Canon Battery Grip: Anyone use the batterY grip on their Canon... Like to hear the pros and cons....

donrent Loc: Punta Gorda , Fl

Anyone use the batterY grip on their Canon... Like to hear the pros and cons....

JustBNme Loc: The Darkside...

donrent wrote:

Anyone use the batterY grip on their Canon... Like to hear the pros and cons....

Yes I do...I love them especially if you are using your flash a lot. The only downside is they do add weight. The grip itself and then the two batteries...
I shoot several hundred pics a day during ball season. ( my nephews and nieces play ). Not having to change batteries is very convenient for me. If you a using a monopod or tripod then no problem...
When I first bought my Xti, I was changing batteries so I purchased one after a couple of months. My sister still uses the same setup. I now have a T3i & 5D MKll and as soon as I purchased them I bought the grips and extra batteries for them.

joe west Loc: Taylor, Michigan

i had one on my t2i, i have big hands, it helped alot & of course extra battery power......loved it

larrycumba

I have a T31 and a 5D mark II also. The grip on the T31 adds almost no noticeable weight but adds greatly to the holding. The 5D is a different story. You can certainly tell it has the extra weight on it. I have two grips for both. One with and one without a ballhead plate. All are Canon grips. The 5D grips are pricey. There are some good aftermarket brands that people like.

ace-mt Loc: Montana

donrent wrote:

Anyone use the batterY grip on their Canon... Like to hear the pros and cons....

I usually have a sigma 70-200 2.8 on my 5D. The battery grip is very helpful in the balance and control of the heavy lens. also like the extra controls for portrait orientation. I wont be without one. Hope this helps.

donrent Loc: Punta Gorda , Fl

Well, I think my question was answered..... Thanks a lot...

Dun1 Loc: Atlanta, GA

The Canon battery grip is great and means you will never, well almost never have to change batteries, it also has a battery tray for eight AA Batteries you can use as back up in the event you deplete the regular camera batteries. It does allow you to be able to use the shutter release button and other buttons when you change from shooting a horizontal scene to a vertical scene. I does make your camera heavier, and will increase the size of the camera. I find that especially if the camera body is a smaller version it makes it easier to handle.

Cappy Loc: Wildwood, NJ

On my 50D I had a non-canon battery grip and on my 60D I have a Canon battery grip. Don't see any differnece in perforamance, feel etc. Both had all the same bells & whistles. Next time I will buy the same non-Canon grip and save $$$.

By the way, did you see the Canon price for their grip for the 5D mark III, WOW.

lovesscrapn Loc: Wisconsin North of Milwaukee

Cappy wrote:

On my 50D I had a non-canon battery grip and on my 60D I have a Canon battery grip. Don't see any differnece in perforamance, feel etc. Both had all the same bells & whistles. Next time I will buy the same non-Canon grip and save $$$.

By the way, did you see the Canon price for their grip for the 5D mark III, WOW.

I also have non canon grips on my 50D and 5D and they work great! Save yourself some bucks and go with a non canon grip!

sirlensalot Loc: Arizona

Also have a non-canon grip on my 40D. I like it for extended events like weddings, dislike the weight, using short lenses, like the weight with long lenses, dislike the bulk for parties and/or trips to the zoo,like the peace of mind of not worrying about losing shots by changing batteries, like the added shutter release for vertical shots. Overall, like more than dislike. Hope this makes sense. I like most Canon products, but in the case of their battery grips, I feel they take advantage of their customer base with some of their accessory pricing. Just my opinion. Had my non-Canon brand for over a year with no problems.

02Nomad Loc: Catonsville, MD

Have the Canon grip on my 50D and a non-Canon on my 5D (came w/ the body from Adorama). Never an issue with the Canon grip, but the non-Canon grip came loose once while I was shooting. I now find myself constantly checking to make sure that it's tight. That's the only issue that I've had.

Photogdog Loc: New Kensington, PA

donrent wrote:

Anyone use the batterY grip on their Canon... Like to hear the pros and cons....

I have them on my 5D MK II and 50D & really like them. As someone mentioned elsewhere in this thread, they add balance to the package when using a large lens (I have the 24-70mm f2.8 L IS and 100-400 f4.5 L USM). They DO add a bit more weight, but the extra battery life makes it worth it (you'll have to buy at least one extra if you only have the battery that came with the camera). They also have a duplicate shutter release and function wheel along with a couple of other controls for a vertical framing hold. The Canon version IS pricey, but I purchased the Vello offsets at ~1/3 the price & they work GREAT! Check them out at BHphotovideo.com.

dandai Loc: SE VA

I see Vello,but what other brands do you find are good quality?

Photogdog Loc: New Kensington, PA

ace-mt wrote:

donrent wrote:

Anyone use the batterY grip on their Canon... Like to hear the pros and cons....

I usually have a sigma 70-200 2.8 on my 5D. The battery grip is very helpful in the balance and control of the heavy lens. also like the extra controls for portrait orientation. I wont be without one. Hope this helps.

Ace,

COOL avatar! Is that a genuine Colt SAA? If so, 1st, 2nd or 3rd generation?

PD

Photogdog Loc: New Kensington, PA

dandai wrote:

I see Vello,but what other brands do you find are good quality?

Vello was the only off-brand I found at the time. I was on the BH site and looked up reviews there and some other photo blogs. Since I buy 99% of my gear at BH, I didn't bother checking out any others. I hear there's offerings from Zeikos and Opteka as well. I never handled them, but I've read generally good reviews.