Battery grip, do I need it?

firststring74

So Santa was very happy with me this year and brought me a ton of new Camera equipment. I received the 40D and my husband bought for me (it is yet to arrive) the battery grip that fits it and the 20D. I am debating if I really need it or not. I shoot mostly horse shows and family events. My photography is mostly outdoors as well. What is the deciding factor when buying the battery grip? Is it extended battery life, or is it that it makes it easier to handle the camera?

digital2006

I have a battery grip on my Canon XT...i love it.It has 2 batteries in the grip as opposed to only one in the camera. It also has a shutter button on the grip when you shoot in the vertical position...and besides it looks great on the camera.

photocat

The batteries last longer if they are doubled up in a grip. It gives me more stability to shoot. I would say go for it and enjoy it.

Scott_Quier

firststring74 wrote:

So Santa was very happy with me this year and brought me a ton of new Camera equipment. I received the 40D and my husband bought for me (it is yet to arrive) the battery grip that fits it and the 20D. I am debating if I really need it or not. I shoot mostly horse shows and family events. My photography is mostly outdoors as well. What is the deciding factor when buying the battery grip? Is it extended battery life, or is it that it makes it easier to handle the camera?

Uh, both?

The doubling of the batteries seems to make them last longer than if you were shooting with just one battery and then replacing it with the second when the first one discharges. It may be a false impression and is not backed by any testing on my part, but that's the way it seems.

Balance. Before I got mine, I used to think this was garbage. You should just correctly hold the lens and balance would take care of itself. That may be true, but it's only part of the equation. With the BG on the body, the balance point is moved closer to the camera body, making it easier to handle, especially with a long and/or heavy lens.

In the future, and and when I buy additional bodies, I will be getting the BG in the same order - unless I'm buying something like the 1 series

ivar

I don't think you ever *need* it, you may prefer it, or not.

Personally, I don't have a batt. grip on my 30d; I had one, but got rid of it. I thought it was terrible, and of no use. A single battery will already last me way longer than I need, and I do carry a second just in case. I don't have a problem with changing a battery every now and then.

Also, remember that the camera gets a lot bigger with a battery grip, and (your) bags may not fit the camera with grip attached.

In the end it is just a personal choice, I think. Go to the store, try it out on your camera and see how it feels, I would suggest.

Icebear

Image
The bigger your camera, the more "serious" an impression you make on observers. Putting a battery grip on a "lesser" camera may help your image, even if not your images.

photocat

Icebear wrote:

The bigger your camera, the more "serious" an impression you make on observers. Putting a battery grip on a "lesser" camera may help your image, even if not your images.

I agree, I find people trust me with more ease as I look "pro". Whatever that may mean. I can shoot things that I would not be able to shoot with a lesser camera. Not fair, but then things are not always fair and square either...
For instance, if you shoot weddings, I find that you have to have a more impressive looking camera then the brother in law, or they don't take you seriously... What a battery grip is good for!

claudermilk

It's really personal preference. I got a grip almost immediately & last week was the first time I've had it off since then (stupid me, forgot to recharge batts & this gave me enough more time to get the job done). My primary reason was the secondary controls for portair-orientation shooting. The balance and extra battery were nice. The pro-poser look neve entered into the equation for me & never entered my mind until I saw comments to that effect online. Whatever.

I did get a lot of "is that a big enough camera" jibes at my work Christmas party (20+grip+24-70 makes a hefy bit of gear). But then I pointed out I didn't need no stinking flash...and the president made the "oh, you have the good camera" comment. :pimp

jdryan3

claudermilk wrote:

But then I pointed out I didn't need no stinking flash...and the president made the "oh, you have the good camera" comment. :pimp

Hopefully he didn't reply with some comment related to reviewing the comp budget if you have so much disposable income....

claudermilk

jdryan3 wrote:

Hopefully he didn't reply with some comment related to reviewing the comp budget if you have so much disposable income....

Nope, he's been driving me to this rig & is far, far worse than me (his kits I know of are 1Ds Mk II, D1 Mk III, D100, 645Pro, 645AFD/Kodak back, Hassy H2. It's good to be king...). Best part is I get to borrow the uber expensive L glass he has that I cannot afford.

widash

Besides a lens, it was the first thing I knew I wanted when I purchased my 30D. If you shoot any vertical shots at all, I think you'll really like it.
I shoot primarily sports so for me it's worth every penny because of the vertical controls, and subconsciously I'm not worried about running out of battery juice during the game.

Hindsight

I'm in the "matter of preference" camp. I prefer shooting without mine on. It's very bulky. The vertical button is great, sure but don't think for a minute you "need" it. It bascially has to be there to make shooting verticals viable with a grip. Some almost make it seem as though they need a grip to shoot verticals or something. dunno


I use a D200 which I'm told is a big fat battery hog. If I'm doing a big shoot I just make sure I've got an extra battery on me and rotate them out. In such cases I have one on the charger, one in the camera, and one on my person.


The grip can be cool sometimes. It's a matter of mood. Sometimes I like getting all geeked out with the grip and the harness and the hat, etc.. Other times subtlety is called for. I tell ya.. doing two+ day shoots with a grip on, even using a harness to redistribute the weight can add a lot of unnecessary fatigue/stress/discomfort.

In summary, they're cool to have.

timnosenzo

Hindsight wrote:

I'm in the "matter of preference" camp. I prefer shooting without mine on. It's very bulky. The vertical button is great, sure but don't think for a minute you "need" it. It basically has to be there to make shooting verticals viable with a grip. Some almost make it seem as though they need a grip to shoot verticals or something. dunno

I agree with this assessment! I use mine sometimes, but most of the time I prefer not to have the extra bulk and weight. In regards to the battery life, I prefer to use one battery at a time, whether I'm using a grip or not...

jdryan3

Scott_Quier wrote:

The doubling of the batteries seems to make them last longer than if you were shooting with just one battery and then replacing it with the second when the first one discharges.

Balance. Before I got mine, I used to think this was garbage. You should just correctly hold the lens and balance would take care of itself. That may be true, but it's only part of the equation. With the BG on the body, the balance point is moved closer to the camera body, making it easier to handle, especially with a long and/or heavy lens.

I agree with Scott on the effect it has for balance. I had one on my 300D, which I got as part of a kit deal years ago.

When I got my 5D I didn't get the grip since it was $250 more. I thought I would try it without one and then pony up the $$ if I thought I needed it. Almost 2 years later, stll no grip. The 5D feels different in my hands than the 300D did. And while I do shoot portrait orientation a decent amount, moving the AF to the * button has been a great help in that regard.

The extra battery was nice, but I found I rarely blow thru one battery on a shoot. And if I do, I have a spare handy.

James S

I had a battery grip on my 30D and hated it. First it made the camera much heavier and I already have enough gear to carry around with the lenses. Secondly ift drew a lot of attention And I don't like that. Got rid of it and love the fact that I don't have all that extra weight.

firststring74

Thanks everyone, my husband picked it up for me on the 26th and I have yet to play with it. I think that if it isn't what I wanted, it and a polarized filter might go back and be used as credit toward another lens. It certainly adds heft to the 40D.

Christina