What are the benefits of battery grips?

wonderer

wonderer

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Just doing some looking around regarding the Nikon d7100 and was looking at the new MB-D15 battery grip for it. At nearly £300 though can someone give me any real good reasons to have one over just having a couple of spare batteries in your pocket? Surely the weight and bulk of a battery grip is much more of an annoyance than spare batteries and lets be honest, changing a battery takes 20 seconds to do?

In all fairness its rare that I ever run out of battery when shooting but I am just intrigued as to the reasons people opt for battery grips at all? I hope to do a lot more outdoor shooting in the future so am weighing up whether a grip is worth it or not. Im sorry if it sounds a bit argumentative, I am not trying to be just genuinely looking for some reasons I may not have thought of.

Cheers
 
For me the main reason is battery life, as someone who shoots, a lot 1000's of long exposures a year often 3-400 at a time, often I'll leave the camera running or move off and set of a second camera running I need to have confidence that it will keep on running without a break for 3-5 hours :thumbs:

I also find the additional buttons very useful when shooting vertically
 
Makes taking portrait shots much easier as there are extra buttons available so you don't have to twist your arm around :P

It also gives you the possibility of using AA batteries in an emergency as long as you carry the extra carrier with you which could be of benefit if you're away from home for a while.

I don't find it really adds much weight but obviously it is bulkier... Guess it's up to you to decide if you think the cons outweigh the pros :)
 
I have a 5dm2, 60d & older 50d and have grips on all of them. I prefer the extra buttons on the grip for when shooting vertically/portrait and I can get my whole hand on the grip. If I'm going out with the family or friends however (out for a meal or for the day etc) I'll generally take the grip off whichever camera I'm taking for 2 reasons. 1 makes it bulkier and 2 having the camera bigger seems to draw more attention to you (I dont generally mind this, especially if actually on a shoot) but when I'm just out for the day with the family they dont need to feel like they're on a photoshoot all the time. :lol:
 
wonderer said:
Just doing some looking around regarding the Nikon d7100 and was looking at the new MB-D15 battery grip for it. At nearly £300 though can someone give me any real good reasons to have one over just having a couple of spare batteries in your pocket? Surely the weight and bulk of a battery grip is much more of an annoyance than spare batteries and lets be honest, changing a battery takes 20 seconds to do?

In all fairness its rare that I ever run out of battery when shooting but I am just intrigued as to the reasons people opt for battery grips at all? I hope to do a lot more outdoor shooting in the future so am weighing up whether a grip is worth it or not. Im sorry if it sounds a bit argumentative, I am not trying to be just genuinely looking for some reasons I may not have thought of.

Cheers
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You will be able to get a thirp party grip for around £40
 
Another benefit on some cameras (Not sure about 7100) is that using a grip increases the frame rate in continuous shooting.
As said, another benefit is when shooting in portrait orientation.
 
I like to use a grip, for no ther reason than the ingreased size helps to blance long lenes and also suits my large hands better.
 
Normal cameras just feel too small without them (and just look wrong), oh and vertical shutter + longer life :)
 
I mainly like the balance in weight the grip gives when I have the 300mm/2.8 on. It's also really handy when spinning the camera through 90° as the buttons are still in the correct place. :thumbs:
 
Got a 5Dmkii & a 7D both are gripless. I've never ever felt the need to get grips for them. They are balanced perfectly without them & even though I shoot tons 800+ on an average outing ive never been short of battery power although I do carry spares.
On the other hand I also use a 1Dmkiv & I have no problems with that either.
Mind you I always felt like I was the odd one out without a gripped body even though nobody could tell me why I needed one.
One person honestly said to me. "Doesn't your camera look tiny on that lens".

I think if you have to ask why you should have one you really don't need one.
 
Graham_P_Clarke said:
I like to use a grip, for no ther reason than the ingreased size helps to blance long lenes and also suits my large hands better.
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I used to use a 600mm f4 +1.4xt.C. On a 7D without a grip & it balanced perfectly
 
drexyl said:
Got a 5Dmkii & a 7D both are gripless. I've never ever felt the need to get grips for them. They are balanced perfectly without them & even though I shoot tons 800+ on an average outing ive never been short of battery power although I do carry spares.
On the other hand I also use a 1Dmkiv & I have no problems with that either.
Mind you I always felt like I was the odd one out without a gripped body even though nobody could tell me why I needed one.
One person honestly said to me. "Doesn't your camera look tiny on that lens".

I think if you have to ask why you should have one you really don't need one.
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I too can take 800+ on a single battery under the right conditions but couldn't get past about 300 x 30s exposures sometimes less than that on a really cold night with a single battery and that's not fit for my purposes
 
Because it makes you look like a supercool pro? :p

I had one, but sold it as I had no real need for it. As someone who just takes pictures as a hobby I didn't need the longer battery life (it's less cumbersome to just put a spare battery in a pocket if needed), and I don't take enough shots in portrait to need the extra buttons. So it all depends on the user whether or not they're useful.
 
TopBanana said:
Because it makes you look like a supercool pro? :p

I had one, but sold it as I had no real need for it. As someone who just takes pictures as a hobby I didn't need the longer battery life (it's less cumbersome to just put a spare battery in a pocket if needed), and I don't take enough shots in portrait to need the extra buttons. So it all depends on the user whether or not they're useful.
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This is the thing for me having to change a battery could ruin hours of work :eek:
 
I just can't take to them. I bought one a while ago, and used it twice. It only takes a few seconds to change battery anyway.
 
As I normally use a 1D3 I find going to a small body easier if it's gripped. I tend to use controls without looking at them so flipping to portrait keeps things consistent in terms of buttons.

I think a larger lens doesn't feel as heavy with a gripped body or a 1D body.

By that I mean it's natural tendancy to tip forwards is reduced with a grip because the body sits deeper in the heel of the hand.
 
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It probably depends partly on the body - I have a Canon 500D which is quite a compact, lightweight camera and doesn't have the biggest grip in the world - while it's obviously useful to have a light/small camera in some situations I decided to experiment with a cheap 3rd party grip (I think it was something like £15 on ebay) and it actually made a big positive difference to the handling. Even in landscape the camera's now more comfortable to hold, and in portrait it's obviously much better. The fact I can put an extra battery in there (or convert the whole thing to AA's) is just a bonus.

They add bulk certainly, but bulk isn't always bad - if it was we'd all be using compacts..
 
Phil Young said:
Ergonomically more comfortable and longer battery life.
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Pretty much what everyone else has said, however they are grossly overpriced for what they are, and what they do, having said that i wouldn't buy a 3rd party one, i have never been able to understand why folk will spend a couple of grand on a camera, then stick something on the bottom which is not an original, i'm also fairly sure, if you had a mechanical failure on your camera, and it was proved you had a 3rd party grip attached it would invalidate your warranty.
 
TG. said:
Pretty much what everyone else has said, however they are grossly overpriced for what they are, and what they do, having said that i wouldn't buy a 3rd party one, i have never been able to understand why folk will spend a couple of grand on a camera, then stick something on the bottom which is not an original, i'm also fairly sure, if you had a mechanical failure on your camera, and it was proved you had a 3rd party grip attached it would invalidate your warranty.
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Honestly if you think about what a grip actually is - a glorified battery box with a few extra buttons, literally that's it - you'd see there isn't actually very much the 3rd party makers can get wrong. Mine was very cheap but is actually quite solidly made and nicely finished, and I'm sure on a technical level it's identical to the Canon original.
 
If at all possible, try a grip before forking out for one. If you buy one and don't like it, your money will have been wasted (unless you manage to get back what you paid for it). Ideally, have an extended play with one.

Personally, I don't get on with them at all. I don't shoot much in Portrait orientation and have the battery change down to a second or 2 (if necessary) YMMV!
 
I'm sure the vast majority are sold because people think they make them look like super cool pros
 
boyfalldown said:
I'm sure the vast majority are sold because people think they make them look like super cool pros
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I don't think these kind of generalisations help anyone - yes, some people buy them to pose with, just as for some the main reason to get a DSLR in the first place is to pose - that doesn't mean there aren't good reasons for using one, and eschewing them out of some form of inverted snobbery is just cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Best advice - try one. See if you like the feel of it.
 
boyfalldown said:
I'm sure the vast majority are sold because people think they make them look like super cool pros
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I have them on D300 and 700 to increase the FPS Hugh, that, and balance with longer primes, is the only reason I have them.

I don`t GAS whether that makes me look a pro or not to be honest...............:lol:
 
Thanks for your replies everyone. I never really thought about the comfort issue. I do have big hands and shoot portraits mostly so maybe there would be a bigger benefit of owning one than I thought. They seem so massively overpriced though for the branded ones, do they cheapy ones work just as well? I presume your sacrificing build quality. Is there a risk to the camera itself from cheapo makes?
 
I'm sure I remember reading about a shut down issue on one of the third party grips on one older model of Nikon that could cause damage because of not reporting the battery status correctly :thinking: that said I've got a 3rd party on my 450D and am more than happy with it, I did however buy a OEM grip for the 5D3 because I'd spent so much on the camera there was no way I was going to risk a warranty issue on a 3rd party grip, or for that matter battery ;)
 
I don't use mine when I'm out and about for two reasons, 1, I like to travel light so just pack a few extra batteries. 2, I feel when gripped, it attracts unwelcome attention. Oh hang on .... 3, I feel like a plonker Lolll

Your best to try one before buying, have to agree, a grip does help to balance the camera when using a larger lens.
 
Some will say get the official one only, why scrape on the grip when you have spent so much on a body blah,blah,blah.........

Others will say get an aftermarket one and save some money,blah,blah,blah..........


End of the day, if you want a £250 one or a £40 one is down to you.

I had both and could tell no noticeable difference.........blah,blah,blah.
 
Petri said:
I don't think these kind of generalisations help anyone - yes, some people buy them to pose with, just as for some the main reason to get a DSLR in the first place is to pose - that doesn't mean there aren't good reasons for using one, and eschewing them out of some form of inverted snobbery is just cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Best advice - try one. See if you like the feel of it.
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Maybe I should of put a smilie, but I'll stand that's why the majority are sold - no inverted or any other sort of snobbery there. I'll eschew them cause I dislike them.
 
boyfalldown said:
Maybe I should of put a smilie, but I'll stand that's why the majority are sold - no inverted or any other sort of snobbery there. I'll eschew them cause I dislike them.
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I'm not saying you're wrong necessarily, I just don't think it matters frankly. Grips do change the handling of a camera (for better or worse) and they can double the battery life - if those things appeal to you then what does it matter why someone else buys one?

If they don't appeal then again - who cares why someone else bought it?

Photographers get enough flack for their hobby/profession from outside - let's just give each other a break and not assume that anyone interested in a battery grip (or any other piece of tech you don't like) is a plonker pretending to be a "super cool pro"...
 
boyfalldown said:
I'm sure the vast majority are sold because people think they make them look like super cool pros
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I had a pro camera before moving to the D7000, it felt better. I wouldn't want to have a heavy lens attached without it and who wants to stick their elbow up in the air for portraits. In addition, the spare battery is stupidly expensive. This allows me to use AA batteries which is fantastic. It also gives me a more sturdy shot at slower speeds as I am able to get it in a much more steady position.

There is a lot of snobbery and you could be right for either a minority or majority I don't know...
 
How many shots does a full set of AAs get you?
 
Got mine for the extra fps comfort and 2000 shots per charge just from the d3 battery let alone using the one in the camera once that is dead.:DCouldnt give a toss if I look like a pro or not tbh:lol:
 
I got one on my d3100 for balance and comfort as I have big hands, now I just can't get on without it on. Btw, you can't get genuine Nikon ones for my camera so I had to get a third party one and I've not had a single problem.
 
I have grips on both of my cameras simply as I've got large hands and the grips make the camera fit better and feel more comfortable. It does have the advantage of extra battery life, give a better balance on some of my heavier lenses and also makes taking photos in the portrait position easier. All the grips I've had have been 3rd party grips (Meike usually) and I've only had a problem with one of them (Pixel grip for a 5D3 with a battery drain), the rest have worked perfectly for the whole time I've had them (2 years for the 550D grip now on the wifes 650D) and I've also used 3rd party batteries with them without a problem either.

Like Stuart above, I really couldn't give a toss how it looks to other people, I make it plain enough when someone asks that I'm not a pro. And I really don't give a toss what other people think of them, or the people who use them, for me the advantages are greater than the disadvatages so I use them.
 
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Phil Young said:
Loads. 700 at a guess. Probably much more though.

I have about 24 batteries in my bag so never run out of power.
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And how long does it take to swap out a set of AAs? (Or do you have a couple of trays that you keep full?)
 
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