Mini Review of 'Generic' D800 Grip

<p>A few days ago I received the Meike 'generic' grip for the D800 I ordered a few weeks ago. It seems to be reasonably well built, aligns perfectly, fits snugly and functions 100% like it is supposed to. I have not seen a genuine MB-D12 grip so I can't do a direct comparison but this is obviously a very affordable alternative to those like me that want a grip but will not pay $400+ for Nikon's.</p>

<p>There are I believe several 3rd party grips now available for the D800. I chose this brand because I own other inexpensive but high quality products from Meike. This one is amazing for the price. Depending on where you shop, the price ranges from $70 to $85 including shipping.</p>

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<p>Thanks Elliot.<br>

How does it perform with rechargeable AAs? It's actually cheaper to get one of those battery grips than it is to buy an En-El15 in the UK - ridiculous. One retailer I asked wanted £90 (=about $140US) for an en-el15, and they didn't even have one in stock!</p>

<p>Yes they are extremely expensive not only in UK<br>

<a href="http://novatechgadgets.com/liion70.html">http://novatechgadgets.com/liion70.html</a></p>

<p>Back in late 2010, way before the recall, I bought an extra EN-EL15 for my D7000 for like US$50. However, ever since the battery recall earlier this year, the EN-EL15 has been in short supply and the price is now between $60 and $75. Hopefully in a few more months, prices will go back down to "normal" again.</p>

<p>Maybe I can buy a bunch of them then and ship them to the UK and Canada. :-)</p>

<p>P.S. Shipping Li-ion batteries is always an issue since it is a bit of a hazrad.</p>

<p>In Finland this battery is 95€ if you can find it ... one store give a 3-6 week waiting time ... others won't even give that. I haven't really started hunting for it as I can use other cameras and I think the current price is quite high for this product. Maybe in 3-6 months the price will settle down on a more reasonable level.</p>

<p>I bought the Nikon grip for the D80 because then I can be sure it will perfectly fit custom L brackets such as the one made by RRS. A generic L bracket will flex quite a bit due to the rubber on the surface of the camera, which makes tripod based macro work especialyl in vertical orientation less precise than I'd like. I have the RRS L bracket for the D3X and it was a revelation ... I hadn't realized that it was the rubber that was causing a good part of the flex when I let go of the camera after adjusting its position and orientation, after locking the tripod head. So I paid the extra on the MB-D12 to get full compatibility with third party accessories. I don't know how well third party grips match the exact shape of the Nikon grip and didn't want to try my luck.</p>

<p>The MB-D12 is also very expensive for now, and I expect some price reductions in the future, but this is something I needed then and now, so I suffered the price. I can fully understand the desire to try out third party grips that cost a fraction of the Nikon product if you don't need to match the exact shape of the MB-D12.</p>

<p>Rodeo, I just tested the grip with the AA's and it works as it is supposed to.</p>

<p>I didn't know exactly what to expect with this grip. I had reservations about putting a 3rd party grip on an expensive body. But I must say it has totally exceeded my expectations. As far as shape and fit goes, this appears to be perfect in every regard.</p>

<p>Shun, each one would 'attract' 20% VAT on entry to the UK. So a $60 battery becomes a $72 one. OK divide by $>£ of 1.6 = £45.</p>

<p>Current price here is £60..... so that's 25% cheaper if customs catch you or nearly 40% if they don't. </p>

<p>PS In no way am I condoning smuggling....:-)</p>

<p>Thanks again for that Elliot. The Meike grip might get added to my shopping list.</p>

<p>Mike, the nasty C&E men also add VAT to what they call a "landing charge", which is the total transport cost of the item. I got caught like that when I was sent - supposedly free and gratis - a pre-production filmscanner for review. The company had declared a nominal value for insurance purposes, and Customs and Excise wanted me to pay VAT on the declared value + the shipping costs.</p>

<p>After a telephone wrangle and receiving my written and signed declaration that the item was a trade sample they eventually released it without charging, but there's no way they'd let you get away with that for a personal import.</p>