anybody use a grip?

[Andy.]

i'm trying to think of something that i want for my birthday and am tempted to go for a grip.

Just interested to hear what people think of them, genuinely usefull or for lazy people who have money to burn.

This is for a 40D BTW so there a extra benefits like the nikonians have.

 

[Feirny]

I guess I'm lazy as I don't have much money

I love mine, just makes the camera feel nicer if that makes sense.

 

[Anim@l]

Sold mine on here actually, but chap I sold it to was happy with it I think. I never used it personally.

 

[Pettsi]

Sold mine on here actually, but chap I sold it to was happy with it I think. I never used it personally.

Yep that'd be me! I use it all the time now. I've got quite big hands and the 400D is fairly small.. Just makes it a lot easier to use.

Double shooting time with both batteries is great too.

 

[Dip]

I liked the shooting time, but not the grip. Just prefer the weight and size without.

 

[Kipper]

I should be getting mine in the post tomorrow for my D80! been an expensive week, bought a Sigma 10-20 today as well!!!!

 

[Track'd]

I've got one arriving next few days for mine, only taken me 12 months to get around to it mind. Had one previously on my 350d for a few years, best item i've bought for a camera. Makes portraits much easier, on top of feel/weight/balance

 

[Andy.]

mostly positive so far then.... Battery life is not an issue, i can take upwards of 1500 on a single charge. Do canon grips need two batteries or can you use just one btw?

 

[Pettsi]

You can just use the one fella.

 

[ukaskew]

Love my grip, as I use my Sigma 120-300 (monster) quite a lot it does balance the camera slightly better and make it easier to hold.

Not sure on the Canon, but my Nikon works with one battery. Pretty clever too, the D90 menu tells you the status of each battery in the grip down to a single percentage and how many pics have been taken with each.

 

[theduck]

the one on my E1 is great. Makes portrait shots much easier and makes the camera as a whole feelmuch nicer. also gives me the added benefit of basically never having to charge batteries

 

[Clart]

i quite fancy one of these, may purchase one soon.

 

[Andy.]

cheers pettsi, good to know.

The D90 sounds like a great bit of kit. My mate just treated himself to a D700 and is trying to convert me to the darkside. Lol

I think i am sold. I just need to get my wife to place the order.

 

[Track'd]

The other slight benefit of using a battery grip for me was the Canon handstrap, so much easier walking around than using a neckstrap.

 

[McBunny]

i love my grip

 

[Lee]

I've had one on my 350D for years. I wouldn't be without now. The body is fairly small so it helps it fit in the palm of your hand better, which makes it easier to keep it steady. It has buttons for shooting with the camera on it's side, and it takes 2 batteries so I don't have to worry about it going flat when using it all day.

Well worth getting IMO.

 

[clairemae]

I think they make the camera look alot better, mostly on something like a d40 were they look so point and shoot camera like. oh yeah, better battery life too. I got one and it worked out cheaper than buying the extra 2 batteries on there own.

 

[Andy.]

W00t! Just arrived and I love it. Makes the camera nicer to hold, especially with a heavy lens on the front. The portrait shooting is also nice.

Should have just bought a 1DIII to start with TBH.

 

[dunganick]

I dont currently have one, i may get one, however working on the tracks, walking back and forward from media center i just carry a spare battery and card, its lighter on the hands and i dont currently shoot alot of portrait. However with some of the areas im moving into outside of motorsport i think one may be on the shopping list.

Your doing well to go through a battery in a day on a 40d, i probabaly use 1.5 batteries each day when shooting motorsports, thats shooting about 1500 photos each day.

 

[Andy.]

The grip was not about the battery life for me. I am just using the one. The 40D can take so many shots that I have never needed to recharge halfway or think about buying a 2nd battery.

Ergonomics are the big improvement for me, it also does not weigh much at all, despite how it looks.

 

[MaLicE]

pro body ftw.. comes built in lol