Df third-party grip available

<p>Dear all,<br />

<br />

Since Bela started a thread a while back on an idea for a battery grip for the Df, I just thought I'd do my

second case in a short time frame of re-posting from a rumour site, and point out that a company called "Travor"

appears to have something called a "BG-2P". It'll take (in fact, it seems to <i>have</i> to - there's no obvious

"AA" option like the D700 grip) a pair of EN-EL4as, it has a vertical shutter button (connected, as far as I can

tell, by an external cable, like most of the third-party grips for camera that weren't designed to take one), it

seems to have an infrared remote trigger (as does the third-party grip I bought for my D700 - Nikon, you're

missing a feature...) and features I found by googling include "one piece Travor colorful box". It's plastic, if

that was in doubt. There's no mention of any controls other than the shutter being duplicated. Obviously I've not

actually seen one of these, so I don't want to be unduly dismissive - they do seem to be cheap, at least.<br />

<br />

Anyway, if you feel your Df's handling would be vastly improved by a grip, you now have an option. Enjoy!</p>

<p>I was once given a Travor battery grip to try out for my D800 and it caused all kinds of problems like the camera locking up, showing empty on the battery meter, command dials working intermittently and so on. The camera store loaned the grip to me because they didn't have a D800 to try it on. Based on that experience I'd stay away from Travor products, period!</p>

<p>It makes no sense to add a grip to the Df. It's better just to buy the D800.</p>

<p>No thanks.</p>

<ol>

<li><a href="/photodb/user?user_id=5994753">BeBu Lamar</a>, Df owner, not interested in some cheap third-party Travor grip</li>

<li><a href="/photodb/user?user_id=189330">Dan Brown</a>, Df owner, not interested in some cheap third-party Travor grip</li>

<li><a href="/photodb/user?user_id=4303235">Andrew Garrard</a>, not a Df owner, not interested in buying a Df, highly interested in talking/writing about the Df and some cheap third-party Travor grip</li>

</ol>

<p>Shun: If I was <i>interested</i> in everything I did...!<br />

<br />

I think you can tell that I'm dubious about this product, and I was certainly sympathetic to those in Bela's thread who argued that the Df wasn't well-suited to having a grip at all. Quite possibly even though who might have been interested in a high quality Df grip won't be interested in this one (not that I have direct evidence for its construction level, of course).<br />

<br />

But since there was greater than zero interest in a Df grip, I thought it was only a public service to mention it, albeit with what I hope were some disclaimers. If Bela buys one, maybe we'll get a report.<br />

<br />

It has come to my attention that I'm not doing very well when it comes to the Df and selflessly trying to provide information for the interest of current and prospective Df owners. Is assure you that my heart is in the right place, however much of a shrivelled husk it may be.</p>

<p>Andrew, the Df is certainly not your cup of tea and not for the majority of people. Nikon didn't build a grip into the Df not to save money but they knew most people who buy the Df won't want one. The controls on the Df was designed to function better without a grip vertical or even horizontal. It's hard to believe to some but the thicker the camera is there is more of a need for the horizontal grip. The Df has a small grip because it's significantly thicker than a film camera like the F3 for example. But a bigger one would make it bad and a vertical one makes it very bad to hold.<br /> If I don't buy the Df or if Nikon never made the Df I will probably get a D4/D4s as the grip are more for that kind of control layout and size and I rather have the grip permanent than an add on one.</p>

<p>I am afraid that the only person who is doing us a public service on this thread is Mark Stephan:</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Based on that experience I'd stay away from Travor products, period!</p>

</blockquote>

<p>And in the US, period is the equivalent of full stop in the UK, Australia, etc.</p>

<p>I have yet to use a camera that didn't benefit from a grip. But that is just me. A grip is a personal preference - some like them, some don't.</p>

<p>Whether Travor's is any good or not will remain to be seen.</p>

<p>Based on Mark's criteria, even Nikon products should be avoided, given the D800 with its left focus issue and the D600 with the oil issue.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I never owned a 'winder' for any of my film cameras and after many years with an F5 and my D2x, I still never warmed to the vertical grip and secondary shutter. My right elbow automatically heads skyward the second I decide to frame in portrait-orientation. Old habits die hard...</p>

<p>I'm retrograde on camera system features. I don't even use ARCA plates with the Df, rather going for a Gitzo compact ball head on a 2-series CF leg set. I prefer nice little D-AF primes and little after-market screw-in lens hoods. Compact, light weight, simple, and nice, that's what I like. So, these threads that tabulate feature lists and debate which camera is better by comparison are lost on users like me. If I wanted a camera that did everything, I'd sell my D800 and Df and buy a D4 with a set of f2.8 zooms. But I have no desire for such a camera. <br>

Maybe if I was covering breaking new and PJ, maybe I'd look at the feature list.</p>

<p>BeBu: Agreed (in as much as I'm qualified to have an opinion): the Df doesn't seem like an obvious candidate for a grip - although the grip in question doesn't replicate any controls at all, so it's not like it's forcing you to use the thumb wheel arrangement that the Df is a move away from. I guess the same is true for any third party grip on cameras not designed for them - there's no external control for the dials if you're going through the remote shutter release interface (unless you emulate a PC and talk to the remote shooting interface, but I imagine that would be quite costly). I only mentioned the grip because Bela seemed to want one, and I thought others might therefore be interested. Clearly the minority, of course.<br />

<br />

Shun: I'm sorry Mark had a bad experience, and people should certainly take that into account, but I agree with Elliot - one report (of a different product by the same company), even in the context of a company that is clearly producing a budget product, does not guarantee that this product is not worth the risk to someone who really wants a vertical grip on their Df. It's not like there are many alternatives which could be bought at a premium. I've bought Nikkor and Sigma lenses despite being on the receiving end of howlers, and I'm still happy with the results.</p>

<p>I just went on the Travor website and they don't list a battery grip for the Nikon Df .</p>

<p>I am now officially adding a "howlers" category to my lens rating system.</p>

<p>Andrew: In a sense the grip does force to use the thumb wheel arrangement because it does mean that the right hand must not leave the camera and must grip the camera at all times. With the vertical grip it's difficult to hold the camera with just the left hand no matter what's lens on it. </p>

<p>L'est not get a grip!</p>

<blockquote>

<p>L'est not get a grip!</p>

</blockquote>

<p> <br>

I second that emotion. This is sacrilege. My heart goes out to the poor Df that has to suffer one of these things. I think this should fall under the laws and penalties for child abuse.</p>

<p>Andrew: I think you should forget about the Df as I can see you never would understand why one would want a Df. I think you should get the D4s as it's much faster than your D800 and it has all the grips built in and can shoot low light very well. You have big lenses any way so the weight and bulk of the D4s makes little difference. And as you have said in the other thread you won't buy the Df so I think you should stop wondering about the Df. </p>

<p>It has been said many times, you just cannot compare the DF to any other dslr presently being sold. It's qualities for some, will be faults for other's. This should be so easy to accept, but many still fail to understand this. </p>