Battery grip: yae or nae?

[kmlc]

Hi ya'll

<understatement of the century>
i am about to be the proud mummy of a 5d... i am a lil excited and hardly ever mention it *cough*
</understatement of the century>

:lol:

I am looking to find a battery grip for it, but not sure i want one or not.
Apart from the obvious, what are the pro's and con's?

oooooooh, 16 days to go

Thanks in advance

Kate xxxxxxx
:nuts:
:D

[dazzajl]

The trouble with the pros and cons list for this is half of people would have it one way and half the other.

I love the weight and feel of the camera with the grip far more but plenty of folks hate it for the same reasons. There is only one way for you to find out if you're on my side of the fence, or theirs. :D

[Messiah Khan]

Cons: bigger, heavier

Pros: bigger heavier, looks better, more battery capacity, vertical shutter release, comfier etc etc.

I vote for yae! :thumbs:

[DinoS]

My hands are small so on a 400d i prefered it without

[Gofer]

Cons: bigger, heavier

Pros: bigger heavier, looks better, more battery capacity, vertical shutter release, comfier etc etc.

I vote for yae! :thumbs:

+1

[kmlc]

OKey dokey, thanks guys.

I am assuming the canon model would be the better choice, yes?

[DinoS]

Yep if you can afford it i would always go canon.

[RobertP]

nae

Turns a camera that to me feels just right into a big clumsy lump. I'm keeping the battery grip for the day I sell the camera on but I will not be using it in the meantime.

[kmlc]

Oh, and another quick question:

will the 24-105 come with a lens hood???

thankyou :)

[dazzajl]

It does. :)

[AliB]

Yes it does.

I've got a 5D and I love it. Just bought a grip for it but it is only for a special occasion. I don't plan on keeping it on there permanently. Small hands you see.

[Janice]

Being a left eyed shooter, I find that if I bring my left shoulder forward a bit, the corner of the grip fits nicely onto my left shoulder and keeps the camera very steady.

Ok.. so I look odd when i take photos!! :lol:

I left it in its box for months and gave it a try before going to sell it... then kept it on ever since. (Was going to say I've never had it off since...... but I wont!! :naughty: :D )

[Grendel]

Personally I find a grip makes a camera feel better in my hands but it is a personal thing. As Robert says above, he really doesn't like them and we both have a 5D :lol:

The grip on a 5D does make it a heavy beast, there's no doubt about it. Especailly when you have the 24-105 on it. With the 2 batteries in the grip the battery life seems to go on forever.

So there you go a completely non helpful answer :lol:

Oh and yes, the 24-105 does come with a hood ;)

[kmlc]

Ali b: I think i have man size hands... :lol:
so might be ok :p

I might just see how it goes, i mean, its not going to effect my photography, and the camera can certainly live without one.... and tbh, the prices are fairly expensive (just had a wee look)

thanks everyone :) i shall prob think about iot first, then decide later on in the year

:)

[xil3]

Cons: bigger, heavier

Pros: bigger heavier, looks better, more battery capacity, vertical shutter release, comfier etc etc.

I vote for yae! :thumbs:

As previously said, some people feel the opposite - I guess I'm one of those.

I think the battery grip makes it look worse - very clunky and ugly!

The only way I'd find this beneficial is if I used a power consuming flash very often... which I don't.

[Ian T]

Personally, it's a no. At times I find the thing big enough as it is, let alone with extra batteries on the bottom. Genuine Nikon (and, I'm assuming, Canon) batteries appear to last long enough, and carrying one or two spare in the bag is never a problem.

[superstat]

Cons: bigger, heavier

Pros: bigger heavier, looks better, more battery capacity, vertical shutter release, comfier etc etc.

I vote for yae!

:plusone:



Also my plus point is that it can balance a camera with bigger lenses....my 100-400 handles much nicer with 40D + grip than just 40D

Official Canon all the way

[foodpoison]

It depends really.
I have a 350d, and the battery grip makes it feel usable. The 40d however is a lot bigger, and feels more comfortable in my hands, so I'm not sure a battery grip would be necessary, and the 5d is bigger still.

[mattyh]

Cons: bigger, heavier

Pros: bigger heavier, looks better, more battery capacity, vertical shutter release, comfier etc etc.

I vote for yae! :thumbs:

:plusone:

For the vertical shutter release alone :D

[CT]

Just put me down as another yae vote. ;)

[Baz007]

YEs from me, but I know nothing

[Cuddy]

Emmm Divvi Alert :thinking: can someone explain vertical shutter release ?

[Messiah Khan]

Emmm Divvi Alert :thinking: can someone explain vertical shutter release ?

Spin your camera 90 degrees so you are in portrait orientation, and hey presto there is another shutter release allowing your camera to be held the same as if you were shooting in landscape orientation. I think that makes sense. Having said that, I find the one on my D300 way too sensitive.

[whiteflyer]

I hated mine when I first got it, well for a one day I did :lol:

I vote yae,

[wez130]

I'm still debating getting one for my 30D, i had a hold of someones 40D with grip and i felt alright and the vertical shutter release would definitely be handy, but it's something i'm not in any rush to buy tbh.

[dellipher]

I didnt think i needed one - then decided to get one - now if I take it off [just for comparison] my d200 feels so less "unsteady" without the grip!

[haggisuk]

Having had the pleasure of playing with someone's 5d with grip fitted with the hand strap, I would go for it.

For me the hand strap is just so nice and for that reason alone I would buy 1 and you get the extra buttons, battery life etc.

Just buy 1 you know you want 2 ;)

[antonroland]

I think there is really only one way to know for sure and that is first hand experience.

Look up someone in your area or at a future meet.

My vote is a definite yes:thumbs:

[AndyB]

I have grip - rarely use it. Vertical shutter is handy but it's a trade off against the extra weight. It depends on the work you will do with it. If you will be using a lot hand held then you might find the grip to be a pain. If you are using it with a tripod then it's not such an issue.

Get the 5D. Borrow a grip and only buy one if you think you will use it enough to justify it.

[Cuddy]

Spin your camera 90 degrees so you are in portrait orientation, and hey presto there is another shutter release allowing your camera to be held the same as if you were shooting in landscape orientation. I think that makes sense. Having said that, I find the one on my D300 way too sensitive.

Cheers MK i can now wax lyrical on vertical shutter release :thumbs: my divvie count is falling :)

[dod]

I'd say yay, but I use portrait orientation a lot.

[Col_M]

Here's a yes from me too. I had one on my 350D but don't yet have one for my 5D and when I've done portraits I really could have really done with the extra grip and shutter button.

[digitalfailure]

I have a 5D and I have a battery grip....so that means you must do the same ;)

[EdinburghGary]

D200 and grip, and it feels like a mans camera. I say yae, unless your a lady, then I would point and laugh.













:D

[kmlc]

"D200 and grip, and it feels like a mans camera. I say yae, unless your a lady, then I would point and laugh."

Watch it you!
;)


"I have a 5D and I have a battery grip....so that means you must do the same "

Hahaha, well in that case....

:lol:

Thanks again you lot... i have had a very kind offer from canon bob to let me borrow his, which i will take him up on just as soon as i get me dirty mits on the 5d.

:)

[Freester]

Yes the main reason why I got a grip was for a bit more stability when taking sports shots with a telephoto in portrait.

[Adam]

I have one because it makes my camera look more like a 1D.

[Woodsy]

Cons: bigger, heavier

Pros: bigger heavier, looks better, more battery capacity, vertical shutter release, comfier etc etc.

I vote for yae! :thumbs:

Exactly. Sums it up for me perfectly.

[fabs]

I bought one with my Sony A700 and it is rarely removed from the camera. For me it seems to balance the camera and I find it extremely useful for portrait shooting as I don't find it all that comfortable twisting my hand around the camera.

[antonroland]

Thanks again you lot... i have had a very kind offer from canon bob to let me borrow his, which i will take him up on just as soon as i get me dirty mits on the 5d.

:)


Let us know what you decide:thumbs:

[Peter]

Dellipher or EdinburghGary did you get the Nikon grip for the D200 or can you recommend a good but cheaper alternative.

Thanks

Pete

[EdinburghGary]

Dellipher or EdinburghGary did you get the Nikon grip for the D200 or can you recommend a good but cheaper alternative.

Thanks

Pete

I got the Nikon, absolutely love it.

[db247]

I use grips on both my main bodies, wouldn't use it without.. it wouldn't feel right. Having said that it is just for my personal tastes. The pro's however:

Extra battery, I never run out even on a long wedding shoot.
Balance especially with long lens like my 70-200 2.8 VR
Grip is right for me, especially vertical grip
I can change the aperture and shutter speed a lot easier when shooting vertically because it's exactly how it is physically when I shoot horizontally. This point only really hit home this week even though i've done it for a while now. I shoot manual almost all the time so need to be fast, as I shoot in fast changing environments/situations at times and having the functions the same vertically just feels right for me and means i don't slow down trying finger bending to reach the regular buttons and shoot vertical.
(And, it looks good ;) )

[olv]

i used to love my grip but more recently it just seems unnecessary most of the time so i only use it when shooting with my 70-200. when shooting with a big tele lens i find the extra balance invaluable

[Toothie]

i have a grip on my camera, hasn't been off since i got it. went to clean the sensor the other day and couldn't get it off, i cant undo it. is really hard to clean the sensor with it on, so make sure u don't do it up too tight.

If anyone fancies trying to remove mine - let me know