would you buy a non gen battery grip

Rebel t3i

Rebel t3i

Messages
1,908
Name
Tony
Edit My Images
Yes
I would
just bought one for the 7d from ebay seems top notch to me Made in china by Meike for the massive cost of 29.76 delivery 99p, lovely box and well packed, multi language instructions of oe quality even English
arrived next day from their UK !? supplier in Wales
Bought a couple of duracell lpe6 batteries from duracell direct at £19.99 each delivery free
So all in all £70 jobs a good one
The grip looks as good as the org 7d grip I had buttons are identical all works perfectly
The duracell batteries seem to perform just as well as the canon original
Very nice piece of kit
 
Last edited:
Another happy Meike owner here.
Never had a genuine grip so I cannot compare them but it does all it should and leaves my wallet feeling less battered !
 
Last edited:
I've had a genuine and non genuine 5D2 grip. The Canon one is definitely better (battery registration works properly and the shutter button is the same as the 5D2 shutter button which it wasn't on the non-OEM one). It may be different for other models, but to say you can't tell them apart is not true (at least for the 5D2).
 
arad85 said:
I've had a genuine and non genuine 5D2 grip. The Canon one is definitely better (battery registration works properly and the shutter button is the same as the 5D2 shutter button which it wasn't on the non-OEM one). It may be different for other models, but to say you can't tell them apart is not true (at least for the 5D2).
Click to expand...
But what make was your non gen one
 
Rebel t3i said:
But what make was your non gen one
Click to expand...
No idea, but the Meike ones for the 5D2 also have the same clicky button that mine did. If you look at the reviews of the Meike 5D2 grip it is mentioned (for example here: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=686597). Whether it is different with the 7D grip is another matter, although this post http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=11775009&postcount=11 of the 60D grip shows the same corners have been cut on that grip as the 5D2, so I suspect the 7D is the same.

I'm not saying the Meike isn't a good grip - enough people have them and are happy with them - but to say they are the same is not true. Whether the savings are worth the tradeoffs is down to the individual.
 
I bought a cheap grip for my 7D and none of the buttons now work on it, they did to start with!

It powered the camera fine and shows the battery level readings. Just can't shoot in portrait properly, then again I know plenty of peoples whos cheap battery grips work perfectly. When buying cheap versions luck can come into it sometimes.
 
I have a genuine grip and non-genuine grip, and use my cameras frequently.. The non-genuine grip has given up the ghost already, and I've since sourced a second genuine grip.. I'd not ever buy a non-genuine grip again.. As a hobbyist most probably wouldnt spot much difference.. but if you're out there firing off several hundred shots a day, I think the difference soon becomes apparent..
 
andy I didn't say my grip was the same I said it looks as good as
I was expecting a cheap nasty looking copy and was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the box packaging instructions and the grip itself
I am a big believer in oe quality and branded named products I don't buy super market own brand beans as they taste crap heinz or HP which ever has the buy one get one free and then I buy a months supply lol
However I do buy tesco value digestives only because they taste better than mcvities
Not tasted my grip yet though roflol
I did try and buy a used grip but got fed up with waiting and couldn't justify the cost of a new gen one for my needs
tried to buy an ebay one or two but they had generic pooh 7 quid batteries cleverly angled in the pics to disguise them.
So my next best option was this lot and all seems well and much cheapness
 
I have to admit I had a bad experience with the Meike on my 50, the only issue I had was that it drained batteries even when off.
Now it is probably bad practice to leave batteries in a grip, but sometimes its not practical to remove them all the time.

Switched to a genuine and no such problems!
 
i have a hahnel grip for my canon 60d and the infrared never worked and everything else worked just fine. Luckily my camera has infra red and i bought a canon remote for it.
 
i had a non-canon 350D grip and it was pretty good
same for my 40D.
I don't hammer them as I'm a hobby photographer so I haven't had any problems
 
Got a third party grip for my 5D mk ii and it feels really cheap. Its made of plastic as well compared to the magnesium alloy of the camera and the buttons feel really poor on it. It also rattles from the securing ring which really annoys me, even when fully secured to the camera.
 
I've had 3rd party grips, mainly Meike, for all my cameras. The 550D grip is over a year old and still going as well as it did on day one. I've also had them for a 7D, 5D2 and have currently got one on my 60D and have one pre-ordered for my 5D3, that's due for release on June 10th, and has cost less than £60 off ebay. I can't see the point in spending £300+ when the £60 one will work just as well. I'll be able to pick up a Canon 35 f2 lens from what I save so that will be more beneficial to me.
 
Got a Meike for my 550d, build quality (grip, buttons, quality of plastic) wasn't up to the same standard as the original but for a fraction of the cost i couldn't complain. Never had any issues with battery life either - tempted to pick up for my 5D now.
 
I just with the third party grim manufacturers would get creative and stop trying to mimic exactly what the OEM grip is. Frankly the ergonomics of the OEM grip for my 7D are awful and the third party ones are no better.

I'd rather pay a bit more for a grip that is designed to feel like the camera grip rather than the chunky things they do at the moment. Nikon are much better in this respect
 
I found the ebay batteries for my 600d were pooh 2 came with the grip one wouldn't charge,bought another cheap pair, a different brand of pooh these turned out to be
So this time round went for the grip only and sourced duracells
 
I've tried two makes for my 5d2 both killed double battery power in half the time 1 batt in the camera takes. I'll not be trying a third manufacturer unless its canon.
 
Would I buy a non gen battery grip?

No I wouldn't, but obviously many would, so not an issue.

However I have to ask why someone would spend a thousand quid on a camera and then try to save a few quid by buying a 30 quid battery grip. Beats me and seems totally illogical? :shrug:
 
Jackwow said:
Would I buy a non gen battery grip?

No I wouldn't, but obviously many would, so not an issue.

However I have to ask why someone would spend a thousand quid on a camera and then try to save a few quid by buying a 30 quid battery grip. Beats me and seems totally illogical? :shrug:
Click to expand...

because the gen battery grip seems over priced for what it is
and the meike one seems perfectly adequate and good quality especially considering it's price
 
Last edited:
Not sure if I would for a weather sealed camera like the 7d, but for my 550d a 3rd party job works perfectly. I doubt a 3rd part grip would offer Canons weather sealing, and if there is one bit you would want sealed its the electricity bit....
 
Bambi72 said:
Not sure if I would for a weather sealed camera like the 7d, but for my 550d a 3rd party job works perfectly. I doubt a 3rd part grip would offer Canons weather sealing, and if there is one bit you would want sealed its the electricity bit....
Click to expand...

The worst water would do I suspect is cause corrosion on the battery terminals. It could cause the grip switches to malfunction and corrode too. As for damaging the camera, I think that would be highly unlikely.
 
I've been looking for a battery grip for my Canon 40d without much success to date on the likes of eBay. The prices people want for them are just so unrealistic.

Thanks, I may try a non gen one, just to see how good they are!
 
wibbly said:
I've been looking for a battery grip for my Canon 40d without much success to date on the likes of eBay. The prices people want for them are just so unrealistic.

Thanks, I may try a non gen one, just to see how good they are!
Click to expand...

I like to use Amazon for purchases like this. 3rd party batteries etc. With reviews you can find one people rate highly and then try and find it cheaper elsewhere. EG http://www.amazon.co.uk/Delamax-Pho...7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1338152244&sr=1-7
 
Last edited:
Rebel t3i said:
here's one from the supplier I bought my 7d grip from....
Click to expand...

Thanks Tony (y) I've just bitten the bullet and ordered one to try. I've had my eye on a couple of different Canon branded ones but they just end up going for daft money!

At least I can give this a go and see if I like it, I've never used one before :cool:
 
wibbly said:
Thanks Tony (y) I've just bitten the bullet and ordered one to try. I've had my eye on a couple of different Canon branded ones but they just end up going for daft money!

At least I can give this a go and see if I like it, I've never used one before :cool:
Click to expand...

If it's pooh just blame me :LOL:
 
I bought a Yamima (yxtm) grip for my 350 when I got it back in 2006 and it has been fine, I am still using the same camera and grip today, never had a problem with it.

John:)
 
I had a third party grip for my D7000 and it was fine although I always felt that my camera body felt a little top heavy when using it and the directional buttons weren't great.

I recently got a genuine grip second hand of here for my D700 and the difference is night and day. The genuine grip feels like part of the camera and not top heavy at all. The directional buttons etc are also much better.

I don't think I would buy a third party grip again unless it was for very occasional use.
 
Rebel t3i said:
andy I didn't say my grip was the same I said it looks as good as
Click to expand...
No, I know you didn't but some readers will extrapolate that to mean "the same as". Just clarifying - that's all.

Rebel t3i said:
However I do buy tesco value digestives only because they taste better than mcvities
Click to expand...
You shop at Tescos and you're worried about saving £100 on a grip :thinking:

Try Aldi or Lidl and see how much you save then. Quality is just as good and prices are definitely lower. We've moved our weekly shop from Tescos to Lidl and I reckon we've saved ~£30-£40/week!
 
do aldi sell 7d grips roflol
I went to aldi many years ago when one opened up in my town I saved lots of money as they had sod all in there lol
 
Rebel t3i said:
do aldi sell 7d grips roflol
Click to expand...
I'm sure it'll be in one of their Monday specials at some point ;)

Yes, there are fewer product lines, but the staples are there and every product I have compared is cheaper in Lidls (where we shop) than any of the big four (special offers excepted).

About the only thing we buy in Tescos now is joints of meat when they're on a ridiculously low priced offer. The biggest saver for us though is fresh veg. The amount Tescos charge for fruit and veg is, quite frankly, obscene.
 
sainsbury's are cheaper for meat at the moment from what I have seen recently
It's a sad state of affairs when grown men are discussing food shopping on a photography forum though roflol
I have an excuse I have been a single parent since 2003 with two boys to bring up what's yours lol now I've brought them up I am still stuck with them
So free to good home to young men lol
 
Rebel t3i said:
sainsbury's are cheaper for meat at the moment from what I have seen recently
It's a sad state of affairs when grown men are discussing food shopping on a photography forum though roflol
I have an excuse I have been a single parent since 2003 with two boys to bring up what's yours lol now I've brought them up I am still stuck with them
So free to good home to young men lol
Click to expand...


Sitting in a field all day waiting for a steam special to arrive the check list is

Body
Lens
Batteries
Cheese and Pickle or Chicken and Mustard
 
Rebel t3i said:
sainsbury's are cheaper for meat at the moment from what I have seen recently
Click to expand...
And Lidls cheaper again... Sainsburys were doing a "special" on Sirloin steak the other day at £6 for 400g - Lidl's standard price is £5.06 :shrug: We've been shopping there consistently for a year or so now and whenever I go into the big 4, everything seems really expensive. As I said, though - not much choice.

And as to discussing shopping prices: it's what helps pay for the toys ;)
 
perhaps if I had shopped at lidl I would not have had to buy a third party grip:LOL:
none in my area so my choices are sainsbury, tesco, Asda. marks a snob sparks. Morrisons Aldi
and boy do I dread food shopping
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top