Battery Grip

[raybrizzi]

<p>What exactly is the purpose of a battery grip? Is it just so that cameras have the same size and feel as 70s vintage SLR's with motor drive? For 129 dollars I can buy a couple of batteries from Pentax or 5 from Digital Concepts or the like. Or is it for people that are shooting stills continuously like a movie when that one shot that comes along when you can't take the time for changing a battery? There'd more likely be an SD card change or two before that happened.</p>

 

[Matt Laur]

<p>If the grip has an auxilliary shutter button and other controls on it, it allows you to rotate the camera to the portrait position while still having your controls in the right spot - no elbow-above-your-ears issues.<br /><br />And if the camera you're using does have a faster frame rate when supplied by more batteries, then... you've got a faster frame rate. People who shoot sports or other action may not be making "movies," but they might make their entire week's pay because of one more frame-per-second during a short, critical burst.<br /><br />And if you're using an otherwise smaller, lighter, plasticky body... the grip adds important extra mass, which can hugely stabilize your slower shutter speed shots or longer lenses.<br /><br />Lots of reasons to use one. I almost never go without, unless I'm deliberately going as small and light as possible.</p>

[personalphotos]

<p>I concur with Matt, Having the controls in a portrait mode shot is a must have for me. With bigger and heavier lenses, it really balances the camera well. I have 3 bodies and a grip is 'glued' to each. The camera feels much better in the hand for me. For others that might not be the case.</p>

[asimrazakhan]

<p>Another small point I'd like to add that you never hear anyone ever say about grips...</p>

<p>Being a tall person (6'4"), every extra inch of height on a tripod really matters to me. One advantage of a grip is that it adds about 2 inches of height to the viewfinder (when in landscape/horizontal orientation).</p>

[mcmanamey]

<p>And when you're shooting all day long - noon to midnight generally being a standard wedding day - you CAN burn through those batteries, and yes, it is bad to have to stop & change batteries right in the middle of the job. Even with the grip, we've had a couple days where we had to stop during the reception and swap out the grip battery. Good thing it didn't happen during the cake cutting!</p>

<p>Yeah, it adds weight, but my smallish hands prefer the way the camera fits with the grip on, I make use of those extra dials, and it saves my wrist the awkward bending, especially with the flash bracket on.</p>

<p>And we haven't even mentioned the SD card storage slot. Now THAT is just as important as the additional power!</p>

[jgredline]

<p>Great posts everyone and Matt, what a great answer...</p>

<p>Speaking of Grips, Daniel was asking me if they sell one for the K100DS. Does anyone know of any?</p>

[trw]

<p>When shooting without a BG, try rotating the camera clockwise into portrait orientation... no elbow in the air, no contortions required... the handgrip rests on your left palm, left thumb and forefinger on the lens barrel, everything's relaxed... I learned this trick from a 6'4" sports shooter who shoots all day and has giant hands. Having the camera weigh less (even with a 70-200 2.8 L attached) helped him shoot all day better than the extra battery would. </p>

[shots worth sharing]

<p>For the record, Ray, I've heard all these explanations (from people whose opinions I really respect) but none of them have aroused the slightest interest in getting one of those things. My guess is that you have to shoot way more than I do (and have way more at stake) to feel the need. </p>

[jpo3136b]

<p>I got one, used and cheaper, for my K200D, and love it. That said, the thing is a big handle. I think the prices on them are too high; for the prices that are charged as they are new, I would have expected not only a second source of power, but maybe a second memory slot or something. If it contained expanded computer capability, I would have thought the near-and-plus $200 prices would have been more justified. As it is, they are largely hollow chambers with battery holders and a few switches. </p>

<p>Since I carry spare batteries anyway; having another set in the grip is only a negligible advantage.</p>

<p>I'm not a big guy, but the camera now fits in my hand. It's all-out more comfortable; but, price-wise, I grit my teeth to pay the used price I did; I think I gave up about $50. I love it, but its a big handle. It should have been on there in the first place.</p>

<p>Considering some of the engineering difficulties camera companies seem to have with cramming computers into that housing size, one would think that they would just make the camera that size to begin with.</p>

[jonathan_rush]

<blockquote>

<p>Speaking of Grips, Daniel was asking me if they sell one for the K100DS. Does anyone know of any?</p>

</blockquote>

<p><a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320370957644&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT">Dicain makes them<br /> </a><br>

They are the only brand I've found.</p>

[mountainvisions]

<p>Ray,</p>

<p>In theory a well designed grip makes vertical shooting more comfortable and effecient. It also balances the camera with a larger lens.</p>

<p>The K10D/K20D grip wasn't well designed, and thus it didn't do a thing. This is of course subjective, some people say it helped and contorting there hands to reach the AF button was doable. I can't argue with that, but I can say it didn't work for me, and cocking my elbow wasn't all that hard after the battle of contorting my thumb to find the AF buttom.</p>

<p>As a side note the ist D was small enough, and the AF button big enough that this hand contortion was A-OK.</p>

<p>I suppose the spare memory card and the remote are selling points too. But I'd have preferred AA battery compatibility rather than those two things. I have a memory card pouch on my camera strap, and I use Remote Control C which doesn't fit in the grip.</p>

<p>I know the K10D saw no improvement in frame rate, Javier and some others said there was a 1FPS JPEG increase in frame rate on the K20D with the grip. I don't shoot JPEG so this benefit never appealed to me.</p>

<p>The K10/20D had an impressive battery life, and 700-1000 shots on a fully charged battery sort of negated the need for extra power. Even with live view and fill flash I rarely got less than 8GB from a charge. Sometimes I'd get 10-12GB in RAW.</p>

<p>I resold mine for $100 after it sitting on a shelf for most of the 3 years I owned it. Money well returned to me.</p>

<p> </p>

[mountainvisions]

<p>To add to what some others have said, if these grips were used properly they would contain increased buffer, and additional things like GPS, WIFI, Wireless flash, etc.</p>

<p>The grips are basically not utilized properly.</p>

<p>Imagine a grip with a pocket wizard, wifi, and GPS built in, an expanded buffer. Plus all the features you expect (like AA support, and an AF button).</p>

<p>A pocket wizard is about $200 (use a skyport or radio popper and drop cost even more), a GPS chip with bluetooth transmitter less than $30 retail, wifi chip is a few bucks. The whole thing could cost less than $400 and still make the camera maker a profit.</p>

[andrewg_ny]

<p>Biggest benefit is with heavier lenses and especially with hotshoe flash--improves balance and comfort. This is true both in vertical and horizontal position, as the grip will be supported by your entire hand including the meaty heel and base of thumb. Without grip, there's a tendency to support by curly a pinky under the camera, which is somewhat less effective. I imagine that the comfort factor is particularly huge if you're shooting a lot, for example, at weddings.</p>

<p>Battery advantages are secondary, in my opinion. I personally have no need for the extra battery life so I don't install an in-camera battery when using the grip. It's harder to change out and only increases weight as far as I'm concerned.</p>

<p>Downside is that it takes up more space in a bag so your current bag may not be suitable. While the extra height may be desireable on a tripod, it is not when shooting in portrait orientation as it moves the center of gravity that much further outbound from the ballhead, possibly to the point where your ballhead may be insufficient for the combined weight of camera, grip, lens, and possibly flash as well.</p>

<p>There are also times when the 'pro' look of a bigger camera works against you.</p>

[andrewg_ny]

<p>The problem with the grips for K100D and *ist DS, etc. is that since the camera wasn't designed for them they don't offer many of the key benefits the OEM grips do; at most they may offer a vertical shutter release, connected crudely through the cable-release jack but usually don't provide additional battery capacity or other complimentary vertical controls like e-dials, exposure comp, AE-L, etc. While that dicain grip doesn't look too bad, $120 seems like a lot of money for what you get.</p>

<p>One other benefit of some grips - they sometimes have additional lugs that you can attach a handstrap to, though I think the Pentax grips may not always include this (my D-BG2 does not).</p>

[michael_kuhne]

<p>It boils down to the type and degree of shooting, and also a matter of personal preference for the feel. In my own case, I find that the K20D handles well even with larger lenses on its own, but I think better yet with the grip for larger lenses. The grip does add substantial bulk and weight to the camera, but the K20D is modestly proportioned compared to say a Nikon D300, so even with the grip, not cumbersome.</p>

<p>For a smaller body like the K200D, however, and I'd have to think likewise for the new K7, the grip is a definite advantage for handling when using larger lenses, as I have found. I only occasionally use the AF button, so that is not an issue for me, but I can see its importance for some. The other possible advancements Justin mentions are interesting.</p>

[raybrizzi]

<p>A lot of interesting answers. Yes, having an additional SD card to go with the battery makes sense. Yet at some point. you'll still probably have one or the other go out on you.<br>

I don't quite see the benefit to a customer of getting a smaller body like the K7 that needs an additional box to add features like GPS or wireless so there's room for it, when a body the size of the k20 could hold the same stuff.<br>

The clockwise rotation on verticals sounds like it might be testing.<br>

Thanks for the explanations!</p>