XSi/450D Grip Options

[Dooms_day]

well theres the official canon grip, and then opteka makes one for about 50 bucks cheaper. so im wondering what the diferences are in build quality, and how reliable the buttons are on a 3rd party grip (sometimes cheap buttons can be non-responsive) also does it overall keep the study construction of the camera, and not get loose after time.

either that or tell me some pluses about canon's grip, anything that helps me decide :D

[Paul J McCain]

I just got an Opteka. Great build, only thing is the vertical adjustment knob doesn't "click" like the Canon one. It's not extremely loose though, I can still use it well. Other than that, it works perfectly and seems exactly the same, based on my use of it over the last few weeks.

[I'm Sasquatch]

I bought one last fall made by Yongnuo and love it. The instructions say something along the lines of 'thank you for purchasing a Canon product' making me wonder if this is made for Canon by Yongnuo. Anyway, it fits great and works perfectly. I've got no complaints.

I think I bought it at www.Dealextreme.com (http://www.Dealextreme.com). Even though it was shipped from Hong Kong, the shipping was quick. Take a look at this thread for info/reviews. http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=556842

[iceman1]

I have the Opteka and am glad I got it. No major issues so far.

[talbot_sunbeam]

The instructions say something along the lines of 'thank you for purchasing a Canon product' making me wonder if this is made for Canon by Yongnuo.

In my view, it's *much* more likely just to be another example for far east product copying - these companies get hold of, or reverse engineer the specifications, and manufacture their own copies.

The mention of Canon in the manual is more likely because they took the official Canon manuals, and changed the wording/branding to reflect their own details, but just missed replacing the odd instance of "Canon".

Sometimes the copied products can be good, even every bit as good as the original - sometimes they even use the same manufacturing facilities. Other times the products can be poor garbage that's unreliable and uses inferior cheap materials.

Obviously, I don't know whether this is the case in this instance, but it certainly sounds possible...

[I'm Sasquatch]

I see your point talbot_sunsbeam and it is valid.

Maybe I lucked out... the grip I bought is quite nice and I'm glad I didn't spend double for the Canon product.

If I hadn't read favorable reviews from the link above, I never would have bought it.

[CanuckBassist]

+1 for the YongNuo grip. I have one, and I have no regrets.

[bohdank]

Bought the Phottix one for the 40D. I'm very impressed with the quality, especially for less than $75. The buttons feel great and the wheel feels very solid and does click. No mush at all.