5D mark ll with grip or without?

[mohamed_alfaris]

sorry if you heard this question alot, however i am planning on buying the L plate for 5D mark ll, and as you know there is two options with

grip or without. from my experience with my 30D with grip, is that it become really bulky but comfortable to hold with some heavy lenses,

and hard to put in bag. and actually i dont use it for the vertical usage. so whats your advise, you know these plates arent cheap to buy

both?

thanks

[elliot1]

If you need the extra battery power and/or have larger hands, you would likely want to use the grip. I do on all my cameras.

[mohamed_alfaris]

but arent you facing any hassle putting it inside your bags, especially when you want to be more portable and light.

[Brad_]

>>> from my experience with my 30D with grip, is that it become really bulky but comfortable to hold with some heavy

lenses, and hard to put in bag. and actually i dont use it for the vertical usage. so whats your advise, you know these

plates arent cheap to buy both? thanks

 

Seems you are aware of the tradeoffs. Try one at the store when available.

 

Only you can make that decision for your requirements.

[yakim_peled1]

I bought a grip for my 40D and then sold it. Reason: I could not get to the joystick in vertical mode. As I change AF points a lot I had to decide whether I want a less comfortable vertical holding or a less comfortable way to change AF points. I am so envy of the D300 and D700 shooters..... :-(

 

 

But as Brad rightfully said, you already know the pros and cons from your experience so we really can't help you.

 

Happy shooting,

Yakim.

[evphotography]

I personally don't care for them, had one for my old 20D and sold it later. The extra bulk and weight I don't think is worth the conveince of having vertical controls. But the extra battery power would be really nice for video's. If you plan on shooting video a lot then it might be worth it, if not I can't see a big advantage to having it unless your camera feels more comfortable in your hands with a larger body.

[chris_adams11]

As has been said its really your call. I use the vertical grip all the time and it is the only way to go when shooting vertical with 2lb lenses and heavier. As for controls I use the main dial to switch af points on the fly and can reach in either position. These are all my reasons but it needs to work for you. Good luck in the decision making.

[chrissyone]

I put one on my XTi and have never removed it. The camera feels insubstantial and unbalanced without it, and I have big

hands. I've shot a 5D with the grip and it feels perfect in my hand, but it's a personal choice. See if you can rent one from

your local pro shop and try it out.

[PuppyDigs]

ah feels nekid without da grip 'n shoots mo' vertical 'n no like poke mah eye

[sknowles]

I love the battery grip with the 5D, and haven't taken it off since I bought both together. Until I wanted to take it hiking and

discovered I had misplaced the battery cover without the BG. So, word of advice, if you buy one, put the old battery cover

in a plain, obvious place. Or else you're calling Canon for the part ($10 plus shipping). I ordered two, one to lose and one to

keep when I lose the first, which means I'll never lose the first one. Good luck.

[mendel_leisk]

It's personal preference. Personally, I could never see the point of them. I tried a borrowed one a 20D, it just reinforced my opinion: they add weight and bulk, and marginal benefit: *if* you can't manage to find the shutter button in portrait orientation.

[PuppyDigs]

"Until I wanted to take it hiking and discovered I had misplaced the battery cover without the BG. So, word of advice, if you

buy one, put the old battery cover in a plain, obvious place."

 

The grip has a handy slot to keep the battery cover in...

[david_amberson1]

I had one for the XTi and the 40D. The one for the XTi IMO was alot more ergonomic. It was designed to feel good in

the hands. The 40D/5D grips are square and dont feel as good. The XTi felt perfect with it/terrible without it. It

seemed to make it feel like it was built as a complete package.

 

I hope like hell this new Magnesium grip for the 5DII is better than before. That other grip is JUNK! It never did get it

to tighten up. It always flexed and you could feel the slack in it. Then the plastic gear inside stripped so now its

stuck on there. It does feel better with than without(for heavy lens use).

 

I bought a 1D3 instead. Now, its all good. Tight, feels as good as the landscape grip and the controls are in good

reach.

 

I think you already know the answer to your question. I dont know about the new 5DII/Grip combo, but if I had it to do

over, I would go without it on the 40D. Still keep it for the XTi though. I remember the 40D felt pretty good without it.

So, just get used to wrist on forehead :-)

 

Side Note: I see pro SI shooters at NFL games with 1D3's and most dont even use the vertical grip. Wrist on

forehead. Whats up with that. I guess some just dont like it. I bet if they could order a 1D3 in standard layout(no

integrated grip) alot would. Judging by what I see.

[alan_myers]

All five of my Canon's have vertical grips on them (as have previous models I no longer own... And so do my vintage Nikons, Pentaxes, Konica and some others). I wouldn't shoot without them.

 

A grip (or motor drive or winder) makes the camera balance much better with a heavier lens. I think I manage steadier shots with one, too. The vertical controls are also important to me, because I do a lot of vertical shots (although I occasionally bump off a shot accidentally when carrying the camera on its strap at my side).

 

I don't use L-plates, just am not very excited about the added cost, weight and bulk. I've got the Wimberley Sidekick for a couple of my long teles. I don't know why they don't advertise the fact that the Sidekick also neatly allows vertical mounting of the camera (with a simple Arca-Swiss style plate installed on the base) when using shorter lenses, too. I was happy to find that out and use it that way a lot... It makes for 5 less things to buy and attach to my cameras.