Battery grips for 5D2 & 7D

stu.artd

stu.artd

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Stuart
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I'm thinking of getting battery grips for my 5D2 and 7D.

I bought a used, very good condition, genuine bg-e6 but it squeaked when held normally and didn't feel nearly as solid as the normal camera grip. I may well be considered "too fussy" but I found it irritating and the seller accepted it back. I've since seen some people state that it's common for Canon battery grips to squeak, particularly with the 5D2 and I've seen a youtube video of a genuine bg-e7 squeaking.

So, to owners of genuine bg-e6 and bg-e7 grips, as well as those that have a 3rd party grip by manufacturers such as Meike, Neewer, Pixel etc.... does yours squeak and feel solid in the hand ?
 
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I'll answer myself. I went for a bg-e6 from mpb (Mint- condition for £84 inc delivery) and it's just like an extension to the 5D2. Feels solid and no squeaking either!
 
Be careful of using the battery grip for the 7D in wet weather. I've heard of some owners having problems with water ingress....they ain't watertight!

The standard Canon LP-E6 battery for the 7D lasts ages. I can get about 1200+ shots to 1 charge. I bought myself a Canon spare, rather than have the extra weight and bulk of the grip.
 
I'd never had a problem with battery life either until I started using live view for macro work, that really hammers it and I found myself swapping batteries around. The grip will help for portraits of the kids if I can get them to actually pose for some instead of pulling faces.

I've read a few comments elsewhere stating something similar about water ingress, but thanks for the heads up.
 
Neither my BG-E7 nor BG-E2N squeaks at all, they're both totally solid. As for weather-proofing, I realise the BG-E7 isn't rated to be weather proof but I've used it in downpours without any trouble at all.
 
In terms of the 5d2 - I use original grips on both of my bodies.. And they're great.. But be warned - there are very good copies out there that are fake... I got one once, it looked like the real thing.. It was packaged like the real thing.. but with a bit of effort I worked out that it was a fake... It lasted about a month before disintegrating... My genuine grips have always been wonderful - but that fake (bought through the forums here) was pretty bad.. Are you absolutely sure you had a genuine genuine one? and not a genuine fake one? Where did you buy the squeaky one from?
 
I've had Meike grips on all my bodies and never had a problem with any of them. I've had a 550D, 650D (both the same grip), 60D, 2 7D's, a 5D2 and a 5D3 and with the money I saved by buying 3rd party grips I got a Canon 70-200 f4L lens. None of the grips have squeaked and they've all worked flawlessly. The only grip I had a problem with was a Pixel grip that had a battery drain problem.
 
cymruchris said:
In terms of the 5d2 - I use original grips on both of my bodies.. And they're great.. But be warned - there are very good copies out there that are fake... I got one once, it looked like the real thing.. It was packaged like the real thing.. but with a bit of effort I worked out that it was a fake... It lasted about a month before disintegrating... My genuine grips have always been wonderful - but that fake (bought through the forums here) was pretty bad.. Are you absolutely sure you had a genuine genuine one? and not a genuine fake one? Where did you buy the squeaky one from?
Click to expand...

I got the 1st bg-e6 (the squeaky one) from someone on the forum. They said it was genuine and everything looked genuine, including the box. The only things that made unhappy after receiving it was a missing screw towards the front / top part of the grip that sits below the camera when it's attached and the general feel of it/squeak. They said they'd bought it from a uk retailer, offered to take it back when I made them aware I was unhappy with it then refunded me as soon as they got it back.

I am happy with the one from MPB. It just feels like an extension to the 5d2.

I'm still considering a Meike grip for the 7D (unless I find a good used genuine one somewhere), so thanks for the positive feedback on them.
 
It is possible you had a fake genuine grip then...

I deleted my images a while ago - but here's a link with details of the fake...

It looks very genuine... But was easy to spot when you have a genuine one next to it and compare the details...

Fake BG-E6
 
Thanks, I had looked at those photos before to compare. The only similarity was the missing screw. Everything else pointed to it being genuine. Proper Canon badge (not a sticker), proper box etc.
 
Yep - mine had a proper box and real badge.. It was the screws that gave it away.. and the texture on the grip... that was also slightly different..
 
Hmmm. You could be right then.
The one I've got from Mpb feels far more solid than the other one.
 
Being short of money I got a Neewer grip via Amazon for my 7D. Feel is not as good as the Canon version I had on the 400D but it worked - for a while.

After a couple of months I started to get an error and the 7D locked up. Only way to recover was to remove the grip. Then I noticed that one of the contact pins was not full extended. Contacted suppler via Amazon and they sent a replacement without any fuss. Haven't used it much so can't say if it will last. They also let me keep the old one, which will act as spares.

It also came with a couple of third part batteries. Variable mileage with these but they do work although seem to discharge quicker than the Canon original.

If you can afford it go for the Canon original.

Colin
 
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