Meike MK Battery Grip for D800

<p>In case anyone is thinking of buying a non-Nikon battery grip for the D800, I just bought one on eBay, a Meike grip. I did this after much hesitation as I don't normally like to buy after market stuff, but I paid £38 ($60) as compared to the £270 ($425) cost of the Nikon grip. The Meike looks sturdy and feels well made and the black finish is very comparable to the D800, difficult to tell apart unless very close. All the usual controls function perefectly. In fact the off/on switch on the Meike is sturdier and more positive than the one on the D800 body. When attached to the D800 body, it felt very secure with no bending or wobbling. The grip also allows much better balance and weight distribution when using my 70-300 VR Nikkor.</p>

<h1 id="itemTitle" > </h1>

<p>I've had mixed results with these. I had a Meike grip once that was great except that the control wheel operated in reverse, another 3rd party grip that was great and one that was a major store's house brand that has a DoA control knob. So I like the savings, but only buy from stores with a good return policy.</p>

<p>I have a week to try it out. I'll keep you posted.</p>

<p>Perhaps it's an improvement over their grip for the D7000: plasticky, rattling thumb wheel, vanishing paint in buttons, cheesey release button lock, breakable battery drawer lock. Lookalike isn't necessarily workalike.</p>

<p>I have one. It is good for casual use. The plastic locking knob that locks the battery holder in place broke a short number of after I started to use it That piece is cheaply made - rotate it carefully/gently. The rest of the grip is quite good and decently built, again for casual use.</p>

<p>I typically use larger/heavier lenses and often use a tripod and felt the need to upgrade to the genuine grip. For heavy duty use, the real grip is a much better choice and bargains are around (I bought mine used for about 1/2 of retail on Amazon.)</p>

<p>But I think the Meike grip is probably the best out of the 3rd partly grips. Please keep in mind that you cannot use the optional battery pack with the Meike grip (and other 3rd party grips) to get 6fps in DX mode.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I typically use larger/heavier lenses and often use a tripod and felt the need to upgrade to the genuine grip.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Aren't you using the tripod collar on those larger/heavier lenses?</p>

I have a DSTE from eBay, but I do not like it at all. It has too much play compared to the Nikon MB- D10 on a D700. If I

started over, I would buy the Nikon MB-D12.

<p>Shun, not all the lenses I use have tripod collars. And some of those are heavy enough to put stress on the tripod mount area. I found the tripod mount to be a weak area of the Meike grip and was not really comfortable using it with any of my lenses, even the lighter primes. The Meike works perfectly otherwise but I would not recommend it for tripod work. The Nikon grip is built like a tank and unlike the Meike grip does not flex when mounted on a tripod. Or even when mounted on the camera.</p>

<p>Meike is the only third party grip that I have found to be satisfactory--for Canon, Nikon, whatever. Last summer I did knock over a tripod with a Canon DSLR with a Meike grip on it, and the grip came apart, absorbing energy and thus saving the camera and lens.</p>

<p>I currently have a Meike on the D800E, and so far it is working fine. I have another on the D7000, and so far it is working fine, too, although it feels a bit chintzier than the one on the D800E. I have been using the one on the D7000 since last September or October, and so far it is holding up fine in spite of the chintzy feel.</p>

<p>The price of accessories is where we get burned in this business, and so I don't mind using reliable third party grips, since the price is a tiny fraction of that of Nikon grips. Since I have never owned Nikon grips, I don't know how they compare to these much cheaper Meike grips. If it carries an extra battery and gives me a place for my pinky, that's good enough for me.</p>

<p>--Lannie</p>

<p>Does the D800(E) onboard firmware recognise the Meike grip as though it is the Nikon grip? For example, the firmware (in the options) states whether to use the battery in the camera first or the one in the grip, etc.. The ability to control this sort of thing is important to me and I would not want to go for the Meike if this functionality is impaired.<br>

Thanks!</p>

<p>Ed, as I am trying to keep the weight down, I don't have two batteries to try it out, but having used the Meike grip for a few months now, it seems to function perfectly in every way, certainly seems to be much sturdier and better than other after-market grips I have used on my previous D90. Would it be possible for you to try it on a sale or return basis, say from Amazon?</p>