Grip v Spare Battery

Zharrt

Zharrt

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Simon
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What other features does a grip have over having a few spare batteries?

Sorry if this is a noddy question but its always something I've been confused over
 
Better handling, faster FPS on some cameras, portrait orientation controls to name a few.
 
i have the canon grip on my 550d, but the other day it was flashing battery low, i changed the order of the batteries round and its full again.. i thought it uses both? at the moment it seems to be storing the second but there is connections on it?
 
I think the grip uses one battery until it's flat and then changes to the other automatically, which is why your yours has gone from flashing low to full. When this next one goes flat, then both will be dead and you need to charge both.
 
The portrait controls are more than enough reason to consider a grip in my opinion. Makes metering, using autofocus etc far easier. The only annoyance with my cheap 3rd party grip for my 5D mk ii is I can't reach the multi controller as it doesn't include one itself whilst taking photos in portrait mode so changing the autofocus point is a pure pain in the backside.
 
Portrait controls and if using a big lens it makes the balance better due to the grip sitting further down in your hand making the lens pull down less.
 
modchild said:
I think the grip uses one battery until it's flat and then changes to the other automatically, which is why your yours has gone from flashing low to full. When this next one goes flat, then both will be dead and you need to charge both.
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i see. thanks for the info
 
nope, the first battery ran out and it said 'change the battery pack' swapped them round and it said full again?
 
modchild said:
I think the grip uses one battery until it's flat and then changes to the other automatically, which is why your yours has gone from flashing low to full. When this next one goes flat, then both will be dead and you need to charge both.
Click to expand...

Errr No :nono:

The Canon Grip on the 5D2 drains both batteries at the same time. The display only ever registers fully charged reducing to flat, once per pair of batteries.

I have never used Nikon but I remember reading somewhere that Nikon grips or at least some of them, are designed to drain one battery then switch across to the other but definitely not the sase on the 5DII grip.

Mark
 
iPhoto said:
Errr No :nono:

The Canon Grip on the 5D2 drains both batteries at the same time. The display only ever registers fully charged reducing to flat, once per pair of batteries.

I have never used Nikon but I remember reading somewhere that Nikon grips or at least some of them, are designed to drain one battery then switch across to the other but definitely not the sase on the 5DII grip.

Mark
Click to expand...

I have a 3rd party grip on my D700 and it uses the battery in the grip first and then the one in the camera. The top LCD indicates which battery is being used.
 
Zharrt said:
What other features does a grip have over having a few spare batteries?

Sorry if this is a noddy question but its always something I've been confused over
Click to expand...

TCR4x4 said:
Better handling, faster FPS on some cameras, portrait orientation controls to name a few.
Click to expand...

Hi Simon

As Tom says the grip gives you some of the camera function in portrait mode.

The extra fps is for some of the Nikon bodies - makes no difference to Canon.

The other advantage of a grip, if using a large lens, it can help to balance the camera out more, it as it makes the camera body bigger, it can make it easier to hold and for some fits there hands better.

Hope this helps...
 
I really like my MB-D11 grip on the D7000, as said before; portrait controls, better balance with heavier lenses, ability to use eneloop chargeable batteries...

My Nikon gives me the choice which battery to use first, I've got mine set to use the grip first and only when that is empty switch to the in body battery...
 
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