Battery Grip for styles

[nick911sc]

So,

I'm about to pull the trigger on buying myself a battery grip(Zeikos) for my T1i. My question is.. I know the grip is a no brainer for Portrait photography. But I do a lot more photography geared towards wildlife than I do studio portrait work, so I'd like to know what others think of using a battery grip for that type of application. Do you use a grip for wildlife/birding when you aren't doing portrait work?

Let me know!

[krb]

Sure, why not? If nothing else, having the second battery in there is great for when it's winter and the cold is killing your batteries.

[nick911sc]

I appreciate the response and I totally agree.

I've never shot with a battery grip before, so I guess I'm wondering how people feel comfort wise with the added weight when shooting wildlife type stuff. And how do Grips usually fair when used on a tripod?

[krb]

The grip helps a little to balance the weight of a big lens.
The grip usually makes the camera more comfortable period because it gives some room for the pinky finger.

As for grips on a tripod, the pro bodies like the 1 series have the grip permanently attached. Any tripod worth having is going to be fine with a gripped body.

The mechanism that attaches the grip to the body is the weakest part of the grip and taking it on off all the time is a good way to damage it.

[nick911sc]

Interesting, I never thought about that with taking it on and off frequently. I think I'm going to go ahead and make the purchase. If anyone with a Zeikos grip comes in here before I do maybe they can steer me towards or away from it. Until then I'll be using the search engine.

[klr.b]

i hardly use my portrait controls. i guess i'm just use to taking portraits the old-fashioned way. the grip is mainly there for the extra battery and for comfort. the extra weight is not an issue at all. have you ever tried holding your rebel for hours? after a long period, my hand will cramp. my glove size is M/L so i don't have huge hands. i bought the grip maybe 2 weeks after the camera and never needed to take it off.

[jeromego]

The main reason i use the grip is for comfort. it just feels much more balanced on my hand, especially if you have a big hand.

[nick911sc]

I have humungo hands so I'm hoping it will help a little bit with that! haha

[nick911sc]

Ok, I ordered the Zeikos and a spare Canon battery(I made sure it was real for my own piece of mind lol)

[Tom Reichner]

Sure, why not? If nothing else, having the second battery in there is great for when it's winter and the cold is killing your batteries.
Yeah - what he said.


I've never shot with a battery grip before, so I guess I'm wondering how people feel comfort wise with the added weight when shooting wildlife type stuff. And how do Grips usually fair when used on a tripod?
Many people who are very serious about shooting wildlife use big, heavy supertelephotos, so the weight of a grip is not really much of an issue considering the weight of the lens being used.

Also, the grip won't affect the use of a tripod when you have a big wildlife lens on the camera, because when using big lenses the lens itself mounts on the tripod, not the camera. In fact, even Canon's relatively small 100-400 zoom comes with a tripod ring on it.

Here is how a typical wildlife lens mounts to the tripod (see attached image). Notice how the camera doesn't mount to anything; only the lens does. So the grip would be no problem at all:)

[nick911sc]

Yeah - what he said.


Many people who are very serious about shooting wildlife use big, heavy supertelephotos, so the weight of a grip is not really much of an issue considering the weight of the lens being used.
Also, the grip won't affect the use of a tripod when you have a big wildlife lens on the camera, because when using big lenses the lens itself mounts on the tripod, not the camera. In fact, even Canon's relatively small 100-400 zoom comes with a tripod ring on it.

You know, I didn't even think about that. I am in the market to also buy a longer lens and I know they use the Collar to mount onto the tripod rather than the camera itself.

Now I just have to wait for them to arrive! Hopefully on the same day

[dovaka]

i honestly have a hard time using a camera that doesnt have a grip on it just because of how small it feels in my hands

[themadman]

I use my grip for extra battery life as well as portrait orientation ease =)