Review Quick review ebay battery grip for D90

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Dave Pickett
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Well mine has just arrived from Link Delight, so here are my first impressions:

No photos to post as the advert covers that aspect very well.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190411406049&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

It is branded Mieke, and in terms of look and feel etc appears identical to the Nikon item (note I dont have a MDB80 to compare with but I do have the similar MDB200).

You could be forgiven for thinking that the grips all come from the same factory and are just branded at the end of the line, but I dont believe this is the case because:

- The battery compartment door catch is metal not plastic (a known weak point so here the clone is actually better than the genuine!)

- The shutter button has a definate 2 stage feel to it, the Nikon is constant spring loading. In use this works well, maybe better than the Nikon for some.
- The thumb and finger wheels dont feel as smooth (but they have less resistance which I think I may prefer)
- The AA battery pack has nickel contacts rather than the gold plate of the Nikon.

The grip fits perfectly and functions exactly as it should. The battery info on the camera works perfectly and reports correct info.

The cost including delivery was £36.50, compared to £125 for the Nikon version. There will always be those that buy the branded item and are happy to pay more than 3 times the price or the priviledge. I am not in that group and my honest opinion would be that you would be barking mad to buy the Nikon version over the Link Delight/Mieke version.


Note that there are other grips on ebay that look different from this/the Nikon version, I would look at those with caution in the absence of anyone having experience of them.
 
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Maybe a bit off topic, but why do you guys need grip for the D90 :thinking:
 
gearitus really! Know what you mean, battery life is brilliant anyway on the D90. Guess they look cool as well! Vertical shooting? not really used to it yet, and I get on ok without the grip. I have modified the battery door on my D90 so its comes off easily as I think the grip wont be a permanent feature.

Its OK to pay £36 for a grip, but £120 no way. I have an s5 pro gripped and there is more reason for that, its pretty heavy on batteries.
 
You certainly can't argue with the price of the eBay battery grips! I got a Phottix one for my 450D and it felt very much the same as you've described wrt the wheels and trigger feel, but it cost a third of the price of the OEM item.

The quality isn't as good in the long term though, as the rubber has worn/slipped on mine and I've had to replace it. The price is right, but just be aware that "buy cheap, pay twice" can have more than a ring of truth sometimes.
 
Btw how many shots can you do with a fully charged battery on your camera? (with/without the battery) ?
 
I've not run out of battery despite some pretty heavy shooting sessions. I would guess 700+ together with a fair bit of chimping, battery power alone does not justify getting the grip..........batteries are quick to change anyway. As I said I dont think mine will be a permanent feature
 
Thanks for the review Dave, also even if it doesn't last as long as the Nikon official model you can buy another three for the same price. :clap:
 
Thanks Jimmy.

Came airmail, no extra fees to pay......£36.50 delivered!
 
Thats a good point Jon, I ma constantly switching mine on and off, maybe I'll just leave it on now..........I do wonder a bit about the life of the on off switch the way I use it!
 
Also with the grip I think the frames per second increases.
Great for sports and airshows.
I have been thinking obout getting one this seems to fit the bill
 
could be wrong though.

But you are not!, It only works on the 700 or 300 beacuse it has an extra cell that takes voltage up to 11.1 volts D90 it has no effect. But you dont need 4.5 fps or more if you just press the shutter at the right time!!!
 
Got my grip free when I bought the D700 from Nikon. Great with the extra battery life with two effectivel in it but no extra fraems per second unless I buy a different battery with a different charger. Seems odd way to do it. I`ve just kept to the Ele3s I used with my D80 and that came with the D700. Don`t need the extra frames on what I shoot just now.
 
Great review. Just a Quick question did you have to pay any import tax? And how long did it take to reach you?
 
no import tax, and around 5 days from memory. Now have the same make for my D300s - works just as well as the Nikon original.
 
Thanks Dave. There seems to be a few battery grips on eBay and mainly from link delight. I think I might pick one up.

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I'm still waiting on my battery grip which was ordered on the 30th of January! :-(

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RNLIB846 said:
I'm still waiting on my battery grip which was ordered on the 30th of January! :-(

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So at last it has turned up. I'm not to sure why it has taken so long to get here but it's here.
I filled it with 6AA battery's and they have gone flat within 24hrs even thought the camera is off?!?
So I'm not sure yet if I like it or not but I'm sure time will tell.

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So at last it has turned up. I'm not to sure why it has taken so long to get here but it's here.
I filled it with 6AA battery's and they have gone flat within 24hrs even thought the camera is off?!?
So I'm not sure yet if I like it or not but I'm sure time will tell.

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Which one did you get?

I know that Linkdelight didn't dispatch anything for 10 days over the end of January/beginning of February, because of Chinese new year.
 
redddraggon said:
Which one did you get?

I know that Linkdelight didn't dispatch anything for 10 days over the end of January/beginning of February, because of Chinese new year.

I got the ML-D90 battery grip.
It would of been nice of them to inform there customers that they were on Holiday. I was informed after I had payed. It was lucky I was in no rush for it.

I googled them and found a few nightmare story's so I think I should be grateful it has turned up at all.

I'm still unhappy that the battery's go flat even though the camera is off.

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redddraggon said:
Which one did you get?

I know that Linkdelight didn't dispatch anything for 10 days over the end of January/beginning of February, because of Chinese new year.

That's true. Waiting on my bits still :) its just the post :)
 
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