Vello BG-C9 Battery Grip

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peterbosox
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p.1 #1 · Vello BG-C9 Battery Grip

Has anyone tried the Vello BG-C9 Battery Grip over the Canon version? I like using the Canon official version, but there is a huge price difference.

Your opinuions about this grip please

Dec 18, 2012 at 04:20 PM

seam4444
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p.1 #2 · Vello BG-C9 Battery Grip

I'm interested as well.

Dec 20, 2012 at 01:00 AM

Jon Austin
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p.1 #3 · Vello BG-C9 Battery Grip

I would recommend that you read buyers' reviews on the well-known photo gear vendor websites. One such site has 19 reviews as I write this, and they provide some excellent feedback from real users.

I have a Vello tripod collar for one of my Canon lenses, and I'm very happy with its performance, appearance and price differential compared to the Canon equivalent.

However, I'm less willing to invest in 3rd party accessories that interface electronically with the camera. I wouldn't want a grip that might somehow lose functionality or become incompatible, after a firmware update to the body. I only buy Canon-brand lenses for this reason.

The Canon-brand grip is currently more than 3.5x the price of the Vello grip, but another way of looking at it is that it's only an extra couple hundred bucks. For that small a margin relative to the cost of the body, I'd just as soon spend the extra money for the peace of mind.

Dec 30, 2012 at 09:26 PM

jdlphoto
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p.1 #4 · Vello BG-C9 Battery Grip

I bought the Vello grip for my 5Dmkiii about a month ago and I'm about to return it to B&H. The first time I used it on a job it froze my camera in mid-shoot. I don't know what caused the glitch and I haven't been able to reproduce that problem. Since then I have been testing it and I've found that the multi-controller knob doesn't work properly. When I try to shift the focus point in the vertical orientation the knob on the grip won't let me get to the points on the upper right of the grid. I can still access those points with the controller knob on the camera body. The grip knob feels as if it isn't sitting level relative to the body when it is at rest. I'm not sure I'll be able to get a refund so I might try one replacement due to the price differential over the Canon.

Jon, has a firmware upgrade ever impacted a third-party grip to your knowledge? I hadn't thought about that possibility.

Jan 02, 2013 at 03:48 PM

Jon Austin
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p.1 #5 · Vello BG-C9 Battery Grip

jdlphoto wrote: Jon, has a firmware upgrade ever impacted a third-party grip to your knowledge? I hadn't thought about that possibility.

JDL: No, not to my knowledge, but anything's possible. And it seems a reasonable concern, given the analogous issue with 3rd party lenses.

For me, better safe than sorry, given that Canon has announced a firmware update for the 5DIII coming in April, further updates after that are as likely as not, and I for one intend to keep this body for several years. (I've had my 5DI for 5½ years now, and my 20D for more than 8. There were at least four firmware updates to the 5DI, ending with v1.1.1.)

Over time, the price of the Canon BG-E11 battery grip will likely come down in price. While I would personally stick with the Canon grip, I would be less hesitant to mount a 3rd party grip to my 5DIII if it were manufactured some months after the final 5DIII firmware update.

Good luck with your refund / replacement! Most of the on-line vendors offer extended return periods following the recent holidays.

Jan 05, 2013 at 10:29 PM

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