

[KmH]

No lens pen is ever going to touch one of my camera lenses, because of the chance of debris getting embedded in the end opposite the brush.

That's also why I don't use micro fiber cloth either. The cloth fibers can hold debris that could scratch the lens coatings.

 

[Light Guru]

Another bonus to using a battery grip is that it also lets you use AA Batteries with your camera. If your regular batteries run out you can still use the camera with batteries that are sold everywhere.

 

[Clasoni]

Thanks everybody for your feedback! Very very much appreciated! I guess I'm just gonna buy the grip and try it out for a weekend and then decide if I keep it or not

 

[mitchota]

Thanks everybody for your feedback! Very very much appreciated! I guess I'm just gonna buy the grip and try it out for a weekend and then decide if I keep it or not

I think you'll find the grip to be very convenient. I've only had 2 SLR type cameras (a Nikon N65 film camera and my D80 that I still shoot with), and I got the battery grips for both of them. The N65 one didn't have a vertical shutter button, but just having the extra weight on the body was good. My D80 grip has the vertical shutter, and I don't know how I lived without it. I shoot a lot in portrait orientation, so it's a big help. I do want to tell you that having a spare battery or leaving one fully charged out of the grip is a very good idea. I recently went out to shoot to find that BOTH of my batteries were running low and I didn't have my AA tray for the grip with me. I wasn't very happy that day. I'm much better about keeping my batteries charged now.

In terms of cleaning lenses, I usually stick with the blower and a brush unless I get something grimy on the lens, then it's kimwipes and ROR. I have a Lenspen and I do like how it performs, but recently I've been using it mostly for the brush and not the cleaning tip.

 

[SCraig]

FYI ... One EXTRA battery (for a total of two), not two extra (for a total of three) as the post title indicates.

 

[bratkinson]

For me and my big hands, having a battery grip means that my little finger isn't under the camera 'holding it up', but it is gripping the camera like the rest of my hand. For me, this better distributes the camera weight through my entire hand, rather than a small area. I also use a hand strap 95% of the time. And, as has been stated above, having the extra set of buttons on the grip simplifies portrait-format shooting (after I pull my hand out of the strap). Also, having 2 batteries means I won't be running out of power for at least 1500-1800 shots. Maybe more. That's the good news.

The bad news is a grip and extra battery adds weight to the camera. Perhaps it's that female hands are smaller, but the gripped 30D and gripped 60D I sold to two female acquaintances quickly became 'ungripped'. So, perhaps it's the weight. I found that with both the gripped 30D and gripped 60D, with the EF-S 18-135 f3.5-5.6 IS mounted, it felt very 'balanced'. Moving to L glass, the 24-105 on the 60D also felt well balanced. Maybe the solution would be to only have one battery in the grip. That added 6 ounces or so can get heavy for anybody after too many hours shooting.

Another consideration is an L bracket. If you already have one, or plan to have one, the 'step up' cost for a gripped camera is surprising. At least it was for me. Add a large flash such as a 580 EX ii, and the weight issue increases further.

I finally reached my 'practical' weight limit on a gripped 5D3 with L bracket + flash bracket + 580 EX ii + 80-200 f2.8L mounted. My hand and arm were sore after 2 hours or so of shooting.

 

[KmH]

I appreciated the extra heft and size a grip added.
The added weight and size allowed me more control of the camera, and added hand holding stability too.

 

[Clasoni]

Photive battery grip

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006XXQRSM

Vs

Zeikos battery grip


http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003U9VONA/ref=ox_sc_act_image_3?ie=UTF8&m=A3SPLR0MSOYZ8O

Do you have any experience with any of these?
Thanks.

 

[Clasoni]

Anybody?