I've had it with my grip (and bought my first L glass :D)

[J.A.F. Doorhof]

Anyone here heard of the new hoodman batgrip for 20D ?
I have ordered one from my supplier.
Recently I exchanged my batgrip for a supposeldly new one, from 700 shots per 2 batteries I'm now down to almost 400 if I'm lucky.

I hate that grip, should last at least 2000-3000 shots.
I can try the hoodman first and after that they will exchange my canon for the hoodman.

On another note I sold my Sigma 80-400OS and bought the Canon 100-400L.

I have compared both to death now and the conclusion is that the OS of the Sigma seems to be better than the IS but nog by much.
The sharpness of the Sigma on 400mm wide open is slightly better but the color and contrast of the 100-400L is slightly better.

HSM is a big step upwarts.
I NEVER really missed the HSM untill I started shooting kitesurfers from up close, that was too fast for the Sigma, motocross/soccer/birds in flight no problem but the waves and the surfers were too much.

Seeing the price difference I still think the Sigma is a bit better but I'm also happy with the 100-400L.

Greetings,
Frank

[Toogy]

Wow, please let us know your experiences with the Hoodman grip.
Just checked and I have taken 640 pics on my new grip without the battery level dropping yet, so maybe this one is ok??
Still going to charge both before this Saturday's wedding though.

[sadanorakman]

Interested more in your Sigma/canon 400 comparison. I haven't seen any really good head to head comparisons of these two lenses.

I bought the Sigma after hearing horror stories about the canon sucking in dirt all the time. My sigma has already picked up a couple of fine specs on the inside of the prime objective, so I guess this is just likely to happen anyway. Also I'm not keen on having to move my hand to twist the zoom collar twice for a full range zoom... It really annoys.

I guess though I also like the fact that the Sigma goes down to 80mm which just gives that extra bit of flexibility over 100 on a 1.6crop camera, and I'm more than happy with the image quality, but then again I haven't been able to trial the canon.

I have been toying with the idea of a battery grip... not for the extra shots I can get out of two batteries, but for the potential better handling/balance especially with the large Sigma on it. Does the grip make that much difference?

Thanks

Craig

[condyk]

I tried a Sigma OS for a few days and liked the handling. I also checked images from both lenses online and seems they're competitive. I am intending getting one for a year end safari where the OS will produce more keepers than my very nice but somewhat more unhandholdable 100-300mm f4 with TCon.

The HSM issue didn't bother me as I don't shoot fast and tricky moving things much and the twist grip annoyance mentioned above just wasn't an issue for me as I found my real world zooming range was small much of the time, 300-400mm range I used a lot and never tried to zoom from one end to the other. Seems people who have this lens all like it and I have seen some very nice shots taken with it.

Craig, I have a grip on my 300d and I have to say it never comes off. It really offers a nice balance especially with a larger and heavier lens. Highly recommended.

[jbradc]

Anyone here heard of the new hoodman batgrip for 20D ?
I have ordered one from my supplier.
Recently I exchanged my batgrip for a supposeldly new one, from 700 shots per 2 batteries I'm now down to almost 400 if I'm lucky.

I hate that grip, should last at least 2000-3000 shots.
I can try the hoodman first and after that they will exchange my canon for the hoodman.

It sounds like a battery problem, not a grip problem. Are batteries dead after 400 shots?
The Hoodman website only shows grips for Nikon D50 & D70...
http://www.hoodmanusa.com/powergrip.asp

[sadanorakman]

Thanks for the advice condyk. I guess I'm too happy with my Sigma 80-400 to take the effort of swapping it for the canon 100-400, but I do sometimes wonder what if I had bought the L instead!

I suppose I need to start researching a grip now. I wasn't aware there were alternatives to the canon grip.

Any recommendations anyone? (I suppose I should go look for the relevent thread!)

[J.A.F. Doorhof]

The batteries are perfect when I run them normal in my camera they last forever.
The batterie problem is known by Canon.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Yes.. that "Battery problem" is a known issue with the grip.. when the grip is installed the camera may display the worng battery level.

[chuckindetroit]

I have had the Sigma OS since they first came out and realy like it. Having a little more on the wide end is nice. It is my walk around lens. You don't have to use the rotating collar for zoom. Just push/pull like the Canon. With my little through middle fingers on the tripod mount the thumb can work the zoom nice and easy.

[elbirth]

if you don't mind, where are you buying the hoodman grip for the 20D? I've been waiting quite a while to hear something official from Hoodman, but still have seen no mention of it on their website.

[J.A.F. Doorhof]

I have ordered it from a dealer in the Netherlands.

[elbirth]

they don't happen to have any pictures of it available online, do they?

[J.A.F. Doorhof]

Don't think so no.

[elbirth]

just wanted to bump this and ask if you've gotten that hoodman grip yet? I'd like to see some pictures of it by itself and on the 20d if at all possible.

Thanks!

[J.A.F. Doorhof]

not yet