Hey guys! Normally I wouldn't even ask about a 3rd party power or grip option, but the Nikon MB-D10 is ridiculously expensive, and I just need vertical shutter release capability with my D300.
I don't plan on using the AA battery holder, nor do I plan on using EN-EL4 batteries to supercharge my D300's framerate. It's my understanding that the grip doesn't even necessarily need to handle power for the camera, since you can put a Nikon EN-EL3e battery in the D300 body and keep the grip empty, but still use the vertical controls on the grip to operate the shutter release, aperture/shutter speed settings, and to steer the AF point.
A colleague that I shoot with professionally recommended the Zeikos ZE-NBG300 grip (MB-D10 knock-off) for just such a purpose. After trying it briefly this weekend, it seemed solid, but I had very limited hands-on time with it.
I'm curious if anyone here has used this particular grip with a D300, D300s or D700, and what their experiences were with it... i.e. does it completely suck, does it completely rock, does it fulfill your vertical release capability needs, is it well built, or does it cause your camera to catch fire and explode, etc?
I almost ordered two of these from Amazon myself when I ordered my D300s yesterday ..... like 62 bucks apiece and great reviews ... I just forgot, but will now wait to hear some of the responses.
My thought process is: The Zeikos grip is either the same function for 1/4th of the price and you're paying for the Nikon brand name on the MB-D10, or there's something seriously lacking in the Zeikos grip's build quality, reliability, or functionality to get it priced that low.
So, anyone have the Zeikos ZE-NBG300 for their D300, D300s, or D700? Inquiring minds wanna know! Thanks guys!
^That'd be really nice. I'd love the shape/functionality of an integrated vertical grip like on the D2H/X, or D3 without the extra bulkiness that the MB-D10 adds to the D300.
I bought a knockoff (not Zeikos) MB-D10 because I didn't want to spend the money for a genuine one. It fit well on my D700, but not perfectly. It worked well, but I decided to buy a genuine MB-D10 because I figured the build quality and fit would be much better.
To be 100% honest, I can't even really tell the difference between the two. I'm keeping the genuine one because I already have it. But I'm selling the other one, even though it's very similar to the genuine grip.
I have the grip, and while it works great in general, I have one major problem (which some other reviews on Amazon and elsewhere have corroborated, so it's not isolated to just me): if I remove the battery from the grip, the camera shuts down hard. It doesn't automatically switch to the in-body battery like it ought to, but shuts down as if there is no battery in the camera at all: it doesn't even display the remaining frame count on the top LCD.
Turning the camera off and then on again doesn't help: I must actually disconnect the grip from the camera to get it to use the in-body battery. I can then reconnect the grip and the camera will continue to use the in-body battery, and I can even add another battery to the grip and it will automatically switch to use the grip battery (which I've configured to be used first, custom setting d12), but then the process repeats itself: if I remove the grip battery, the camera shuts down hard again.
This is actually quite frustrating, since the ZE-NBG90 worked perfectly on my D90, and since this doesn't seem to affect all D300s owners, but very much affects me.
^ My understanding is that if you prioritize the batteries as MAIN = Grip, SECONDARY = Body, it will do that. Try reversing battery priority.
Thanks to all for the responses... I think I'm gonna take my chances on it and get the Zeikos grip. I should have it by Thursday/Friday-ish so I'll let you guys know how it works out for me!
jasoncallen wrote:
^ My understanding is that if you prioritize the batteries as MAIN = Grip, SECONDARY = Body, it will do that. Try reversing battery priority.
As I said, that's already what I've setup (it's also the default). This is a bug in the Zeikos grip, not in my configuration.
Thanks to all for the responses... I think I'm gonna take my chances on it and get the Zeikos grip
Caveat emptor.
Anyway, we had a similar discussion about this at dpreview. I'm by no means the only one affected by this problem.
santaliqueur wrote:
I bought a knockoff (not Zeikos) MB-D10 because I didn't want to spend the money for a genuine one. It fit well on my D700, but not perfectly. It worked well, but I decided to buy a genuine MB-D10 because I figured the build quality and fit would be much better.
To be 100% honest, I can't even really tell the difference between the two. I'm keeping the genuine one because I already have it. But I'm selling the other one, even though it's very similar to the genuine grip.
Really? I am surprised that the "knockoff" would feel the same as the one from Nikon. Is the unofficial grip made of magnesium alloy?
I just got a Zeikos grip for my D90 and it's awesome. A buddy who has a D80 and the MB-D80 grip said that he thought y grip felt tighter, and had less play than the official Nikon version.
santaliqueur wrote:
No it's not, but the MB-D10 doesn't scream "I'm made of magnesium" like the camera bodies do. Maybe it had to do with the plastic battery door.
Not that the genuine grip is a piece of junk, but I thought the build quality would be MUCH better than the knockoff grip. To me, it wasn't.
How secure/stable is the tripod socket? That is often one of the big weaknesses with the plastic grips.
santaliqueur wrote:
No it's not, but the MB-D10 doesn't scream "I'm made of magnesium" like the camera bodies do. Maybe it had to do with the plastic battery door.
Not that the genuine grip is a piece of junk, but I thought the build quality would be MUCH better than the knockoff grip. To me, it wasn't.
Do you remember the MB-D200? That was junk! It didn't even fit the camera well. Plastic and crappy...
The MB-D10 has seen a lot of action in my hands and it's rock solid.
Haven't seen the zeikos apart from the on line images, but looks very well built...
How secure/stable is the tripod socket? That is often one of the big weaknesses with the plastic grips.
For me, that's not a concern since I use a 70-200/2.8 VR w/ tripod foot on a monopod or tripod for 90%+ of what I'd use a grip for, but that's a very good consideration for others reading this thread... I'll check out my copy when it gets here.
I have owned one of these for a little over a year now and love it. I would definitely reccomend it to anyone. I do use it with AA rechargeables and absolutely love the battery life. Ususally 2000 to 2500 shots. when you consider the fact I don't baby my stuff and the fact it is still working fine this is a fantastic buy. even if I have to replace it I couldn't justify the Nikon grip. This has been on my D300 since it was new and now has well over 45,000 shutter clicks. I am sure you will enjoy it.
Joe
Thanks guys!