3rd party battery grip for the Canon 5D Mark IV: Yesterday the Brown Truck passed and left me a new battery grip for my 5D Mark IV. The brand on the box is "Vertax E20" made by "Pixel"...

Bill Emmett Loc: Bow, New Hampshire

Yesterday the Brown Truck passed and left me a new battery grip for my 5D Mark IV. The brand on the box is "Vertax E20" made by "Pixel" and clearly states on the box for 5D Mark IV. When I opened the box and removed the grip I was surprised of the quality. The covering matches the covering on the 5D MIV, and feels good the hand. I mounted to the camera, and it is a perfect fit. As all my other grips it hold two batteries, and has a end opening half twist latch, and a two battery tray. The entire grip looks well made, but I've no Canon grip to compare. It is made in China, and a web page address is stamped on the mount,: www.pixelhk.com. I bought this grip through Amazon.
The cost of the grip was $88.00.

B

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

Bill Emmett wrote:

Yesterday the Brown Truck passed and left me a new... (show quote)

FWIW:

It may work out fine for you, from my own experience with a Nikon - I have purchased several lower cost grips, Neewer and Mieke brands - All fit well and looked good, but on my D7100 the 3rd party grip seemed to have electrical connection issues (the green activity light on the camera would lit up when the camera was off and sitting - like the battery lost connection and then reconnected.)

I finally ended up buying a grip from Nikon, lots more money, it looks slightly heavier duty, perfectly matches the camera and more importantly, has a magnesium skeleton under the plastic of the grip, just like the D7100 - I am sure that the Neewer & Mieke grips have no magnesium under the plastic.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

Bill Emmett wrote:

Yesterday the Brown Truck passed and left me a new... (show quote)

Well, good for you, I hope it performs as good as it looks and you can enjoy it for a long time to come!! Can't beat that price (I paid $400) for mine -5D MIII)!

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

Bill Emmett wrote:

Yesterday the Brown Truck passed and left me a new... (show quote)

Bill Emmett Loc: Bow, New Hampshire

I took the 5D MIV into the backyard and tested all the buttons and joystick. Everything went fine. I've used 3rd party grips on all my Canon bodies, and so far have never had a problem. I enjoy the ability to shoot vertical without twisting my wrist and arm. For the price, should it fail, I could just buy another and still be way ahead of the game. I am also sure this grip is not up to the "Canon" standard for construction, but if it works, it works. For a amateur to pay the price Canon wants for a grip, is almost foolish, after all you can pull off the grip, reinstall the door, slide in a battery and off you go again. As far as pro vs amateur, I'd go with the Vertax grip until it failed or fell apart.

B

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

I have a Pixxel grip for my 7DMKII and a Canon grip for my 5DMKIII. Both work flawlessly and function as I would expect. Quality from one to the other appears comparable.

jim quist Loc: Missouri

I hope it works well for you. I have friends who shoot collegiate sports and they complain about 3rd party grips.

Grnway Loc: Manchester, NH

Bill,

I've used another 3rd party brand, Vello (sold from B&H), and it has worked very well on my 5DIII. I, too, have been waiting "for the other shoe to drop" about the quality (i.e. failure at critical moments) but have been satisfied so far.

I shot a cross country meet, in rainy weather, using a 100-400mm lens. I did not use the grip because I was concerned about it compromising the weather sealing of the camera. Boy! Did I ever miss that grip by the end of the day! I was shooting in portrait mode for most of the runner's close-ups, and my right hand was ready to fall off by the end of the day......

Haydon

I have everyone of my bodies gripped. It adds weight but I wouldn't go without them.I know the BG from Canon for the 5D4 is out of the ballpark in price...All I can say to third party grips is "Good Luck"...sometimes it's not always price.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

Bill Emmett wrote:

Yesterday the Brown Truck passed and left me a new... (show quote)

Good to know. Thanks. I did notice that the Canon grip appears to have a seal around the base of the tower where it mates to the battery compartment opening. The Pixel model does not. The Pixel also has an "On-Off" switch that the Canon doesn't. What is the function of the switch? Does it shut down all power from the grip to the camera?

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

jdubu wrote:

I have a Pixxel grip for my 7DMKII and a Canon grip for my 5DMKIII. Both work flawlessly and function as I would expect. Quality from one to the other appears comparable.

The Canon grip is made from magnesium alloy, and I doubt your third party grip is. So the build is unlikely to be as comparable as you suggest. But, I'm glad both grips work to your satisfaction and you're enjoying using them.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

LFingar wrote:

Good to know. Thanks. I did notice that the Canon grip appears to have a seal around the base of the tower where it mates to the battery compartment opening. The Pixel model does not. The Pixel also has an "On-Off" switch that the Canon doesn't. What is the function of the switch? Does it shut down all power from the grip to the camera?

In my experience all Canon OEM grips have a power switch that deactivates the grip. Surprised you didn't see one on yours.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

mwsilvers wrote:

In my experience all Canon OEM grips have a power switch that deactivates the grip. Surprised you didn't see one on yours.

I'll take your word for that since I have never gotten around to buying one. Looking at pictures of both grips the switch is very evident on the Pixel model but I see no sign of it on the Canon. Either it is in an area not showing up in the photos or I need another cup of coffee. Coin toss on that one!

yssirk123 Loc: New Jersey

I use a Meike grip on my Nikon D750, and it is excellent. Fit, finish and functionality are great. I previously only bought Nikon grips, but at the current rate you could purchase 4 Meike's and still spend less than 1 Nikon grip. When I used to shoot commerically, I wouldn't take any risks with non-OEM equipment. Now that I am retired, I was very pleasantly surprised with the quality of this particular 3rd party grip.

Review of the Meike grip on fstoppers.com can be found here:

https://fstoppers.com/deals/review-meike-mk-dr750-battery-grip-d750-fantastic-and-its-not-even-because-grip-59345

Bill
I started with nothing; I still have most of it.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

LFingar wrote:

I'll take your word for that since I have never gotten around to buying one. Looking at pictures of both grips the switch is very evident on the Pixel model but I see no sign of it on the Canon. Either it is in an area not showing up in the photos or I need another cup of coffee. Coin toss on that one!

Perhaps some OEM grips don't have a switch. I haven't done a definitive study. My two Canon grips have a switch, and I've seen one on other Canon grips.