Why do you have a Battery Grip?

[Meysha]

Why do you have a Battery Grip?

Honestly, I have never ever run out of battery charge while shooting. That includes massive days, with hundreds and hundreds (thousands?) of photos!

Despite that, I am going to buy a battery grip. Only because it 'looks' more professional. And being in the world of business now for a while, I've realised everything is about 'looks' and perception.

So why do you have a battery grip?

 

[Alex_B]

I don't.

 

[Alex_B]

I think though, for some it makes shooting vertical frames less tiring.

 

[Digital Matt]

As Alex said, it's great for portrait photography, and for me it makes the camera bigger (I have big hands) and heavier, which makes it easier for me to handhold. As far as battery life, I never ran out of battery power when using the camera without the grip either, but now I only charge them once a week.

 

[Mav]

I have the MB-D80 for my D80 and have never needed the extra power either. What it does is balance the camera a ton better and make it handle well when you've got a big lens and flash hooked up. Without it the balance is poor and it can get pretty tiring to hold. And the extra controls make portrait orientation shooting a lot easier also. Can also shoot off of AA batteries as a backup which is nice.

 

[JimmyO]

I just bought one. Its a cheap ebay non genuine nikon one. It doesnt have an additional trigger on it, it just holds extra battery and make the body bigger.

But i dont do much vertical pictures anyways, i just like to make my self look better than i am =P

 

[KhronoS]

I don`t have one, but i guess it a boost for cameras with Live preview (if you are a heavy user of it) which has a big lens attached to it, with IS & USM (another power drainers) and maybe a 430ex or 580ex flash used a lot. Guess will be useful a grip in this case...

I didn`t had problems to make me buy a grip. I have a spare battery beside the one in the camera which i rarely use, usually when i am away of a power source for a long time.

 

[BYoung]

As most people have said I have never ran out of battery before without the battery holder, and if I did I always have a spare or 2 battery's in my bag ready to go.

I got the Optek battery grib for my XTi since the camera is fairly small, even though it fits my hand nice it felt more like a toy then a piece of equipment. The grip adds weight to it and makes it easier for me to get low light shots. Plus vertical shutter release is always awsome.

 

[Big Mike]

I don`t have one, but i guess it a boost for cameras with Live preview (if you are a heavy user of it) which has a big lens attached to it, with IS & USM (another power drainers) and maybe a 430ex or 580ex flash used a lot. Guess will be useful a grip in this case...

The 430 & 580 have their own power supply and don't drain the camera's battery.

 

[zendianah]

I have one.. I love it. I have run out of batterys though and it sucked at a wedding. Its more of a convenience thing for me. I shoot for 6 straight hours tends to use a lot of battery for me.

 

[Johnboy2978]

I use one on my k10d and love it. The Pentax dslr line is notoriously compact. The grip adds extra bulk and mass. The grip also has an extra shutter release aperture and shutter speed controls which are very handy for portraits. Finally, it gives me extra shooting life if I need it (like you I've never ran out) which is extra protection for a wedding. It also conveniently stores an extra sd card.

.... oh and it looks more professional b/c it's big

 

[domromer]

I bought one on my eos 3 cause I thought it looked cool and professional. With a set of AA it doubled the weight of the camera. It was nice for vertical shots but I soon became sick of the added weight and put it on ebay. Ask yourself is the added weight really worth the bother? I do a lot of backpacking so I don't think it was.

I'll qualify this by saying I was 15 at the time of purchase.

 

[petey]

I bought one thinking I'd use it, but really haven't had a real need for it. I carry around extra batteries which is easier.

 

[kevin7_13]

I have one. I have shot some races and sometimes do run out of batteries. It also makes the camera heavier so its easier for me to steady it. Also it is a lot nicer for vertical shots.

 

[Sontizzle]

i dont have one but ill be buying one down the road. ill be starting taking portraits in the near future and i think the extra shutter button will coming in handy.