Do you use a battery grip? (Page 9): A fine camera, OR ... very wise choice .... :sm02:...

Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England

ORpilot wrote:

I love the a99ll a lot. All of my A-mount lenses dictated the a99ll vs the a9. I might just figure out how to make an external power supply vs the battery grip. But then I would be tethered by a power cord. Ah,,, the former joys of the film days and a purely mechanical camera.

A fine camera, OR ... very wise choice ....

Nikonman44

photoman022 wrote:

I used to use battery grips (off-brand) for my Nikons but I stopped after they drained the batteries overnight (yes, overnight!) and I had to reset all of the camera settings before being able to shoot. I stopped using the grips after the third time I had to reset the settings (I'm a slow learner).

Never had a battery drain situation.

Mine have been very good and done what they were intended to do . Flashpoint for Nikon series. never had a problem and love the extended service it gives me.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Collie lover wrote:

What do you mean by a "kit bag"? I carry my Canon 80D with a battery grip in a one-camera bag.

In November 1980 my mother's first grandchild was born; in April 1987 our first daughter was born. Sometime between those two dates she purchased an SLR camera; the camera store included a bag large enough to hold that camera plus the additional items she purchased over the next couple of years plus consumables {such as film and batteries}. My brother had a similar bag with almost identical contents {he may even have advised her - I don't know}. I had a similar bag and contents, except mine were Pentax. I had several friends who had similar bags and contents. She packed her kit away when she got a digital camera, and when she recently moved to assisted living, I ended up possessing it, at least for now.

Each time I have purchased a new camera, I have purchased a similar bag for it {except the Canon EOS Elan which was also packed with a bag when I got it}. This is the sort of thing I picture when I hear the words "kit bag".

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

skingfong wrote:

Yes. I like the extra battery capacity, balance for heavier lenses and not having to turn your wrist for portrait orientation.

I don't understand why almost everyone seems to rotate the camera counter-clockwise in order to take vertically-oriented pictures. I rotate it the other direction and let go of the grip, having my right hand under the camera so index finger can be on the shutter button and my left hand supporting the body or lens. That puts my wrists in a nearly normal position.

3dees

I never leave home without one. I have used winders, motor drives, and grips for many years. back in the day I used winders because I'm a left eye shooter and had to take my eye away from the camera to advance the film. I'm a short guy with smallish hands and just can't get used to holding the camera without a grip. better control for verticals and the extra battery doesn't hurt. I have a cheap one on my D7200 that's is ok, but I'm looking for a used Nikon.

Haydon

Three out of the four cameras have a battery grip. As other have indicated, it's invaluable for portrait work for natural hand positioning. I find it also balances well when using heavier lenses instead of becoming front heavy. My first DSLR was a T2i and I found the body a little small for my hands. Once I attached a BG, it just felt more secure when holding the body. Never a battery issue with the two battery cartridge for extended shoots. Just can't go back, although, OEM BG's are notoriously expensive approximating 10% of the cost of the camera.

Boris Ekner Loc: From Sweden, living in Guatemala

ChrisT wrote:

Which one do you use, Boris?

I have the D5300, too ... love it to death ...

Perfect size for me ... D7000's a little on the heavy side ...

And the follow-up to the D5300 - the D5500 - is a little too small, and too light ...

But I sure miss the D5500's Touch Screen when I use the D5300, and miss the D5300's GPS, when I use the D5500 ...

I think it’s a Neewer grip I got. Don’t remember. It works. 😃

About the GPS vs Touchscreen ... One can’t get everything, right? 😊

chikid68 Loc: Tennesse USA

I use one on my T1i.
I love the convenience when switching to portrait mode from landscape.
No fumbling to find the buttons.

Bill_de Loc: US

rehess wrote:

I don't understand why almost everyone seems to rotate the camera counter-clockwise in order to take vertically-oriented pictures. I rotate it the other direction and let go of the grip, having my right hand under the camera so index finger can be on the shutter button and my left hand supporting the body or lens. That puts my wrists in a nearly normal position.

But now your nose is messing up the LCD. If somebody had a really big nose they couldn't get their eye to the finder.

My first DSLR was a Nikon D1X followed by a D2Xs. Next came a D300 which, while very well built, felt like a toy. I bought my first grip. The D4s feels like a camera should, for me. The D7200 really feels like a toy without it. I tried getting used to a D500 without a grip and was doing fine using it with my trusty, very old, 500mm F4.0 on a tripod. But once I started hand holding it with the 200-500, I was drawn to another grip.

When I use this ... I don't know what to think. But, it has some cool features.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

rehess wrote:

I don't understand why almost everyone seems to rotate the camera counter-clockwise in order to take vertically-oriented pictures. I rotate it the other direction and let go of the grip, having my right hand under the camera so index finger can be on the shutter button and my left hand supporting the body or lens. That puts my wrists in a nearly normal position.

it also provides the opportunity to tuck the arms closer to the chest, minimizing camera movement.

For the life of me, I can’t understand why anyone would come up with the reverse method with the shutter hand hanging over the camera semaphore while depending on the left hand for all the stabilization.

Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England

3dees wrote:

I never leave home without one. I have used winders, motor drives, and grips for many years. back in the day I used winders because I'm a left eye shooter and had to take my eye away from the camera to advance the film. I'm a short guy with smallish hands and just can't get used to holding the camera without a grip. better control for verticals and the extra battery doesn't hurt. I have a cheap one on my D7200 that's is ok, but I'm looking for a used Nikon.

You are looking for a USED Nikon Battery Grip, you mean - right, 3dees?

Yes, they do help to give you a better grip on the camera ....

However, dedicated battery grips are quite expensive, considering what they are ...

You can get grips, though, without battery compartments ... check them on Amazon ....

Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England

Boris Ekner wrote:

I think it’s a Neewer grip I got. Don’t remember. It works. 😃

About the GPS vs Touchscreen ... One can’t get everything, right? 😊

Why not, Boris?

So fed up of giving one thing up, in order to get something else ...

Why can't a camera have BOTH a GPS, AND a touchscreen?

Pentax did something similar with their K-3 upgrade ... the K-3II has a GPS, but they left off the flash!!!! ... Silly move!!!

terry44 Loc: Tuolumne County California, Maui Hawaii

Where on Amazon Chris I looked and only find grips with battery compartments. That is interesting that they are made without the compartment.

ChrisT wrote:

You are looking for a USED Nikon Battery Grip, you mean - right, 3dees?

Yes, they do help to give you a better grip on the camera ....

However, dedicated battery grips are quite expensive, considering what they are ...

You can get grips, though, without battery compartments ... check them on Amazon ....

Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England

terry44 wrote:

Where on Amazon Chris I looked and only find grips with battery compartments. That is interesting that they are made without the compartment.

Terry ... I really don't know. However, I ordered something from them a while back, and when I went to close - there were several items they offered me - one of those, being a non-electronic grip for $4.95 ... I thought it was a good deal, so I added it to my order. Actually, I think I wound up with a more usable secondary item, than the one I went to order. It fits my 60D well!

There were several other items they offered me, too. The only other REALLY usable one was a plastic see-thru stick-on cover for the LCD on my T3. It fitted the off-size 2.5" screen very well, and has not been taken off since. It was just $1.95 - quite a deal!

They tend to offer things like this, I gather - to "first customers" - to sweeten the deal ... there must be a way to search ...

An afterthought, Terry ... use the keywords - "leather camera grip" .... see if that brings you anything ... Good Luck!

terry44 Loc: Tuolumne County California, Maui Hawaii

will do thanks

ChrisT wrote:

Terry ... I really don't know. However, I ordered ... (show quote)