Battery Grip questions

[wideangle]

Does anyone use generic battery grips, or is it better to buy official brand one?
Also, can you use a battery grip without any batteries in it (so it's just used as a more sturdy support for camera)?

[mudman]

although i am not a cannon user, i think i can answer your questions at least partially.
i have a grey market grip on my Pentax, it cost about 20% of the Pentax modal. in all respects in matche the Pentax. i have had no trouble with it .
on my K7 custom settings i can specify wheter to use the camerea battery or the grp's battery, or auto select..
this allow me to have a battery in in the camera, or the grip, or both.
check your custom settings to see what your options are.
cheers

[Old Skool]

I've bought cheap EBay ones for my Canon 50D & 60D and haven't had any issues with them. Feel good, work good. You have to use at least 1 battery in them as the grip connections go into the original battery slot so you can't use the original battery compartment with a grip. I find with a big lens on, the grip with 2 batteries in gives a nice counterbalance and makes the camera feel more balanced.

[fess67]

I have branded grips but I am sure the aftermarket ones would be fine. For me the grips add a balance to the camera but I have pretty big hands so that is a no brainer.

I have never run a single battery out of power and I can get days and days of shots from a gripped camera.

I like gripped for the size, easier in my hands. Power wise, never had to rely on it.

generic v branded....hell, I am sure they are fine, make your onw call and go for it.

[Boofhead]

I have a generic grip on my 450d and never had an issue with it. I had a generic grip on my 7d but was lucky enough to get a genuine one for the right price. Not much between the two, the feel and size is remarkably similar, the main difference is in the hinges, locks and fit. Everything just feels a little bit tighter/ better made with the Canon grip. You wouldn't pick it unless you had the two side by side. Really no issues with the generic one, worked faultlessly and I do prefer the balance of both bodies when they are gripped in my hands.

[fillum]

I have a Zeikos grip for my D300 which I bought on ebay from the US for around $70. Pretty sure they also make Canon versions. Nice tight fit. The multi-selector wheel is a different design to the camera and is a bit more sensitive but not an issue. Whether you can run it without batteries depends on the design of the grip for your camera - I can run mine without batteries because it can attach with a battery still in the camera.


Cheers.

[unistudent1962]

I've got a Photix brand grip on a 400D, a genuine Canon grip on a 550D and a Meike grip on a 60D.
They all look, feel and operate in exactly the same way.
I dare anyone to pick the difference between the three.
Here's the link to where I got the Meike for the 60D.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/220800169130?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

[carrg1954]

I've experience with a dud non canon grip, with reqular errors. On the other hand a canon bg-e2 has never missed a beat.

[wideangle]

Thanks for your feedback everyone, much appreciated.

[Namus]

3x after-market grips here, all from Ebay - never had an issue :th3:

[KeeFy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV_rxL3UV-g

:)

[KeeFy]

I've got a Photix brand grip on a 400D, a genuine Canon grip on a 550D and a Meike grip on a 60D.
They all look, feel and operate in exactly the same way.
I dare anyone to pick the difference between the three.
Here's the link to where I got the Meike for the 60D.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/220800169130?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

Differences would be:

Switches, buttons and movable parts feel cheaper. Rubber will be different feel from the body which is negligible. Plastics is of different grade.
For usage is exactly the same except the shutter button may feel a little different if comparing side by side. Again no big deal.

[JM Tran]

Nigh-Kon pronunciation....sigh:)

[unistudent1962]

Differences would be:

Switches, buttons and movable parts feel cheaper. Rubber will be different feel from the body which is negligible. Plastics is of different grade.

While this may be the case with some of the third party grips, this has not been the case in my experience.
The Meike grip I have on my 60D weighs EXACTLY the same as the genuine BG-E9 Canon Grip (310g).
Even the texturing of the rubber is identical to the rubber on the 60D body.

[KeeFy]

While this may be the case with some of the third party grips, this has not been the case in my experience.
The Meike grip I have on my 60D weighs EXACTLY the same as the genuine BG-E9 Canon Grip (310g).
Even the texturing of the rubber is identical to the rubber on the 60D body.

The texture of the rubber may be similar, but the thickness of the rubber is different from the OEM grip. Try sticking your fingernail into the side of Meike's vs the OEM. Meike's grip's rubber is a little thinner. Exactly the same weight does not mean exactly the same type of plastics as well.

As i've mentioned. Not exactly the same, but does it's job.

[Bennymiata]

I have both a Zeikos and an OEM grip for my 60D, and to be frank, I prefer the Zeikos grip as the rubber is gripper than the OEM, and my OEM one broke down with a broken gear shaft after only a few days usage.
The Zeikosa has worked perfectly ever snce I got it.

Unlike some other cameras, the grips for Canons actually goes right up into the body of the camera where the battery normally resides, so you have to have a battery in the grip, although it will work fine with just one battery, or with 6 AA cells in it.

Before I got my first grip, I was a bit worried that once I took off the battery compartment door, that I would never get it back on, but it's easy to remove and replace it, and both the OEM and the Zeikos grips have a slot to keep the original battery door in, so you won't lose it.

[unistudent1962]

The texture of the rubber may be similar, but the thickness of the rubber is different from the OEM grip. Try sticking your fingernail into the side of Meike's vs the OEM. Meike's grip's rubber is a little thinner.

Do you have a Meike grip and a genuine Canon grip?
I'm assuming you must have, otherwise you have no way of substantiating your comments.
Or are you just an argumentative know-it-all?
If you do, have you stuck your fingernail into the rubber on both of them?
I don't know what anyone would, but then that's just me.


As I said in my original post, I doubt that anyone would be able to pick the difference between the Meike and Canon grip.

[KeeFy]

Do you have a Meike grip and a genuine Canon grip?
I'm assuming you must have, otherwise you have no way of substantiating your comments.
Or are you just an argumentative know-it-all?
If you do, have you stuck your fingernail into the rubber on both of them?
I don't know what anyone would, but then that's just me.


As I said in my original post, I doubt that anyone would be able to pick the difference between the Meike and Canon grip.

I'm not a know it all. I wish i am, but it's impossible to understand and know everything in this world. Knowledge is power as they say :)

You do not need both items to know the difference, you just need to have experience with the items and examine it closely, and luckily in this case i did. I'm more errmmm... nitpicky... or rather observant to stuff due to the nature of my work and genetics. Even when i drove a ferarri i nit picked stuff about the car. Need i say more?

[bricat]

I would nick pic too for the price you pay for a ferrarri.....:lol:

[Bennymiata]

If you're nitpicky about the thickness of the rubber coating, the rubber on the Canon is very thin, about 0.4mm and the rubber on the Zykos grip is about 0.6mm.
I have both of them, and the rubber on the Zykos grip is much grippier than on the Canon.
It also feels softer in the hand.

There's plenty to nitpick about a Ferrari too.
Try driving one on the highway for a couple of hours, and the noise will drive you insane!
The noise is fantastic when you're pushing it, but on the highway, the sound is just an irritatiing loud drone.

[KeeFy]

If you're nitpicky about the thickness of the rubber coating, the rubber on the Canon is very thin, about 0.4mm and the rubber on the Zykos grip is about 0.6mm.
I have both of them, and the rubber on the Zykos grip is much grippier than on the Canon.
It also feels softer in the hand.

There's plenty to nitpick about a Ferrari too.
Try driving one on the highway for a couple of hours, and the noise will drive you insane!
The noise is fantastic when you're pushing it, but on the highway, the sound is just an irritatiing loud drone.

I forgot which model of Phottix BG that i tried VS the Canon variant had better egronomics and rubber as well. In the previous post i was specifically mentioning the meike and canon. The thing is about equipment is no 2 equipment is always the same. Even canon's OEMS from different factories for some stuff and thus their QC varies as well. As i've said, at the end of the day it does the same job. Maybe i should have added, some 3rd party items have bits that are better as well extras (like the ones with built in time lapse ability) just to cover the bases.

To me they perform the same job and Canon definitely has a much bigger markup vs 3rd party. I only bought the canon version because i had a good offer on it costing about $10 more vs a 3rd party. If i were to resell it i would probably break even, so it was a no brainer eh? :)

Hahahaha.. The Ferrari was not mine but loaned to me by a friend. So no $$ out of my pocket there! Well other than the fuel cost that is. I am not a Ferrari fan... but a Porsche one. :)
Maybe that's why i nit picked the Ferrari that much! :P hahahaha.

[fynpics]

I had a generic one, thought I would get one with an LCD screen with date/time, number of shutters, timed shutters etc. Gave me nothing but trouble. Batteries always going flat and had to use proprietary batteries, like CR2032's or something similar from memory. Went to original Canon and one of the levers to the Canon grip to keep the battery in doesn't catch.

In my opinion, they are both as bad (or good) as each other...

I would agree though that it is a good counterweight and only time I take it off is if I am packing ultra-light.

[spademan]

I use the genuine canon BG for my 7D and it's amazing , the build quality is great & in most cases you get what you pay for so ... It slots into where the battery is and then the battery/ies are placed inside it ... I normally use the 70 - 200 and cause of the weight at the front the battery grip makes it much easier to hold when carrying it around all day !