D800 / D7000 Grip ?

Home · Register · Search · Software · Hosting · Software · Join Upload & Sell

FM Forum Rules
Nikon SLRs, primes, and zooms lenses reviews

FM Forums \| Nikon-mount SLRs \| Join Upload & Sell
end

D800 / D7000 Grip ?

sportsdadof3
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #1 · D800 / D7000 Grip ?

Considering the purchase of grips for my D800 / D7K and in the past when I have purchased grips one of the reasons was a slight gain in FPS. But is that true for the D800 / D7K? In my search I cannot find any definitive answers. I aware with the D800 that a switch from FX to DX gains a ~frame.

Plus, the grips are on the expensive side (mainly for the D800) - thoughts on an off-brand grip?

Thanks for your time.

Best,

Wendell

Jan 26, 2013 at 12:58 PM

Chris Dees
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #2 · D800 / D7000 Grip ?

With the D800 you can gain an extra FPS inX-mode
FX = 4FPs
DX (and 1.2 crop) = 5FPS

DX + grip (D4-battery or AA's) = 6PFS

AFAIK there's no gain with the D7000 + grip.

Jan 26, 2013 at 01:03 PM

INFOCUSPHOTO
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #3 · D800 / D7000 Grip ?

I use a D800 off brand grip , I purchased it on B&H
It's called Xit, it works perfectly ( same as nikon )
I also know that they sell another one made by Vello.
It's also a nice grip. Te only difference really is that the Nikon
Is made from metal, where these are made of high quality poly-plastic.
I stopped buying Nikon grips when price started to get crazy! I'd rather buy glass than an overpriced
Accessorie.

Jan 26, 2013 at 01:11 PM

trenchmonkey
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #4 · D800 / D7000 Grip ?

Chris Dees wrote:
With the D800 you can gain an extra FPS inX-mode
FX = 4FPs
DX (and 1.2 crop) = 5FPS

DX + grip (D4-battery or AA's) = 6PFS

AFAIK there's no gain with the D7000 + grip. (confirmed)
+1 I'd look for one of the 3rd party magnesium alloy D800 grip offerings (there are several)
This one is gettin' 'er done for me w/Eneloops...
http://www.adorama.com/INKMBD12M.html

Jan 26, 2013 at 01:29 PM

Nikon_14
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #5 · D800 / D7000 Grip ?

Monkey,

On your grip, is the material on your Flashpoint grip as "grippy" as the OEM Nikon? That has been one of weak areas of 3rd-party grips w/ other bodies... slippery isn't a good thing when holding $5k worth of body + glass.

Agree w/ the previous poster that Nikon's grip prices are starting to become insane; $400+ for an MB-D12 makes me think, "Why not just buy a D4 instead when its price goes down to $5,200?"

trenchmonkey wrote:
+1 I'd look for one of the 3rd party magnesium alloy D800 grip offerings (there are several)
This one is gettin' 'er done for me w/Eneloops...
http://www.adorama.com/INKMBD12M.html

Jan 26, 2013 at 02:44 PM

trenchmonkey
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #6 · D800 / D7000 Grip ?

It's a little finer texture than the body rubber, but not at all slippery.
Don't have an OEM to compare it to but it's solid and pretty well sealed.
The 1 fps DX gain was absolutely worth the hun to me, YMMV.

Jan 26, 2013 at 03:06 PM

penpro
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #7 · D800 / D7000 Grip ?

I have the Vello on my D7K. Works just fine. Batteries tend to go flat in it if I put in AA in the grip and set the body to the primary battery. When that happens I can't shoot even if the main battery is still got power. Solution I don't keep the AA in the grip but at the ready in the bag. Other then that the grip is good. I'm sure it is not as solid as the Nikon but it was a whole lot less money and now I look even cooler when I'm out taking pics

Jan 26, 2013 at 06:24 PM

Nikon_14
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #8 · D800 / D7000 Grip ?

There is probably a fix to this. You can choose to have the camera draw power first from the battery in the camera, or the battery in the grip. Set it up to first draw from the battery in the camera body.

Nothing guaranteed, but it doesn't cost anything to try.

penpro wrote:
I have the Vello on my D7K. Works just fine. Batteries tend to go flat in it if I put in AA in the grip and set the body to the primary battery. When that happens I can't shoot even if the main battery is still got power. Solution I don't keep the AA in the grip but at the ready in the bag.

Jan 26, 2013 at 07:25 PM

penpro
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #9 · D800 / D7000 Grip ?

I wasn't clear then. it was set to draw the power from the camera but the AA batteries went dead in the grip any ways and when they did the camera was locking up even though the main battery in the body had lots of life left.

The grip appears to work fine when it is the primary source and is either running AA or the main battery in it. I do feel as though the battery doesn't last as long in the grip as it does in the body but I have never tested this and it was only in the grip for a month so I can't really say that for sure.

Other 3rd party brands might not have this issue.

Jan 26, 2013 at 07:55 PM

sportsdadof3
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #10 · D800 / D7000 Grip ?

Thanks everyone for your time to comment. Hard to ignore the price difference and hard to believe Nikon charges that amount for a D800 grip (well not really but compared to others is significant).

Best,

Wendell

Jan 27, 2013 at 01:49 AM

Jan Brittenson
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #11 · D800 / D7000 Grip ?

I think the AA holder is excellent. Not because I like to use AA's (I think they suck), but because if I find myself out of charged batteries in a pinch or due to user error (like I forgot to charge them) I can pull the AA eneloops out of my flash and put them in the camera. That by itself is worth the price of admission. Of course, the grip is really nice if you shoot a lot of vertical compositions handheld as well. (On a tripod I'd suggest an L bracket instead.)

Jan 27, 2013 at 04:27 AM

Jun Zhou
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #12 · D800 / D7000 Grip ?

anyone got the flashpoint grip?

Jan 27, 2013 at 05:42 PM

runamuck
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #13 · D800 / D7000 Grip ?

read TM's posts

Jan 27, 2013 at 09:57 PM

Nikon_14
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #14 · D800 / D7000 Grip ?

If Mr. Miranda received $.01 for every drive-by post that only read the first post before typing away, he'd be a 1,056-mega-millionaire.

runamuck wrote:
read TM's posts

Jan 27, 2013 at 10:03 PM

Kerry Pierce
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #15 · D800 / D7000 Grip ?

FWIW, I recently purchased a DSTE grip, from a Hong Kong seller via fleabay. I probably won't have it for at least another week to 10 days. Here's a link to the item that I bought. http://www.ebay.com/itm/180922360284?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

It comes with the usual 2 battery trays, plus a DSTE en-el18 battery and charger for $90. They also sell the grip with just the 2 battery trays for a lot cheaper.

I chose this one after wading through all of the various comments I could find on 3rd party grips in the Nikon forums on DPR. Yah, I know, but what can you do? Once in a while, there is actually decent commentary there.

Anyway, if you can wait until I get it, I'll give you the lowdown, best I can. Dunno, but it's possible (probable?) that this one is rebadged to one that folks have already talked about. But, choice is good.

good luck
Kerry

Jan 27, 2013 at 10:25 PM

brewercm
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #16 · D800 / D7000 Grip ?

I purchased a Chinese knock "Nikon" grip for my D7000 for much less money than a real Nikon grip. Bought it from a member here knowing this, but unlike the other non-Nikon grips the command dials were in the correct orientation. It feels well made and error than a couple of other brands. Only a couple of things give it away from not being exactly like the Nikon, one is the wheel to connect it to the camera is not as stiff, and the river is not exactly the same as the cameras.

I'm not recommending buying Nikon knock offs from China, but throwing it out there.

BTW, it came in what looks like a real Nikon box also.

Jan 28, 2013 at 12:08 AM

doolbnroht
Offline
•
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #17 · D800 / D7000 Grip ?

Jun Zhou wrote:
anyone got the flashpoint grip?

I did... Blog post about it and a short little video.. Working out great still....

http://adothoglen.blogspot.com/2012/12/review-flashpoint-mb-d12-magnesium.html

Jan 28, 2013 at 04:25 AM

Kerry Pierce
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #18 · D800 / D7000 Grip ?

My DSTE grip, with the el-18, d4 battery clone, arrived this afternoon, which is only 8 days transit from Hong Kong.

For those that aren't familiar with the DSTE grip, here's a quick rundown. My initial impressions are that all of the parts seem well made, good fit and finish. It's very light, but strong. I couldn't squeeze any part of the grip and detect flexing. I think that the grip is a polymer, so it doesn't have the interior metal shell of the Nikon. It does have a metal strip attached to the tripod socket, with the strip being about ½" wide and running the full length of the grip. I don't know if that would be solid enough for tripod work or not. My inclination will most likely be to take the grip off for tripod work, unless I really need the extra battery power. But, I generally do that with my Nikon grips too. The grip's locating pin is metal, instead of polymer like found on some other 3rd party grips.

The el-18 battery clone and battery chamber cover are cleverly done, and include both wall and car chargers that are specific to this battery/cover and the tray for the el-15 battery. There's a rubber door/cover for the ports in the chamber cover and a green light comes on in the el-18 chamber cover. I didn't get any of their el-15 clone batteries, which is probably required to use these charging units in the DSTE el-15 battery tray. At least, I haven't yet figured out how it would work on the Nikon OEM battery.

The grip seems to work just fine on the d800, with all of the controls working as they should. There is a slight bit of flex to the grip, when I crank on it, but it seems similar to the flex that I've seen on my OEM grips on other cameras.

The camera doesn't display any info on the clone battery. It shows it is there and is selected for use ahead of the battery in the camera, but I'd guess that the battery doesn't have the required chip for the d800 to read the usage info.

That's the best I can do now. At least the camera didn't melt down or something, so I'm pleased about that. This battery is supposed to last a very long time, so I'll have to wait a while to see.

Kerry

Jan 31, 2013 at 03:23 AM

Nikon_14
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #19 · D800 / D7000 Grip ?

Feb 01, 2013 at 01:19 PM

Kerry Pierce
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #20 · D800 / D7000 Grip ?

Kerry Pierce wrote:
I didn't get any of their el-15 clone batteries, which is probably required to use these charging units in the DSTE el-15 battery tray. At least, I haven't yet figured out how it would work on the Nikon OEM battery.

Nikon_14 wrote:
That doesn't sound like a good thing...

Thanks for the review of the rest. There have got to be some quality alternatives to paying $400+ for a grip.

I assume that the DSTE el15 battery clone has a port that will accept their charging units. Of course, the Nikon el15 battery doesn't have that charging port. Given that a charger comes with the camera, I don't need to use the DSTE charger for the Nikon batteries. I do use it for the el18 DSTE clone battery.

Glad that I could help. I doubt that the DSTE grip is as well constructed as the Nikon grip, but at $90 with the big clone battery, I couldn't justify getting the Nikon grip. Their price just seems like such a rip-off, even by comparison to the d300/d700 grip prices.

EDIT; I just found a minor LV problem with the DSTE grip, as a result of this thread. It seems that LV only works with the DSTE grip, if there is also an el15 battery in the body.

Kerry

Feb 02, 2013 at 08:48 PM

end
FM Forums \| Nikon-mount SLRs \| Join Upload & Sell end