battery grip worth it?

naptime · Jan 31, 2012

do you use a battery grip on your camera?

I've narrowed our impending purchase to two different models.

both can accept a battery grip.

the knock offs are not expensive at all.

the obvious pro is that you double battery life, and have the option of aa's in an emergency.

are there negatives?

I can imagine it would make the camera heavier. Probably need a bigger case.

any other negatives?

what about the battery door. Where does that go?

bhop · Jan 31, 2012

I like battery grips. My hands aren't huge, but without them, if i'm using a big-ish lens I get cramps in my hands. Plus the vertical shots are much easier on the wrists. The cameras do get heavier, but IMO it's worth the trade-off. I think the extra weight and balance also helps steady the hand when shooting too... at least for me. In my d200's grip, the battery door slides into a little slot on the grip, I assume others have a similar setup..

analog.universe · Jan 31, 2012

I don't dig the grip personally.. It's cool if you shoot portrait orientation a lot. With a nice lens though, and a tripod QR plate, the camera is heavy enough. I get like 1500 shots out of a battery, and I can always keep another in my pocket...

baturn · Jan 31, 2012

Second accessory I got for my D80. Have never removed it since.

Markw · Jan 31, 2012

I've never not used a grip on both my D300s and D90. When I order my D800, the only thing I'm going to miss about my D300s is the grip, until there are off-brand name grips for the D800. I think there's really nothing bad about them. If you're carrying enough lenses, generally, your bag will accomodate anyhow. It doubles the battery life, like you said, and adds quite a bit of balance, and grip room. I'd never not have one.

Mark

480sparky · Jan 31, 2012

battery grip worth it?

Yepper! But I don't use it all the time. I only use it when hand-holding. If the camera's on a 'pod, I take it off as it's extra weight.

ph0enix · Jan 31, 2012

Got one for my D90 a few months ago. I love how beefy the camera feels with it on. Having two batteries and being able to shoot vertical without twisting my hands is great too. I don't see any negatives.

naptime · Jan 31, 2012

great, thanks guys.

i was looking at some knockoffs last night, for as low as 25 bucks with both trays.

i'm definitily going to get one from myself.

just not sure if it'll be too big for the brats hands. i was thinking the extra battery would be nice for her when she's out traveling.

maybe i'll get one first, and see how it feels to her. if its not too heavy or too big, then i'll order a second.

SCraig · Jan 31, 2012

I have one on my D90 and don't have one on my D60. My D90 gets used far more than my D60 and when I pick up the D60 it feels like a toy without the grip on it. They certainly make the camera heavier but I like mine. It hasn't been off the camera since I bought it a couple of years ago.

Overread · Jan 31, 2012

I wouldn't be without one on either my 400D or 7D.

For me the values of the grip are:

1) Allows for extended battery life; you get more from 2 batteries together than you do from them on their own. Though if I only had two batteries I'd always keep one out of the camera, never keep them all in the camera otherwise when they do die you've nothing to fall back on (whilst if one dies you just swap them over and get the reminder to charge the other).

2) Allows for much easier portrait aspect shooting. Few people shoot only in landscape and honestly portrait aspect gets used all the time - so easier controls makes hand holding much easier and far less of a strain on the hands and wrists.

3) Allows for a proper wrist strap (eg canon E1) which in turn makes holding easier and also more relaxing when you hold your right arm down.

4) Helps to give a proper place for your pinky finger. I don't have big hands, in fact mine are quite small, but even with these on many camera bodies (without agrip) I find my right pinky finger ends up falling off the bottom of the camera. Annoying and if it starts rubbing on the corner an irritating thing. Battery grips solve the whole problem easily.

5) Helps to balance out with heavier lenses, not a pressing need early on, but you'll fast be grateful with heavier, better glass when its added.

As for the battery door, it unclips and slits into a gap on the battery grip itself, so its not lost. Though note all battery grips must not have their locking wheel overtightened - doing so can cause the gears to jam, which locks the grip on your camera body. Not a problem if you don't want to ever take it off of course (though sometimes they make a poor connection and need to be removed and reseated again in order to clear it).

mjhoward · Jan 31, 2012

...yes

o hey tyler · Jan 31, 2012

Battery grips are VERY worth it. I've got one on my 5DmkI and I never take it off. I also use it in conjunction with a Black Rapid strap and that seems to work quite well. I have the OEM Canon battery grip for mine, and I had an Opteka Battery grip for my T1i. The opteka battery grip is decent. The controls work, however are more rigid than the body controls on the camera. After ~2 years of usage, the rubber grip has started to peel a bit.

The battery cover will pop off of the main camera body, and slide into an area close to where the battery contacts are for the grip.

EIngerson · Jan 31, 2012

I love the battery grip on my XSI, it made it fit my hand better. I have one for my 7D but I'm not a fan of it.

table1349 · Jan 31, 2012

I don't have a choice these days. 1D bodies have the "grip" built in. When I was shooting XXD bodies, I loved the grips. Greatly extended number of shots on a charged pack and better balance to the body, especially with long glass.

bratkinson · Jan 31, 2012

When I moved from P&S to DSLR photography last spring, I bought a used 30D with a battery grip. I've since moved to a 60D and a battery grip. I put a Canon hand strap E1 on both of them and it really made them very comfortable to hold and to use.

As mentioned above, the grip will more than double battery life. Why they would last longer than 2 batteries one at a time, I haven't a clue. But with the added battery life, it means you're not going to lose a golden picture opportunity while digging out and changing batteries.

As for using AAs in an emergency, it seems like a useless feature to me. I simply have a 2nd set of charged batteries with me if I think I'll drain the batteries.

As for the battery door on the camera, follow the directions to carefully remove it (it's a spring thing like a watch band attachment) and it stores in the part that 'replaces' the battery in the camera that makes electrical connections.

I have no problem mounting the camera with the battery grip on a tripod or mono pod. Disconnecting the hand strap and putting it on again...now that's a problem! And as for mounting on an L bracket, I found one that is more like a U bracket and I can mount the flash as high up as I need to, or higher, or left, or ...you get the idea. The only downside with the flash and the bracket and the battery grip and a heavy lens like the 24-70, it gets heavy REAL fast! Fortunately, the bracket comes with a tri/mono pod mount hole as well!