Battery Grips are they the same as sports cars for 40 yr old men or what??

nigelcampbell

nigelcampbell

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Just a question but what's the deal with Battery Grips - is it just me (and it often is) or do people get them to make their cameras look like a more pro model? I have not run out of battery power whilst out shooting. With previous digital cameras (back in the pre-DSLR days) I would just buy a spare battery and charge that up as well. I'm sure there are real reasons to shoot with a grip - but apart from vanity I can't think of what they might be... care to enlighten me??
 
Mine just arrived yestrerday. I bought it is because I have huge hands and it makes the camera more comfortable for me.

I can see your point tho becuase I do prefer the way it looks now.

Bodykits for cameras I read yesterday.:naughty:
 
If you take a lot of vertical shots then there are two extra buttons replicating the camera's exposure lock button etc.. and a second shutter button so you can hold the camera comfortably how you normally would, without twisting your arms round the top like you do now!
 
LOL. In the case of the 20D the grip certainly makes the camera a lot easier to hold and particularly easier to hold a combination of a weightier lens and body.

Other fringe benefits are that when you rotate the camera to portrait orientation, you have the shutter button duplicated on the grip just right for your right forefinger. The exposure lock button is also duplicated and falls nicely for your thumb, along with the preview zoom button.

It does look good though. :D
 
I managed to flatten both (freshly-charged) batteries in a grip in one day
luckily the grip also allows you to slip in 6 AA which gave me more snappy time

I also find it easier to handle portrait with the duplicated buttons

(perhaps any of the togs of a female persuasion who have grips might comment on the 40-yo issue?!?)

I should have thought extra long telephoto lenses were a better analogy!
 
If that's a 'self portrait' of you in your avatar, nigel, then your hands are probably small enough not to need a grip.

Aside from size-comfort, there's also the increased ergonomic benefit and balance afforded to longer lenses.

But, like most things, its a matter of personal choice and i'm sure for some its all about size.

And dont worry, I too have been jealous of 40 year olds in flash cars. :D
 
When doing race photography the grip is essential for the extra battery power, stopping to change batteries as dozens of people run by isn't really a good plan. The portrait controls are also important if you're shooting over a long period of time. It might, for some folks, improve the appearance but for me it's all about the comfort and extended power it provides.

To turn the question round - why would Canon, Nikon, etc. design their pro bodies with the grip if it serves no useful purpose?
 
pxl8 said:
To turn the question round - why would Canon, Nikon, etc. design their pro bodies with the grip if it serves no useful purpose?
Click to expand...

It's a fine question. I guess for someone like me who shoots landscapes and some nature - doesn't use flash or extensive use of motordrive and has not been blessed with "Strangler's Hands" it would not be necessary - even if I wanted 16 million pixels - I'd just have to lug around the extra weight for no gain.
 
nigelcampbell said:
it is indeed - and you may have a point. I did turn 40 this year - but I bought a Toyota Yaris (reverse psychology!!) ;)
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And lovely cars they are too - my ex swore by hers. She actually swore by a lot of things but i think that was mostly down to me :lol:
 
I'd argue that sans battery grip - you're rotating the camera the wrong way anyway.

Discuss. :D
 
CT said:
I'd argue that sans battery grip - you're rotating the camera the wrong way anyway.

Discuss. :D
Click to expand...

Yep, weight shouldn't be taken by the shutter finger hand...
 
CT said:
I'd argue that sans battery grip - you're rotating the camera the wrong way anyway.

Discuss. :D
Click to expand...

Stability - shutter release down

Comfort - shutter release up

Looking like a gimp - priceless

;)
 
I use a battery grip becuase I photograph in nightclubs in Manchester most days of the week, I need to use Flash pretty much 100% of the time so I need an extra battery. I also take loads of portrait shots, much more comfortable with a grip :P

It's a nice little addition to you camera for whatever you use it for, but unless you actually need it there's not much point in forking out for one.
 
CT said:
How does this work with say the 100-400L or the 300mm 2,8? :wave:
Click to expand...

Sorry - had pesky paid work to do! :D

Wont work with anything that you cant support comfortably with your left hand - but tucking your right elbow into your chest with your left is more stable than attempting a solid base with your left hand, then draping your right over the top :p
 
What's wrong with tucking your left elbow into your chest? :shrug:

Then you don't have any tension in the right hand from the wrist being bent back 90deg...
 
It's no good pxl8 - they're not havin' it. :D
 
I dunno, these bent wristed shooters.... :D
 
I would of been of the persuasion they where useless untill a few weeks ago when I got the 300 f4L, I felt that without a grip the camera felt very unbalanced. With the grip which I bought about a week ago the camera balances a lot nicer and the grip gives me somewhere o place my little finger which feels a lot more comfortable when holding the camera by my side. (I use a hand strap instead of a shoulder strap)
 
Well if it's confession time...

Not long after opening this particular can of worms I popped out from the office at lunchtime to a local garden centre to get a few shots as we're having a rare spot of sunshine.

When I got back to the office I decided to download the images to my laptop - only to find that there was not enough charge left in the battery to do so!:bonk:

Is it time for a do you tilt right or left poll?
 
Well I'm only 30....Do I have to get rid of mine? :(
 
I have a battery grip on my 5d because it makes it just the right size to go in my bag without rattling round.
 
Grip, I'm still driving a renault megane scenic....the family mobile :
 
I'm approaching 40 and considering a battery grip. Has anyone tried one of the bg-e2 compatibles and are they as reliable as the badged version?
 
meh :shrug:

don't need one, don't have one, never gonna get one. Even with the appalling battery life of the d200!
 
A battery grip is a tool too. Men love tools. And love to have the appropriate tool for the job at hand. Or an overspecced one. Unlike most females, who prefer to use a nail file as a screwdriver...
So, again, it depends on the circumstances. I got mine for weddings, events and safaris. But I use it all the time, not just then. It also makes the whole contraption more stable to hold, decreasing camera shake.
 
I was rather unsure of battery grips before buying one but now I have one I wouldn't like to be without.

I find that the 2 batteries are really useful when shooting weddings as every time I have not had a battery grip the battery has unexpectedly run out on me prompting a quick change at an inconvenient time.

I do also think that it has made a difference to camera stability. I shoot a lot of low light, portrait orientated photos and I do think that the grip has made a difference in helping to alleviate camera shake.

The third advantage is that if I have the flash mounted and camera slung over my shoulder it now doesn't 'flop' down because of the weight of the flash.
 
Way back in the photographic stone age I had a 'motor winder' on my Pentax ME Super, for the same reason I have a battery grip on my 30D now, the camera on it's own is just too small for me to hold comfortably.
 
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