To Grip, or not to Grip

A grip hold 2 batteries so you get double the time between charges. They also make a camera feel substantially more bulky in your hands. Plus you get an extra button that makes shooting in portrait mode much more comfortable. A lot of people say that a camera feels more balanced with a grip, especially when using a long lens.

It's a bit of a marmite thing, you either love them or hate them. Personally I would say they greatly improve the feel of the smaller bodies, like the 450D, but then I like Marmite :)
 
A grip has 3 basic functions.

  • Ability to use 2 batteries at a time for extended use.
  • Additional controls for use when shooting in portrait.
  • Makes the camera larger and easier to hold (for larger hands).

I find all 3 very helpful. When I got the 400D it always felt a little "toy-like". But as soon as I got a grip it made it feel so much better for me. It is also especially helpful to balance out the camera if you have a larger lens on the front of your camera.

Tom N.
 
Takes 2 batterys so it lasts longer and makes it easier to hold sideways. Its worth getting if you do a lot of portraits/studio work. Its more of a want though than a need.
 
ok, with the 450d being relatively small, sounds like it could be a sensible addition as the one I am looking at has one already with it
 
I agree with both of the above posts, But it is very much down to personal preferance, I have a grip on all of my bodies as I find it balances heavier lenses better.
 
stockwell said:
ok, with the 450d being relatively small, sounds like it could be a sensible addition as the one I am looking at has one already with it
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I'd go for it. I think you'd be surprised at how small the 450D will feel without a grip.
 
I don't like marmite, I think both Cannon and Nikon spend considerable effort designing ergonomic bodies - why spoil it with a grip?

2ndly do the things you shoot really need two batteries, or can you save some cash and just swap them over - its not hard. Same goes for a portrait release it doesn't really make any difference at all

3rdly using a grip means you can't access those handy function buttons on front of the body at the same time as you press the shutter.

Hugh
 
I used a grip on my 350D all the time. Loved it.

When I upgraded to the 40D I got a grip by default, felt too big and no AF-ON button. I hardly ever used it.

Now I have the 5Dmk2, I use a grip all the time. It adds a bit of balance IMO to the bigger/heavier lenses I have now despite my experience with the gripped 40D.

Definitely a marmite issue, try before you buy if possible.
 
I've got a grip on the way from Hong Kong at the moment. Having tried a friend's 1DMkIII, I can imagine it'll be a vast improvement on my dinky 1000D. Can't wait for it to get here.
 
love my cheapo Opteka grip off Amazon, it's more bulky, makes the 450D balance better with a 70-200 lens & battery life is forgotten.

YMMV

I'm a convert
 
I also have a grip on my 400D. I think it does make the camera feel more stable/balanced.

A few other points not mentioned yet, if you have ever shot portaits in cold conditions, the additional buttons are useful for that (I still always get cramp in my weak limp fingers haha). Also my grip is not manufactured by canon, it's a cheap ebay one like this, the base of which is quite large and flat, which I find useful if I'm out without my tripod you can just plonk it down on a surface and not have to worry about camera shake.
 
A grip makes your camera look like the more expensive professional model that you wished you could afford.

Useful for portrait orientation if your wrists do not work.

Has extra batteries, if you need more than the 1000 shots you can get out of the standard battery, or are unable to change a battery in the harsh environment that is the local zoo.

Safe to say I am in the gripless camp :D
 
I have a genuine grip for the D200 and my previous "2nd body" the D1x obviously had the larger body anyway. I think the price of the Nikon grips is very much OTT when you consider what they are BUT I do like them too. I ordered a grip from Link delight for the D700 but it has been faulty and I'm still waiting for the replacement. On the D700 and I think the D300 the grip also increases the frame rate to 8fps from 5fps so another advantage.

Basically I prefer the feel of the camera with a grip as I have large hands.
 
Oly E-3 user, since I purchased the grip it as not been off the camera. Makes it feel so much better.
 
Had one on my old 400D and it made the camera for me. When I got a 40D I found the greater solidness of the camera made a difference anyway. I am about to be given a grip for the 40D but it is questionable whether I will actually use it but am happy to give it a go and see how it feels. If I don't like it then off to the classifieds it goes.
 
I gripped my 400D when I had it and my 40D is too. I like them, but I have big hands, I also like the portrait shooting button. It feels more balanced in my hands, will shoot more when I am somewhere where I cannot charge my batteries.

I would not be without them, and will almost definitely grip my next camera. As for the body being ergonomically designed. Canon and Nikon also design the grips to be ergonomic and work perfectly with the body in terms of handling etc.

But as others say it is a marmite thing.
 
I have a gripped 450D and to be honest I couldn't do without it.
Being able to shoot portrait and keeping your hands in the normal position is fantastic. The longer shooting time without changing batteries is an obvious plus, and the 450 is so small that the grip gives it so much more balance and is far easier to hold. Especially with larger lenses.
(It also just looks far far better)
 
I bought an Ansmann grip for my 50D (pretty sure there's one for your camera too) for about £50 less than the genuine one. Mine is a bit different in that it has an internal rechargeable battery instead of having to buy more Canon batteries. It is supposed to have double the capacity this way. Well I can't vouch for that as I have never had a genuine grip, but I can say it lasts for ages and ages - I can quite happily get about 3 - 5 days worth of heavy shooting from one charge. It came with a mains and a 12v car charger which is also very convenient.

It isn't quite as tough looking as the genuine ones and doesn't quite match the look of the body, but I like the look of it all the same.

A grip makes handling the camera a lot nicer, especially if you have bigger hands. (y)
 
I have the 450D gripped as its much more comfortable in my big hands. Now I also have the 7D that is also gripped.

Like people say, its really a personal preference. Some like it, some dont.
 
I had a grip on my Nikon D70s and frankly it was a pain in the a**e. It made the camera uber heavy, and the extra battery power was never needed. My Nikon D300 is proudly ungripped!...I dread to think what it would weigh in at with a grip!...A spare fully charged battery for me anytime(y)
 
I must admit I'm tempted to get one for the D300 to balance the 100-300 a little better!
 
Grendel said:
A grip hold 2 batteries so you get double the time between charges.
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Depending on the body (Nikon D300/D300s/D700), some grips only hold a single battery, and one battery is retained within the body itself (a silly design imo, but it means Nikon can use the same grip on 3 or 4 bodies, so I'm sure it makes sense to them).

I don't know about the Canons, but the Nikon grips also give you the option of using AA batteries too, in case your proper ones run out in the field, so to speak.

The extra weight really gives a nice balance with longer & heavier lenses like the 300mm f/4 and 70-200 f/2.8.

I don't often use the extra control wheels & buttons on mine, if I'm changing between landscape & portrait orientation on a shoot often, but they are handy when needed.

I got my first grip back with the D100 (had a grip for each of my three D100s), then got one when I got the D200, and bought one a few weeks ago when I got a D300s. It feels very awkward to me to shoot without one any more.
 
im not thread hijacking but can the shutter button on the grip work in manual, as in the one on the body could control shutter and the one on the grip can control aperture.
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Don't know if I am reading that wrong, but the shutter button on my pentax K20d and the shutter button on the grip - both take the picture. Have 2 dials on the camera - one for ap and one for shutter speed (in manual mode), in Av / Tv, can dedicate one to either one to ISO setting.

The grip also has 2 dials which replicate settings on the main body.

My understaning was this was similar irrespective of body / grip make.
 
Lynton said:
the shutter button on my pentax K20d and the shutter button on the grip - both take the picture. Have 2 dials on the camera - one for ap and one for shutter speed (in manual mode), in Av / Tv, can dedicate one to either one to ISO setting.

The grip also has 2 dials which replicate settings on the main body.
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I haven't looked to see if I can configure one to ISO when using aperture & shutter priority modes, but mine are the same in layout.

D100 + MB-D100 Grip
D200 + MB-D200 Grip
D300s + MB-D10 Grip

All three combos have a shutter button and two control wheels on the body and again on the grip for controlling aperture & shutter speed. The Nikon ones (not sure about the canon) also have a little switch on the grip to disable them when needed, so you don't accidentally knock them when using the body's controls.
 
Another reason for the grip on the d300 especially is it increases the frame rate if you use the en el4s in it :D
 
i have child sixe hands but i LOVE my grip !
Its great to be at an all day event and know that the batteries wont run out and the portrait button is a wrist saver if ever there was one !!

I can see more reasons to have one than not !
 
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