What's the point in a battery grip?

gill

gill

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I've wondered this for a while, but as I'm currently about to buy a couple of additional batteries for a project I'm curious to know if there's something I'm missing about battery grips.

I can see that some people have large hands and find the extra size afforded by the grip to be beneficial. But is a grip with 2 extra batteries going to give me anything that carrying 2 extra batteries in my pocket/bag won't give me? Are people buying them for the ability to use AAs if things get desperate? I just can't see what it gives me beside extra weight and a £250 hole in the pocket...
 
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Depends but in addition to extra size it obviously gives you more immediately available power and may give extra frame rate.
 
If a grip is of no use to you then don't use one. Simple!!

Plenty of people prefer them and I have them on all my cameras (except 1D MKIV - which is effectively built with one ). They give extended battery life, better handling and more flexibility in handling/operation.
 
my 7D with a grip means I can shoot all day, and it balances the camera better with a big lens. For creative stuff its so much easier with another shutter release when the camera is in portrait its easier to steady at low speeds.
 
For many people, if they're honest, it's just for looks.

However, they're a lot easier to use in portrait format, plus the extra battery power, and a few cameras will run faster with a battery pack.
 
On a Nikon D300 it gives you faster FPS and on a lot of other cameras using heavy lenses it help to give more balance between camera and lens. That is apart from not having to keep changing batteries in a days shoot
 
BRASH said:
Pish!!
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They are, though, aren't they? They might give slightly better handling in portrait orientation, but not such better handling that it's worth spending any money on. Unless you have some sort of medical problem with operating an unmodified camera vertically, which, let's face it, isn't difficult in the least for most people with normal hands.
 
dinorock said:
put one on your camera you"ll never take it off :)
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You reckon? I bought one, used it twice, it's been in the box gathering dust since. They're not for everyone. But, I certainly didn't pay £250 for it
 
I think it depends if you like a body style like a d4s - i'm not so keen on the extra bulk of these cameras and prefer bodies like d810 & d610 - I'd imagine the "big" bodies are great for people who shoot for a living but the "small" bodies are better for people who shoot for enjoyment.
 
I used to wonder what the point of a battery grip was as well. However I decided to get one for my 5d2 and find it very useful, both for when i hold the camera in portrait 'style' and for the double battery life I get from it.
 
gramps said:
Depends but in addition to extra size it obviously gives you more immediately available power and may give extra frame rate.
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They are more about giving you more energy rather than more power.
 
In my case with my D810, it enables me to use an EN-EL18a battery, the same as my D4s. I then only have to take one type of battery with me.
As a secondary, it's great in portrait mode.
 
Got mine for around £40 and its great - great to hold and of course much longer shooting time without changing batteries around
 
For me it was purely the size as i found the 550d too small without it. I paid less than £20 for mine which made it a no brainier.
 
It varies. For some, it's purpose, & for others, just a manhood thing.
 
I have a grip on a smaller dx camera, I find it easier to hold. Sometimes the extra shutter comes in handy, on several occasions I've laid alongside a stream shooting at a right angle low to the ground and used the shutter button on the grip even though I was shooting horizontally as it was the easiest button to reach. That said I have been know to remove the grip when I was trying to shoot a water vole at ground level, the grip stopped me getting low enough.

I agree they are not for everyone though, I have recently bought a used fx camera on here and don't plan to add a grip. I find I hold it nicely and have a L plate fitted for tripod use so a grip would be impractical unless I spent loads on one designed for a gripped body. I would probably choose a L plate over using a grip now. Battery wise having two in the camera can be useful if you shoot something like sports or weddings where during the time it takes to swap you could miss something.
 
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Balances better with the 70-200 f2.8, portrait orientation, better battery life. I often take it off if on holiday though to lessen the bulk.
 
it helps with on camera flash, makes it less "tippy"

i got a cheapo one for my a77, and one on a dynax 5 (uses 4 aa's) but i rarely use the dynax one, and the a77 i use 1 battery instead of 2, to keep weight down, and slightly better balance (have battery on right hand side).

id recommend going for a good cheap one, if you felt you wanted one
 
Helps balance a big lens, having the extra shutter release and control dial makes shooting in portrait format much easier, extra battery means you worry less about running out if you're using a VR / IS lens and chimping a lot, etc

Posing with it? I can't even think why people consider them items to pose with, but a cameras just a tool to me. Each to their own I guess.
 
Posing? I doubt it! I used to have one on my 450D then 7D as the cameras are just too small to comfortably handle with a large lens - 70 - 200 2.8 / 100 - 400 - on without. I don't have big hands, but there just isn't enough camera to get all of your fingers on without.
£250? Buy a decent 3rd party one or a second hand one from someone that doesn't want to pose any more.....
 
Picked up my brand new Meike grip for the D800 for a £0.99p opening bid!
Mind you I rarely use it, as above, I have an 'L' plate fitted and I find that more useful.
 
Balance on longer lenses and not worrying about a battery giving up as that special moment happens.

I don`t care what it looks like or what other people think, the camera is a tool.
 
ghoti said:
They are, though, aren't they? They might give slightly better handling in portrait orientation, but not such better handling that it's worth spending any money on. Unless you have some sort of medical problem with operating an unmodified camera vertically, which, let's face it, isn't difficult in the least for most people with normal hands.
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You have clearly never tried to take several thousand images in a day using a camera without a vertical orientation shutter release & focus point adjustment. Shoot 10k/half marathons or run multiple portrait sessions over a long day (as you would in a busy portrait studio) and you'll easily be doing that.

Not only does it look uncomfortable, but it introduces significant strain on your wrist and fingers which could cause short and long term problems. The vertical release and joystick reduce that. Pretty important if you intend to use your camera a lot for making money or just enjoyment.

And yes as well as ergonomics on the release the deeper body and weight work well with larger hands and longer/heavier lenses for balance. You can often use the same batteries as pro bodies reducing the number of battery models and chargers you need to travel with, and you might get an FPS boost as has been indicated.

They might not be for you but to dismiss them out of hand for others just makes you look foolish.
 
dinorock said:
put one on your camera you"ll never take it off :)
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Most people have covered the major points on here. I use one to get more FPS out of my Nikon. In addition, vertical shooting and handling, changing lenses make it much more comfortable. Introduce the elements, freezing fingers with gloves on etc.....

Back in the 35mm SLR film days they were called Power Winders. They wound your film on to the next frame. I have been using one since the 80s, as Rocky says "you'll never take it off"

I wouldn't dismiss a grip out of hand, it's just that I have never used one and prefer to stick with what I know.
 
meonshore said:
You have clearly never tried to take several thousand images in a day using a camera without a vertical orientation shutter release & focus point adjustment. Shoot 10k/half marathons or run multiple portrait sessions over a long day (as you would in a busy portrait studio) and you'll easily be doing that.

Not only does it look uncomfortable, but it introduces significant strain on your wrist and fingers which could cause short and long term problems. The vertical release and joystick reduce that. Pretty important if you intend to use your camera a lot for making money or just enjoyment.

And yes as well as ergonomics on the release the deeper body and weight work well with larger hands and longer/heavier lenses for balance. You can often use the same batteries as pro bodies reducing the number of battery models and chargers you need to travel with, and you might get an FPS boost as has been indicated.

They might not be for you but to dismiss them out of hand for others just makes you look foolish.
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:plus1: for all the reasons above....

to the OP: Do you shoot portraits...?
if so they come into their own just for that purpose...

Yes they add a little weight, bulk but ergonomically give you other options that can't be beaten..
 
No, you made a silly statement and people have pointed out why it was silly.

No feathers ruffled at all.
 
Clearly an emotive topic. I had one once, hated it, sold it. It was slightly more convenient in portrait format, but that minimal benefit was outweighed for me by all the disadvantages. It makes your camera even bigger, heavier, harder to carry in a bag etc. I think DSLRs are quite big enough frankly - I'd like them to be smaller. Much smaller. I want to be less intimidating to a human subject in general :). I've never aspired to the 1 series of cameras for exactly this reason - too big. Different strokes for different folks. I also hate white canon lenses - too conspicuous/intimidating. But that's just me.
 
ghoti said:
They're for posers.
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No doubt that for some people, they have them to make their entry level/prosumer cameras look like top-end rpo cameras but, I suspect, for the majority, they have practical applications. I have 2 bodies and a grip for each, the grips only go on the bodies when I'm using large, heavy lens as they feel very font heavy otherwise. Yes, the shutter button in portrait mode is useful but, for me, not worth the extra bulk when using smaller lenses.
 
As some others have said, really helps balance the camera when you're using a long lens, I don't do portraiture all that often but it's damn handy to have the buttons in the right place when I do...but in reality for me the reason I shoot gripped is battery life, I'll regularly shoot 400+ 30 second exposures in a row, now yes I can usually get that out of one battery in optimal conditions, however I prefer not the risk the camera running flat mid exposure set as the time it takes to change out the battery can ruin the image I'm after...however I'm often shooting in less than optimal conditions and in cold weather battery life is significantly reduced which makes it much more sensible to shoot with two
 
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