Am I the only one who doesn't like grips?

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joescrivens

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I tried a grip on my 7d and I hated it - i mean I liked having the buttons by my fingers for portrait mode but the heaviness and bulkiness of the grip I hated, I also hated the distance my thumb was from the click wheel.

Sometime in the distant future I'm sure I'll own a 1 series one day and since I have never held one I'm curious as to whether it will be a different feeling than a 7d or 5d with a grip?
 
Had one for my body, hardly used it - poss twice and sold it as it was just sat there
 
me too, I've got one for my classic but don't use it

the 1 series is nice in the hand but I really really like the feel of my 5d2
 
some people need the extra battery life.. I used a grip with my 10d and it was a life saver...so to speak :)
 
Love mine on the 5Dmk2, but then I have big hands and was only holding onto it via 3 fingers before. I can't imagine how I managed on the 450D (that still doesn't have a grip as my partner uses it, but she has small hands)
 
Have used auto winders/ motor drives/ gips for the last 30 odd years. Don't like a camera without one either built in or connrcted, but that is me:)
 
KIPAX said:
some people need the extra battery life.. I used a grip with my 10d and it was a life saver...so to speak :)
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I don't get this battery life thing. I can shot ca 1,600 photos on a d700 without changing, but will need to change cards in that time. Were is the advantage over having a spare in your pocket. If its so you don't need to change at a crucial moment why can't you manage it like you do your cards?
 
I dislike also. I found that the 1D/D3 size bodies are much nicer to use than a 'crop' body with grip attached. There's something not quite right about the fit and feel of the grips on smaller bodies compared to the fully integrated larger bodies I find.
 
boyfalldown said:
I don't get this battery life thing. I can shot ca 1,600 photos on a d700 without changing, but will need to change cards in that time. Were is the advantage over having a spare in your pocket. If its so you don't need to change at a crucial moment why can't you manage it like you do your cards?
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Dont know about nikon.. but canon battery indicators on older dslr (maybe newer?) show Full, Half full and then bang your empty.. Also it depends on your camera how long it lasts... sports do have crucial moments you dont want the battery running out...

Why take the risk.. why not just use a grip? :)
 
Mine is fine on my 40D when I am chasing the boy around as it makes varying between landscape and portrait much easier. Its also nice to balance out larger lenses, such as my 150-500. In normal use its fine and a single battery will give me ~650 shots (and that was in 32 degree heat!). I do have fairly chunky hands though.
 
Balancing larger glass (even a 70-200 2.8 is "larger"), no battery worries, extra fps on the D300 (if thats your bag) and the portrait orientation controls... wouldn't be without it.

I can see why none of that would bother you if you use short light stuff and don't shoot any critical action stuff though.
 
You're not alone in disliking them... That was one of the (many) things that swayed my dad to the EOS 1 instead of the Nikon F4.

As for me... It depends. I've not had one for years, and I don't like the ones offered for the digital bodies.

The first vertical grip I had was the VG-10 for the EOS 5. This was a slimline, lightweight vertical grip that added no other functionality (ie it did not double as a battery pack, despite the battery-hungry nature of that camera). I liked that grip a great deal and it was permanently attached to the camera.

I replaced that with an EOS 3, and mostly did not use a grip - in fact, I never owned one, but I did borrow my Dad's PB-E2 now and then. On one trip to the seychelles I shot the whole trip with the PB-E2 fitted (and that was the last outing of my EOS 3). The PB-E2 felt amazingly solid, since the standard plastic grip/battery cover was removed, and replaced with the cast-metal grip in landscape orientation as well as portrait orientation (making it more structurally integral to the camera than the digital grips which just bolt to the bottom). However, it was big, bulky and HEAVY.

In my opinion the main problem with the grips offered for digital is that they are huge , through trying to fit two BP-511s or LP-E6 in the orientation that they do, with the tripod mounting hardware above and tripod socket below. There's no option for those of us who would like a smaller grip (VG-10 sized) without any increase in battery capacity (since I just don't need it). I am considering trying to create FrankenGrip, by buying a VG-10 and a cheap BG-E4 copy, using the BG-E4 top-plate and data connector and somehow marry it up to the VG10 body, and shoehorn a 7.4V Li-Ion cell and battery circuit board into it.

Quick recap, then, is I like grips that are slim, low-profile and light. I don't like what canon offer.
 
Personally I've never seen the point but then I don't really need the extra battery life nor do I take a huge amount of portrait shots - if either of these apply then it could be worth it, otherwise it's just extra cost and weight.

As for balancing glass, perhaps if you have huge lenses but I'd disagree about the 70-200 f/2.8 - I had no issues at all with this on my 40D - maybe on a xxxD series body it'd help but not on the larger ones imo :)
 
Absolutely no need for them, other than to make your camera look like the pro model you couldn't afford :D

Battery life ... I get 1000 shots from one battery, and spares are available.;)

Ergonomics ... my wrists bend ;)

FPS ... It is not a machine gun, single shot is fine ;)

Balancing Glass ... makes no odds with a 500mm f4 hanging off it. :gag:

Seriously I do not need any extra weight when out and about, in fact keeping the weight down is my main concern.
 
neil_g said:
i wouldnt do without one now.. the 1D is a more ergonomic than my 20D with grip. the portrait grip is maybe a little smaller?

this may help..


IMG_9759a by neilgates, on Flickr
Click to expand...

right there shows one of my biggest gripes - look at the 1 series grip part, it's much thinner than the accessory grip. My grip was like this and there was nothing comfortable about holding it. That 1d grip part looks the same as on the horizontal - which is the way it should be.

why do they make the accessory grips thicker than the horizontal grip part?
 
joescrivens said:
right there shows one of my biggest gripes - look at the 1 series grip part, it's much thinner than the accessory grip. My grip was like this and there was nothing comfortable about holding it. That 1d grip part looks the same as on the horizontal - which is the way it should be.

why do they make the accessory grips thicker than the horizontal grip part?
Click to expand...

To fit the batteries in. They can't change the battery used just because of a grip. That way madness lies.
 
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joescrivens said:
I tried a grip on my 7d and I hated it - i mean I liked having the buttons by my fingers for portrait mode but the heaviness and bulkiness of the grip I hated, I also hated the distance my thumb was from the click wheel.

Sometime in the distant future I'm sure I'll own a 1 series one day and since I have never held one I'm curious as to whether it will be a different feeling than a 7d or 5d with a grip?
Click to expand...

The 1 series is built from the ground up with the grip, which means that it doesn't feel like a cheap addon which might break off at any moment. Try holding one, it might feel better than a normal gripped body.
 
I don't think there's a right or wrong answer really

Some likey, some no likey.

Pros and cons for with and without.

I'm currently in the market for a (preferably used) MB-D10 grip for my D300s (anyone?), purely because I just think it feels better and more balanced in my hand. Plus I shot my very first 'portrait session' the other day (in inverted commas as it was at their house, with no lighting or backdrops, as a favour to a friend) and found reaching over for the shutter button in portrait mode a real PITA
 
I wouldn't say that, at least on mine the vert grip isn't as grababble, but it is better than aftermarket grips for standard bodies anyday.
 
I had a grip on my 350D as even with my little hands I felt it was too small without, and it helped balance out my 24-70. When I upgraded to a 40D I bought a grip for that, and another for the 50D when I added that to my bag.

At that time I was shooting a lot of portraits and found the grips really useful. The 7D is a slightly larger camera and as yet I haven't really missed the grip, but I have been mainly shooting wildlife and motorsport. I'm now looking to get back into doing more portraits and want to try a grip on the 7D if possible.

It does add a lot of weight to the camera bag though !

Steve
 
never really understood the balance thing people mention - the lens is in the middle of the camera - what balancing is needed exactly?
 
joescrivens said:
never really understood the balance thing people mention - the lens is in the middle of the camera - what balancing is needed exactly?
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It's about weight, Joe. I used to fish competitively and back in the day it was common the add lead weight to the butt end of the rod to lighten the tip end.

I agree about the grip though and only really enjoyed using one when I got my current 1 series body.
 
Needed one on the 400D as it was so small! Plus the added battery life with two batteries was very useful.

My 50D is much more ergonomic and bigger than the 400D but I still feel the hankering for one... Sorry, I like them... :lol:
 
I don't like grips either. I keep an eye on the battery level indicator and swap out a dying one when I get a chance, just like I swap out cards as they're getting full rather than when there's no room for another shot. Batteries seem to last plenty long enough in the D70 and D700 anyway and it doesn't take long to do the swap.

I don't shoot much in portrait format anyway and I have wrists that work and let me reach the camera's shutter release when I do anyway. 5FPS is plenty for me too and I rarely use the camera in CH anyway - CL set to 3FPS is generally enough for me.

As for balance, well, I was taught to balance the outfit on my left hand when shooting and even with a Sigma 150-500, that works just fine for me.

By all means, if you like grips and feel they help your photography, use them but if you're thinking about getting one, try one first.
 
^^ I wouldnt want to use a Sigma 150-500 on a Canon xxxd without a grip, it would in all honesty be unbalanced, hand held at least...
 
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menthel said:
To fit the batteries in. They can't change the battery used just because of a grip. That way madness lies.
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Erm, that's exactly the facility that most grips do offer; ie the ability to use AA batteries.

I'm not a great fan of them, but like all kit it's horses for courses.
 
The vertical grip and shutter release on the D3 is one of the things I like most about it.
Don't think I'd be so keen on it if I was a Canon user and controlled aperture with the wheel, certainly the 1D I had last month didn't seem as intuitive in portrait orientation as the D3 does.

I wonder how much the use of a grip comes from the days of film where the grip had your motor drive in it too and so it was the 'pro' thing to do to have a grip on your camera.
Do a lot of digital users get a grip because it makes their camera feel or appear more 'pro'?
 
My grip(e): I hate is the fact that the Canon E1 hand strap needs the grip to fasten on to... but then gets in the way when you try to shoot portrait, and you have to totally unfasten it if you want to remove the grip.
 
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I shoot weddings and portraits for a living. I have two D700's and one grip. Tried the grip a couple of times 'for balance' and I can't get used to it. Much prefer it without as I find the camera too big and cumbersome with it on. The only need I could possibly think for it is the increased fps on things like a confetti shot.
 
As I said before, I used a grip to good effect on my 400D and would like one for my 50D.

If I do have a gripe with them, its the damn prices of the things!!
 
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