Battery Grip?

mrshaleyberg · Sep 8, 2010

Does it matter what brand you get? Will it really make a difference?

Thanks, Haley

Taylor510ce · Sep 8, 2010

Other than extension tubes, I have never bought a third party anything that was equal to or better than its equivalent genuine counterpart. I had a Canon on my T1i and just got a Canon for my 7D. So I guess I can't tell you whether the cheap ones are good, but I can tell you that I have been VERY happy with the canon ones and cannot stand having a camera without one now.

kundalini · Sep 8, 2010

I really didn't think too hard on my grip. I went with the Nikon. It works on both my D300 & D700. I stayed with AA batteries setup though. In the end, it was a cheaper route because I have many sets of rechargeable AA's.

From what little I have read, I think Opteka makes one that is reasonable. Do a search for members NOYZE and PhotoX..... something, something (they're the same guy) and use battery grip or Opteka about a year ago. And it might not be Opteka, but something like that.

mrshaleyberg · Sep 8, 2010

Well I found this one on Amazon. Has really good reviews..And it's only 56 dollars...So I'm tempted to buy it. Hmmm..
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Zeikos-ZE-NBG300-Battery-Power-Nikon/dp/B001T9N0RQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1283996530&sr=8-1]Amazon.com: Zeikos ZE-NBG300 Battery Power Grip for Nikon D300 & D700: Electronics[/ame]

tnvol · Sep 8, 2010

mrshaleyberg said:
Well I found this one on Amazon. Has really good reviews..And it's only 56 dollars...So I'm tempted to buy it. Hmmm..
Amazon.com: Zeikos ZE-NBG300 Battery Power Grip for Nikon D300 & D700: Electronics

I own this one. It's a nice grip. It does what it's supposed to do but I ended up taking it off because it just made the camera too heavy and bulky for my liking.

kundalini · Sep 8, 2010

It is my opinion to do due diligence with research before sailing off for a cheap deal. Ever heard the expression "the cheap becomes expensive"?

Does it allow you to control aperture and shutter speed using only you thumb and forefinger as it does on the camera body? Does it have the AF-ON button for AF? Does it have a multi-selector to allow to pick one of the (up to) 51 AF points? Is it compatible with the D700? Batteries? Do any of the reviews (from reliable sources) make mention of any comments on build quality or common failures / frustrations?

Lots of questions. It all depends on your needs, requirements and budget. The $240 might not be a bad deal after all.

I don't know, it really doesn't strike me as a smart move to cheap out on such a nice machine. That's not to say that there aren't some 3rd party stuff almost as, and sometimes better than the brand.

el_shorty · Sep 8, 2010

I have the Flashpoint battery grip for my D300s and D700, bought it from Adorama for $80, I've had it for a year and even though it feels cheaper than the MB-D10, it works well.

mrshaleyberg · Sep 8, 2010

See that's the thing. I might just wait a few extra weeks and get the nikon one. Since I'm a little weary of the whole "You get what you pay for" type thing. Don't want to buy something cheap that might hurt my baby!

prodigy2k7 · Sep 9, 2010

In my opinion, the smaller cameras (like rebels) have a nice weight with the grip, but when you start getting into the pro cameras, they start getting heavy and bulky with grips... I have one on my 400D and love it. (Canon grip). Its pretty cool for vertical shooting.

KmH · Sep 9, 2010

I have both the Zeikos and the Nikon grips.

The Nikon grip has the same magnesium-alloy body the camera has. The Zeikos grip is all plastic and makes other compromises in materials to keep the cost down.

The Zeikos grip looks and feels pretty much just like the Nikon grip. The controls on the Zeikos grip don't feel any different than the controls on the Nikon grip.

So far, the Zeikos grip is performing just as well as the Nikon grip.

My only reservation with the Zeikos grip is the plastic body. I keep a quick release plate mounted on the bottom of the grip and I use the plate's D-ring to hook a Black Rapid sling to the camera/grip/lens. If the plastic grip body fails at the tripod mount where the quick release plate is mounted, nothing would be holding the camera/grip/lens to the BR sling.

As far as vertical grips in general, wonder why the pro level Canon and Nikon cameras have one built-in.

mrshaleyberg · Sep 9, 2010

KmH said:
I have both the Zeikos and the Nikon grips.

The Nikon grip has the same magnesium-alloy body the camera has. The Zeikos grip is all plastic and makes other compromises in materials to keep the cost down.

The Zeikos grip looks and feels pretty much just like the Nikon grip. The controls on the Zeikos grip don't feel any different than the controls on the Nikon grip.

So far, the Zeikos grip is performing just as well as the Nikon grip.

My only reservation with the Zeikos grip is the plastic body. I keep a quick release plate mounted on the bottom of the grip and I use the plate's D-ring to hook a Black Rapid sling to the camera/grip/lens. If the plastic grip body fails at the tripod mount where the quick release plate is mounted, nothing would be holding the camera/grip/lens to the BR sling.

As far as vertical grips in general, wonder why the pro level Canon and Nikon cameras have one built-in.

So would it be worth buying a zeikos grip? Or should I just wait and spend the extra money on a nikon one?

Dao · Sep 9, 2010

My 40D has the Canon grip and my XTi (sold already) had a Targus grip.

- The Targus fit pretty well with the XTi.
- The build is not bad at all (especially when compared with the XTi body)
- The soft rubber is better than the one on XTi body. (look and feel similar to the 40D)

- The hard plastic of my 40D Canon grip is slightly better than the Targus XTi grip.
- All buttons on the grip works well. But the feel is not the same as the Canon 40D grip nor the buttons on the XTi and 40D bodies. I like the Canon body/grip button feel better.

KmH · Sep 9, 2010

You will have to make your own decision.

I got the Zeikos grip just to see what they were all about. I have it mounted on one of my backup cameras. The Nikon grips are on my primary bodies.

I use my backup bodies regularly, but only for about 1/4 of my work.

inov8ter · Sep 9, 2010

I look at it like this, Yes you do get what you pay for in most cases. I mean, you spent all this money on a D700, which is a dream to have, I can only imagine. But why would you just not spend the little extra to get the Nikon one. If you can afford a D700 then you can afford the little extra for the grip. Just my .02.

mrshaleyberg · Sep 9, 2010

Yeah, I think I'm just going to wait and get a nikon one. It would only be the smartest thing to do. I'd be scared of anything happening to my D700. Because I know when I bought an aftermarket battery for my phone, it messed things up! So I wouldn't want that happening to my D700. I would probably DIE!