BG-E7 Grip for 7d

davidh6781

davidh6781

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Has any one used a third part grip, whether ebay cheap one, Meike or just plain stuck with the genuine item?

the only reason I ask, i had a grip for 40d which was a cheap £25 one of ebay and it worked ok, but very inconsistent and ended up buying genuine. just wanted to ask really should I hold out for a Gen BG-E7 or get a copy?
 
I'd look out for a second-hand genuine one in the classifies/eBay - go for about £80-90 which is a good saving on full RRP, whislt not a huge step up from Meike ones.

Having said that, the 3rd party ones get good reviews and some come with added extras (remotes, intervalometers etc), and the genuine ones are a silly cost...

Only recently got mine - really like it, makes everything feel nicer in the hand, although unless you've got simian thumbs, you can't reach the joystick in portrait mode to move the focus point (but this is accounted for by having the focus point move with orientation)
 
I will take a browse, and also look at the Meike ones too. I couldn't reach the joy stick with my 40d in portrait mode so not an issue for me really. I think I may give a cheapy a try again.
 
I bought cheap one to get me by till I could afford the real deal.

The cheap one came with two batteries that the charger would not recognise so had to buy a third party one, ok just a fiver but still, the company sent me two more batteries and one would charge but the other did not, the grip itself is fine except for the door to the batery compartment is a little loose and rattles.

Cant wait to get the real deal like I had on my 50D
 
Very limited experience, I've had a genuine grip on my 7D for two weeks and found it to be very good. Also have a second genuine battery and no issues with recognition by the camera, along with the AA battery magazine, which also works without issue. For me, the peace of mind of genuine parts working was worth the small price premium.
 
I bought a genuine Canon second hand one on here for £75 and am very pleased with it. Especially as when I took it out of the box I could not tell it had been used!

Only problem I have found is as mentioned above you cannot reach the focus point controller when in vertical mode.

Also the shutter release seems to be more sensitive than the one on the camera.

Other than that I really like it as it balances the camera nicely.

David
 
Willid1 said:
Also the shutter release seems to be more sensitive than the one on the camera.
Click to expand...

Ahhh, not just me who finds that then :)
It's not really an issue, more that when you go back to the on-camera button it feels like there's some lag...
 
Durbs said:
Ahhh, not just me who finds that then :)
It's not really an issue, more that when you go back to the on-camera button it feels like there's some lag...
Click to expand...

+1
 
Can I ask.... why do you need one of these?

I'll admit I'm strangely drawn to them myself, but not sure why. The battery life on my 7D is very good and, if I need to, changing to my second battery is not a lengthy job.

Then there's the shutter release in portrait mode. Well, I think I manage just fine at present, but can't deny that it sounds very useful.

So, for you guys, what's the attraction?

Cheers,
Mike.
 
I use a genuine BG-E7 and am very happy with it. Not sure I'd ever be fully confident in a cheap clone - I tend to believe in the old adage that you get what you pay for.

As to Bicko's question, I originally got mine as I wanted to promote portrait shooting more. I felt that many shots I'd taken in landscape would have been better taken in portrait but it just didn't occur to me to do so much of the time and I hoped having the grip would make it a bit more "second nature".

It did that and more. I actually can't use my cameras without grips now as it just feels wrong. The extended battery life from twin batteries is just a bonus really, the main two benefits for me are the handling when shooting in portrait and also better balance when heavy lenses are attached.
 
Vertigo1 said:
As to Bicko's question...
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, I appreciate it. It does seem to make sense. I'll continue to resist for now, but I imagine I might feel differently if I ever try one out.

Cheers.
 
I've used both OEM and 3rd party and never had any problems. The 3rd party ones are plastic v. OEM magnesium alloy frame though which leads to a cheaper feel and potentially flexing.

I've read a few times about battery drain with non-OEM grips and in (extremely) rare cases shorting of a PCB in the body with the resultant invalidated warranty repair bills.

I'd recommend OEM for peace of mind.


Steve
 
Just gone from a 3rd party grip to a genuine one. I was having problems with high speed burst with the 3rd party. No such problems with the genuine one. Simply, a must have.
 
Personally I'd buy a genuine grip over a 3rd party one... If you do go down the 3rd party route, I think Meike seem to be the best option.
 
I've had Meike grips on all of my dslr's and all have worked perfectly. I've had a 550D grip that works with the wifes 650D, a 60D, a 5D2, a 5D3 and two 7D's and the grip for the 550D/650D is still going strong after more than two years of use. I got a Pixel grip (first 3rd party grip available) for my 5D3 when they were first released an it had the battery drain problem and eventually got the Meike MkII grip for it, the one with the joystick on, and had no problems since.

They are very close to the finish of the camera body, have all the buttons etc of the original and will take 3rd party batteries without a problem and at around £40 you can't really go wrong with one.
 
Bicko said:
Can I ask.... why do you need one of these?

I'll admit I'm strangely drawn to them myself, but not sure why. The battery life on my 7D is very good and, if I need to, changing to my second battery is not a lengthy job.

Then there's the shutter release in portrait mode. Well, I think I manage just fine at present, but can't deny that it sounds very useful.

So, for you guys, what's the attraction?

Cheers,
Mike.
Click to expand...

To be honest, there's no one thing that makes it a must have, but the sum of the little things makes it a useful addition. And if I don't need it for a specific shoot, I'll just remove it.

For me, the portrait functionality, AA battery magazine (because I will forget to charge it) and additional contact surface on the grip (in landscape/std position) were the main benefits. I got a genuine Canon grip, used from eBay for a very reasonable cost too.
 
I will be putting one for sale in the next couple of days once I get a chance to get some photos of it.
 
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