Fake Canon BG-E7 grip for 7D

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Haakon

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Haakon
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if its too cheap to be true it probably is - I found and bought a "Canon BG-E7" for £45 on that well know auction site. A while later it arrived - box looked genuine - unpacked it and was underwhelmed - something was wrong - then I tried to remove the battery tray - it wouldnt easily pop out as they do on my 5d mk2 grip and on previous Canon grips. In fact I had to use two hands to hold back the tabs then give it a tap on the back with my forehead to pop the battery tray out! Then when mounted to the 7D I knew it was fake - the fit around the handgrip was poor and the material once side by side with the camera was different.

So I went and bought the real deal to compare side by side. Sure enough the differences although small are numerous - see if you can spot them all:

http://www.haakon.co.uk/fakeBG-E7/

I thought it was incredible that they would and could go to such great lengths to counterfeit what must be a low margin product.
 
Blimey even side-by-side they're hard to tell apart from the pictures, just goes to show that you have to be extra vigilant when making a purchase.
 
I bought a grip for my 1000d for £22.95 from eb** and blow me it actually worked, bargain for the money
 
I had a mooch about on Amazon for mine... I got a 'Meike' branded one for £28.50 and to be honest, I'm seriously impressed with it. The build quality is excellent and they've even added a little 'shelf' for your finger when shooting it in portrait orientation!

I've seen a few of these 'Meike' ones on different cameras and been impressed with every one!

Si
 
It's alway the case if the price is that good,but what in earth made you think you would get an genuine one of e.bay for that price :shrug:
 
phototuition said:
Ebay hates fakes and will ensure return of your payment.
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There are two issues here - fakes and third party accessories. They have no probs with the latter.

simonblue said:
It's alway the case if the price is that good,but what in earth made you think you would get an genuine one of e.bay for that price :shrug:
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Head, nail etc. If it looks too good to be true then it almost certainly is.
 
Have you sent it back ?

What response have you had ?

Looking at the pictures briefly, it is difficult to tell them apart - is it a fake or a bad copy ? Was it listed as new ?

Perhaps the seller knew there were problems with it (if it isn't a fake), hence the price ??
 
andyred said:
Looking at the pictures briefly, it is difficult to tell them apart
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It should be easy-peasy to tell a real one from a fake. The real BG-E7 is plastic over magnesium alloy. Fake BG-E7s are plastic over polycarbonate. All you need to do is find one of those people who can tell the difference by feel. There should be hundreds of them if you believe the 60D moaners.
 
eBay is full of fakes, not only for camera equipment, but for everything. I'm surprised that somebody would order a new battery grip for around a third of the online price of reputable dealers and then expect the original article to arrive.

Seriously, if your on a tight budget and you can't pony up 150 odd quid, then look at the third party grips - at least you'll end up with some comeback, not to mention that in all probability the third party ones are likely to be better built and more reliable than the fakes. On a number of forums I've heard nothing but good about Meike - even if the dials work the wrong way round on Nikon cameras.
 
I read somewhere that the fakes are rebranded meikes opteka grips anyway, so there should be any issues with them.

Been researching this myself because my dad bought me a 'fake' BG-e6. To be honest I'm impressed with the build quality of the fake although having read that they are rebranded 3rd party grips it's hardly surprising.
 
travellingcello said:
I read somewhere that the fakes are rebranded meikes opteka grips anyway, so there should be any issues with them.

Been researching this myself because my dad bought me a 'fake' BG-e6. To be honest I'm impressed with the build quality of the fake although having read that they are rebranded 3rd party grips it's hardly surprising.
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I just brought a fake BG-E6 from Ebay, sending it back, its cheap and nasty.

That will teach me for being cheap
 
As yours is badged as a canon grip it is obviously a counterfeit copy. Like you, I cannot see the sense in going to the trouble of copying the grip if you're going to sell it for so little compared to a genuine canon grip. For myself I have brought 3 grips off the same well known website that weren't fake, but they were 3rd party accessories. I've had absolutely no problems with any of them and they all work as they should. The most expensive being just over £70 for a BG-e7 with 4 batteries.
 
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