some are some aren't
Had 1 (cant remember which) from ebay for my XT and the thing startes out OK then went unreliable quite quickly then it fell apart
Is a battery grip worth it in the first place? Unless you do portrait orientation almost exclusively, I think the money is better spent on nice lenses or save up for a 1 series with a built in grip
Dawei Ye wrote:
Is a battery grip worth it in the first place?
I asked the same question many years ago then got one in a package deal with a camera. Been addicted ever since. I do shoot a lot of verticals and find it much easier to keep the camera steady by using the shutter release on a vertical grip.
BTW, I would switch to FF if I could get a lens that matched the specs and performance of my 17-55 f/2.8 IS. I don't know of a FF compatible lens that offers the combination of zoom range, max aperture and IS.
Like all things, it depends on the brand. I have an opteka brand grip for my Rebel XT and it works great. The only complaint I have is that the glue on the rubber is a little weak and a corner is lifting, but I can reglue that. Is that hassle worth the $40-$60 in savings? To me, yes. My 5d has a canon branded grip as I didn't find a 3rd party grip that looked ok.
As for whether they're worth it, to me: yes. I have big hands and I like the extra area to grasp, especially with rebel cameras. Even if I'm not shooting portrait orientation all the time, the grip makes it far more comfortable to do it whenevr I do shoot portrait.
I don't believe that better lenses is the end-all, be-all answer to whether one should buy something.
I have to admit, if you haven't used one before, you probably won't miss it. But if you're used to a gripped camera, then pick up an ungripped camera, it feels like it's going to fall out of your hand
I had a Zeikos grip for my 50D. It worked really nice! I never had a complaint with it at all. I never used a Canon grip, so I can't really compare the two. Now I have a 1D2, so my grip is built in. But I agree with Dawei...if you've never used one, you won't miss it. But I cannot go back to an ungripped body after having one now. It does make a huge difference to me. And yes, I shoot in portrait 90% of the time, so that is another factor for me.
If the 3rd party works exactly like the one it's "replicated" to replace, sure it's worth it. I have a grip for both my Canon bodies, and they are the Canon name, but I rarely use them on either camera and am strongly considering letting them go. I'll miss them then!!! I picked them up very cheap, so I've never looked at the 3rd party names.
Dawei Ye wrote:
But if you're used to a gripped camera, then pick up an ungripped camera, it feels like it's going to fall out of your hand this is so true!
Like others have said, if you haven't used them yet, you probably won't need them, unless you start shooting vertically a lot. Although, I think grips can be helpful for the small Rebels. I got a Canon one for my XSi, and helped tremendously.
I still haven't gotten one for my larger 5D Mark II, but I plan to get a Canon one just because I shoot quite a bit of vertical shots. I did notice that without a grip, more of my shots are horizontal now than when I only had the XSi...
kakomu wrote:
I have an opteka brand grip ... The only complaint I have is that the glue on the rubber is a little weak...
+1
The rubber on my Opteka started coming loose around the edges almost immediately. It will stick for a few hours if I press it back firmly, but then comes loose again. It hasn't gotten any worse in two years, but it is still an annoyance. Other than that the grip works fine, although the shutter release button has always fely a bit mushy.
The rubber on my Opteka started coming loose around the edges almost immediately. It will stick for a few hours if I press it back firmly, but then comes loose again. It hasn't gotten any worse in two years, but it is still an annoyance. Other than that the grip works fine, although the shutter release button has always fely a bit mushy.
The shutter release on my 5D and Canon grip for my 5D both feel mushy. I like the detent feeling with the rebel shutter releases.
4honor wrote:
Like others have said, if you haven't used them yet, you probably won't need them, unless you start shooting vertically a lot. Although, I think grips can be helpful for the small Rebels. I got a Canon one for my XSi, and helped tremendously.
I still haven't gotten one for my larger 5D Mark II, but I plan to get a Canon one just because I shoot quite a bit of vertical shots. I did notice that without a grip, more of my shots are horizontal now than when I only had the XSi...
Similarly, I got a Flashpoint 3rd party grip for my XSi and loved it. It really helped out with my bigger hands when I had a heavy tele mounted, and it improved my portrait framing since my hand wasn't so contorted. A well-spent $70 for me.
peterearden wrote:
even with a grip, i tend to use the shutter release on the camera. my main reason for having a grip is the extra battery.
I was watching some special about the SI swimsuit issue. The photographer was using a 1DS with a 50 f/1.2L. Despite the built-in grip, he still used landscape shutter release on the top of while taking portrait orientation photos. So, he had an awkward angled arm while taking pictures because he wasn't using the grip in portrait orientation.
kakomu wrote:
I was watching some special about the SI swimsuit issue. The photographer was using a 1DS with a 50 f/1.2L. Despite the built-in grip, he still used landscape shutter release on the top of while taking portrait orientation photos. So, he had an awkward angled arm while taking pictures because he wasn't using the grip in portrait orientation.
Yep, most folks who don't have a grip end up using the right hand on top for vertical shots which seems less stable to me.
Over the years I trained myself to shoot with my right hand under the camera. Even though it's more stable the ergonomics are just wrong.
And I'll need to study that SI video to better understand what not to do; where can I find it?
I shoot primarily with the canon 70-200 f2.8 and I find that the camera is much better balanced and easier to hold with the grip. I have the canon bge7 grip but saw one that allowed you to do interval shooting. I think it was made by protek not sure though.
scottgee1 wrote: I asked the same question many years ago then got one in a package deal with a camera. Been addicted ever since. I do shoot a lot of verticals and find it much easier to keep the camera steady by using the shutter release on a vertical grip.
BTW, I would switch to FF if I could get a lens that matched the specs and performance of my 17-55 f/2.8 IS. I don't know of a FF compatible lens that offers the combination of zoom range, max aperture and IS.
The 24-105 L will provide all of the benefits/performance of the 17-55 on FF. I own both lenses and a 5DII and 7D.
+1 with the big hands thing, I bought a grip back when I had the 20D (it was Canon) the only issue I had with it was that the screw that held it to the camera didnt lock & would come loose giving wierd errors or a non functioning camera at some bad times... since moved on to 1D series cameras
I asked the same question many years ago then got one in a package deal with a camera. Been addicted ever since. I do shoot a lot of verticals and find it much easier to keep the camera steady by using the shutter release on a vertical grip.
