p.1 #1 · Aftermarket Battery, Grip and charger for D850
Are there aftermarket batteries, charger and grips that will work with the D850? I believe the D850 will take the same battery as the D5. If that is correct, I assume The Watson EN-EL 18A that B&H sells for $99 would work. BestBatt sells the MH-26 charger for the D5 battery for $73.50 and again I assume it would work. That leaves the grip and my guess is that this one has to be the Nikon MB-D18 grip for $396.95 as I don't see any other aftermarkets available. Any idea how long it will take Vello to come out with one? One still needs the Nikon BL - 5 Battery Chamber Cover for $24.95 and I don't see any aftermarket available.
So to sum up:
Watson battery - $99 vs Nikon $150
BestBatt Charger $74 vs Nikon $370
Nikon grip $397
Nikon Cover $25
p.1 #2 · Aftermarket Battery, Grip and charger for D850
I've been looking through the same math and thinking I will likely go the same route. Nikon grip and aftermarket battery, charger and cover. I found some D800 sets on eBay that come with the battery, charger and cover.
The aftermarket grips usually appear a few months after the camera comes out. However, I'm not sure if they are usually compatible with En-EL18 batteries. I don't think my aftermarket D500 grip is but I've never tried.
So I think I will get the OEM grip and save on the other stuff as you have shown.
p.1 #3 · Aftermarket Battery, Grip and charger for D850
JSW3 wrote:
Are there aftermarket batteries, charger and grips that will work with the D850? ... So to sum up:
Watson battery - $99 vs Nikon $150
BestBatt Charger $74 vs Nikon $370
Nikon grip $397
Nikon Cover $25
= $595 vs $807 retail to get 9fps?
You're going to buy Nikon's latest and soon to be released pro body for $3299, and then try to save $212 by going 3rd party over OEM for optional accessories? Does that really sound like a good move?
p.1 #5 · Aftermarket Battery, Grip and charger for D850
JSW3 wrote:
Are there aftermarket batteries, charger and grips that will work with the D850? I believe the D850 will take the same battery as the D5. If that is correct, I assume The Watson EN-EL 18A that B&H sells for $99 would work. BestBatt sells the MH-26 charger for the D5 battery for $73.50 and again I assume it would work. That leaves the grip and my guess is that this one has to be the Nikon MB-D18 grip for $396.95 as I don't see any other aftermarkets available. Any idea how long it will take Vello to come out with one? One still needs the Nikon BL - 5 Battery Chamber Cover for $24.95 and I don't see any aftermarket available.
So to sum up:
Watson battery - $99 vs Nikon $150
BestBatt Charger $74 vs Nikon $370
Nikon grip $397
Nikon Cover $25
Bought the MB-D17 with the D500 5/16. Worked fine till last month. Got a little careless and may have got a touch of saltwater into it. Had a problem with the AA battery life. Suspected the battery tray. Greater suspicion of the grip having a short where the tray coupled with the grip.
Considering price ($89), I thought about a Vello instead of a new tray.
Regarding Vello:
In the past, I purchased a few Vello products and was most impressed. Seemed to me that the quality of Vello products was as high as OM in every way.
I thought Vello grips were all plastic, so I convinced myself I would be happy with this, as long as it corrected the problem.
Good decision: This Vello is a mirror of the MB-D17,rubberized in the same places and apparently the build quality is as good. Durability only determined with time.
I would have to closely inspect it to tell it was made of plastic. And really, who cares if it is made of plastic? Plastic may even be better than the metal.
Regarding D850:
(IMHO; i.e. your's may vary ): Considering the super high prices of the Nikon accessories we have talked about here, I will be looking for the Vello grip and generic battery and charger.
Possible problem: The Vello grip for the D500 does not accept an EN-EL 18 battery, only the EN-EL 15 or AA.
Hope the EN-EL 18 option will be available when Vello offers its D850 grip.
p.1 #6 · Aftermarket Battery, Grip and charger for D850
la puffin wrote:
You're going to buy Nikon's latest and soon to be released pro body for $3299, and then try to save $212 by going 3rd party over OEM for optional accessories? Does that really sound like a good move?
I could go either way with the battery at $150 vs 99 but the charger is hard for me to swallow. $370 vs $74. What am I getting for my extra $296?
p.1 #7 · Aftermarket Battery, Grip and charger for D850
Nikon markup on their grips must be 5000%, grossly over priced for the simple item it is. I always buy genuine, but it really pisses me off to pay most of $400 for no more technology than it is.
I will do it again, but have not preordered yet.
p.1 #8 · Aftermarket Battery, Grip and charger for D850
JSW3 wrote:
I could go either way with the battery at $150 vs 99 but the charger is hard for me to swallow. $370 vs $74. What am I getting for my extra $296?
Maybe a big gulp of "potentially voided warranty" will help swallow the $296.....you never know what they can find out of what you plug into the camera....
p.1 #9 · Aftermarket Battery, Grip and charger for D850
la puffin wrote:
You're going to buy Nikon's latest and soon to be released pro body for $3299, and then try to save $212 by going 3rd party over OEM for optional accessories? Does that really sound like a good move?
I always thought that if you can't afford the batteries, you probably can't really afford the camera either.
p.1 #10 · Aftermarket Battery, Grip and charger for D850
CMYK Designs wrote:
Maybe a big gulp of "potentially voided warranty" will help swallow the $296.....you never know what they can find out of what you plug into the camera....
Imagine if someone sent in a new camera for warranty repair and Nikon did what insurance companies do... a Google search of the owner's name. Bragging about saving a few pennies on an internet forum could end up costing some $$$.
p.1 #14 · Aftermarket Battery, Grip and charger for D850
CMYK Designs wrote:
Maybe a big gulp of "potentially voided warranty" will help swallow the $296.....you never know what they can find out of what you plug into the camera....
Just take them to court. There is established court precedent in the United States that the burden of proof lies at the hands of the manufacturer to demonstrate that the third party accessory caused the problem. And so, if you take them to small claims court, they won't even show up. You simply serve them, and they mail you a check.
---------------------------------------------
molson wrote:
Imagine if someone sent in a new camera for warranty repair and Nikon did what insurance companies do... a Google search of the owner's name. Bragging about saving a few pennies on an internet forum could end up costing some $$$.
p.1 #15 · Aftermarket Battery, Grip and charger for D850
Grip, battery, and charger all Nikon branded, about $1000.00 US for 2 additional FPS, While the body is on pre-order, I will wait on the grip, battery, charger option and see how things shake out
p.1 #16 · Aftermarket Battery, Grip and charger for D850
It's expensive but it doesn't seem that bad to me. It's still cheaper than a D500, which I suspect a lot of people will be replacing with the D850 (along with their D810 as well). It's also a lot cheaper than the next fastest FF camera which is a D5, albeit with a 3 FPS disadvantage, 9fps is still going to be enough for a lot of users. Getting that kind of all-roundedness in a single body is pretty incredible even after accounting for the price of accessories. The D850 has specs more akin to a D5X, and it isn't priced anywhere near such a hypothetical camera. Of course it's also optional, and 7fps is going to keep a lot of people happy still.
After the year warranty is up (or 2 if you are in Canada), you could also just go get all the third party stuff for less. Also by then you will know exactly which third party accessories are the best ones to buy, and if there are any compatibility concerns.
Nikon might run bundle sales on Black Friday and/or Boxing Day as well with a free or discounted grip - that is what I am hoping for personally, but most likely if that happens only those in the USA will benefit.
p.1 #17 · Aftermarket Battery, Grip and charger for D850
reggieb wrote:
Just take them to court. There is established court precedent in the United States that the burden of proof lies at the hands of the manufacturer to demonstrate that the third party accessory caused the problem. And so, if you take them to small claims court, they won't even show up. You simply serve them, and they mail you a check.
p.1 #19 · Aftermarket Battery, Grip and charger for D850
Why can't Nikon just make a grip that works on multiple bodies! Oh wait, they can, but why make a new body that uses the same grip as another when you can sell a brand new grip built off the same manufacturing line as your others. That being said, while I realize the financial sense for Nikon, it sure would be nice if they offered a grip that worked on both the D500/D850 to make things a little easier for their end users.
p.1 #20 · Aftermarket Battery, Grip and charger for D850
RandyR wrote:
being a fool with your money is saving money on the one thing that can fry your camera, power. If the savings were hundreds of dollars maybe
Yes, the reports and threads about people frying their cameras with aftermarket grips and batteries are just rampant on the internet. SARCASM
I've never once read a report of this happening and have been using aftermarket grips, batteries and chargers myself for the past 9 years.
): Considering the super high prices of the Nikon accessories we have talked about here, I will be looking for the Vello grip and generic battery and charger. 
