Accessories for Canon XSi

PVNPhotography

Hello all, I've been having my eyes on the vertical grip as well as another generic battery for my Canon XSi however I don't know which vertical grip and generic battery to buy. Opteka seems like a good brand on Amazon in which people buy but I'm not so sure. If I could get some advice on some bang for the buck accessories, please let me know!

Scott_Quier

A quick google search uncovered a couple threads. Here's how you can search DGrin using google:

battery grip site:dgrin.com

The 5th result is this thread and, while not specific to the XSi, it might give you a good jumping off point in your search for an answer to your specific question.

PVNPhotography

Thank you for your reply Scott_Quier. I had a talk with a friend last night and I'm thinking about getting the Opteka battery grip for my Canon XSi. He also suggested that I should get a new lens to replace my kit lens (50mm) before I buy that battery grip for my camera. What would you suggest that I do?

gecko0

I picked up the Zeikos grip for my 7D...quality is very good and it works as expected...no complaints. Search on here for Zeikos and you'll find a few threads about the brand.

Regarding lens choices, you should buy whatever you need. Do you find yourself shooting at 50mm w/ the kit lens often? Do you need it to be faster than the kit (sacrificing IS as well)? Since the 1.8 is so cheap, it's a good one to have in your bag. I must admit I stopped using mine much once I got the 24-70 2.8, but the 50mm 1.8 is still a nice-for-the-price lens.

.02

Scott_Quier

PVNPhotography wrote:

Thank you for your reply Scott_Quier. I had a talk with a friend last night and I'm thinking about getting the Opteka battery grip for my Canon XSi. He also suggested that I should get a new lens to replace my kit lens (50mm) before I buy that battery grip for my camera. What would you suggest that I do?

Choice of lens(es) should be driven by two factors .... (1) budget and (2) need. So....

1. How much money do you have to spend on this?
2. What is it about your current len(es) that doesn't meet your needs? To what use will you be putting the lens? What do you like to photogrpah? What changes do you want to make in your photography?

It'll be a lot easier to provide you with (free) advice once we have answers to these questions.

JohnBiggs

Why are you getting a battery grip?

I'm not trying to be smart here.... but here is my experience.

Although I bought a battery grip and had it for several years, I rarely changed the position of my hand, meaning I wasn't using it.

Canon cameras have amazing battery life already. So a second battery on board isn't going to change much. In fact, two batteries on board mean you will need two spares. It's actually better to have one battery and one spare.

Edit: I also forgot to say that the battery grip is added size and weight too.

divamum

The battery grip for the xsi makes a HUGE difference to its handling. Without it, it's on the small side; with it, it's very comfortable even for long shooting.

I picked up a light-used OEM Canon one with an extra OEM battery via FM when I first got the camera - price was very good, and it has served me well.

PVNPhotography

@Scott_Quier
I actually only have about $150 of my own money to spend on my new lenses. I've been trying to save up, but with school events and books I have to buy, it's actually eating up my money. Well, my current lenses are currently not long enough when I'm events where I cannot get access to the floor and get upclose to the subjects. I was thinking about getting a telephoto (55-250) but I'm not quiet sure yet. In a photograph, I like sharpness and bokeh. I want to be able to capture an image where the person looking at the photo will be able to keep their eyes on the subject and not the background or the foreground. As for changes, I just want to be able to make my subject look more sharp.

@JohnBiggs
That's exactly what I asked myself! :P Why exactly am I getting a battery grip. Well I'm guessing I am getting it for longer shooting times because sometimes at events such as a friends birthday party or a photoshoot with some friends in Downtown, I run out of battery within 500-600 shots iirc. But maybe that's only because I don't charge it after every session and that I'm using the built-in flash...

@divamum
Thanks for the advice!

Scott_Quier

$150 isn't going to get you very far in the lens department. In fact, I think there's only one lens I would recommend in that price range - the EF 50mm f/1.8, but I think you already have that (at least that's the way I read your post).

So, since a lens is (currently) not in the picture, that only a couple of alternatives:

• Buy a battery grip, but not a Canon one. The "after-market" items have got a pretty strong following so that's not an issue.
  
  
• Lighting - I'm thinking some sort of reflector - something like this might not be a bad idea since they say it can do duty as a reflector as well as a CWB calibration target.
  
  
• If you don't have one, some sort of gray target might also be a good idea ... something like the Photovision Digital Calibration Target Utility Kit might be a good idea
  
  
• Of course, there's always the idea of continuing to saving for a nice piece of glass - just a thought
  

Brett1000

PVNPhotography wrote:

@S

@JohnBiggs
That's exactly what I asked myself! :P Why exactly am I getting a battery grip. Well I'm guessing I am getting it for longer shooting times because sometimes at events such as a friends birthday party or a photoshoot with some friends in Downtown, I run out of battery within 500-600 shots iirc. But maybe that's only because I don't charge it after every session and that I'm using the built-in flash...

!

batteries for the XSi only cost $6 - get a spare battery !
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.20710

JohnBiggs

PVNPhotography wrote:

@JohnBiggs
That's exactly what I asked myself! :P Why exactly am I getting a battery grip. Well I'm guessing I am getting it for longer shooting times because sometimes at events such as a friends birthday party or a photoshoot with some friends in Downtown, I run out of battery within 500-600 shots iirc. But maybe that's only because I don't charge it after every session and that I'm using the built-in flash...
!

Thats what I'm saying. If you aren't in the habbit of charging a grip makes it worse. Both batteries will be dead simultaneously and you need two spares.

In the end having one spare battery will do SO much more for you if this is the situation you are talking about. Plus one spare battery is less to pack. A grip is lugged with the camera full time adding weight and fatigue. (yeah I would have said it's not much until I did a wedding and then I looked for all the weight I could remove.)